Journeys (standard:drama, 1795 words)
Author: Velvetyse	Added: May 25 2002	Views/Reads: 3148/2122	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
A journey of the body...or of the mind?

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

course, animals were afraid of humans. She continued to drink, 
quenching her thirst. 

Of a sudden she felt extremely dizzy. What? Her stomach cramped in
increasing spasms and she bent over them, not knowing what was 
happening. Oh God, she hurt! Then she knew why there were no animals 
around the hole. It was too stagnant and had become poisonous. Her 
gorge rose and she vomited violently and then collapsed into sudden 
unconsciousness. 

...She drank the whole bottle, sir. I haven't a clue as to how she got a
hold of it...Let's get her back into bed. She's not coming along like 
she should... 

When she awoke, night had fallen and the cool air washed over her still
aching body. She was alive, that much she could tell, but it had 
probably been a close thing. Getting rid of the water in  her stomach 
as quickly as she had had most likely helped. She was still sick, but 
she could get away from the water hole and into some type of shelter to 
recover. Or she could continue onto the hills. Yes, moving was the best 
thing instead of laying down and suffering. Next time she wanted water 
she would watch the hole first to see if animals drank there. If they 
did, it was safe. She didn't want another lesson. Two in a row was not 
fun. Though she may be a woman, she still had a brain and knew how to 
use it. A sudden thought caught her off guard. Who had been speaking? 
There was no one else around and if there had been, why hadn't they 
helped her? And there wasn't a “bottle” or a “bed” anywhere near here. 
She dismissed the incident and rose slowly to her feet, swaying a bit 
as she started off toward the hills again. She would have to be 
careful. The animals that hunted at night were dangerous and she could 
easily be the prey. In her weakened state, she would most definitely be 
a target. So proceeding wearily, she walked on. 

“You must have been very beautiful once, but now you're all blackened
from the sun. I'm sorry.” She bent over the remains of the snake and 
touched it gently. Once just the thought of the creepy creatures would 
have sent her running from the room, but now the poor thing in front of 
her seemed to be in the same boat as she. 

“You seem to be very hot. We must cool you down.” 

She screamed as she clearly heard the snake speak. But it couldn't
speak, it was dead and dead animals didn't speak. What? 

“Please. Don't scream, ma'am. Calm down.” 

How could she calm down when there was a dead snake speaking to her? And
what was this about having a fever? She was hot, but it was from the 
noonday sun. She must be losing her mind, it was being fried by the 
desert heat. Yes, that was it. She was frying into insanity. She backed 
away from the snake slowly, staring at it as if it would suddenly come 
into life. Turning toward the ever-nearer hills, she took off running. 

She watched apprehensively as the dark clouds rolled over the plain. She
had read that these storms were powerful and that they could be deadly. 
She needed to find shelter as soon as possible. Picking up her pace, 
she scanned the terrain for some sort of shelter. She was closer to the 
hills, but she would not reach them for awhile and the trees that had 
suddenly come into view the day before were not acceptable. There! Was 
that some sort of outcropping of rocks? Yes, it was! Oh, lucky, lucky! 
She ran toward the darkened hole and taking a cautious peek inside, saw 
that it was unoccupied. Oh, good! She scrambled down into it just as 
the storm washed over the area and let loose its power. Torrential 
rains came down and thunder and lightening roared overhead. She 
screamed as the ground shook with the force of each boom and covered 
her head. She continued to scream as the storm continued, becoming 
hoarse as the hours passed. Finally she stopped in exhaustion, now 
unaware of the storm and fell into sleep. 

She wouldn't stop, sir. I had tried everything I could without using
that and then I had to use it. She quiet now, but the storm was truly 
frightening her. Where should she go?...We'll take her there... 

She woke again and after gaining her bearings, crawled out of the
shelter. The voices had spoken again. Her brain was truly, truly fried 
by the desert sun. Getting to the hills would be good. There, she might 
find enough water and small game to sustain her until someone thought 
to look for her. If anyone thought to. Oh, well. She shook her skirt 
out and walked on again. Her journey would continue until she was 
either dead or she had been rescued. Oh, well, such was life and just 
because she was a woman in the Eighteenth Century, did not mean that 
she couldn't survive the wilderness of the Kenyan Plains.  She would, 
she would prove it. And she wouldn't lose her mind doing so. 

He looked down at the woman sadly. She lay with her head turned toward
the window, staring out at the bright day. He sighed. 

“There is nothing more we can do for this woman. She is beyond our
help.” 

His assistant looked at him with eyebrows raised. “What are we to do
with her, then?” 

“The disease has progressed too far. Draw up the papers, as we must send
her to one of the Insane Asylums, immediately.” 

“Yes, sir.” 

The Doctor continued to look at the woman, wondering where she was
locked in her own mind and why she wore a small triumphant smile on her 
lips. 


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