The Arks: Over Heaven (by Ben)

Chapter 58: Moonflight

Part 2/3

Then, he got off the wall and began to walk away. Gary spotted him going toward Skyler out of the corner of his eye. Gary put his bowl of soup down and followed him.

Gary quickly snuck around, and eventually made his way to Skyler’s hut, hiding behind the wall. He saw Ben walk up to Skyler, and he put his hand on her shoulder. He knelt down and began to speak to her.

“Chris has been gone for a really long time,” Ben said, “It doesn’t make sense. He has the Pteranodon, he should’ve finished his scouting mission earlier than the others.”

Skyler was wordless.

“What does it matter, Ben? I embarrassed myself out there and now they won’t even care to look at me.”

“Your mistake doesn’t matter to me. Our safety is most important.”

“But I put the others at danger with the stunt I pulled back then.”

“That doesn’t matter to me,” Ben replied, “I care about everyone here. That includes you. You need good rest, Chris needs help. So I will go out and find him on my own.”

“But we can’t afford to lose any more people-”

“I’ll be FINE. That’s why only I am going out there. No one else will get hurt and this place will not be left unattended. I’ll use my plant powers to create a path through the swamp west and search for him there. You have my word we will meet again safely.”

Skyler looked at Ben, her eyes bloodshot and red.

“Promise?”

Ben’s eyes wandered away. He sighed, before nodding.

“I promise.”

A glow seemed to come from Ben’s breast pocket, but it quickly faded away. Ben got up from the ground and began to walk away. Ben looked toward Gary, and he jumped in shock.

“What are you doing back there?” Ben asked.

“Oh, me? Nothing much, just getting some fresh air, cause, uh, that soup wasn’t very good,” Gary said, trying to fake barf. Ben squinted his eyes, then stared right into Gary’s.

“Sure… you were watching me, weren’t you?”

Gary groaned, and nodded honestly.

“Yes. I was. But I was just curious about what you were gonna do, capiche? Sheesh, I still don’t know how you do that, it’s FREAKY.”

“Capiche,” Ben muttered back. He rolled his eyes and turned away,

“Just don’t tell anyone I’m leaving, kay? And if you do, just say I’m going on a business trip.”

“Okay, okay, goodbye. And good luck, alright?”

Ben paused at those words, and his eyes twitched for a moment, before he began walking off for good.

~

“Ben’s right,” Skyler murmured, “I should get some sleep.”

Skyler got up from the log, rubbed her eyes, and made her way inside her hut. Home sweet home. She walked over to her bed and crawled onto the thatch mattress. She pulled the thin blanket over her body, her eyes closed shut and her mind wandering.

For a moment, she could see her dog’s face in her vision, the laughter of her family, and the sing-song of a poem, before eventually she entered a dream.

Everything was wrapped in darkness. Skyler couldn’t find her way around, her body trapped in a milky void that made her limbs feel like jelly, and her head feel like a heavy weight. The void around her began to spin around her, and the stars began to sparkle one by one, forming the constellation of a dragon’s head.

“Uh,” Skyler groaned as the stars sparkled in her eyes. The woosh of wind passed by her face, and a gigantic dragon with three heads came into view, flying in with all of its might. The stars faded away, and a divine glow radiated from the dragon as it stopped its flight. Its three long necks intermingled with one another, each one telling whispers to each other in a language Skyler couldn’t understand.