The Oasis

The desert is hot. I see mirages of water as I desperately search for food. After the World War of 2030, there was not much left on earth but dust. My ancestors have told stories - stories of a peaceful, bountiful world that was. I decide to stop my search to sit on the sand. I am exhausted from looking all day through the dust. I close my eyes and try to feel the earth. I can hear the wind and the chatter of the others in the background.

I’m not sure how long I sat, but when I opened my eyes, I was calmer, more peaceful. I steadily looked around me...the others had moved on to a new location, and the golden sun was setting. I scanned the earth for as far as I could see, and something glittering in the sand caught my eye.

“It must be a mirage,” I said aloud. I could see the others, far in the distance. I decided to walk over to the glimmering spot. Lo and behold, when I arrived upon it, the small glimmering object in the sand was a necklace. I picked it up to observe. It was a golden, heart-shaped locket. I turned it over in my hand. It glistened in the setting sun. Suddenly I felt a sort of peace wash over me.

As I was observing the locket, I noticed that it had a clasp. I opened the small clasp to see what was inside.

Instantly, there was wind swirling the dust around me. I looked up into the vortex of the deep, never-ending sky. I could feel a rush of adrenaline inside my body as I began swirling up into the dark vortex. At first I fought it, trying to keep my feet on the ground. Then finally, I surrendered.

When I became conscious, I slowly opened my eyes. Almost instantly I was blinded by the greenery that surrounded me. I had never seen anything like it. Where was I? I tried to get my bearings and look around. I could hear a rush of something behind me; I turned my head to see where the noise was coming from. I couldn’t believe my eyes – water! Right there before me was the most majestic waterfall! I ran over to the banks and drank in the coolness.

After I had my fill, I scanned the new oasis before me. There were trees with fruits and wild berries. My hunger overcame me and I sat beneath the trees and gorged on the fruit until I became sick from the sweetness.

It was then that I had the thought, “Where are the others? How did I get here?” I began to panic. I remembered what my grandmother had taught me to do when I was frightened by my own thoughts: sit down, close my eyes, and breathe. Before I sat down, I did one more survey of the landscape. There were no predators; only lush trees, flowers, and tropical birds. I sat on a rock shaded by some trees to meditate.

Not much time had passed, but soon I heard something – laughter! Suddenly some children burst through the brush and trees, running towards the waterfall. They didn’t notice me; they were laughing and playing, splashing around. I heard some more familiar chatter. Out of the brush then came some women, one of whom I recognized.

“Grandmother!” I called out, running.

“There you are, child! Where have you been today?” she asked when I reached her.

“I, I don’t know what happened...” I stammered. “I was in the desert, and you and the others had traveled on, and I found this locket...”

I showed her the heart-shaped locket.

“Hush!” she silenced me.

She quickly grabbed my arm and briskly walked me over to some trees, out of the earshot of the others.

“You are never to repeat this,” she told me. “Keep this locket with you wherever you go. If you ever lose it, you will forever stay in the same place; the same time.”

“What do you mean?” I asked her, bewildered.

“There are others who covet the locket. Always beware, and watch your back. Do not tell anyone that you have come to possess it.”

Some of the other women in the group were approaching us curiously.

“Don’t forget what I told you,” she said.

That night, back at the camp, I had a dream. I dreamed of the oasis and the beautiful waterfall. I saw a man, dressed in black across the water. His presence made me uneasy. I noticed he was coming towards me. I turned to run. Suddenly, I felt the necklace breaking away from my neck. I woke up.

The sun was shining. I immediately felt my neck to see if the locket was still there...it was. I sighed with relief.

For the next two weeks, life on the oasis consumed me. One day, as I was walking from the camp to the waterfall to pick berries, I saw a handsome boy. I guessed that he was probably my age. His eyes caught mine, and I felt a fire ignite in my soul. We walked to the waterfall together. As we spoke, I felt that I had known him for lifetimes.

We became close friends, and later, lovers. I knew in my heart that I could trust him with anything. He shared everything with me, and I, him. The only secret that I kept from him was the locket. I thought a long time about the locket, and what my grandmother had said. I wore it secretly around my neck at all times.

One beautiful day in the oasis, my lover and I went for a swim in the waterfall.

“Wow, that is a beautiful locket,” he said, as if he had never noticed it before. I had done my best to keep it hidden up until this point.

“Oh, thank you,” I replied, shyly.

“Where did you get that?” he asked me. “I have never seen any jewelry so beautiful before.”

I hesitated. I wanted to tell him, but in my soul I knew that I should obey my grandmother’s vague warnings.

“Oh, I’ve had it,” I said simply.

This reply seemed to satisfy him. I was relieved as we swam in the water, but all day the secret tugged at my heart.

Later that night, while he and I sat alone by the campfire, I made a brash decision.

“If you promise never to tell anyone, I will tell you a secret,” I said gravely.

“What is it, love? I promise not to tell anyone,” my lover replied.

I knew in my heart that I could trust him, so I shared the story of the golden locket.

“And that’s how I ended up here,” I said.

I looked into my lover’s astounded eyes. His jaw was wide open.

“Do you think it still works?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” I replied, “but I haven’t tried to open it again since I’ve been in the oasis. Life is so good here. In the desert, after the war, everyone who survived struggled. There was no food and no water, and everyone was desperate. I feel so lucky to have stumbled upon the locket. If I hadn’t, I never would have found you.”

He leaned in and kissed me.

“Aren’t you curious though?” he asked. “There is a possibility that we could travel anywhere, even to unknown dimensions.”

“I suppose you’re right,” I replied. I hadn’t actually given much thought to the possibilities of where the locket could take me – could take us.

I was filled with adrenaline again. The rush excited me.

“Do you want to try it out? Come with me and we’ll explore the worlds,” I said.

“Of course!” he exclaimed, excited.

“Keep your voice down,” I cautioned. “No one can know about the locket. My grandmother warned me.”

I slipped the necklace off of my neck. I looked at it for a moment, gleaming in the firelight.

“What are we waiting for?” he whispered.

“You’re right,” I said. “Let’s just do it.”

I unclasped the locket and grabbed his hand.

The sand began loudly swirling around us. The campfire went out. All became dark. I looked up into the vortex of the dark, never-ending sky once again and surrendered.

When I awoke, I was on my back. The heart-shaped locket was in my clenched hand. I looked up into the hot sky. The sun was blazing. I turned my head to look around. My mouth was parched. I saw water.

I began running towards the water, but the closer I came to it, the more it seemed to allude me. The devastating reality suddenly hit me: I was back in the desert. The water was a mirage.

I screamed desperately for my lover, but for miles I could see the desert was empty. I sank down to my knees in the sand and cried. I was angry. How could this have happened? In my rage, I threw the locket as far as I could away from me and continued crying. I remembered my grandmother and her warning. I cursed the locket.

Then suddenly, I had a thought. If I had traveled to the oasis the first time with the locket, would it not bring me back to my lover? I feverishly got up and began desperately searching for the golden locket. I searched and searched, but it was nowhere to be found in the vastness of the dust in the desert.

I hopelessly looked toward the setting sun. I could see my tribe in the distance. As I began walking toward them, I knew that the locket, and the oasis, were forever gone.