“Water Wastelands”

Connor M.

Suddenly, I woke up, not knowing who I was or where I was. I was in a busted up room of some sort, with my head bleeding and a shard of glass stuck in my chest. I walked outside and everything was gone. I felt a burning feeling in my chest. Everything was rusty and grey, with a huge line across every building, as if it was a giant watermark. Then, I realize it was. I was speechless, scared…alone.

I saw a dog in the distance under a store, not moving. I slowly pulled the glass out of my chest ad put a rag on it. I felt very dizzy. I took a few steps toward the dog. SNAP! I looked down and saw a bone. I saw the dog’s ear pop up. I yelled to the dog, “C’mere!” He stood up, leg free. I guess he wasn’t stuck. I yelled again, “C’mere!” He didn’t move.

About three minutes later of yelling to come, his head slowly turned to look at me. He had a disgusted face, as if he was looking into my soul. He stuck his tongue out and started to bark at me for no reason. Ruff! Ruff! Ruuff! Then, he happily trotted up to me and sat on my foot with a happy dog face.

I walked over to where he had been sitting. The dog followed. I looked at his nametag, or his collar. Tugstan, it said. “C’mon, Tugstan.” He followed me, and there was a book. That’s why he wouldn’t move too much. He looked at me like I was an idiot. I wanted to smack him so bad, but instead I walked over to the book. I put it in my backpack and walked on, not knowing Tugstan wanted me to read the book.

I found a shack with a bunch of engine noises coming from it. I walked in, careless of knocking. It was a steampunk lab. It was really cool.

“The dog wants you to read the book,” said a voice behind me. I turned around to see a young woman with a steampunk outfit on her. “The name’s Sprocket. How can I help you?” She acted as if I didn’t just walk out of a house with a piece of glass stuck in my chest.

I shrugged.

“Oh, wait a minute. You’re that spooky stranger kind of guy. I get ya. I get ya.” She took a sip out of her yellow rusting canteen.

I just looked blankly at her.

“Are you thirsty?” she asked.

I nodded.

“Follow me! I’ll show you where I get my water from.”

I could tell she was a happy kind of person. I followed her into a cave behind her. There were machines everywhere on the inside with all kinds of gems and rocks.

“Over here!” she whispered.

We went down a huge tunnel, and finally we were in a room with huge icicles on the ceiling.

“An here we are! Ta da!” She sat down and put her canteen under the icicles, opened up her backpack, and took out another canteen and gave it to me.

“It’s a long process, but it’s worth it,” Sprocket said happily.

“Why are you being so nice to me?”

“Because…” she paused. “Wait, didn’t you have a dog?”

“Uh oh,” I replied.

Woof!

I felt my leg tingle. He was licking my leg, still looking at me like I was an idiot.

“Good dog,” she said.

He started to lick an icicle that fell on the floor.

“Oh, yeah. Because there’s not a lot of folks around anymore,” she said.

“What?” I replied with a puzzled face.

“You asked why I’m being so nice to you, and that’s why. Only two percent of the world’s population is left. Well, 1.527 to be precise. I just like to round up numbers.”

I took a sip of water and walked toward the sad-eyed little pup and suddenly slipped!

I woke up…

“Well, I’ll be! You had a slip there!” For some reason Sprocket’s accent changed. “Just kidding! It’s me, Sprocket. Fooled you!”

Tugstan’s disgusted face slowly switched from me to Sprocket as she laughed breathlessly on the metal flooring. She slowly rose off the floor, face pink and puffed up. “You are so gullible!”

Tugstan was still disgusted with both of us. Ruff! Ruff! Bark!

“Oh, yeah. The dog still wants you to read the book in your backpack,” Sprocket told me.

“How do you know?” I replied.

“He told me,” she said.

I looked at Tugstan. His disgusted face was gone.

“Wait, you can talk?” I asked Tugstan.

He shook his head.

I looked at Sprocket, annoyed.

“How did he understand you then?” Sprocket asked.

I looked at Tugstan again. Woof! he replied.

“Plus, the English dog translator on his ankle”

“Good point,” I replied. I stared at him intensely and said, “Talk!”

He replied with a woof and a happy dog face.

“Try this,” Sprocket said. “If you say flat tire,  you will get a bone,” Sprocket told Tugstan.

Tugstan said nothing.

“Can you understand me, Tugstan?” I asked.

His chubby face bounced up and down.