I'm not sure when it was
when my eye's opened
midday possibly
the heat unbearable
as if the sun held a personal
vendetta against me

sitting up slowly
must have been hours
my skin darkened deep
but where am I?
Who am I?
Visual adjustment

sand hills
distant in all the miles around
I see the heat rising from the ground
there's no water
no food
no shade for a momentary break
as I begin to walk

beads of sweat
hearts constricting
breath shallow
footsteps becoming heavier
and heavier
where am I?
Who am I?....

Hours pass
darkness falls complete
I must stop
no sense of direction
no sense of purpose to continue
Name still elusive
my body collapses to the earth
slow inhale of the chill night
the moon
seems he has run away
why?

I count three dark nights
three unrelenting
effort of motion comes to a crawl
mounting strength again
and again
only to move an inch
two if the star's look favorably
the sun will soon rise....

but there
in the distant
a sign?
Yes..a small post...Direction!
Adrenaline floods in fast
sprinting
hundreds of yards pass
so close
so close
I'm so very close

winded
hardly breathing
I'm there
my eyes gaze up
vision clashing in effort
against the sweat beading down my face
the sun still playing it's battle
against me for unknown reason
But I win a small victory
starting to slowly reading

“Land of the Lost - Land of Unchanged”
nothing more
I read this sentence over
many times over
staring at it
the words across four separate boards
facing
North
South
To the East and West

how could this be!
traveling for day's
abandoned
desperation for an answer
of how I even got here
questions for my name
my life
a idea of self worth
for no person should ever travel alone

but something glints off the ground
half buried, top shown

I dig
trying so desperately
a glass bottle? I think...
Label still buried
every grain of sand a ton to move
so weak
so thirsty
I'll drink whatever it may contain
I find three bottles
more by touch
eye's slowly fading into useless
barley making out the words I read
“For those in the Land of the Lost – Land of the Unchanged”
I open one
I remember now

the bittersweet taste of whiskey
and all makes sense

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