The two friends walked away from the city, in the opposite direction of the stone window which had changed Mandy's outlook on the world forever. Soon there was tall grass of some sort on either side of the wide cement road.
Zara stopped, and picked two fat blades. She handed one to Mandy.
Mandy gently squeezed it. "It's full of juice? I thought it was grass."
Zara shook her head. "No, it's a hybrid of many plants. It's really tasty! They grow it for the Mullers."
Mandy looked around, but didn't see anything except the tall plants. "You said you'd show me one, but all I see are fields?"
Zara nodded. "We should be seeing one any time now. Let's get off the road, there's an old path close by. It leads to a river."
Mandy smiled. "Oh good, I love water!"
A couple of minutes later, they ducked under the steel cable fence, and walked along a footpath. The ground was moist, but not soaked enough to be muddy.
"Why is that big hole in the path?" Mandy asked, as she hopped out of a large depression.
"It's a Muller track. We'll probably see one soon."
Mandy stopped and examined the huge track. "It's bigger than any footprint I've ever seen," she said in awe.
"They're big alright. And they stink almost as bad as their dung. But don't worry, they won't hurt you. Just don't try lying down in front of one, though. You're likely to get stepped on."
"Do they work?" asked Mandy.
"Work?" asked Zara.
Mandy thought how to explain for a few seconds.
"Oh! I've never seen anything like that," Zara said.
At first Mandy was surprised, then she remembered that the conversation was mostly thoughts anyway.
The ground began to rumble. Then a creature bigger than Mandy's house lumbered into view.
It was fully thirty feet tall, and had a shaggy brown coat. Its feet appeared to be similar to an elephant's. The head and neck were shaped like that of a sheep. Underneath it had many teats like a nursing dog, but they were much larger, and very swollen.
The two girls stepped out of the way and it lumbered by, surprisingly graceful for its size.
Zara looked at her stunned friend. "They're for milk, and their fur is for clothing. When one dies the hide is made into things. And if it's good, the flesh is processed for those who eat it."
"We raise animals for those things too, but none of them are that big," Mandy replied.
Zara grinned. "You had a good idea of having them do something. Maybe I'll try to ride one, one day. Want to see the river?"
Mandy nodded, forcing herself to look away from the direction the Muller took.
Soon they were standing in front of a calm, wide ribbon of silver.
"It's beautiful," whispered Mandy.
"It really is. Want to see my swimming hole?" asked Zara.
Mandy nodded. "I've always wanted a swimming hole."
The two girls played and splashed in the water, until they heard a loud crack which shook the very air. Suddenly a bolt of lightning appeared in the sky, right about where the city would be.
To be continued!
Describe what you see:
I see a girl standing in between two worlds. One is very familiar. It has a field, forests, and yellow sunshine. The other world is rocky, rugged, and has either a large moon or a small planet nearby.
Describe what you feel:
I feel like the girl wants to explore. She's probably concerned about the way home possibly closing, stranding her in a strange world.
