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SUMMER
Holding me and Tumbles, Adone bolted for the island. He leaped over a ring of boulders as the storm hit this area. It blasted the dome, huge clumps of sand sliding down to form piles.
He wove among the tall, leafy trees, seeking shelter from the stinging sand.
“Can we create a lean-to and shelter beneath it?” I cried.
He peered around, then grabbed a few large branches that had fallen off trees. After leaning them against one of the boulders, he braced them with rocks. He made quick work of weaving large leaves into the simple structure, and we crawled beneath it.
The storm raged around us, and he held me. I kept Tumbles secured beneath my neck, and while the creature didn’t coo, he didn’t yip in distress. There was nothing we could do but ride this out.
Wind gusts buffeted our tiny structure, sand swirling and blasting our hideout. It whistled, and there were times I feared the lean-to would be ripped away.
He urged me close to the boulder and held onto the structure, his muscles bulging and strain filling his face. Desperation filled his eyes, and it was clear he’d be ripped away with the shelter rather than have it stolen from him.
The storm ravaged around us for what felt like forever. Finally, it passed on.
As the sun peeked through the gloom, we crawled out from beneath the lean-to.
“Congratulations,” Burmoot said, beaming a smile our way. “You’ve won the Galaxy Games!”
“I don’t understand,” I said, peering around. I still held Tumbles, but seeing no immediate threats, I put him down. He cooed as he rolled toward the wooded area.
“We still need to build our home of sand,” I said.
“And you did!” Burmoot waved his arm toward our lean-to that was now completely covered in sand, the opening we’d crawled out of forming a door. “It sustained you through the night, and it is built of sand.”
“Sort of,” Adone said, skeptical.
“You’re right,” I said, determined to follow this through. If Burmoot said we’d finished, who was I to argue? “Sure, that’s it. We built a house of sand.”
The remaining monitor flew over to us. A snarl ripped from its hidden speakers.
“This is not true,” a voice intoned from the device. “They have not built this house of sand. The sandstorm built it for them.”
“Their assignment did not indicate they couldn’t have help from the weather,” Burmoot said. “Weather you sent at them; I might add.”
“You have cheated, helping them,” the monitor said. Did a member of the Universal Council speak with us? It had to be.
“I did no such thing,” Burmoot said. A smile teased across his lips when he looked our way. “They completed each task.”
Lights flashed behind the monitor’s viewscreen. “The storm completed the task!”
“I, their host, did not cause this storm to happen. It was my role to guide them and hinder them as I saw fit.” He looked toward me and Adone with our arms around each other. “Congratulations. As I said, you have won the game. Tell me, Summer, where would you like to be transported? Earth or some other destination?” He looked toward the top of the dome, and his smile widened when a hatch opened, and a ship soared inside.
Was it truly over?
“I’m going wherever Adone plans to travel,” I said.
His arms tightened around me.
“And you, Adone?” Burmoot asked. “Where would you like to go?”
The ship landed immediately outside the boulder ring, and the hatch in the side opened. It welcomed us, and I could barely believe we’d finished, that we’d get to leave this place forever. Our new life was just beginning.
“We would like to be taken to wherever my brothers are,” he said.
“Very well.” Burmoot dipped his head forward. “I have programmed the ship to take you there.”
