Aurora Magazine 2017

second time, only to be cut off by the loud ringing of a nearby bell. Jackie’s hands raced around his clothing until they landed on the pocket where his phone rested. When he withdrew the device Puff was able to discern where the bell was tolling from. It was the cell phone that emitted the loud noise. Jackie hit a button and placed the phone up to his ear. He strolled a few steps out of Puff ’s hearing range and carried on a short conversation with the phone. Puff tilted his head, leaning one ear in the direction of Jackie hoping to catch part of the conversation. Jackie removed the cell phone from his ear, hit another button, and shoved the phone back in his pocket. He briskly walked past Puff with a childish smile stretching from ear to ear. With a forceful shove the boat found its way back into the mysterious blue sea. Without a word, Jackie hoisted the sail and disappeared through the mists. Puff heard a thunderous crash of falling rock behind him. When he turned toward the noise, the distant mountains could be seen crumbling. The trees all fell flat against the stiff sand as flowers shriveled. Puff hung his head and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his feet were barely visible. Puff was fading away. With the little energy he had remaining, Puff began the long trek to his cave. His tail dragged along the dry earth. Everything that he touched turned to ash and blew away with the breeze. Puff ’s breathing was constricted, which made the journey all the more painful. Finally, Puff came to an opening in a hillside where his home lay hidden in the dark. With Jackie gone, and no hope for his return, Puff knew this was his final adventure. He was too weak to even cry. Puff crawled inside his cave just as his energy was expelled. Knowing he would sail no more, Puff heavily dropped to his stomach. The impact was more than Puff could take. There in the dark cave, just as Jackie’s imagination did, Puff disappeared into a cloud of dust, leaving no trace of his existence.

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