6.

We can start over, begin again ... if we seek it out, it can be done.

What was bright as bright can be has gone in to become a darkness. Johnny Birch, and his newly trusty steed-like camel, out in a desert unending as the universe itself, have come to rest within a cavern. The further into this cavern he gets, the more complete the darkness becomes. Now he could just rest close by the entrance until an evening dullness decides to descend, but curiosity has got the better of him.

There is something within this cavern that intrigues him and what that something is, so happens to be a complete mystery. It is as if there is something within the darkness that calls to him, almost luring a child with a treat. He so wants to go investigate. From how the desert looks, it may be a while before nightfall comes if it comes here at all so perhaps, he can afford to go wandering in this cavern just a little bit.

His body feels the wear and tear of life though his mind is as young as it has ever been. If he could put it to a jury as to what he should do, some may disagree with his decision to go investigate, if they cared to have an opinion at all. Never been the friendliest of people himself and more often than not he is quick to offer an opinion to others when he may be best served keeping to himself. There will be less opportunity ahead for treks of discovery, so what the heck? ... and indeed, there are no opinions out here to get in his way.

He gets himself a quick snack and has some water and has himself a quick word with the camel. It's all a bit crazy, a whole lot of crazy, everything which has come his way. Some would have him crazy, lock away in some nut house if he were to tell his story back at that waterhole and that is if no one had witnessed that big fellow and the incredible heat which had shown itself that odd day of days, but as long as he is living it, he'll go with the flow for as long as he can.

John sees it as he places the canteen back in the saddle pack on the camel. Why hadn't he thought to check for such a thing before this moment? He had been more than happy to head right into the darkness with nothing to light his way and now thinking of it, his stupidity is almost unforgivable. How was he even to get back to the camel if he had lost himself to darkness?

A small hand torch is what he spies in that hold all satchel upon the camel, there is even a spare battery should a spare be needed. It is in working order as is, though the battery will come on this new ... endeavour. The torch goes on and the camel goes poo ... why his own insides are not debating a similar topic against the wants and need of the rest of him is something of a mystery.

Off he goes into a darkened wilderness. It is not long before his footsteps begin to echo out. Only a matter of time before something or other will stand out for him. This won't happen until long after the cave entrance and the camel are gone out of any possible view, this takes him into total darkness, or what would be total darkness if there was no torch.

It makes sense that if his footsteps echo out as loudly as they do, that there would be walls close by and there are, there are many rock and stone wall and how add it is that they are covered with drawings, etched into that stone, drawings not made by any kind of primitive race but rather, pictures depicting stories in some ancient variation of a comic book.

There are no dialogue bubbles and no clear way to decipher as to if there is a main beginning or main ending. If there is anything to make sense of, then that comes with difficulty. Indeed, the pictures are not created by some ancient race, the drawings are too advanced, the first of which that grabs John's attention is that of a man with a falcon's head, a humanoid figure with a feathered avian head. This creature carries a tall staff at his side and the falcon head eclipses what obviously is a representation of a sun in the sky.

There are many depictions of the sun and also the moon.it appears as if a battle is shown. Is this what he is to go in search of? Perhaps it is something he is to bear witness to, an inevitable battle deciding between them an outcome for the ages. Nah, this is not his task, not his battle. Such a thing is an ongoing battle as it is, destined to last all of eternity.

Images of the moon become more and more prevalent. Pretty soon, the figure of a person comes into the narrative the cave drawings seem to have and it becomes clear that it is somehow related to the moon, following it perhaps. Is this person following a moon, is it supposed to be Johnny Birch himself? Nah, surely such a thing is an impossibility, but given all that Johnny has already experienced ...

Isn't there supposed to be a destiny or prophecy? Or is this coincidence of circumstance. In a desert setting, as is considered already, it is best to travel when a sun goes down, perhaps there could be a consideration in regard to letting a moon, if one could be seen, to lead the way ... makes sense. As the moon follows the sun, so too does the moon follow the sun.

So, there is basically a task now, when he leaves the cavern, he will head off in a direction led by the moon as long as it is visible. The point of all this? The hell he knows. For now, what else is there?

7.

The sky has turned a cool navy-blue colour. Johnny Birch has ventured out of the cavern and out into the endless desert. The sun can no longer be seen. There is a breeze, it is cool and pleasant. The camel is completely compliant. It moves when Johnny wants it to move, it goes where Johnny wants it to go, it is as if it has been specifically trained to serve a master and Johnny is that master. No not a master, there is something akin to friendship here. Johnny has a friend in a moment he needs one most, and what does such a thing say about his own past?

Ya know, if he had come to be here on his own accord and by traditional means, and if there was an easy way out, an easy way to go home, then all this right here, right in this moment, might actually be something quite ... pleasant. It hits him all of a sudden, with that falling darkness coming more complete with no sight of the sun, there is the question ... is that Sun-God fellow, Ra-what's-his-face, now unable to affect him in any way? He did say he could hear all and see all and so on? If he can do those things, then are such things only reserved for hours of daylight?

If he can assume any of these things, then can he assume that there is a night-time equivalent to this Ra entity? Would he want to find this night-time Ra? Is this what he is destined to do? He understands next to nothing about the worlds of Gods. Superstitions or not, he knows very little. He would recognize names and such if someone spoke of it in conversation but anything else, he knows nada. And of course, as it is, he has no access to the internet, so research is out of the question.

This is the real world; how much actual truth is out there in the world when it comes to that of existence? And who can determine fact from fiction? Never mind any of that now. The question now pertains to if there is an actual Moon-God or something along the lines of such a thing. If there is, then is finding such a creature the way to go? Time will tell ...

From the day in the playground, from oh so long ago, they have been linked. Perhaps a link was in existence long before that. Now the link is broken, nothing has been right. Whenever Johnny needed Jason, Jason was there, and in Jason's worst moment ... Johnny was there, so to speak, and there was nothing he could do or say to make any difference.

There was an inseparability which often drifts when adulthood is reached and drift it did between John and Jason but never so complete that contact was ever lost. Though it was ... lost ... in a way. One life was ended, and the demise heard over a phone call, not because the ending life wanted to inflict pain, rather it was just the opposite.

Jason wanted to spend his final moments with the friend he had taken a kind of mentor's role with, while thankful they weren't physically together so harm to John would not be instant, not physically at least, though he does have that in other forms. The physical ... what is there already leaves room for amazement that a current journey is actually happening.

Speaking of which, he is watered, fed, and rested, sun has indeed taken a skydive and he has come to be well on his way. Thing is, where to? The desert appears endless. Follow that light of the moon and see what happens. It is highly unlikely that he is here to die ... he might just be at that ...surely there is something else, otherwise why all the effort?

It is so much easier travelling when the sun has gone down. The night sky is a light navy, a dark blue but not total darkness, far from it actually. The sand, in a way the stuff of dreams, is condensed in the cooler conditions and so much easier to move upon. Indeed, this would all be pleasant if the reality of it all didn't exist and if Johnny was a stronger, younger, healthier man.

The moon is full, hanging low in the sky, appearing larger and brighter than Johnny has ever seen it before. It certainly does feel as if following the paler sky torch is the thing to do. Hours pass and how odd it is that Johnny has not lost his patience. At any other point in his life, if he feels he is being led then it wouldn't be long before he starts losing the plot, he'd be quick to anger, and quick to go no further. Out here however, he is in it till the end, even if that end is his own.

He is questioning why it is talking so long, there is only so much he can take, and if the sun is to rise any time soon then he is surely done for. Surely the point of all this is not to bring about his own demise. His demise is on its way as it is but isn't the point of this be so he should go through something profound first.

Something profound ... that is it ... right? It has been taking so long for he needs to have this realization and he needs to reach it all by himself, and now he has done just that. He moves away from his companion and odd it is too that the beast of a camel seems to recognise the needs of his fellow companion.

Johnny Birch drops to his knees. If the end is to come right here, right now, then he is to have a word or two before that happens ...

'Alright ... I don't know who or what can hear me ... but I am ready ... I am spent. I am going no further so if you are to take me, then do it now.'

Johnny's head drops, he is basically staring at the sand. He thought he'd have more to say, words that would outlive anything he could ever leave behind. The very sand itself begins to swirl as if a storm is coming in but there is no storm.

'Get up child ...' a deep echoing voice speaks.

John looks up. Not much more than twenty feet away from him stands another humanoid creature, not a priest, but a figure with a head belonging to some other magnificent sky creature. It is as if the sand formed the shape of this entity. This head is not full and complete ... it is skeletal, much unlike the body it is attached to.

'Forgive my arrogance, whose company do I have the pleasure of being in?'

'Child, my name is ... Khonsu ...'