Blue Moon

 

Have you ever felt that you didn’t belong in the place God made for you? I know I did. It all happened when I was Seventeen, my heart was broken by my ex-girlfriend Laura. She said that “it was over between the two of us after I forgot about our first anniversary of dating. I tried telling her that I was too caught up with testing and try outs, but she was just too sensitive and was not looking forward to apologies. So she just said to me “Matthew Erickson, we are done. Do you hear me, DONE.”

So, you could imagine that things were just not looking my way, and I just couldn’t bear to live with my duties and responsibilities anymore, so it seemed the best thing for me to do was drop out of High School and start my life somewhere else.

Then one day in the cafeteria, I found a delusional looking boy who claimed he found a place of wonder and beauty, to which I asked him “What, what’s the name of the place?” The boy answered, “Zerzura!” I then dropped my jaw, “Zerzura? I thought that place was only a myth.” “Yeah, well people thought Atlantis and El Dorado were just myths a century ago, and look at us now. We finally found them and transformed them into “must see places.” For a moment, I did not feel induced, but as I listened more to the boy, I was starting to believe every word he said.

 

But as we talked more and more, we started drawing the attention of all the other students sitting at our table area. Soon we were drawing the attention of the boys aid as well, and as the continued speaking in such nonsense, the aid said to him, “Wow, wow, okay Darold, I think you’ve had enough cups of chocolate milk, let’s get going.” But before the aid escorted him out, Darold, quickly placed a note right next to me, saying “Meet me on top of the roof at 4:40.”

 

It was soon 4:40, and most of the students were boarding the long motor boat School buses for their homes. While this was happening, I headed up the stairs to the Authorized only door that led to the Schools roof. When I finally entered the top, I looked around for Darold, but saw no one up there. Then suddenly I spotted a hand waving up from behind a rectangular air vent. I assumed it was Darold hiding behind them, so I walked over there.

As I turned around the air vent, I spot Darold, ready to explain more about Zerzura. He spoke of it’s location and showed it on his 3-D map from his newly installed I-ball, a newly device made in the apple store for the person who has lost his or her eye. The map contained the specific coordinates for the lost city. Much to my surprise, it was actually located on Lake Victoria instead of in the desert of Egypt or Libya. “I know.” Answered Darold, “that’s what we all thought, but it is actually located on the Victoria Lake.

After getting all this knowledge, I asked Darold, “How did you get this information?” He then answered “It was five years ago. See my Dad was an archeologist exploring the land of Tanzania, and invited me on his journey, apparently, we were looking for the lost city Rhapta, instead we found Zerzura, right in the middle of the lake.” As I listened more, I was still pondering about one important thing. “But how could a city that long lost just show up in the middle of the Lake without the inhabits not realizing it?” “Well, it didn’t just show up there instantly, A Sorcerer who accompanied me and my Dad on our journey, just said the magic words with his wooden staff and the city popped out of the water.”

The more Darold spoke, the more frenzied I felt. I just had to ask Darold about the city some more. “Tell me Darold, did this city have treasures and riches in it?” “Oh, lots! The treasures in it were four times the amount of gold they have at Fort Knox.” Hearing all of this, I knew I had to find that city and get my hands on a handful of that treasure. That way I could finally get away from my troubles at school and get a fresh clean new life somewhere else.

With all of that knowledge, I asked Darold, “And these magic words the sorcerer said, could you remember how they went?” Darold remembered he made a recording of the words on his tape recorder. After digging through his backpack, Darold found the tape recorder and hit the button to play back the Sorcerer’s words. “Neffro Neffro, home of eyes. Ancient city Zerzura, Arise.”

 

“So that’s it? All I have to do is say those magic words and the city will come out of the water?” Darold replied in a not so positive voice, “Well yeah, but there’s a catch to it, you need the Sorcerers staff, which I keep hidden. And plus, the magic only works once every eight years.”

I then ask Darold, “Where do you have the staff?” to which he answered “I’m sorry Matthew, I can’t share that information with you.” I then complained “Why not?” “Because Matthew, I made a promise to the Sorcerer that I would never share the Staffs location with anyone, and besides, it would make no difference if you had the staff and went to Lake Victoria anyway.”

 

Raising my curiosity, I then asked “Why is that?” “Because, the city only rises once on a particular day in May, and it would do you no good if you find all that treasure if you do not part from the city by sundown.” After I heard that word, I asked nervously “Why, what happens at sundown?” “What happens when that sun vanishes over the mountains is the city of Zerzura sets back into the depths of the lake and does not rise up for another eight years.”

 

After taking in all this info in my brain, I paused for a moment, just thinking of how astonishing it would be to find the city, but also if I was not quick about it, I would vanish into the lake a wouldn’t be seen or heard from for eight whole years, not that it would matter, because I wouldn’t be able to breath under water for that long. Overall, this would not be a safe journey if I were to take it, nor would it be the one Darold or my folks appreciate me going to.