Part 23 (1/2)
What Am I?
I have no legs but I can run I have no arms but I hang on I am water that is no longer wet ”Marcus, I don't know,” she says.
”It's okay. Let's think about this for a sec” I reply, trying very hard not to lose it. Then from a few feet away, Kairo begins to laugh.
”She has two minutes and thirty seconds,” he says.
Emmy begins to look all over the gla.s.s box to try and find some kind of opening. I know right away that will be a waste of precious time.
”Emmy, look at me and nowhere else okay?”
”Okay.”
”What has no legs but can run?” I ask her.
”Time!”
”Yes, time can ”run” out!”
”The answer is 'Time,'” I tell Kairo.
He shakes his head and suddenly, Emmy is gasping for air.
”No!” I shout.
”You have two more chances, Guardian” Kairo informs me with delight.
”Don't look at him Emmy. Focus.”
”It's not time...maybe it's...it's...” Her voice is getting weaker. The lack of oxygen will be effecting her brain soon, if not already.
”One minute left,” Kairo announces.
”Shut up!” I blare at him. His only reply is to laugh even harder.
”What has no arms?” I say to myself.
”I don't know...can't...think,” she whispers. She's turning slightly blue.
”Could he mean the 'hands' of time? No time is the wrong answer,” I say, thinking out loud.
”Sun...chair...go...” Emmy is getting delirious. She has no idea what she's saying now.
”It's the hands of time!” I call out to the Demon.
”Wrong again!” he says in a sing-song voice.
Emmy's eyes are rolling to the back of her head. I turn away from her knowing I will never be able to concentrate if I see her withering away. I force myself to focus only on the riddle. I read and reread all the clues. I feel like I'm missing something that's right in front of my face.
Then I look down at the third clue. That's when I realize it's not a clue at all. It's more of an omission. Yes, there's something about the third clue that is going to reveal the answer. I just need to focus in and drown out the steady laughter coming from Kairo.
”Why does it say 'I'm not water' is that because it is?” I ask out loud to no one. Emmy is now too weak to remain standing. She slinks down to the bottom of the gla.s.s. She is barely conscious.
”Emmy wake up! Emmy, please wake up!”
”You have ten seconds!” Kairo says, with utter glee.
Why does he take the time to point out that it's not water? When is water not really water...? When it's an image of water. An image that 'hangs'...on the wall?
Got it! A painting ”hangs” on the wall through it has no arms, it's a painting of water, so it's not wet, and what kind of water always runs?
”It's a painting of a waterfall!”
Kairo points the Loop at the gla.s.s and Emmy is freed instantly. I quickly get down on the floor and check on her.
”Em, wake up,” I beg.
She opens her eyes, shocked that she is now able to breath. She coughs for several minutes. I hold her hand and help her breath normally.
”So touching. You have ten seconds before the next game,” he says.
”Marcus, I don't know if I can do this,” she admits.
”You can. I know you can. He's too far away now, but If I can figure a way to get him to come closer to the force field, I can use my power and reflect his fear back to him.”
”We're not gonna die here, right?”
”No, baby. We're not,” I promise her.
”Okay, folks, now time for round two!” he says, throwing a jagged, crude-looking stick on the floor towards her.
He tells her to put it in her mouth so that she doesn't swallow her tongue. He doesn't want her to choke on her own blood and that kind of death is too quick.
I don't give a d.a.m.n what the Council does to me. I'm going to end this guy...
”What're you going to do to her now?” I ask.
”It's simply shocking, I tell you,” he laughs and points the Loop at her.
The gla.s.s box appears. Although this time there is a keypad underneath the riddle.
”Are you suffocating her to death again?” I ask, studying Emmy inside the gla.s.s.
”And what, repeat my work? Please, have you ever heard of Mac reissuing products without some delicious new upgrade?” he brags.
”Just tell me what the h.e.l.l you what me to do,” I snap.
”She gets shocked every two minutes she's in the box. That is, until you key in the right five-letter word answer to the riddle, engraved above. Other humans have lasted ten rounds. But your human is significantly smaller and weaker. So, I would hurry.”