Village of the Sandy Dunes (1)

Waking up was not Lynch's favorite time of the day. It heralded the coming of a day full of trials, problems, and just plain bulshittery.

Now, however, the trials ahead just took on a whole new level.

"… That's right." Lynch took note of his surroundings instinctively. Dusty brick walls, smooth but murky floors, and a really uncomfortable bed. He raised his arm and looked at the appendage, his eyes narrowing at the skin tone of his current body.

Plopping his arm back down on the hard bed, Lynch propped himself up. Feeling groggy, he shook his head from side to side to get rid of the annoying state.

"Are you up, dear?" Lynch turned his head towards the voice, seeing Hissa coming in close with a cup of water in hand. "Thirsty?"

Lynch responded with a nod and happily received the cup. He was put off by the hue, its murky tinge mocking him, but he wouldn't be served tainted water after all they had done to aid him the day before...

Okay, he may be jumping the gun with how trusting he is, but what else is he supposed to do? The vast desert around him is proof enough that he won't be surviving out there for too long.

Shoving his disgust down his throat, he brought the cup full of murky liquid to his lips and gulped it down. The taste wasn't bad, like all drinkable water should be, but remembering the color was just enough to make him recoil slightly.

"Feeling better?" Hissa accepted the cup back after Lynch finished drinking.

"Slightly." Lynch groaned out, his vocal cords still a bit sore. "Do… do you not know my name?"

"Ah, I forgot!" Hissa exclaimed. Placing the empty cup on the bed, beside Lynch, she stared right into the young boy's eyes. "May I know your name, dear?"

"Lynch." The young boy said after a brief pause. A gentle smile was his reward, as well as a gentle pat on the head.

"Lynch, what a wonderful name." The smile crept into the young boy's mind, unbidden memories from the past rising and dredging themselves up from the depths of his mind.

[][][]

"Jorge." Smiles were all around him. A middle-aged man and woman were looking at him eagerly. Beside him, a girl about four years his junior grabbed hold of his right hand, a cheerful smile plastered on her face.

"Big brother!" The young girl clenched his hand tight. He clenched back.

"What a wonderful name." Ahead of the two children, an elderly man garbed in robes greeted them with a smile. "Come now, it won't be long."

[][][]

Lynch didn't reply. Hissa, sensing some sort of discomfort inside the young boy, grabbed hold of his hand and clenched it.

He clenched back.

Hissa smiled.

"Come now, let's introduce you to the rest of the village." Hesitantly nodding, Lynch got off the bed and followed Hissa hand-in-hand.

Exiting the house, the two of them were greeted by the scorching sun, the rays slightly stinging Lynch's skin. Noticing this, Hissa patted Lynch's head gently.

"It's okay, dear. You'll get used to it after a few toils in the mud." Lynch stayed quiet, irritated at the sun and the possible tasks he'd be saddled with, but needs must when needs must.

The first resident they greeted was a young man with the same chocolate brown skin the rest of the inhabitants of the village had.

"Morning, Hissa. Showing the village to the new kid, eh?" The young man grinned while hefting a bucket full of water.

"Good morning to you too, Rahim." Hissa replied with a chuckle. "And yes, I am."

"Yo, kid." Rahim placed the bucket on the ground, some of the water dropping to the dry sand. "Name's Rahim. I'm in charge of handling the brats and teaching them how to survive out here."

"Listen to him, dear." Hissa patted Lynch's head. "You'll be relying on him during farming in the future."

"Okay." Lynch accepted Rahim's hand when he put it out for him. Shaking arms, the two of them then separated and continued on their merry ways.

It wasn't long until they arrived to the wheat fields, which were only a few minutes' walk from Hissa's house.

The farmers straining under the hot sun as they tended to their countless fields of wheat were a sight to behold. Lynch never saw a farmer in person because he lived in one of the cities, but he can tell how exhausting the task was simply by glancing at them for a few seconds.

'And part of society treats them like third class citizens for some batshit insane reason…' The young boy mulled.

"Hissa!" A somewhat squeaky voice brought Lynch out of his musings. Looking towards the source of said squeaky voice, Lynch was greeted by a young girl about his age (his current body, that is) with a beaming smile, her teeth showing a single gap within.

"Hasana!" Hissa let go of Lynch's hand to grasp the young girl in her arms, both of them giving each other a good squeeze. "How's Asmaa?"

"In the fields!" A quick point later and both Lynch and Hissa glanced towards the fields once more. Following the direction where the young girl pointed at, Lynch was able to see another woman tending to the crops by sprinkling water over them.

"Hard at work, is she?" Hissa giggled and ruffled the young girl's head. "By the way, have you met Lynch?"

"Lynch?" The young girl tilted her head to the side slightly, before noticing Lynch who was standing like a deer in headlights. "Wah! Ghost!"

And the young girl bolted off towards the nearby house.

"Hasana!" Hissa shouted at the girl before shaking her head. "That girl… Sorry about that, dear. She's just a bit… energetic."

A few moments of silence reigned over the area before it was broken by light chuckles coming from the young boy.

"Gck!" Which then turned into coughs, prompting a now worried Hissa to rush towards the boy.

"Are you alright!?" Lynch waved her off, a bit of a smile lining his face.

"Y-yes…" Lynch coughed lightly once more, feeling the strain in his throat and already peeved at his current condition. "Just… fine."

"Come on, dear, I'll fetch you some water."

The two of them then went back to the house, if only to let Lynch rest a bit more for his condition to improve.