Written by Randa

“What the fuck is this?” grieved Bitter Irish Woman. 

They all halted at the base of a wall.

Just a wall, but too large to circumvent or climb. 

No one noticed it blocking the light of the sun or the forward path until their hands were in reach of its smooth front. They all did, one by one, place fingers and palms against the stone, some dragging along to feel the roughness of its texture, others knocking in search of hollowness, each confirming its solidity in their own way.

“Yep,” said West Coast Randa playfully. “That there wall’sgonnabe a problem.”

“Yeah,” said Two Job Randa, with zero enthusiasm, but also sans any sass. She put her hands on her hips and thoughtfully added, “No shit.”

“Will we go right through it?” proposed the Navigator.

“Under,” suggested Origins.

They collectively sighed, crossing their arms as they did, and beheld the newly insurmountable.

After a time, they sit and rest, foolishly hoping the thing might move on its own.

It doesn’t.

“This is becoming fucking hopeless!” snaps BIW. It’s dark now, and the mild light of a small fire illuminates her immense rage. “There’s no way past this. This was a waste of our fucking time!”

“No,” says 2JR.

“No,” said WCR.

“Yes!” says BIW. “We’re going back. We do all of this over. AGAIN!” She shakes her head in misery. “We have to go around from the water, which probably means building a ship and getting off this island.”

“No,” says the Navigator.

“No,” says Origins.

“This is fucking insane,” says BIW, and she’s staring down the barrel of some invisible vice. Her eyes start to glisten and she looks as though she might wail. “There’s NO way.”

Origins starts to laugh. It’s a strange sound, made so by its rarity. The others look up immediately and are completely shocked to see tears staining her jovial eyes.

“What?” asked the Navigator, desperate, hopeless, and pleading for direction.

“Something else is coming,” she easily replied. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

Origins turns to the Navigator. The Navigator turns to the others, including the ever-silent Capsule Keeper.

Silent.

Silent, with her many capsules.

Silent, and holding out one capsule only.

Silent.

“I don’t like where this is going,” says BIW.

“Shut it,” says the Navigator. “Go have a drink if you need.”

“That’s rude,” said BIW, but with a tone of solidarity, not anger.

^{July 18th 2026}