<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 150%; line-height: 116%;"><span style="color: #00BFFF">David</span></span></div><br/><br/>“I hope so,” David said, referring to Tessa’s comment about water. It drew his attention to the dryness of his throat and he could taste dirt and grass. He wiped his face at watched Tessa handle the sword.<br/><br/>“Where did you,” he was asking her where she had suddenly gotten a sword from when he suddenly felt something in his pocket. He brought out what looked like a small dark solid stick. It was as long as a pencil, but thicker and had no pointy ends. It looked like black marble with subtle and strange iridescent lights swirling around within the smooth object. He watch the lights fade and reappear and fade again.<br/><br/>Then, with a slight motion of his hand the object started to expand, growing longer at both ends. In an odd fashion, it seemed to David that the object seem to be melting into existence. No, that wasn't the right description, it was like the material was building upon itself as a good longer; as if it was alive.<br/><br/>"What the heck!" David dropped than our fully lengthened bow staff onto the grass. It seemed to crackle with energy as he rolled down the rest of the hill and into the lava. David cursed and thought to late about catching the bo staff before it was swallowed up by the river of lava. But he was too late and the lava unceremoniously ate the bow stuff. David's momentum to come up to the edge of the river and he would have fallen in were it not for Tessa’s grip on his arm. She pulled him back to safety, both of them panting. They're adventure was almost over before it had even begun. "well, looks like I'm knocking to get an a on my report card. Sorry about being such a klutz," David said, sounding defeated. David took one last look at the river. "dammit," he said as he looked back up the hill at the cottage. The door was now closed and its place was a very unassuming little cottage.<br/><br/>“Do you think we should go take a look inside," David asked her. He thought he could see shadows moving behind the windows of the cottage, behind dark curtains. He looked around, at the river again and beyond it. Across the river, in the far distance, he could see what looked like a town. David pointed it out to Tessa. “I wonder how we’re supposed to cross this though.” Looking up and down the river’s length, he couldn’t see a bridge anywhere. He could see the faint outlines of a path curling around the cottage hill and stopping at the edge of the river to the right of where the two intrepid travelers. “Looks like there’s a path - or there’s supposed to be a path or something.” David got closer to the lava to see if he could find a lever of some sort, but there was nothing but bubbling flowing lava. The heat was so great that his face started to feel tender and he had to step back again.<br/><br/>He was about to ask Tessa what she thought they should do next when a gruff voice came from behind them.<br/><br/>“If y’all gonna jump in I’d appreciate it kindly if you left your supplies by the wayside ‘fore taking a dip.” David turned to see a man in what looked like a blue wetsuit. He was lighting a cigar and leaning against the doorway into the cottage. “Redwater ‘aint no way to go out, I’ll tell ya that,” he said, blowing smoke out. The smoke danced away, forming shapes that resembled animals.<br/><br/>David didn’t know what to say. This was the first alien he’d ever encountered in his entire life. Actually, until a few hours ago, he didn’t even know aliens or other worlds were real. Yet here he was, face to face with something that looked an awful lot like a human. The man had dark skin, and his neck seem to droop down a little, like an old man, but this person looked like he could be in his late thirties.<br/><br/>The man watched them from atop the hill in his cottage doorway. His eyes moved from David to Tessa and back again. “Seem to be having some sort of communicationing failure here,” the man said, smiling. His teeth were very very sharp.<br/><br/>“So,” he motioned at Tessa with his cigar, “you wear the pants for you boyfriend?”<br/><br/>David blushed, “No I’m not...”<br/><br/>“Listen son, you may not think my time is valuable, but I have two Goosknuckles bakin’ and I ‘aint got time to be standin’ here waitin’ for you to grow some,” a voice spoke softly in their heads [unable to translate into your target language], “and speak.”<br/><br/>“What was that?” David asked Tessa.<br/><br/>“What was what?” The man asked, looking around nervously.<br/><br/>David knew this wasn’t going very well. He didn’t know who this person was, but he couldn’t let the man think they were suspicious or something and report them to the local authorities - whatever those might be like on this world.<br/><br/>“Sir,” David began-<br/><br/>“Sir, why’d you have to go and call me Sir?”<br/><br/>“-we’re trying to get to that city over there.” He pointed to the city far off in the distance, “do you know how we could get there?”<br/><br/>“The man’s eyes narrowed and he took one quick glance at the city.<br/><br/>“Are you from the government?” The man spat out, taking a few steps down the hill and closer to the pair, “cause I ‘aint received no notice about an audit takin’ place. I pay my taxes dammit, I deserve to be treated with respect.”<br/><br/>‘The government?” David looked at Tessa, confused. “Sir-“<br/><br/>“Quit it with the Sir!”<br/><br/>“-we’re just trying to cross the river.”<br/><br/>“Of course you are,” the man said.<br/><br/>“Yes,” David responded automatically and then trailed off, unsure of where this conversation was going.<br/><br/>They all stood there for a moment in awkward silence.<br/><br/>“I’m not sure,” David began-<br/><br/>“You two ‘aint on the schedule.”<br/><br/>“Excuse me,”<br/><br/>“For what? I didn’t hear you sneeze.”<br/><br/>“No, I mean, I’m sorry-“<br/><br/>“Why, who’d ya kill?”<br/><br/>From the man’s gaze, David did not consider it out of the question that this man was actually asking him quite seriously.<br/><br/>“We just want to cross,” David finally said.<br/><br/>“Yes, of course you do.”<br/><br/>There was another moment before, “Oh alright, but only because I ‘aint got no idea how you managed to sneak up on my here cottage.”<br/><br/>David gave Tessa a worried look.<br/><br/>The man walked down the hill, past them, to the end of the path that ended at the river’s edge.<br/><br/>He placed a hand down on the ground next to the lava river. Nothing happened for a moment, but then the ground started to shake. Suddenly, the grass began to rise and arch towards the other side, forming a makeshift bridge. The ground shook again once it reached the other side and buried itself into the ground.<br/><br/>The man stood and dusted his hands off.<br/><br/>“Now, let’s discuss payment. I’ll be needed a lock of hair from each of ya.”