The Syndicate's Journey

by Nicholas Bogucki

  “Come. Follow me, the cold air is upon us, and we must not waste our bodies' energy for warmth to bear the outside temperatures. Nighttime cools down the sand, especially the deeper we burrow.”

  M’leezenah started to walk, and the crowd of Snargde moved aside out of her way. She got on all fours and ran towards the opening of a cave. The Snargde followed her and entered the cave and stopped at the mouth of it. M’leezenah stood up and began to speak.

  “We must stay inside of this cave. The deeper we go in the cave, the warmer it will be.”

  M’leezenah got on all fours again and ran deeper into the cave, and the Snargde followed her inside.

  ◆◆◆

  Dawn had just broken, and the sunlight slowly entered the cave. J’uhleesa blinked a few times and saw the light slowly making its way inside of the cave. He opened his eyes and woke up and heard a tapping sound coming from inside of the cave. He stood up and creepily walked around the other Snargde, who was sprawled out, still sleeping on the floor of the cave. J’uhleesa walked close to the side of the cave and moved his ear to it to see if he could listen to where the noise was coming from.

  I still hear the sound coming from inside of the side of the cave.

  J’uhleesa heard the tapping again but could not find where it was coming from. He continued to walk up and down the cave, moving his ear to the side of it, trying to find out where the tapping was coming from.

  I must find out what that deafening noise is.

  He turned around and softly knocked his tail against the side of the cave. The noise stopped for a moment, and then it was there again. He looked down and saw a fall from the side right by his feet.

  This must’ve fallen when I hit my tail against the side of the cave.

  He bent down and moved his left arm and grabbed the rock in his hand. He looked at the foundation to see where it might have fallen from. J’uhleesa once again hit his tail on the side of the cave. Slowly more rocks began to fall onto the cave floor.

  Maybe if I can dig into the cave somehow.

  He hit the rock against the cave until he heard a commotion of the Snargde moving around. He looked to his left and saw them waking up from the noise he was making.

  “Do you hear that?!” he asked them.

  None of them answered.

  “My apologies for disturbing you, but do you hear that incessant knocking?” J’uhleesa exclaimed.

  “Yes.” One Snargde said quietly.

  “I think the noise is over here by me.” Another Snargde yelled.

  “No, it definitely is over here!” J’uhlessa exclaimed. “I’m relieved that it isn’t something I only hear.”

  “The noise is coming from over here!” A different Snargde yelled.

  J’uhleesa put down the rock on the ground and got on all four claws and crawled towards the group of Snargde, dragging his robe in the process. When he reached them, he stood up and spoke. “Stand up and follow me. Grab a rock and help me break apart this cave. The noise has to be in here somewhere!”

  The Snargde bowed their heads and obeyed his orders. They followed his command and bent down on all fours and slithered towards where J’uhleesa was before. When they reached the area, they stood up.

  “Grab a rock and hit the cave.”

  The Snargde listened, and each one grabbed a rock from the ground and started hitting the cave walls. J’uhleesa yelled over all the Snargde banging and hitting their rocks on the side of the cave. “If you need to, press your ear against the wall and listen for the sound.”

  The Snargde were busy hitting the cave wall and listening to it. Many moments passed, and nothing had changed. All they were doing was knocking more rocks off of the cave walls.

  “There’s nothing here. The cave is playing a trick on us.” Shouted one Snargde.

  “You’re wrong! There’s something here! I hear it!” Another Snargde yelled, “I can hear it!”

  J’uhleesa had been in caves before and heard stories of caves making noises sometimes. J’uhleesa remembered the stories and knew that this was something worth exploring. He wasn’t being fooled by cave sounds, and he knew there was something in the cave walls, he just had to find it.

  Time passed on by, and the Snargde were becoming worn-out and apathetic. They were tired from hitting the cave for hours, trying to find the elusive noise. The sun rose higher, which helped illuminate the caves interior lighting. J’uhleesa stopped hitting the cave and looked around at the Snargde around him and felt defeated that no one found anything.

  “What is that?” J’uhleesa asked as he watched one of the Snargde to his left hit the cave. “Stop hitting it!”

  The whole cave fell dead silent. No Snargde moved a muscle as they all looked at J’uhleesa. He ran a few feet towards the Snargde to his left and put his ear to the hole in the cave. The noise was deafening.

  “Give me your rock,” J’uhleesa demanded to the Snargde. The Snargde handed it over to him, and J’uhleesa slowly hit the rock on the side of the cave. As he continued to hit the cave wall, he could see a shining metallic blue liquid behind the stones.

  “What... is… this...” he mumbled to himself.

  The Snargde dropped their rocks and crowded around him and watched as he hit the cave, knocking down rocks that were in the way. When the opening was big enough for J’uhleesa to move his hands inside, he stopped hitting the wall. He peered into the hole and looked at the metallic blue liquid. He looked around at the Snargde, crowding him to his left, then his right, and then moved his hand close to the liquid.

  “It’s warm.” He spoke over the noise. “I can feel the heat coming from it.”

  He moved his hand closer and stuck his nails into the liquid, then slowly moved his hand into the liquid.

  “It’s cold now, like ice cold.”

  He removed his hand and noticed his hand had changed color from the tan color it once was now to a turquoise color. He lifted his hand up for all the Snargde to see.

  “This liquid changed the color of my hand, what else can it do?” he yelled astonished.

  J’uhleesa lifted up his sleeve and put the same hand in the liquid again. Then he moved his whole arm in the liquid as deep as it could. The liquid came up to his shoulder, and he was surprised it was that deep. J’uhleesa once again removed his arm from the liquid, and it was the same turquoise color as before.

  So, it changes color on more than just my hand, but why? What makes it do that? J’uhleesa thought to himself and turned around to the audience. What is this liquid?

  “Does anyone want to try this?” J’uhleesa asked.

  The Snargde all at once pushed him aside as they fought over who put their arms into the liquid. The liquid splashed all over the Snargde’s arms and faces and on the floor of the cave. The color of their exposed bodies from the robes changed just like J’uhleesa’s. From a brown color to turquoise.

  “Stop splashing it!” J’uhleesa yelled.

  The noise was becoming quieter by how much of the liquid was being used by the Snargde.

  “Stand aside!” J’uhleesa yelled, which his voice was louder than the liquid now.

  The Snargde moved aside, and J’uhleesa walked towards the liquid and scooped it up with both hands and threw the liquid on his face. He took off his robe and let it fall on the ground. The Snargde was shocked at what he had done. J’uhleesa nor the Snargde following him had not been naked in a while; they could almost not remember a time where the robes did not clothe them. J’uhleesa turned around and asked the crowd a question.

  “Where’s that rock I used?”

  The Snargde looked around the cave, finding a rock to give to him.

  “Here is one.”

  “Good, bring it here.”

  The Snargde walked to J’uhleesa and put it in his palm. J’uhleesa turned around and started to hit the rocks above the liquid to make the opening bigger. He noticed the gap was becoming more prominent, but not wide enough, and he stopped striking the cave.

 
“Pick up a rock and make the hole wider. I have an idea.”

  J’uhleesa stepped out of the way of the Snargde as a few of them picked up rocks and started to hit their rock against the side to make the hole for the liquid broader.

  The noise is becoming less, but the liquid doesn’t seem to drain, that’s quite odd. I don’t even know what it is, but I do know that it changes our color!

  J’uhleesa watched in amazement how much of the liquid was shown. He could not believe that the liquid was still there. He watched the Snargde make the opening bigger, and he pushed them aside.

  “Stop.” He commanded.

  J’uhleesa walked to the opening and stepped over the rocks and into the hole that was now big enough for one Snargde to fit in. He crouched inside of the opening and stood with his waist, and his tail submerged in the liquid, and he turned to face the Snargde. The Snargde watched in anticipation to see what would happen.

  J’uhleesa got on his knees and held his breath as he submerged his entire body in this substance. He was under the liquid for a few seconds, and then he stood up in the hole, and he opened his eyes.

  “This is amazing! I don’t know what this is, but I know that this is a gift.”

  J’uhleesa stepped over the rock and stood in front of the Snargde; his entire body was turquoise from head to tail. He looked different than before, he looked cleaner almost rejuvenated. J’uhleesa raised his arms to the ceiling and spoke.

  “I feel great! I feel stronger! This is the miracle that I have been searching for!” He continued speaking. “This is the beginning of a new life for us!”

  J’uhleesa’s attitude and demeanor were changed. His mind was only set on one thing now, which was to unleash this feeling onto the Snargde that was following him.

  “My fellow Snargde followers, this is a new era for Snargde!” J’uhleesa spoke. “Go on!”

  The group of Snargde pushed and shoved one another as words were heard in the group.

  “Hey! I want to!” One Snargde shouted.

  “Yeah! Same here!” Another Snargde shouted in response. “Move away!”

  “Take off your robes and let the liquid wash you clean!” J’uhleesa expressed cheerfully.

  He stepped aside as the crowd of Snargde rushed to the liquid and stripped themselves of their robes. They looked at one another with ashamed and embarrassed expressions upon their faces due to the sight of their naked bodies. J’uhleesa noticed how the Snargde were looking at each other and spoke again.

  “Do not be embarrassed, Snargde. Rejoice that this liquid has given us a new life! We will only wear robes when we travel to keep us hidden.”

  The Snargde looked at him and nodded in agreement.

  He watched them grab the liquid in their hands and splashed it on themselves. The fluid was splashing all over the Snargde, on their hands, their faces, and the cave floor. J’uhleesa did not care now that the liquid was all over the cave. J’uhleesa watched while thinking of a better way that the Snargde could all be washed with this liquid.

  “Stop splashing the liquid and step aside.”

  He walked towards where the liquid was and spoke.

  “One at a time, line up in front of me.”

  The Snargde were apprehensive of what J’uhleesa was going to do, but they listened to him and lined up.

  “I don’t know if this liquid will diminish, so let’s not be wasteful of this. Each one of you will be submerged in it as I did. One by one, I will help you with that.”

  The Snargde was excited and anxious at the same time. J’uhleesa grabbed each Snargde by their claws as he helped them step into the liquid and helped submerge them in it just as he had done before. They liked how the liquid felt on their bodies.

  When he pulled them up from the liquid, they looked just like he did; all over their body was the turquoise color. He helped them get out of the liquid and repeated this process until all the Snargde were changed.

  After the last Snargde was bathed in the liquid, J’uhleesa stood in front of the liquid and saw that the liquid did not diminish one bit and found that to be odd. He turned around and asked the group of Snargde. “How does that feel?”

  They looked at him, and all shouted and chanted four words.

  “To the rightful, Snargde!”

  The Snargde had put their claws in the air and made a fist and continued chanting. J’uhleesa raised both arms in the air as he heard them chanting. J’uhleesa’s smile had appeared as he listened to those words. His plan of being the ruler of the Snargde was slowly coming into fruition.

  He then moved his arms down to his sides as he began to speak, and the Snargde became quiet. “Pick up your robes and put them on yourselves. We must not let any other Snargde know about this.”

  The Snargde obeyed his command and covered their bodies with the robes once again.

  We are a different color now, but I wonder if that is all there is to it.

  J’uhleesa grabbed his robe and threw it over his shoulder.

  “You don’t have to wear this right now, but when we go out of the cave, we must wear the robes.”

  “What about that?” asked one Snargde, pointing at the hole of the liquid.

  J’uhleesa looked at the Snargde and spoke to them. “Give me time to think about what to do, in the meantime, try to sleep. I apologize for waking you all. I know the sun is starting to shine.” The Snargde laid down on the ground, in a matter of moments, they all passed out again.

  J’uhleesa turned around and stared at the liquid. What is this? He stuck his hand in it and moved it around his claws. Why am I a different color? Why was it loud before and quiet now? I wonder if anything else about us changed. If I am going to rule these Snargde, I need answers so they will not become unruly.

  J’uhleesa removed his hand and noticed some of the liquid fell from his hand onto the ground. His eyes darted to the rocky terrain, and he saw that it also turned colors. The sunlight slowly peaked into the cave, and J’uhleesa noticed that the color on the ground sparkled and shined. That is odd, why is the liquid acting differently? What if I bring it into the sun?

  J’uhleesa moved his hands back into the liquid and scooped up some of it in his hands and walked towards the mouth of the cave carefully while trying not to spill it nor wake up the Snargde.

  As he reached the mouth of the cave, he saw the sun’s rays shining down close to him. He moved his hands to see if the liquid would react. In a moment, he started feeling the liquid becoming harder, the sun was turning it into a solid instead of a liquid. He gazed upon the hard liquid in his hands and lifted it closer to see it closer, but it wobbled in his hands and accidentally dropped it. The solidified liquid fell to the ground and broke into two pieces. He reached down and picked both parts up and looked at them carefully.

  “It is solid. It was just liquid moments ago, and now it is firm and heavy.” He asked himself. “What is this?”

  He moved both pieces to one hand, and with the other, he tapped on it with his nail. It made a noise like before, but quieter. He saw that the halves of the solid had rings in it. The rings were various shades of blue and purple.

  That is beautiful. I don’t understand, though.

  J’uhleesa moved both pieces in both of his hands and rubbed the parts together to see if the pieces would join back together. When he rubbed the fragments together, little bits of it came off and fell to the ground. He watched those small pieces, and then right before it hit the ground, he saw it turn into a blue gas and blew away in the air.

  What the...how?! he gasped. I need to see what else it can do.

  J’uhleesa moved the two pieces together in his hand and squeezed them tightly while he bent down and set it on the sand and watched it. He sat down and spread his feet around it and watched. He saw the objects producing some sort of gas above it and moved his hand over it.

  It is cold.

  He moved his hand closer to it and grabbed the cold objects. To his amazement, the objects fused back into one obje
ct and remained frozen to the touch. J’uhleesa picked it up with his left hand and looked at it. He tapped on it with his nail, and the outside of the object was liquid, he could poke it, and ripples of waves went throughout the object. He could still hold it without it slipping through his claws.

  How can this be?

  J’uhleesa held the object in his hand and looked at it, pondering what it could be used for other than to dye objects to a different color. He moved the frigid object to his left wrist and held it there. He was able to push the object down on his wrist, and the liquid moved all around his wrist and hand as it engulfed it. He watched it as the object had formed to his body, and he could feel the coolness of it on his scaly skin.