Sand

The cold night wind whistled past his ears as he climbed, his feet sinking in the sand of the dune. He had been walking all day, and this new terrain wasn’t helping him feel any less exhausted.

“What am I doing out here anyway?”, he whispered to himself.

He left the question to hang in the air. The map hadn’t let him down so far. He doubted it would disappoint him now.

***

In the distance, a hooded figure peered through some binoculars. After some focusing, they spotted a short, stout figure cresting a sand dune, a map in their right hand.