Signs of Life (Lost, Part 4)

Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

One last time I look at the oasis before I leave it behind with a heavy heart.

The three days I spent here had allowed me to recover. My constant headaches that had accompanied me the whole time were cured by proper hydration. The hunger pangs are gone and my stomach is filled with fruit. My backpack is filled with fresh lemons and I had dried some figs and dates. I had also found some more bottles in the abandoned houses, which meant that I have a bigger water supply this time.

All in all, I am now better off than the day I started my journey. Or at least the first day I remember.

I choose a direction and start my journey again. To my surprise, the scenery changes. Sand is replaced by rocks and I even see some dried grass here and there. Did I make it finally out of the desert?

The temperature is still high, but thanks to the shadows the huge rocks which now surround me cast, the sun’s power seems a lot less intense. It seems like the oasis was just the first sign that things are getting better for me.

In the shade between two rocks, I spot a puddle. It feels kind of absurd to see a puddle, after all those days I spent in the driest area I’ve ever seen. But it’s there and I approach it to have a look.

To my surprise, I see the first animals in days when I crouch down: Fairy shrimps.

The tiny crustaceans swim around in the puddle and seem to not have a care in the world. A word pops up in my mind. Ephemeral pool.

As if someone pressed the “Play” button, a surge of information overpowers my other thoughts.

Pools like this one are pretty common in hot areas and serve as temporary home to many animals. Snails, insects, amphibians and many others use these puddles to either just lay their eggs and allow their offspring to hatch and grow up or spend their own life in it.

The fairy shrimp I just discovered can almost completely dry out without dying. Just a bit of water and they’re as good as new. This process is called cryptobiosis.

”Could use this ability myself”, I mumble. ”But thanks, brain, really fucking useful. What am I supposed to do with this info?”

The nothingness that follows is almost ironic.

”Fine. Don’t tell me. You’re completely useless.”

I’ve heard of people who talk to their pets, but are there people who talk to their own brain? For a split-second, I consider taking some of the fairy shrimp with me, just to have some other living thing with me on my journey.

But I’m afraid they wouldn’t survive it.

I stand up, make a step, slip on the slightly wet stones and fall down onto the hard ground, hitting my head on a rock. Tiny flashes disrupt my vision and a wave of pain rolls through my body, but I don’t lose consciousness.

”Oh fuck, ouch!” I call out and reach for my head. My forehead is slightly wet and sticky. I withdraw my hand to check for blood. But it’s not red as I expected it to be. It’s blue.

”What on earth …” I look around to see if I fell into something of that color, but the only blue liquid I can find is clinging to exactly the spot I hit my head on. It’s a bit unlikely that it was there before I fell down, but I need to know.

I search for a sharp stone and hold it against my finger. Then I slice it open.

Blue liquid forces its way out and covers my fingertip. But it’s only liquid for a short time. In a matter of seconds, it turns sticky, then viscous and finally turns solid. Fascinated, I watch as it slowly changes color to match the surrounding skin.

After just a minute, the wound is completely sealed off.

”Now, that’s weird”, I say, devoid of any other words. ”I guess there is even more I don’t know about myself than I thought.”

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Sources:

Vernal Pool

Fairy Shrimp

Ephemeral Pools

Climate change and ephemeral pool ecosystems

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