BOOM!!!
Jon and Karyn were startled awake.
They looked around. They were still where they were when they took their rest stop. Jon looked at his watch.
"How long were we asleep?" Karyn asked.
"About three hours, unless my watch isn't working right."
They stood up. And when they did, they were greeted by the old man, once again.
"You two shouldn't be sittin' around. You've got to keep movin'," the old man said.
"Why?" Jon asked. "Why should we keep moving? What's the purpose of us being here?"
The old man looked a bit confused. "You know what the purpose is. That's why you're here."
"You still aren't making any sense."
The old man walked closer to Jon, close enough so that Jon could hear him whisper to him. "You had the item, right?"
"The item? What item?"
"You know what I'm talking about."
Jon thought about what it could be. "You mean the stone?"
"Shhhh." The old man looked like he was in pain. Or maybe it was fear. "My boy, don't ever say that any louder."
"You mean I'm here because of the ... the item?"
"Yes."
"How could that be? I didn't wish for anything."
"You didn't have to. You're here because you had it."
The old man backed up and smiled. "Good day to you. Have a safe journey."
And he disappeared.
Jon and Karyn looked at each other, thinking about what the old man just said.
