The Fountain of Youth

The path took them on a winding path through the forest, but it was easy enough to follow with the beast ahead of them. They were within sounding distance, if not within sighting distance. They felt safer that way. The thud thud of the beast led them out of the thick brush and into clearings with more rocks and moss than woods.

"Do you think we'll get there soon?" Harold huffed as they trudged their way through yet another narrow, slippery rock passage. "Have you looked at the GPS?"

"It's not entirely straight, but this creature and its trail is leading us towards the first location for sure." Spunk said, eyeing the display below him. "It's probably faster than us trying to carve a straight path, too."

The crew rounded a corner to an unexpected sight. The penis-headed creature -- or another one, Spunk supposed -- was leaning down with its penis-like appendage dipped into a clear pool of water. Its back was turned to Spunk, Harold, and Edie.

"Shit." Harold whispered as he nearly ran into Spunk, who had been leading the procession. "Do you think this is it?"

"We are in the area of uncertainty." Spunk said confidently. "We weren't sure where in this circle it would be. I assumed it would be more towards the center, but... it's possible."

"Crankituns will only drink from the purest water on this planet." The ghost's quiet voice appeared, startling them. "It is said that if they drink from polluted waters, their skin will turn black. Pure water on our planet, in untouched pools, is said to hold the power to pull us back from our reproductive phase."

"What happens if we're wrong?" Spunk asked, trying to turn to the ghost. Apparently, Saffold had not yet materialized a face for him to talk to. Spunk turned around again to awkwardly watch the penis creature, which had huge literal balls resting behind its tail. They were very distracting.

"If you put my body in the water and nothing happens, there's a possibility that I won't be able to get out." Saffold admitted. "My body does not move well on its own, but it still needs to breathe. I may... drown."

"Can we dip the bucket in?" Edie suggested, her voice just above the whisper. "Then we can pull the whole thing out if it doesn't work?"

"Full immersion." The ghost said. "It's the only way it'll work."

"Is this where you want to try?" Spunk asked. "It's up to you, my ghostly friend."

"There are no descriptors beyond what I have shared." The sadness in his voice was obvious. "Just that it is a place where crankituns are found. Here or the next pool does not matter to me. We have equal chance of success."

Spunk exchanged looks with Harold, who gave a shrug in response.

"Okay. Let's do this, then. Hope it works." Spunk motioned to Edie to bring the bucket forward. "Will this creature hurt us?"

"They are gentle beasts. It should not care." The ghost voice said.

"Uh, Edie? Do you want me to do it?" Spunk reached out for the bucket and he saw her hands tighten around it.

"I will." She said. "You watch the creature."

Spunk wasn't sure where this spat of bravery was coming from, but he liked it.

"Any, uh, last words, Saffold? As your ghostly self?" In case you don't survive this, echoed uncomfortably in the silence.

"Thank you." The ghost lizard said. "You didn't need to help me not the way I treated you in the beginning. But you have and even if this fails, I will go onto my next life knowing that you tried. And that is more than most of my own kind have done for me. So thank you."

Spunk felt his chest tighten at the Neval's words of kindness. It had been such a transformation as of late. It was like Spunk was just getting to know the Neval, and now, he was about to lose him. He swallowed against a lump in his throat.

"Whenever you're ready." Spunk said hoarsely to Edie. She nodded.

The beast in front of them began lumbering away, around the pool and out of the area. One less thing to worry about, Spunk thought as he followed Edie down the dirt path towards the pool.

Harold locked eyes with Spunk as they stood behind Edie at the water's gently lapping edge. It was a sharp drop off into the pool, but the edges of the mirror-laced water were overflowing gently onto the sand where they stood, beating the edge like an alien heart. The heartbeat of life.

"Here we go, Saffold." Edie said quietly as she squatted down by the water, placing the bucket on the ground. "Last chance."

"Do it." His voice said, seeming to emanate from the bucket. With no other way to delay or pause, Edie took a deep breath and tipped the bucket towards the pool.

At first, nothing happened. The vibrant blue goo hovered in indecision before slowly slipping out of the bucket and onto, then beyond, the water's mirror black surface. It bubbled and oozed as it went, like cake batter or melted peanut butter. The last of it hovered in the bucket, drawing out against the rest of its body a thin line, like it was about to break. As if Saffold were saying goodbye. And then the tension let loose and the remaining cup or so of ooze flung itself into the water.

Suddenly, a flash of light and loud ringing noise struck their ears. Edie cried out. Spunk, blinded, fell into Harold as he tried to cover his ears. The smell of burning hair and ash carried through their noses like they were walking through a house fire. Spunk could feel the dizziness setting in, a familiar sensation, and he tried his best to hang onto his senses as the world went spinning around. He did not succeed.

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