The road Caleb traveled sat on the spine of an ancient dam. On one side, a vast ocean of loose tumbleweeds. On the other, crooked wide fractures swallowed each flying tumbleweed whole. Even the wind seemed to be devoured.

He was cold too. What ever desert, steppe, or vast dry plain he ended up on, it was near winter time. He would be fine during the day, but night was another story.

A few hours and miles later, Caleb noticed a gray-brown wall farther up, possibly boulders blocking the road? As he neared, a crowd of burros stood stoically on the washboards, so still even the dust seemed to flinch.

The wall of wise eyes behind starlet lashes stared emotionless. Furry radars sensed his anxious heartbeat. Caleb felt like he was facing a firing squad of sad professors.

Caleb turned to walk away. Suddenly, all the burros started to stomp and snort. Caleb’s act of turning his back proved he wasn’t a predator. A path now open, red lights appeared in the distance, maybe she was up ahead too.