Johnny Dash and the Doral Flower (Johhny Dash Series Book 1) Page 7

  In the middle of the mercilessness of the desert, there was a place with some tall and slender palm trees, many fruits and, most importantly, water. The crew jumped out of the jeep and ran with all their remaining strength; then, they let themselves fall heavily into the crystalline waters and drank their fill. Simply put, they could not believe that a place so full of life could exist in the middle of the desert. They found plants in colors and sizes they had never seen before, which exotic beauty contrasted with the noticeable solitude of the sand that had been with them for some many years.

  Suddenly, amidst the fresh and eternal beauty of the oasis, Scientist Edison discovered they were not alone.

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  There was an American Bald Eagle resting, sad and lonely, on top of some plants. The crew felt scared since it was bigger than Olivia Eagle. On the other hand, Johnny Dash was not afraid, he only contemplated it silently: the chestnut color of its plumage stood against the wild green of the whimsical nature, its eyes were golden and beautiful; however, they transmitted a deep melancholy and an inconsolable sorrow. Many were afraid when the Eagle realized they were watching it, since they thought the bird would easily eat them.

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  In effect, if the American Eagle had wanted, it would have eaten them in one bite, but Johnny realized that it did not have those intentions when he saw the sadness in its gaze. From up close, he saw the eagle was injured. “Easy, I just want to help you,” he said while he checked its wing. In the beginning, the Bald Eagle seemed hostile; then, it changed its attitude. The other crew members were surprised when they saw that the great bird did not attack the small and brave young man. “How did that happen to you?” The American Eagle gave a reply that filled them with sadness.

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  “I crashed against one of those poles men have built. Despite that, I kept moving forward and managed to go through the desert. But now I am exhausted and I don't think I can continue… I think I'll never see my children again…” “Rest easy, everything will be alright. I promise I will take care of you,” Johnny Dash said, trying to comfort her. When he pet her, he realized how soft her feathers were and that she was even more beautiful from up close. The young man could not find the words to describe her great beauty. He remembered another sublime thought by his old friend: “There are things in life that one cannot define, because defining with a word would be limiting, and one cannot limit what is limitless.” “What is your name?” Johnny asked while he bandaged its wing. “Seattle,” she replied. “My name is Johnny Dash, and they are my friends.” The crew members introduced themselves. They were not afraid now, since they realized that the American Bald Eagle did not want to eat them. On the other hand, Tech Taylor interrupted them saying: “We do not have time to waste! Remember there is a tornado coming to this place. Tornados are normally slow, but if we are reckless, it can get here when we are not ready, and that would be devastating.”

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  While she said this, Taylor could see how beautiful Seattle Eagle was, and was secretly jealous, since it was much more beautiful than her. However, she then felt sad when she saw the wound on its wing, so she offered voluntarily to help her. She asked for the Diclofenac they had used to help cure Scientist Leonardo, and she applied it on its wing very carefully, since it was extremely painful. “The pain will go away with this.” “Good thought, Taylor! This will heal her much faster,” Johnny Dash replied. When she saw how close they were to each other, and how similarly they acted, the American Bald Eagle asked: “Are you two a couple?”

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  Taylor blushed and replied: “No… we are just friends. Why do you ask?” “It’s just that both of you have equally kind hearts.” Then, Seattle Eagle said: “You are very beautiful. You are probably the most beautiful small human I have seen.” Taylor simply could not believe it: such a beautiful American Bald Eagle, which had no defect whatsoever, had told her she was “beautiful”. She felt happy and excited at the same time, and the jealousy that she felt at the beginning vanished like the sun on the horizon. When the evening fell, she was still taking care of it. She was very proud for being able to help such a majestic bird.

  When he saw Johnny's behavior, Captain Ernest thought: “The love he feels for living beings is incredible. This boy is truly admirable! I would have loved to have a child like him and to feel proud of him!”

  They all spent the night in the oasis. Rock and Olympus did not sleep, since they knew there was a tornado and they had to be alert to wake everyone up in case it came. Meanwhile, Johnny Dash and Taylor made a fire gathering some wood and decided to stay awake all night taking care of Seattle, the American Bald Eagle. In the beginning, Johnny thought he did not have anything in common which such an intellectual girl like Taylor and she, on her part, though she did not have anything in common with such a fearless and athletic boy as Johnny, but after hours talking, they realized that they shared the same passion: love for nature and other living beings. And, for an instant, they forgot about everything, even the tornado that they had to face the next morning. They just serenely watched the moon, which elevated itself above the oasis like a silvery disc that did not stop shining. “It truly is beautiful, isn't it?” She said. Taking advantage of the intimacy of the moment, Johnny replied: “Not as beautiful as you!” Seattle Eagle noticed what was obvious. Taylor blushed and looked away. However, she then looked at Johnny again and told him: “I am scared. I don't know if we will get to pass the tornado.”

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  Johnny Dash contemplated the infinite firmament again. After thinking for a few moments, he finally said: “I am scared too.” When the Bald Eagle had completely fallen asleep, Tech Taylor commented: “You know? Sometimes I was told that one has to live the present, because it is the only thing we have. There are two days that always worry us, which are yesterday and tomorrow; but, truth be told, we only have to worry about today, this moment.” Johnny was surprised by Taylor's wisdom. And he also felt a little embarrassed, since she knew a lot of things, especially the operation of complicated electronic devices like the sophisticated Fire tablet. Besides, she had a better grasp of social networks like Facebook and the hundreds of applications she could access through her modern tablet. And now he realized that she also had a unique way of thinking, very evolved for her age. For a moment, he felt he did not have anything useful to tell her, that she had said it all and he was only a living being who only knew how to fight.

  They were silent for some minutes. Suddenly, she caressed the young man’s hand. It surprised him. After this, Taylor told him: “What if we can't get passed the tornado? What will happen to us?”

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  Johnny Dash simply replied, with a melancholic tone: “I don't know what will happen tomorrow, the only thing I know is that —as you said it yourself— now, in this moment, we are alive, and we have to seize these moments, because it is the only thing we have.” Johnny got closer to her. He slowly stroked her hair. He felt its softness. He came closer and realized how good she smelled: the delicacy of her perfume mesmerized him. Taylor blushed even more, and said: “You're right…” He softly took off her glasses, and was able to see how beautiful her eastern eyes were: she, as a whole, was a beautiful creation. He came closer and kissed her with great tenderness. She accepted the kiss. And, once it was over, they hugged and without saying a word, they continued contemplating the endless night in the middle of the exotic beauty of the oasis in which they had taken refuge. Then, they fell asleep.

  They day the tornado would come, they all woke up really worried.

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  Johnny Dash, who was still hugging Taylor, took a quick look at the place where Seattle Eagle was, and there he found it: it was visibly better and was able to take a few steps. He felt as sad as the day before. He could not understand how men did not value such a wonderful creature. Once more, he felt disappointed by normal human beings. He drew closer to
it and, after caressing it softy, he advised it to leave that place because the tornado was about to arrive. He also said it had a few hours before it arrived; however, he was wrong, since, among the dunes, in the distance, an immense whirlwind advanced laying waste on anything it found on its wake. The crew grew alarmed, but they knew what they had to do, running away was the only option. This time, they were more worried, since the tornado advanced much faster than they had imagined. “It will reach this place in a few minutes,” said Captain Ernest. “Everybody get on the Jeep! There's no time to lose.” When they were in the vehicle, they realized someone was missing: Johnny Dash. Where could he be?

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  The Captain exclaimed: “We will not leave until everyone is here! I'll go get soldier Dash.” He stepped off the jeep and ran to the interior of the oasis as fast as his long legs allowed him. Once he had reached the remotest place of that green wonder, he saw that Johnny was still trying to save the American Bald Eagle, which was still in the middle of the leaves, not wanting to do anything. “C'mon, friend… you have to save yourself. The tornado is near.” Captain Ernest tried to help, but Seattle Eagle was too heavy to be moved. The tornado got even closer. While they tried to help the bird, they saw how that natural phenomenon destroyed everything. “It's devastating!” The Captain exclaimed when he saw its brutal force. Despite all this, they kept trying to help the Bald Eagle, but it did not have the strength to do anything. Then, when they saw that the tornado was too close to them, Captain Ernest shouted: “Soldier Dash, we have to go!” The young man replied: “I'm not leaving without Seattle!” After one last and useless effort, Captain Ernest shouted: “We can't do anything! We have to save ourselves and the crew members; otherwise, it will destroy us all!” Johnny Dash, who could barely hear the Captain due to the noisy roaring of the tornado, shouted: “I know, but I'm not leaving without Seattle! We have to save it!” Then, the Captain made a desperate decision: he took Johnny by the arm and carried him against his will. Once they were in the Jeep, he got on it with him and shouted to Jeff: “Speed up!!!” The car quickly got far away from the oasis. Meanwhile, more relaxed now, the crew could see how the tornado completely destroyed that wonderful place.

  Johnny Dash, who was crying inconsolably, looked at the Captain and yelled at him: “Why did you leave it!?”

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  Captain Ernest, visibly affected, said: “I wanted to save it too! But if we had stayed longer, the tornado would have destroyed the whole crew.”

  When no one was looking at him, the Captain contemplated in the distance the green remains of the incredible oasis and said, while a bitter tear was falling from his blue melancholic eyes, “forgive me Seattle!” Nonetheless, the crew members did not have time to feel sadness: the tornado kept advancing. And, if they didn't do anything, it would destroy them as well.

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  Jeff sped up, while he tried to focus on the road and not seeing the tornado in the rearview mirror. Suddenly, Captain Ernest shouted: “Stop!” The pilot did not obey at first, because he did not think it was reasonable, but the Captain insisted: “I said stop the vehicle, soldier!” This time, Jeff obeyed. Why had Captain Ernest given such an order like that?

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  Captain Ernest took a rock; then he threw it on the sand in front of them. After a few instants, the stone sank. “Just as I thought! Quicksand!” The brave ones were facing a big dilemma, they had a violent tornado which would destroy them in seconds and, on the other hand, they had quicksand in which they would sink, also in a few seconds. They were too stressed to think of anything. The tornado was already too close. When he saw the cruel and violent way in which nature destroyed, Johnny Dash thought that, this time, they definitely did not have a way of escaping.

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  Suddenly, Seattle the American Bald Eagle crossed the infinite skies like a comet, with its wings completely unfolded like two legendary handheld fans; it flew over them and held the upper section of the Jeep with its claws. “Hold on tight!” It yelled. Then, making a superhuman effort, it lifted the heavy vehicle. For a moment, the brave ones felt they were flying, and saw how they went above the quicksand, and how the gigantic twister was left behind. Johnny could not contain his joy and neither could Captain Ernest. They felt relieved, saved again. Although, this time, they had been much closer to danger than ever before.

  After going for a long distance, the Eagle fell heavily to the ground. The Jeep and the brave ones too, but the softness of the sand prevented them from being hurt. “I am sorry, friends, but that is the most I can fly! My wing has not fully recovered yet.” “You don’t have to apologize. On the contrary, I am the one who should,” said Captain Ernest. “I left you there, in the middle of the oasis, and I kept going forward. I just wanted to save my people.” She looked at him with compassion and replied: “I understand perfectly!” “You are ok!!!” Johnny Dash shouted, while he hugged it lovingly. “But, how did you manage to survive? When did you escape?”

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  The American Bald Eagle replied: “First, I thought I could not make it, but after seeing the tornado, and especially after seeing the effort you had made to save me, I could not give up.” “You are amazing!” exclaimed Tech Taylor who had also come closer. “What happened last night was more amazing!” Taylor blushed, and everyone laughed. They felt much more relaxed now that they knew the danger was over. Before saying goodbye, the physicians cured Seattle's wing again, and said she could fly, but she had to be careful. After saying goodbye, the American Bald Eagle took off and lost herself in the freedom of the infinity blue sky.

  The vehicle hit the road again and the crew continued the trajectory that would get them out of that desert. After a few hours, Johnny Dash was still awake; he contemplated the eternal beauty of Taylor's face, who slept resting her head on his brave chest. He could clearly feel his beloved’s breathing near his heart. He liked her much more than he thought. Could they be able to enjoy that beautiful love that had emerged between them in the middle of a journey full of danger?

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  The next morning, Jeff was still driving. How long before they managed to get out of that arid area? Suddenly, Johnny Dash saw how plants started to grow in the middle of the landscape: they were finally leaving the desert. After a few more hours of traveling, they finally could see a small river. They stopped in it to eat for a while. After checking the devices, the techs told the Captain something he perfectly knew: “If we continue on the trajectory of this river, we will reach the jungle.” However, there was a new problem.

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  After eating, they wanted to continue their journey, but they were forced to stop the vehicle and get off, since the thickness of the foliage rose as a barrier that prevented them from continuing their voyage. The afternoon came and the brave ones were still fighting against the wild vegetation. They managed to cut some, but the amount of plants that existed there escaped any calculation: if they tried to root them by hand, it would take months, and they were sure that they would not be able to leave that place; therefore, they had to come up with a better plan. Meanwhile, the night came, and the crew had to camp in the same area, near their vehicle. They felt disappointed, because they had not done anything important in the whole day that would help them make progress in their journey.

  The tenth day started, and with it a new hope was born.

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  They had seen a group of meerkats drinking water from the river last night. Slowly, they found the marks they had left on the ground: apparently, it was a group of fifteen mammals, but they realized that some footprints were way behind the others. Then, they followed them, and they arrived to a small cavern, which entrance was covered by a layer of dry branches. Captain Ernest said: “I need a volunteer.” Many raised their hands, but he only chose one: Johnny Dash. Then, he said: “We will go in together, understood? We don't exactly know how many meerkats the
re are and, although they are very pacific animals by nature, if we invade their home, they can react aggressively.” Once inside, they were surprised by what they found.

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  There were many more meerkats than they had thought. When they saw that the small mammals were looking at them with surprise, Captain Ernest said: “Esteemed meerkats, we do not want to disturb you, we only need a little help.” The brave ones told them the reason for their journey in half an hour. And, after having listened, the oldest meerkat spoke: “We will gladly help you. But before that, I would like to know your names.” The young man replied: “I am Johnny Dash, nice to meet you!” On his part, Ernest, said: “And I am Infantry Captain Ernest. It is an honor to meet you!” The old meerkat replied: “The honor is mine, my name is Mitsurugi!” Then, Captain Ernest felt sorry when he heard what he said next.

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