Phantasmagoria
The Fourth Level - The Scorpion Howitzer

''Sowhen does the challenge start? I mean, the realchallenge?'' I ask Amber, while I'm still swimming in the water.

''Quitean eager one, aren't you?'' Amber says with a smile. Eager? I justwant to get this over and done with. If that means that I'm beingeager, then so be it.

''Yousee that Never ova dere?'' Amber says as she points over to where thefemale military Never is hovering over the water with the howitzer intow. I turn around to view the crazy woman again.

''Yeah,what about her?'' I ask her when I face her again.

''You'ave to try and catch 'er while she shoots at you wit her Howitzer,''Amber says. Sounds easy enough. But of course...

''Nothing'sever easy. What else is involved?'' I ask her directly. I don't wantto play games any more. I think I'm getting quite exhausted mentally.But I'm in a game, so there's no use avoiding it.

I wantto have another break already.

''Well,since you can't wait to start, you will 'ave to try an' catch 'erwhile swimmin' down de waterfall,'' Amber says happily. She pointsdownwards with her hands to mirror the action of the waterfall.

''OK...anythingelse?'' I say to her. Having gotten used to this game, I'm leaving nostone unturned, so I need to know if any 'surprises' are going tocome my way. Amber smiles slowly. I know that smile. Saya smiled likethat.

''Youmus' avoid da scorpions,'' Amber says as she leans closer to me. Ilook back to the Never, her hand stroking the golden howitzer as ifit was her pet.

''That'sgoing to be no easy feat,'' I mumble to myself. It's not going to beeasy at all. I mean, the woman has a howitzer. It's a machine gun!It's going to be spitting out around 100 of those scorpions everyminute! How am I supposed to avoid that whilst I'm swimming? I'mstarting to get nervous as it dawns on me that this may actually beone of the hardest tasks I would ever have to do in this game. And Istill have level 5 to go.

''If Iwere you, I would change into sometin' more...wet proof,'' Amber saysto me. I look at my clothes, knowing that she's right. I won't beable to swim if these clothes are weighing me down.

''Hey,don't peek,'' I say to Amber before I wish my clothes away and put ona pair of Speedos and goggles. Amber keeps her eyes closed and thenopens them slowly once I've finished.

''Great,now you're good to go,'' she says. I look around my surroundings, andthen, out of nowhere, I see giant tubs of paint pots line the skyabove me. I see them open up spontaneously and begin pouring itscontents down towards the water. The area around me and Amber becomesfilled with dripping paint in various colours of blues, pinks,purples, reds, oranges, greens and yellows. I anticipate whether thepaint is going to change the water a different colour, but itdoesn't. The paint is pouring in one continuous loop, dripping downendlessly. Amber smiles as I then hear Cyndi Lauper's 'Girls JustWanna Have Fun' begin playing at an extremely loud volume around me.

''NowI'mgood to go,'' Amber yells with a a big grin on her face as she dancesto the music as she sits with her legs crossed.

Ohgreat, I have to deal with another music-loving level keeper. I wasjust getting used to the peace and quiet of death and destruction onSaya's level. I look around me to see if I've missed the countdowntimer at all, but it is nowhere in sight. I also remember somethingelse. Something that I've just noticed.

''Hey,I can't see the other participants,'' I say to Amber.

''Well,you know who decides dat,Mr Williams,'' she replies. Yes. I do know who decides that. But whyhide them again? We already know who each other are.

''Socan I start now?'' I ask Amber. I feel like I'm wasting time.

''Sureyou can,'' Amber says as she closes her eyes and gets lost in themusic. This must be one of the most care free level keepers I've evermet. I look around and still can't see no timer.

''Heywhere's the-,'' I begin to ask.

''Lookdown,'' Amber interjects, her eyes still closed, as she she pointsdownwards whilst still dancing as she sits. Mind reading as usual.She knows what I was going to ask.

''Down?''I say as I look into the water. I can see something...green, but Ican't make it out. I bury my head in the water to go in for a closerlook. I can see the green object more closely. It's...green wording.And it says 'Begin Challenge Now!'

''Ahh!''I gasp for air. I instantly turn around, and don't even wait for theNever to start shooting at me. I immediately begin to swim in a frontcrawl. I know I'm no Michael Phelps, but I imagine myself going asfast as him while I swim.

BFFT-BFFT-BFFT-BFFT-BFFT-BFFT-BFFT!

I canhear the muffled sound of the scorpion howitzer being used to attackme. Every time I come up for air, the Never seems to be gettingfurther away. Every time I go under, I can see that I'm narrowlymissing scorpions. I try to follow the direction of the Never-

''AAAAARGGHH!''I yell aloud as I replace myself falling.

Yetagain.

Irealise that I am going down a waterfall. My hands and arms areflailing around everywhere, but I get myself back into a divingposition as I near the bottom of the waterfall. I just rememberedAmber told me to swim down the 'waterfall'. I didn't realise I wouldcome across it so quickly.

SPLASH!

Ismack into the bottom of the waterfall. I swim quickly to thesurface, and as I breathe for air, I see the Never already aiming thehowitzer straight for my face.

''Ohcr-,'' I try to say before I quickly duck into the water and try toswim away from the multiple scorpions entering the water. I swim tothe right, but a horde of scorpions are shot into the water. Iscramble away from them just in time, but as I swim to the left,another bunch enter the water at high speed. I swim frantically awayfrom all of them, and try to swim under the cover of the waterfall. Iswim fast to it, but I sense that the Never has gotten closer to thebase of the waterfall, as I can hear the sound of the howitzergetting quite near. This woman is not giving me a chance at all, isshe?

''AACHH!''I let out a sound under water. I can't hold my breath forever. I needto come up for air, other wise I'm going to drown...

Or doI really need to come up at all?

Iimagine myself as being able to breathe under water, and I imaginehaving with the additional ability to amplify my hearing and sight.This should help me as I-

Argh!

I canhear the music too loudly now!

Icover my ears as I realise that amplifying my hearing in order tohear where the Never is has also made me hear Cyndi Lauper on fullvolume. Nothing you can do about it now, Nash. I just have to getthrough this challenge.

I lookfor the timer again, and look to the bottom of the water, since thatwas where I found it last.

'16minutes left,' it reads once I replace it. 16 minutes to survive this.

No.

16minutes to catch the Never.

Thatis the objective.

And itis my prerogative.

I lookto see where the Never has got to. I don't see any more scorpionsbeing shot at me. Or hear anything for that matter.

Oh.

She'sright above me.

Lookingat me. With a smile on her face. And her howitzer looks like it'ssmiling too.

Iquickly swim away, but she's hot on my tail. I'm the one who issupposed to be hunting her, not the other way round. I need to catchher some how.

How doI do it?

How?!

I swimfrantically away from her. I just...swim. I see so many scorpionsfollowing me as I do. When is this going to e-

''Aaarghhhh!''I scream as I come upon another waterfall. But I already came downone.

Wasthere another one...?

SPLASH!

Ienter the bottom of the waterfall. Again. I come up from the waterand see that Amber has joined my friend the Never. They hover downside by side a few metres above me.

''Welcometo the Cascade Continuum!'' Ambers announces with a smile as CindyLauper reverberates my eardrums.

Oh,man.

Acontinuum?!

Doesthat mean...it isn't going to end?