The moment you touch the purple stone, memory pours through you. It's as though a fog has been lifted.

"My name's Michael," you say with complete conviction. "Michael Harper."

"I'm sure," the Bridge Builder says flatly. "Now you can leave and be whoever you want to be, and leave the rest of us here."

Memories flood through you, and things that have been put on the back burner since your arrival in this place suddenly take front and center, as though you're only now remembering them clearly for the first time. The freckled face of a little green-eyed boy flashes in your mind, and you are overcome with guilt and worry.

"My son," you find yourself saying. "I have to get back to him. I'm all he has. I have to get back! How do I leave?"

The Bridge Builder points off in the distance.

"Head that way," he says. "Your snake friend should be able to guide you. Now leave me alone."

Without another word, he goes back to the pile of wood and resumes chopping.

You turn around and find that you're suddenly back in the middle of the desert. The grass, the cottage, the hill, and the man are all gone. The snake around your wrist points ahead.


-->[You Wander the Desert]

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