Learning to Dance

shirt. Her skin was growing browner by the hour, her tank
top turned translucent at the small of her back. The sun had
just begun to set, the cooling temperatures a welcome relief,
when Taz stopped so quickly that Up nearly walked into
her.
“What?” he said in annoyance. Then he saw what she
was looking at.
A snake, black and shiny against the smooth orange
landscape, had reared its head and was watching them
curiously over dripping fangs, its body quivering, tense.
Poised to strike.
It was also fifteen feet long.
“I suppose your zapper’s in your bag?” asked Up.
Taz nodded, her eyes fixed on the snake.
“Mine too.”
A long pause, waiting, sizing them up, and then the
snake struck. Up and Taz dove in opposite directions,
rolling and bouncing their way out of its reach. Struggling
to find his balance on the unstable surface, Up turned to see
the snake rearing again, its eyes fixed on Taz, who was
scrambling backwards as fast as she could.
The snake was faster. Taz’s scream rang in Up’s ears as
he launched himself at the creature, using the terrain to
jump farther than should have been possible. Wrapping his
arms around its body, he squeezed as hard as he could and
hung on for dear life as the snake released Taz and shook
itself, trying to throw him off. A scrabbling sound, and a
deafening blast, and suddenly the snake went limp. Up
found himself falling to the ground, and bouncing up again,
finally coming to a stop in front of Taz. She was standing
unsteadily, her pant leg torn and damp with something
darker than sweat. Her zapper was still raised in her hands.
As he got to his feet, Taz let the weapon drop and
swayed to the side. He caught her as she fell, suddenly a