It was late afternoon, and the sun had been beating on my back all day. It felt like an eternity since I'd left the house. The heat was intense as it beat down from the sky, baking everything in its path. My clothes stuck to my skin and I could feel sweat pouring out of every pore. The ground around me was hard, and it made the going difficult as well. It wasn't easy traveling across the hot desert sands when you're alone, with no supplies or shelter, just your own two feet and some ragged clothing. I tried walking at night once but it only resulted in a painful sunburn. The moon was too bright to travel during the night anyway, so I spent most of each day trying not to die.
Each sunset was a welcome reprieve from the relentless burning light overhead. They gave me time to rest and think as darkness took over for an hour or two after sundown. I'd thought about my family, wondering if they were okay. And sometimes, like today, I thought about this list of fifteen facts I couldn't get out of my head. It went:
Don’t tell Anish Kapoor about TrES-2b.

Shenzhen is blowing up.

The creators of Rocky and Bullwinkle picked the wrong time to visit the White House.

A serial killer won “The Dating Game.”

Weasels can squeeze into tight spaces.

Listerine came from a distilled surgical antiseptic.

African Clawed Frogs were our best pregnancy tests until the 960s.

Also known as “Elden Ring catacombs full of good loot after the collapse of civilization.”

Homework and doodles from a boy 800 years ago survived.

You had to have a mustache in the British army, or else.

Tara Strong is an extraordinary alien.

There are poisonous trees known for growing in graveyards.

It was easier to see cracks on planes when they allowed smoking.

England had a window tax in lieu of income tax.

You can have a whale of a time at the bottom of the ocean.
