• The Sunless

    Chapter 2: The Canyon


    ---Grand Canyon, U.S.A.---

    The Grand Canyon's once beautiful vermillion plateaus and slopes were now barely jutting above the ever-rising Colorado river as rain poured down. The marred orange landscape had become much less beautiful in the presence of the sun, as trees and cacti began to overtake exposed patches of land that had enough soil to sustain such flora. The melancholic pitter-patter of rain seemed to never stop, despite the fact that the southwestern United States used to receive rain only occasionally. A tourist building that had once swelled with incoming visitors of the canyon had now become run-down due to lack of business. Overlooking a river that flowed deep, the tourist building was connected to other jutting stretches of rock that managed to rise above the water by bridges.

    ---Elizabeth's School, U.S.A.---

    After watching a documentary about dolphins, the lunch bell rang, signaling that all of the 5th graders walk to the cafeteria with their lunches or lunch money and eat. Elizabeth was rather glad to eat, for she did not have anything for breakfast. Heading towards the coat rack, she picked up a lunch box that was magnetically attatched to her backpack, and strolled off, trying to come back to that wonderful day-dream she had earlier.

    "Lizzy! Hey, don't leave me behind!" Shea called out as she rushed with her pink, heart shaped lunch box in her right hand tightly. "Y'know, don't leave me behind with Tabatha and his gang," Shea nervously huffed as she slowed down her pace to not get ahead of Elizabeth.

    "Tabatha's not that bad; he's just a little, odd," Elizabeth responded defensively.

    "Okay, then," Shea responded, monotone, as her almost colorless eyes nervously looked at the cafeteria.

    The cafeteria, like the classrooms, had a pexiglass roof. Plants were growing by windowsills and near lamps located in various corners of the large room. Each grade was specified by different colored tables which all fit into a square. Little children that appeared to be from first grade were found to be sitting in red chairs with red tables that were circular in shape. The tables could seat up to five children. In particular, the 5th grade tables were blue. A quick mental reminder of this information ran through Elizabeth's young mind as she walked towards a table with one other girl that was sitting alone, staring at a soggy peanut butter and jelly sandwhich with meek refusal.

    Elizabeth and Shea sat down; the girl gave a gentle nod as her chest length hair moved gently up and down. After a few moments of unpacking food, Shea began to speak.

    "So, Michaela, what's up?" Shea asked the girl casually.

    "Not much, just another soggy PB&J again," Michaela responded dissapointedly. "Hey, are you two gonna do anything when we get out of school?" Michaela asked curiously, looking for a subject to talk about while she ran her fingers through her raven hair without much thought.

    "Meh, I'm stuck at home, summer assignments for the academy," Shea responded as she took a nibble on a baby carrot from a plastic bag.

    "What about you, Elizabeth?" Michaela's curiousity failing to waver.

    "Not that great, the Grand Canyon," Elizabeth said after a few moments of hesitation.

    "Why there? I mean, it used to look good back before we were born, but it's basically just a giant river system with plateaus that are now pretty much islands.

    "Yeah, family "bonding" trip," Elizabeth sighed as she then finished off what was left of a raisin and oat granola bar.

    "Well, you can at least try to have fun; you can at least swim, can't you?" Shea asked hopefully.

    "Nah, the current's too fast, that, and ther canyon's water dumps out like a water fall so I really don't wanna plunge 1000 plus feet if you get my drift," Elizabeth responded as she began to eat a ham and cheese sandwhich, removing herself from the conversation.

    The table silently continued on, their thoughts and facial epxressions hidden by the loud chatter of the students in the cafeteria and the food that they were eating. Their conversation did not pick up after Elizabeth finished speaking. When lunch ended, a dismissal bell began to ring. The tedious half day finally ended for Elizabeth as she got up her lunchbox with whatever was left, trotted over to the trash can, and dropped her trash in it before walking off without Shea or Michaela.
    Michaela and Shea were much more sluggish in getting up, pondering why their friend Elizabeth was in such a rush to get out.

    Meanwhile, the dark-haired elementary schooler walked out of the student crammed front foyer into the rainy mist of the steamy June day. The humidity was almost off the chart, making the heat almost unbearable. Elizabeth continued walking along, splashing the occasional puddle in a sidewalk depression with her purple rain boots. The pitter-patter of rain was once again, a common but monotonous presence that overstayed its welcome. Elizabeth herself was wondering if sunny weather even ever existed in the first place as she neared the turn into her neighborhood.

    "Hey, you there!" interrupted Elizabeth's dreary thoughts. "Have you seen anything unusual around this area?" Asked the man, who upon further assessment was dressed in a police uniform and holding a black umbrella.

    "No, sir," Elizabeth answered calmly, unaware of what sort of investigation the officer was doing that would require asking random children on the street. "Goodbye, sir," Elizabeth said with a wave as she walked into her neighborhood, the sound of boots splashing water becoming more and more distant to the police man as Elizabeth neared her humble home.

    Her home was one of many town homes connected together in a series of ten town houses. They all looked exactly alike, made out of brick that became dull over the years as the rain poured down day after day. Elizabeth opened the door to find the usual scene, her dad working on the computer with his nose creased where his glasses fell, his hands and fingers constantly moving along the keyboard. Elizabeth then looked over in the kitchen, where her mom was sitting at the kitchen table reading a book. The book's cover was dusty, but mostly undamaged. The pages seemed to be legible, drawing Elizabeth's curiousity.

    "Hey, Mom, what's that book about?" Elizabeth asked curiously, standing besides her looking at a few pictures in the book.

    "Oh, this is just an old book from when I was a kid. This is what the Grand Canyon was like when I went there as a child," Elizabeth's Mom recalled with tender eyes. "See here, this was a picture of the sunset at the canyon, isn't it beautiful?" Elizabeth's mother asked rhetorically, recalling the memories of a world that had once been lit by a beautiful sun.

    Elizabeth's blue eyes looked at the pictures of the vermillion rocks jutting up from the deep valley below, forming a beautiful horizon where a bright spherical flame began to dive into the darkness, releasing a beautiful pallette of warm colors. Elizabeth smiled, not just because the pictures were beautiful, but because of the bittersweet feeling she had in her mind.

    "It is beautiful," Elizabeth commented slowly. "I wish it would be like this when we go," Elizabeth told her mother, a bittersweet note lingering in her throat.

    "Maybe it will be," Elizabeth's mother said with a smile as her mother's sea green eyes looked at the picture, feeling the nostalgia wash over her gently.