I rolled onto my back as the horn blasts sounded. They were our wakeup call, and a notice that the sun was rising. Several young men flitted past my family’s hovel to scout the area above for danger; they lit the torches that lined the walls as they went. I felt my mother rise to start the morning chores; I rubbed my hand over my face pushing back my red tresses. After stretching I got up and helped my mother ready the laundry and dishes for the surface. My father got up a moment later and fetched a pail of fresh spring water. We drank our fill before using it to wash our hair and bodies. Once I was cleaned and groomed I pulled on my cleanest smock and prepared a simple breakfast of bread and honey, which we ate after getting into the line going to the surface. We managed to finish before the line began to move, since we needed both hands to carry the supplies. The cool morning air filled my lunges as we stepped through the opening in the shack floor and I smiled. Once on the surface everyone quickly fell into a routine, the men went hunting, the young men foraging for nuts, berries, and honey, the woman did the laundry, and the young woman watched the children, the elderly gathered herbs and spices for food and medicine. The day went by smoothly with everyone laughing and chatting about life. Around mid day my best friend Ann came to me looking slightly worried,
"Kyara...please come with me, I've lost one of the children...she wandered off while I was telling a story."
Frowning I got up and asked one of the other girls to watch over my group for a moment. I followed Ann to the last place she'd looked, but didn't see the child. On a hunch I walked to the nearby field and gazed over the plane, the young one stood on a small rock formation looking into the distance. I called to her and she immediately came running.
"How many times have we stressed not to leave the circle?"
She lowered her head in shame and seriously looked sorry,
"I'm sorry Kyara...but Ann has told that story so many times before...I was bored. But look what I've found!"
She pointed toward a dust cloud not far off, it appeared to be moving toward us. I told Ann and the child to go back and warn the village to be on guard. Then I moved to the rock formation to get a better look.
But when I finally realized what I was looking at it was too late, the rebels were upon us.
To Be Continued
 Polar_StarFyer · Mon Feb 18, 2008 @ 03:22pm · 0 Comments |
