From the Beginning: The Old World (3 page)

Minutes passed as Roan and I sobbed for Eddie’s passing. The void created in me when I lost Idan was multiplied now that Eddie was gone, and in those moments, it felt like it would never be filled again. Glances exchanged between Roan and I made it clear he was experiencing the same black hole in the pit of his stomach. But—it was now obvious, even without it being said explicitly, or asked of us, that the responsibility and leadership of the group now lay on our shoulders. It was felt by the desperate looks piercing the back of our necks, gazing at us, waiting for our approval that indeed we would be taking on the lead.

Roan sat up, supported by me as we both wiped the tears from our faces. Looking at each other we understood the scope of responsibility which was upon us—and knew what we needed to do. Eddie would have expected this much. We took a deep breath and smiled at each other as a sign of encouragement and support. Without saying a word, we realized that our co-operation was what would provide the security the group needed at the time.

Eddie was a born leader and managed to fill this position by himself. We, his deputies, would have to rely on each other to perform adequately.

Even before we managed to stand on our feet or check Roan’s physical condition, to see if he was injured from the fall, the first cries for help were heard.

“Grace! Roan! Come quick! We have to do something! We have to help them!” panicking cries were heard from all over. I supported Roan that was now limping a little, shifting weight to his right leg. We progressed towards the direction pointed to by our excited friends. More trouble. We barely managed to make ten steps when a large crack opened under us in the middle of the island, the top of our little mountain! On the other side of the crack, on a little cliff, about ten members of our group were huddled together, waiting for us to come to their rescue.

Checking the situation at hand revealed that the crack wasn’t too deep, and we could easily notice a path going down leading to the other side—but the slopes were steep and fairly slippery—the ground collapsing under us just a few minutes prior was traumatic enough that no one was willing to take the risk of lowering themselves down.

“There’s no choice, we have to go down there. With all the danger it entails, there is no other way to reach them,” Roan started planning the rescue operation.

“Roan, look! One of the boats is hanging right next to them. If we descend, we could release the boat and use the rope—”

“Absolutely!” Roan continued my train of thought. “I can climb to them and reach them from above, you wait and catch them when they come down.”

Roan’s enthusiasm filled me with a new burst of energy—and I wasn’t the only one. The feelings of numbness and loss were pushed aside once again by the same incomprehensible forces of survival.

We released the rest of the rope that was torn from the boat we had lost from the rock it was tied to and tightened it to a good holding point on the ledge that was facing the crack. Roan descended first, of course. In spite of the fact that a mere hour prior he had nearly lost his life, he did not hesitate for a second, and his movements showed no fear. He even seemed very skilled making his way down with surprising agility.

“This would be a good time to thank my dear mother, God rest her soul,” Roan declared out loud when he reached the bottom of the crack, “that passed away many years ago, but in my youth she instated I find one sportive hobby that I liked so I would not become a useless blob of fat. This is how I chose the climbing wall at the youth community center. Thank you, Mom and thank you, James Appleby, my coach!” Roan concluded his thanks with a smile.

For a brief moment, it was completely silent. People looked at each other wondering for a second, and then they all burst out laughing.

It was the first time we had all laughed since the whole watery apocalypse began. How liberating and contagious was this laughter! A newly generated sense of hope was gently flowing amongst us all. Like a magical little fairy, it reignited our willpower and sense of survival in our hearts, once again awakening our mental forces that we felt were drained out of us forever, but now had suddenly returned to fill our chests with hope and joy. For a few minutes, we were just laughing out loud. 

With Roan’s guidance, I descended with four other men who volunteered to help. We did not want too many people standing on the bottom of the crack. After all, this was the mountain’s peak and an avalanche like the one we had could occur once more at any given moment.

While Roan’s crew was busy extracting people stuck on the opposite cliff, I started exploring the newly gapped terrain.

As mentioned before, the gap wasn’t too deep. If the water levels went down by about twenty-three feet, the whole area would not exceed sixteen and a half feet in total. I deducted from there that we were about six and a half feet above sea level. On the other hand, the area’s width was in my assessment about fifty to sixty-five feet from cliff to cliff.

My gaze stopped on a gap created between the two cliffs that led the other side of the island. My awakened curiosity urged me to check it out more closely. As I was walking towards the narrow opening, I counted my steps from one side of the island to the other, which was now revealed.

I calculated at least 100 feet. In fact, quite a wide terrain had opened up before us, safely guarded by the small cliffs.

Plans started forming in my head as I carefully moved forward checking the turfs of the island: the ground was very firm. I saw no reason to climb back up to the top of the cliff. We will be better off staying down here. During the day, the walls of the cliffs can shield us from the heat of the sun and at night protect us from the cold winds. Even though the sun was once again shining, performing its task of warming the world, now when the sun was about to set, this consideration may be a crucial factor in our ability to find shelter from the chill of the night.

The water, heated by the rays of the sun, preserves their warmth during the day and emits that heat when evening falls and during the night. Now that the sea levels had risen so high, the sun was once again heating the first layers of water. If we stay up there, we will be exposed to the cold. Down here, we shall be closer to the warm waters that had already started emitting their warmth.

The more I got closer to the edge of the island I could feel the warm air currents caressing me. Right here the distance between the cliffs grew narrow, and the walls almost touched each other. I placed my hands on the stone walls, with my heart pounding, I stuck out my head to take a peek at the other side of the world. The sight revealed before me made my head spin! I fell on my knees with tears choking my throat.

Spectacular pinkish sunset colors were brushed across the skyline, but all I could see all the way to the horizon were vast and endless open seas! From one end of the world to the other I could not spot another peak. Suddenly, an awful and inconceivable thought hit me:
we are alone!!
For a few minutes, I struggled to breathe. My mouth opened and closed on and off shocked at the sight before me as tears rolled down my cheeks. 

I turned back, looking at my surviving friends reaching out for each other, finally driven with the newfound sense of hope and I knew that, at the time, I would not say anything. Of this sight, I would not tell anyone, although it was crystal clear that sooner or later other members of the group would come here and witness the same horrific view I had just seen, and the harsh reality would strike with full force. At the time, there was no point in putting a damper on their happiness. Part of the heavy responsibility that lies on the shoulders of leaders is to know when the right time to deliver grave news was.

I wiped the trace of my tears off my face and turned to join the group when I felt a cold, damp gust of wind. An opening, large enough for a grown man to pass through was formed in the wall of the cliff. Because of the rock’s texture, the opening was hidden in the wall’s formation. That is why couldn’t see it before. I peeked inside. In spite of the darkness within, enough light came through for me to see a huge cave inside the mountain top! I didn’t dare enter the cave by myself, so I called for Roan. Excited, I revealed my discovery to him.

“We have to check out this cave. Think about it, Roan! If the ground is solid inside, we could settle in it. I first thought we could stay shaded by the cliffs, but if the cave is stable...we have to check it out! We have about half an hour before the sun sets, and I am sure everyone will be happy to huddle together in a safe warm place.” Roan didn’t hesitate for a second. He instructed to pass the flashlights on to us, and as soon as we were equipped with lighting, we both entered the cave.

A narrow path led to a larger space. A few stone steps that seemed man made helped us climb to the upper level. It is here where the entire cave was revealed to us. We sighed with relief when we saw that the space was big enough for the entire group. Another gust of wind, just like the one that had revealed this cave, swooped before us forcibly.

“Roan, if the wind is blowing in here it means this cave has another opening. Judging by the force of this wind, it should be quite a large opening,” I assessed, “and I think it’s coming from this direction.” I approached the farther side of the cave. “According to the amount of light that is coming in, it should be right here…” I mumbled as I carefully felt my way on the rocky ground towards the light and the wind.

“AAHHH!!!” I tripped and my leg caused a few stones to fall into a big hole that had opened at the edge of the cave.

“Grace! Are you o.k.?” Roan leaped at me as he heard my shriek. “Yes, I am fine. I almost fell. There’s a big hole here. I wasn’t wrong. There’s really another opening here. You can see the water. We need to check if there is a better access to the sea from here,” I updated him and leaned forward to check the bottom of the pit.

“Grace, do me a big favor and try not to fall,” Roan begged. “I will not be able to withstand losing you too.” He came over and grabbed my ankles to secure my position. “Losing Eddie was more than I could handle and I am guessing for everyone else too. I don’t want more –”

“Eddie!!!” Another cry escaped me and shattered the air. At the bottom of the pit, on the edge of a rock protruding just a few centimeters above the sea level lay Eddie. He was motionless and unconscious, with the water gently caressing his still body.

Even with the distance between us, I could see he was breathing heavily due to weakness.

“I don’t believe this!!!” Roan quickly leaned too to witness the miracle…

* * *

We rescued Eddie with joint forces. Anyone who was able, volunteered to assist and not long after I was holding Eddie in my arms, wrapping him with a blanket that we pulled out of one of the supply crates we managed to salvage. Everyone gathered around us inside the cave, and we were now waiting impatiently for Eddie to regain consciousness so we would be able to assess the extent of his injuries. On him only a few abrasions were visible, but when we wanted to move him from where he was lying, he moaned with pain. This implied there were possible fractures within, and I didn’t want to think of worse. The pain was so intense that he immediately lost consciousness again and passed out into my loving arms.

Outside darkness had started to engulf the world, but inside, in our new fortress, we felt safe and protected for the first time in many long weeks. The slither of hope, awakened in us with that first burst of laughter was getting stronger now that we had found Eddie, our group’s leader.

In the dimming light, I observed, riveted, how Eddie’s presence affected people. What charisma this man had! Even passed out and helpless, when no one knew when or if he would recuperate, and even then, what his condition would be—just the knowledge that he was alive, breathed courage and a regenerated spirit into everyone.

“As far as I am concerned, he can stay crippled, and we will tend to him like a baby—as long as he stays with us, to lead us and tell us what to do!” said someone in the group. The mere thought shook me to my core. I could not envision Eddie handicapped or maimed, yet I couldn’t disagree with that statement. That is how much everyone relied on Eddie.

The hours went by. The evening’s darkness penetrated into the cave as well, and Eddie showed no signs of recovery. My entire body felt fossilized, and the blood stopped flowing to my feet. The shimmering light from Roan’s flashlight was shining at me when he came and offered to relieve me from my shift.

“I can’t leave him. I am scared that if I do not touch him constantly, he will disappear on me again…” I revealed my irrational logic to him.

“I understand you, Grace, but you must rest a little too. There is no point in having two welfare cases in one day!” he winked at me. I always adored people with a sense of humor that knew when to say the right thing and bring a smile to my face.

I used to be like that
, I remembered. Before I got married, before I got divorced, before the world sank into the deep, before I lost my child, my family, everything and nearly Eddie.

“If you help me, we can lay him beside me so I can stay close to him. I have no idea how long he will be unconscious, but something inside tells me that warmth and touch—and a lot of love—” I almost whispered, “are the most vital essentials needed right now for his recovery!”

Roan nodded and co-operated immediately. He supported Eddie’s limp body, and I removed my body from under him. I stretched and moved my numb legs, shaking them carefully feeling the known tingling sensations of the blood resuming its flow to the tip of my toes. I put another blanket on the ground where Eddie would lie, situated myself on the ground and signaled to Roan that I was ready.

In spite of his size and his clumsy look, Roan’s movements were very gentle as he laid Eddie at my side. In spite of Roan’s best efforts, he couldn’t have known of Eddie’s internal injuries. Any touch on one of Eddie’s affected organs hurt him immensely–and the pain woke him once more from his faint.

“Grace? Grace…?” Eddie called out in a vague whisper.

“I am here, Eddie! I’m here!” I replied, excited, and moved even closer to him so he could feel my body and warmth.

I hoped that the knowledge of my presence would penetrate his conscious mind, but Eddie was even more phased than we realized and kept calling to me. “Grace! Grace—Don’t listen to them!” His meaningless words caused Roan and me to look at each other with wonder.

“Eddie! Eddie, it’s me, Grace! I’m right here beside you!” I turned to him in a louder voice, stroking his face, trying to focus his look and attention on me. His eyes fluttered when he tried to open them, and he gave me a little smile because he recognized me. Tears of excitement came to my eyes.

“Grace…” he whispered. “My beautiful one. Don’t cry. I will not let them hurt you again…” his good hand caressed my face.

My tears of joy were exchanged by the confused looks I gave Roan, who seemed as much worried and absent-minded as I was.

“What are you talking about, Eddie? Who wants to hurt me?” I asked with concern, hoping to receive a more logical explanation from him.

“I will not let them ruin it for us again, Grace. Even if my family excommunicates us, I will not leave you…” he proclaimed exhaustingly and again sunk into oblivion.

“At least we got an answer!” Roan tried to joke again when he saw the astounded look on my face.

“I never imagined he suffered as much…” I confessed, recalling all the painful events I suppressed, which happened about a decade ago when I left Eddie after I could no longer bear his parents’ pressure and adamant objection to our marriage plans.

“Let it go, Grace, what was—is now in the past. You know how much Eddie loved you. Eddie was willing to give you the world. You were the one to leave so that Eddie would not be forced to choose between you and them. It was a very noble thing for you to do, but Eddie was heartbroken for a long time,” Roan shared information I already knew, but still it came back to haunt me.

I was aware that Eddie was willing to risk being estranged from his family, but I could not live with this awareness, taking it upon my conscious. To be perfectly honest, I didn’t want to leave him the choice, out of fear that he might not choose me. One way or another, the price was too great.

“Now I understand that he was going to choose me…” I whispered in pain, stroking his fainted face again. “It is surprising to realize, though, that after all that had happened, Eddie felt that he was the one to leave me.”

“He went back to his family, and you stayed alone in the big city. As far as he was concerned, this was a hard downfall. He felt he let you down, that he did not stand by you more decisively, that he should have made his intentions clear sooner. For a long time, he barely spoke to his parents. Only after you made it perfectly clear to him you wanted nothing to do with him, that he gathered his strength and started rebuilding his life.”

“I couldn’t do this to him. You understand me, right, Roan? I did not want to reawaken all of the demons. I too took a long time to push through and stand on my own two feet again. You know what’s funny? Even when I was married and a mother to a child, my mother and my grandmother—yes, yes!—reminded me constantly that he was my most successful choice and their preferred one too!” I recalled with a sad smile.

“He would have put you on a pedestal! Treated you like a queen!” I quoted my mother when she used to remind me of what I had lost, each time I complained to her about the crisis in my failed marriage.

“Not once, had anyone fought for me or stood by me like Eddie. And I gave him up because I felt so unworthy being with a man like that. He was so talented, successful, smart, handsome…and me? I was a twenty-something-year-old girl searching for her path in the world. I had no definite purpose, no clear statement regarding the future, and was from a completely different social background. I was the exact opposite of the perfect bride his parents hoped he would bring home. A guy like him was supposed to bring them an upper-class bride. Only the best of the best for him. Add to that my lack of self-esteem, inherent in me from childhood, and you can understand why I felt so small and worthless next to him…” I explained my motives to Roan, remembering how I felt so neglected and sloppy next to Eddie and the fact that I was pretty and charming did not make a difference.

“No matter what I wore, and how meticulous I was about being elegant, Eddie always looked as if he had just stepped off a runway or out of a journal. It was very important to me that I looked good at his side, but in my inner feeling, I stayed small and clumsy. I used to look at him and see all that I aspired to be, or in other words, saw in him all that I thought was lacking in me…”

“It is hard to feel successful when Eddie is around,” Roan tried to comfort me. “He just outshines everyone. But, I never had to marry him…” he used his grade A humor again, hinting with a smile. “There is no point in picking at old wounds. There are enough wounds here that need healing. Let’s try to get some sleep,” he concluded his words, turned off his flashlight and lay down on Eddie’s other side, close enough to assist immediately should the need arise.

“You know, Roan,” I whispered to him in the dark, “A true leader is one who knows well the people standing at his side and who cherishes their presence in his life. Eddie always knew his best friends were with him,” I returned my gratitude and lay down my head. After many sleepless nights, I finally dove into a deep sweet sleep…

* * *