The Sands of Borrowed Time (13 page)

“Who are we looking for?” a boy spoke, sounding confused.

“Some woman they caught on the highway,” a girl replied.

“A woman did that to Cain?  No, I don’t believe you.”  Aveline felt like laughing as she held her hand to her mouth.

“Yes, a woman!  Is it so difficult to believe?”

“Was she a big woman?” 

Aveline shook her head,
Just big in spirit kiddo, with a mighty buckle end of a belt to help her on her merry way.

“No, not at all.  Just mighty pissed off, I guess.”

Too right my girl, sounds like you’re the only one with the brain engaged around here. 
The sound of the footsteps suddenly stopped as two figures loomed above her; a short boy, and a girl, with long straggly blond hair. 

Mmm, I just love the aroma of unwashed kids,
she thought as the smell of stale sweat drifted down from them into her new found hideaway.

“Maybe we shouldn’t go any further?  This woman sounded like a nutter,” the boy said anxiously.

Fucking charming,
Aveline thought,
but on this occasion, it's good to be feared.  Even kids in this troubled world can be vicious.

“No, she's not.  Cain grabbed her,” the girl quickly responded.  “I watched him through the window.  She was trying to escape, and he attacked her.”

“You mean, tried to stop her?” the boy insisted.

“No, he attacked her, tried to suffocate her, and drag her back to her room.”

              He certainly did.  I have a witness!

“
Why would he do that?” the boy asked.  The girl simply shrugged her shoulders.

“Anyhow, let’s get back,” the boy said, “looks like the parties over, she's long gone.”

“For now,” the girl said as she turned to look into the hollow, meeting Aveline’s eyes.  She smiled a peculiar, quivering smile, a smile of knowing, her eyes sparkling in the twilight like sapphire and emerald jewels.

Shit, she’s seen me!  She’s looking right at me, smiling at me? 
She continued to smile in her strange way, her lips unsteady, then walked back towards the hill, pulling the boy along with her.

Christ!  She must know I’m in here; she smiled, looking straight into my eyes as if to say hi.

“Why are you smiling?” she heard the boy say in the distance as they walked back up the hill.

The Sun was peeking over the horizon as Kyla ran back down the hill, it's bright rays streaming through the dead trees.  She had heard the motorbikes return just before sunrise, everyone reluctant to admit that she had slipped through their fingers and was long gone.  Carla had seen to Cain’s wounds, the most painful one being his pride.  She ran back excitedly to the tree stump where she had seen the woman, to check if she was still there, but she was gone.  The hollow stump was clearly empty, the branches being swept aside, and the mushrooms scraped off its rotten bark.

She's gone; but never mind, at least she's in good shape. 
“Good luck
,”
she whispered,
blowing a kiss out into the wilderness. 
I will pray for you.

Ship in the Sky

“Daddy, look!” Vevila shouted, pointing her finger in the air.  She watched excitedly as a large white ship floated gently down through the hazy sky, her finger following it through the air. 

“What is it?” Serena asked in amazement as she marvelled at the descending ship, the swirling sand in the dying evening wind gently buffeting the cage hanging below it.

“An airship,” Ailsa said.  “I haven’t seen one of those since way before the supernova.”

“Me neither,” Airell added, grabbing his scope from the car.  He looked through its scratched glass, amazed to see a couple of people in the canopy, hanging below the balloon.

“I see a young girl and a boy,” he said, looking down through the haze with curious eyes.

“Are they bandits, Dad!” Vevila asked, jumping with excitement.

“No, they’re just kids.”

“Let me look!” Serena pleaded, her hand reaching eagerly for the scope.

“Here you go.  Who do you think they are?” Airell asked.  Serena was silent until she found the ship in the scope’s field of view.  She zoomed in on the cage, watching it slam into the ground and sliding to a quick stop.

“Any luck, little one?” Ailsa asked, bending down to hold Serena steady.

“Yes, I see them, two children; a boy, and a girl.  They are climbing out of the ship.  Looks like it's collapsing.”

They all watched as the balloon deflated, falling to the ground gently.  Once down, the kids began rolling up the canopy, folding it and securing it under the cage.

“Where have they come from, Dad?” Vevila asked.

“Looks like they came from the South,” he replied.

“It’s getting desperate down there,” Ailsa added. “Everything is dry and barren.  People are moving north, in search of water.”

“Not our water!” Serena cried.

“Or our shrooms!” Vevila added with a menacing look.

“Don’t worry, they don’t know we're here.  Everyone back behind the ridge,” Airell ushered.

“Maybe they saw us from the air,” Vevila protested. “They came right overhead.”

“Maybe, but the haze was thick.  We couldn’t see them until they were quite low and close, perhaps as little as a kilometre away,” Airell replied.

“If we can’t see them, they can’t see us, right, Dad?”  Serena suggested, her big, brown eyes sparkling in the light of the setting Sun.

“Let’s hope so,” Ailsa interrupted.

“Even so guys, they don’t look so threatening.  They're just kids.”

“We’ll shoot them,” Serena said, pointing her hand like a gun towards the ship.

“Steady on girl,” Airell said.  “They’re probably just down for the night to get some sleep.  They’ll be gone in the morning when the wind rises again.”

“Really?  Serena asked, sounding disappointed.

“But why?” Vevila added.

“Cause there’s nothing here for them.  Like Ailsa said, they're going north,” their father continued.

“What if they come when we’re asleep and steal our shrooms,” Vevila asked, not convinced.

“Then we’ll blow their thieving little brains out,” Serena yelled. “Bang, bang!” she shouted, firing her hand like a gun this time.

“Yea, then we get to have their ship,” Vevila added, clapping her hands at the thought.

“So vicious, your girls,” Ailsa said, giving Airell a knowing wink.

“My bodyguards,” Airell replied playfully, rubbing his daughters on the head.  “I trained them well.”

Serena and Vevila giggled, “Yeah we’re his bodyguards!”

“Come, come,” he ushered, more frantically this time.  “They’re looking over here.”  They watched as the girl pointed her arm in their direction.  The boy nodded, and they both started to walk towards their hill.

“You think they’ve seen us,” Vevila whispered.

“I doubt it.  They probably think there’s water here.”

“Water.  Our water?”  Serena asked.

“No, maybe they think there's a stream running through the rocks,” he replied.  They watched silently as the kids neared the foot of the hill, beginning to ascend its gentle slope.

“They haven’t seen us.  They seem too wrapped up in talking to each other,” Ailsa assured the group.

“They’re coming right towards us, though,” Vevila stated, starting to sound alarmed.

“Shit!” Airell whispered harshly.  “Of all the places they could have landed, of all the hills they could explore, they chose this one.”

Everyone watched the kids as they continued their ascent, hearing their steps getting louder.

“Stay back everyone,” Airell said.  “If they get any closer, I will confront them.”

“Are you going to shoot them, Dad?  Serena asked.

“Not unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

“I think the pretty one is absolutely necessary,” Vevila giggled.

“You mean the boy,” Serena said.

“No!  The girl.  We can shoot the boy for being ugly,” Vevila protested sardonically in a loud whisper.  Ailsa gave out a nervous giggle as she listened to the girls’ banter.

“Be quiet my girls.  We don’t want to create an alarming situation here.”

Their dad stepped out into open view of the kids.  It was a while until they saw him.  They stopped, the girl looking over her shoulder as if to turn and run, holding onto the boy by the arm.

“Wait!” Airell called out.  “Impressive ship you have down there.  Going anywhere interesting?”  His daughters looked at each other excitedly from behind the rocks, their eyes wide and curious.  Ailsa held onto them tight, in fear of them suddenly jumping out into view.

“Up north,” the boy finally answered, looking shaken.

“Why North?”

“The South is ruined.”

“Ruined?”

“Dead.  No water.  No food.  No nothing.”

“Ask him,” the girl whispered to the boy, giving him a nudge.”

“We’re looking for water, food,” he continued nervously.  “Do you know where we could get some?”

“What’s up north?  Why would it be better than the South?”  Airell replied, ignoring their plea for now.

“It’s rumoured to be wet and fertile.”

“The girl looks a sly bitch,” Serena joked.

“His bitch,” Vevila giggled.

“Nah, he’s too gay,” Serena replied in an assured tone.

“Your future husband then,” Vevila teased.

“Shush,” Ailsa insisted, looking at the girls with a stern stare.

“Who told you this?” Airell asked the boy and girl.

“It’s a hunch,” the boy replied.

“A hunch?  What’s your name boy?” Airell asked.

“Luke.”

“Mysti,” the girl added, just as Luke was about to introduce her.

“Mysti,” Vevila sniggered, “sounds like the name you would give to a bitch… sorry, I meant dog.”  Serena put her finger on Vevila’s lips to shut her up, smiling at Ailsa.  Ailsa sighed and rolled her eyes.

              “But first, we must find food and water if we are to continue our journey,” Mysti said anxiously.

              “If you could point us in the right direction, we would be forever grateful,” Luke added.

“Be warned these lands are not pretty,” Airell continued.

“Not pretty?” the girl asked.

“By day, a suffocating mess of dry heat and blowing sand.”

“And by night?” the girl asked.

“At night, the bandits come out to play,” Airell said with a grin, turning to look back at the airship, it's prominent, white canopy visible for miles through the clear evening air.

“The ship is already theirs,” Airell teased, his grin getting wider.

“We could inflate her up a little.  Float her up the hill and behind those rocks?” Mysti suggested.

“It would be seen from miles away; the flame, the big, white canopy.  Too dangerous.  Way too dangerous,” Airell said, rubbing his chin.

“Then what?  There’s no wind, it won’t travel by itself,” Mysti quickly added anxiously.

“Then I guess we will have to drag it up,” Airell suggested.

“Too heavy,” Luke replied.

Airell said nothing more.  He simply walked back behind the rocks and jumped into his old, dusty Trans Am.  Soon there was the loud splutter of sand blowing out of the exhaust as Airell turned the ignition key, all watching as the car thundered into sight down towards them, trailer in tow behind.

“Looks like were having guests tonight, girls,” Ailsa said with a smile, Vevila and Serena looking at each other mischievously.

Chance Encounter

Kyla gazed in awe at the snow covered plains, feeling a rush of exhilaration, her body tingling with joy.  She looked to the horizon, the escarpment appearing to have broken through a thick, white blanket, its pearlescent, rugged cliffs reaching up into the pink-tinged clouds above them.  The snowfall had been unexpected but welcomed.  Behind her, the villagers were running around frantically, realising time was short.  They knew that the Sun would soon rise, melting it all until it either trickled away or evaporated into the air, lost forever.  They were scooping it up into pans, bottles; anything that could hold water.  She crouched down and gathered some up, gasping at its frostiness as she rolled it through her hands.  She had never seen snow before and marvelled in its prettiness, watching it melt in the warmth of her palms.  She cupped them, trapping the thawing snow, raising it to her mouth to drink.  She coughed as its chill took her breath away, water falling from her mouth to form little pits in the snow at her feet.  Her hands eagerly scooped up more, but she was ready this time and drank slowly.  She felt humble and grateful.  It was good to drink without having to ask, she thought, as she continued to sip the water, enduring the icy shivers shuddering down her spine. 

She walked down the hill towards the plains, the blazing, sunlit snow, forcing her to put on her shades.  The whole of the desert looked like a shimmering, frozen lake.  It was her turn to patrol the village limits, to make sure there was nothing unusual going on.  Typically, they would go in pairs or groups, but Cain and Carla wanted to capitalise on their sudden luck of having so much water at their disposal.  They argued that the more people, the better, for collecting it, but still wanted someone to lookout, just in case.  Bandits never came to the hills anyway.  They were easy pickings from the advantage that the hills gave, and Cain was confident that Kyla could do it alone.   She began to feel the heat of the rising Sun on her skin between the cold breezes of the morning air, the snow sending its iciness through her boots to her feet.  She descended slowly, kicking the snow from her feet with every step.  She laughed as the snow sprayed up into the air, watching the wind catch some and carry it away in vortices of grainy white. 

It is so good to be alone for a while,
she thought,
away from the tensions of the village.  One day I will go on an adventure all by myself
, she fantasised. 
See what is really out there, over the horizon and beyond.  Unshackle my chains and become a free spirit, a wanderer
.  The idea felt good, and today she would get a taste for it, patrolling the plains all by herself. 

“Shit!” she suddenly gasped, awoken suddenly from her daydream as two girls came through the trees ahead.  Kyla and the two strangers abruptly stopped in their tracks with surprise and shock, looking across at each other anxiously.  Kyla was just about to leg it but thought better.  There were two of them, and they may have weapons, she thought.  She felt her gun next to her hip but was too frozen with fear to go for it.  By the time she would have shot one, the other would have shot her.  They all stood in silence, their knotted hair blowing in the breeze, looking at each other and wondering what to do.

“Hi there,” Kyla finally said, mad at herself for not sounding that confident. 

“Hi,” the girls simply replied together, looking bewildered.  Kyla also picked up anxiety in their voices, making her feel a bit calmer. 

She took a deep breath, nervously uttering, “What a lovely day,” lifting her arms in the air, smiling, trying hard to control her ticks.  The two girls looked at each other, unsure of how to respond.

“A bit on the on the cold side, though,” the blonde one finally replied, looking at her friend with confusion and anxiety.  Kyla could see a land ship, way out on the plains, covered with snow, their sails flapping in the breeze.  She assumed it was theirs.

“You have travelled far?”

“Yes, for many months, from the east, across the desert.  My sister Hayley, and I Demelza.”

“I envy you.  It sounds like you’re on an exciting adventure.  I go by the name Kyla.”

“We travelled because the East is drying up,” Hayley replied, “but yes, an adventure nevertheless.”

“Not much better here, I’m afraid.  The snow came from nowhere, like a gift, a surprise.  Who knows when it will happen again; tomorrow, next month, or not for years or decades to come?”

“You’re alone?” Haley asked, thinking Kyla a bit peculiar but could not figure out why.

“No.  There are many of us all working together, just to survive.  We live just beyond the summit of the hill.”

“Sounds cool,” Demelza said, trying not to look directly at her ticks, Kyla looking self-conscious and embarrassed by them. 

“How many are you?” Hayley added.

“We’re like a small village, maybe as many as forty, forty-five perhaps.”

“Sounds like you have got it all together,” Demelza said.

“Maybe a bit too much so.  Sometimes it’s good to be free like yourselves.”  Hayley sensed a bit of sadness in Kyla’s tone, but more so madness, the ticks on her face like repressed emotions bursting through.  “You know, one day I wish to wander like you,” Kyla added.

Demelza smiled, “Why don’t you?”  She pointed at herself and her sister as an invitation.  Hayley tapped her foot onto Demelza toes, giving a stern look of disapproval.

“You mean, with you?” Kyla asked enthusiastically.

“Yes, why not?” Demelza replied.  Hayley coughed in bewilderment at her sister’s sudden and unconditional offer, angry she was not consulted.  Kyla’s face lit up with her twisted smile, her eyelids twitching.

“No, I couldn’t, they wouldn’t let me,” Kyla responded, looking over her shoulder, nervously, back up the hill.

“Why not?” Hayley interrupted, sensing that something was out of place, curious to find out why.               Kyla could see Hayley’s concern, so tactically replied with a strained smile, “I couldn’t leave them.  They are my family, and these hills are my home.”  It was a poor lie, Kyla thought, looking at the reaction of Hayley and Demelza, their worried faces only asking more questions.  Hayley and Demelza just glanced at each other, neither believing what she had just said.  Nevertheless, Hayley thought the girl was growing on her.  She could be useful to them as she may know the location of resources they could utilise.  She would know the territory; where to go for food, water, and areas to avoid.  Anyhow, that smile was unique and cute, it had a peculiar charm to it, she chuckled to herself.  Hayley decided to use Kyla’s ambition to travel against her.

“But if you stay, you will never become a wanderer, and there will be no adventure.  You will never be free.”

“They would find me, and with me, you! Kyla replied, almost crying as she gave away the truth of her situation.  “If they don’t kill you, they will bring you back here.  Not so much a prisoner, but they will never let you leave.”

“Sounds like a prison to me,” Demelza said with concern.

“Certainly does,” Hayley added with a stern nod.  Kyla just stood there silently, her mind boiling over, her ticks in overdrive, her face a chaotic mess.  It was a risk, she thought.  Cain would be mad, the lunatic he is, and Carla furious, the bitch she is.  When she failed to return, they would hunt her down.  They would find her with the sisters and kill them for taking one of theirs.  Nevertheless, fuck it, she thought.  The way things were going with their aggressive stance against the bandits, she was going to die one way or another, anyway. 

Better to die free than live enslaved, she concluded, and with that said, “Okay, I’m in on one condition.”

“What?” the sisters asked together, surprised by both the sudden turn of faith, and the request.

“That you call me sister, also,” Kyla said, wishing she hadn’t, thinking she had blown it for asking for too much, too soon.

“Why not,” Hayley replied.  “Anyhow, Demelza and I are not real sisters.”

“I know.”

“How?” Demelza asked, intrigued.

“You, blonde, with green eyes.  Her hair dark, eyes brown.  You tall, her short.  She has olive skin, you are fair,” Kyla pointing at them in turn with each comment.  Hayley and Demelza began to laugh.  “And the giveaway clue, sisters always bitch so much.  They could never be as close as you two are.  They could never agree on an adventure together.”  They all burst out laughing.

“Welcome sister,” Hayley said, Demelza smiling with a nod of agreement.  Kyla’s face softened, her nervous quivers dissipating as she smiled.