Sky Child

by Brenner, T. M.

  I decide it should be somewhere in the killing fields. Only hunters travel there, and now that I am the Leader of the Hunt, they travel only where I tell them to. I will find a spot away from the cave, and I will make sure that I know where it is so I can avoid it when we hunt.

  After walking to a place that I think will work well, I put the glowing stick in the dirt, standing up. I then carefully pull the tomatoes and peppers from my pockets. I only cook eggs sometimes for Flot and... Jet... so I don't really know anything about vegetables.

  I hold up one of the tomatoes, and I remember that I'm supposed to look for something called seeds. I look all over the tomato, but the only thing I see are leaves, and the round outside of the tomato.

  I decide to tear open the tomato. I split the skin open, and inside is a slimy mess. I scoop out some of the goo, and hold it close to my glowing stick. I see these little round things, like tiny stones inside. My guess is that these are the things that Chaff has told us were pieces of poison. The things he collects in baskets and gets rid of to keep us safe. Maybe he doesn't get rid of them at all. Maybe those are seeds. I do my best to pull a few out of the goo.

  The other thing I remember from the Book of Knowledge is that I need to put the seeds in the ground. I have seen the fields before things grow in them, and I know that the dirt has been broken up where the plants eventually grow.

  I hold the seeds in one hand, and dig with the other. I pull up grass, trying to make a large square to put the seeds in. I realize that with the cabbage and peppers, I will want to dig first before I try planting them, so that I can use both hands.

  Once I have enough dirt turned over, and grass removed, I place the seeds in the dirt. I try to spread them out, because I remember that the plants in the harvest gardens are spread out, and I don't know how big they will get.

  I pick up the cabbage and hold it up to my glowing stick. I don't see any seeds on the outside either. I tear into it, but the more I tear, the more it just falls apart. I am unable to find any seeds inside of the cabbage.

  It bothers me, because I can't understand how it grows. Then I realize that maybe the seeds come from somewhere else on the plant, because the head isn't the only part of a cabbage plant. So I won't be able to plant any cabbage without stealing some from the gardens. I'm not going to risk Chaff figuring out my plan, so I give up on the cabbage.

  I move on to the peppers. I had grabbed one red and one orange pepper. They are both the size of my fist. Some peppers are very hot, but these are not that hot. I do not see any seeds on their outsides, so I tear into the red one. Inside there are seeds. I'm excited to see so many, and I'm happy that they aren't covered in goo. I pull out all of the seeds that I can, and I plant them as quickly as possible. I do the same with the orange peppers.

  After I am sure that I've finished, I bury the remaining pieces of cabbage, peppers and tomatoes away from my makeshift garden. I don't want animals to come near what I am growing, because a deer could just as easily ruin my plans as Chaff.

  That makes me realize I will need to build a small wall to protect the garden from animals. I can start working on that tomorrow night, because I know it will be a while before the vegetables start growing. I do my best to wipe the dirt off of my hands, grab my glowing stick then walk back toward the Crag.

  When I get to the mouth of the Crag, I put my glowing stick out in the wet clover. I look around and make sure that no one happens to be passing by right then. I don't see anyone, so I sneak back inside.

  I stick to the shadows as much as possible to avoid being seen. I go past Shackle's room and see that he is still asleep, snoring like a new one. A very, very loud new one.

  I keep walking further down the tunnel, passing rooms, avoiding the light of people's glowing sticks. It takes me a while, but I eventually reach our room. Ebb looks at me as if she had a question to ask. I smile and nod my head, letting her know that everything went well. Her body relaxes and she smiles.

  Flot is still asleep, which is good. I put my glowing stick back in its place on the wall. I lie down under my fur blanket and pull it over my face. It takes a while to fall asleep, because I keep seeing Jet's lifeless body when I close my eyes.

  43

  For many sunsets, each day is like the next. I spend time with Ebb, train, hunt, and wait for my vegetables to grow. Ebb and I are growing closer. When we aren't training, or hunting, or sleeping, we talk. We play jump stones, or read to each other. Sometimes we go for walks outside of the Cave, just to get away from the darkness of the Crag. Spending time with Ebb is what keeps me going through the long wait of growing vegetables.

  When the sun sets, and after everyone is asleep, I sneak out and work on my wall. I build it to protect the one thing that could save the Crag. I build it out of sticks and branches, because they are easy to carry. On dry days, I also bring water for the plants, because I have seen the harvesters do the same.

  One night, when I visit the garden, I see that both the tomato plants and peppers are finally starting to grow. I remember seeing in the harvest gardens that they use sticks to help the tomatoes grow off the ground. I take a few twigs from the cemetery and place them standing up next to the tomato plants, hoping I don't damage them.

  I visit the cemetery every day, as the sun is setting. I talk to Jet, even though I know he can't talk to me. It helps visiting him, because then it feels like he's still here. There are times where I forget that he's gone. I will turn and look at Flot, and think that he's Jet. Just for a moment. That's when the pain is sharpest, when I see Jet in his twin brother. Flot is trying so hard now to be like Jet; brave, and strong, and fearless. I just wish that Flot would be himself.

  I have to hope that things will change when my plants grow. When I have tomatoes and peppers. I hope that Flot will go back to being himself again, and not feel like he has to fight so hard. That he doesn't have to keep his heart hidden from everyone.

  As the tomatoes and peppers eventually start to grow, I notice something else growing. Flot and Till have formed a friendship. It seems that Till is able to learn more about what Jet was like from Flot. Flot is able to talk about Jet with someone that also cared about him, even if her moment with Jet was brief. Young love can be like that: short and intense. I am glad that Jet found someone he liked, and who liked him back, before he died. I am happy to see that Flot is finally starting to open up his heart some.

  There are times when I see Till look at Flot, and I think that there might be more than just feelings of friendship there. I don't know that Flot sees it, but I can tell that he definitely likes Till.

  It may be difficult for Flot to admit his feelings for her, even though he's trying to be so brave and strong now. It is one thing to be strong, and be good at the hunt, but when it comes to liking someone, fear is always a part of it. You have to win against fear just to talk to the other person, and get to know them.

  I check on the plants one night and find something that makes my stomach sick. One of the walls has been damaged, and the vegetables have been eaten. Even worse, I find the body of a dead deer in the garden. It looks like it's been chewed up and torn apart by wolves. The plants are trampled and ruined. I drop to my knees, cover my face and cry. I don't even try to hold the tears back. All of the waiting, all of the struggling, all of the pretending to be under Chaff's control. All of it wasted.

  I grab a handful of wet dirt from the garden, look up into the sky and throw the dirt at the Sky Gods.

  "Why? Why would you do this to us? You take away Jet, then you take away the garden! You've cursed me! What have I ever done to you?"

  I wait, but no answers come.

  I scream, letting out all of the pain and the anger inside. I throw more dirt at the Sky Gods.

  "Why?" I yell.

  I yell until my throat hurts and I can yell no more. I wipe away my tears then walk back to the Crag.

  44

  When I get back to our room, Ebb is standing guard. She sees the defeat on my face. I
can't even look her in the eye. I start to go inside, but she grabs my arm and pulls. We sneak out into the night, into the moonlit world, and away from where anyone can hear us.

  "The garden's destroyed. Animals got to it," I say.

  Ebb swallows back her tears.

  "I'm done."

  "You can't be," says Ebb. "You can't give up! You were so close to making it work!"

  "The Sky Gods hate me. If I try again, they will just tear down my garden."

  "What happened wasn't the Sky Gods. They want to see you do good things, Sam."

  "What have the Sky Gods ever done for me?" I ask.

  "They gave you life, and brothers to love, and friends. And they gave you me," says Ebb.

  I still can't look her in the eyes.

  "Sam, you're stronger than this! You can rebuild the garden!"

  "No. Better to just let things be like they've always been."

  "Do you think that's what Jet would want?"

  I look at Ebb finally, and she can see the anger in my eyes. Anger at her for using the memory of Jet against me. Her face twists in anger to match mine.

  "Don't you EVER look at me like that again, Sam! I never thought you could be like this; full of self-pity. You're better than this! You're making my heart sick, Sam. You need to start over. That's what living is about. It's about doing what needs to be done, even when things are hard."

  She shoves me backward. I just look at her, staring.

  Ebb shakes her head in disgust then turns and walks back to the Crag.

  She wasn't wrong; I shouldn't give up. It just feels like everything is working against me, no matter what I do.

  When I finally reach our room, Ebb has gone back to standing guard. She won't look at me. So I walk right up to her, stand in front of her, stare her in the eyes, and make sure she can see my face.

  "I'm going to rebuild the garden," I say.

  She smiles.

  * * *

  The next night, I head for what's left of my garden. When I get there it looks exactly like it did the night before. I search through the what is left of the plants, but there aren't enough seeds to start again. It takes me a few nights before I am able to sneak back into the kitchen and gather more seeds.

  I start a another garden near the old one, but this time I build a wall of stone. The stones are heavy, and every night I am sore. My back hurts, my arms hurt and my legs hurt. As I put one of the last stones in place, I smash my fingers underneath it. They bleed for a day, but I use pieces of an old towel to keep the blood from pouring out. I have to wait a handful of days before I'm able to lift rocks again.

  After many nights, I check on the plants and there are peppers, and even more tomatoes. It is finally time to rid the Crag of the monster that is Chaff.

  45

  I wake up and have no idea if the sun is out yet. I put on clean clothes then walk to the mouth of the Crag. The sun is high and the sky is beautiful, and I can only see as many clouds as there are fingers on my hand. Flot was not in our room when I left, but I could tell that he had breakfast already. My guess is that he's spending time with Till.

  I walk to Helm's room and find him repairing his armor. It was damaged a few days ago when a wolf surprised us as we hunted deer. Thankfully, the armor protected Helm's leg enough to keep him from being seriously hurt. The wolf's teeth made it through the leather though, and his leg bled some. I watch for a moment as Helm ties straps to the new piece so it can wrap around his leg and stay on tight. I finally interrupt.

  "Helm?"

  "Oh, it's you Sam. You surprised me. Why are you here?" asks Helm.

  "I have need of you. Can you and Mast have all of the hunters put their armor on, and also have them bring their weapons to the mouth of the Crag? Before they do that, ask them to go around telling everyone they know to meet at the mouth of the Crag as soon as possible. It doesn't matter if they are hunters, or protectors, or harvesters, or keepers. Everyone needs to be there," I say.

  "Why, what is going on?" asks Helm.

  "I will tell everyone when I am sure that the entire Crag is there. But it is very important that everyone is there, even Chaff, Sickle and Scythe. Especially them. Can you do that?"

  "Yes, I can do that, Sam," says Helm.

  I make my way to Leaf and Till's room. They are both there, as is Flot, just like I'd guessed. Leaf is sharpening one of the tools that is used for the harvest, while Till and Flot play jump stones.

  "Sam, why are you here?" asks Flot.

  "It's ready," I say.

  "What do you mean 'it's ready'? Wait, do you mean your plan?"

  "Yes."

  "Um, what do I need to do?" asks Flot.

  "Put your armor on, grab your sky spear, then meet everyone outside the mouth of the Crag. Leaf, Till, it would be an honor if you would also come outside as soon as you possibly can. I promise, you won't want to miss what happens," I say.

  "Oh, yes, we will come watch, whatever it is," says Leaf.

  "I will see you soon then," I say.

  I walk to the mouth of the cave. A few handfuls of people have already arrived, and the hunters are wearing their armor. I have decided not to, because I want to share this with everyone. I don't want it to be about the hunters, because it's more than that.

  I want them to see that I'm just a person, and that I don't feel like I'm better than them. But I ask the hunters to bring their armor and weapons so that we can keep the peace if there are any problems.

  I wait. It takes a while for everyone to come, because people have jobs that they do. Jobs that take time, and hard work. Sometimes it's not possible to stop what you're doing just to hear someone talk. Eventually I see Chaff, Sickle and Scythe come out of the cave. They all look angry that they were called away from whatever evil they were committing, or planning to commit. Once I am sure that everyone is there, I speak.

  "People of the Crag, I have something important to show you. Unfortunately, I cannot easily explain what I need to show you. I ask that you follow me, so that you can see it with your own eyes. It won't take long, I promise."

  I walk toward my garden and the entire Crag follows. It is odd to think that not long ago, people barely knew me. Now everyone knows who I am. I miss being unknown. Hidden away in my room, except to hunt.

  We finally reach the garden. Everyone moves around it so they can get a better view. I can see shocked looks on people's faces. The faces that look the most shocked are Chaff's, Sickle's and Scythe's.

  "Thief! Sam has stolen some of the plants from the harvest!" yells Chaff.

  "No, I did not," I say. "I grew them myself."

  From the crowd I hear gasps of surprise, and whispers of happiness.

  "That is impossible. Only I know how to make plants grow," says Chaff, looking worried.

  "That was true until you took Jet away from us, Chaff. I went to the Book of Knowledge, and with some reading, I learned that plants have things called seeds. I tried to look up the word seed, but you had torn that page from the book and hid it under your sleeping mat. I snuck into your room and read it. I found out that seeds are what grow new plants. Sometimes they grow inside the plant, sometimes outside," I say.

  "No, that's not true. You don't know what you're talking about!" yells Chaff.

  "I do know what I'm talking about. I took tomatoes and peppers from the kitchen, and I took the seeds out then planted the seeds. They have grown into the plants that you see now," I say.

  "Sam can grow food!" yells Mast.

  "No, it's a lie!" says Chaff.

  "I can prove it!" I say. "I will cut open a pepper and show you the seeds. I will show every person in the Crag how to grow things, so that no one will ever be able to control the Crag's food again!"

  "Show us!" yells someone in the crowd.

  I go over to one of the pepper plants and pull off a pepper. I then tear into it, and show people in my hand the small seeds that will grow many more pepper plants.

  "No, those are poison, everyone kno
ws that! You don't know what you're doing!" says Chaff.

  Chaff comes after me. Thankfully, he is very slow moving. He is also unarmed. A pair of hunters grab him by the arms and hold him back.

  "Everyone, Chaff's hold on our food supply is no more. You do not have to live in fear of him and his sons ever again. We should decide Chaff's fate together. I suggest that we banish them from the Crag forever," I say.

  "Why don't we just kill them!" says one of the more vicious hunters.

  "We should let nature take care of them, because they won't last a day outside of the Crag," I explain.

  "Let us raise our hands to the Sky Gods if we agree that Chaff, Sickle and Scythe should be banished," says Mast.

  Hands move slowly upward, into the air. I look, and everyone has raised their hands. Everyone except for Sickle, Scythe and Chaff.

  "Chaff, Sickle and Scythe, I will save you the embarrassment of raising your hands to the Sky Gods in a sad attempt to spare your own lives. It appears then, Chaff, that you are banished from the Crag. You deserve a fate far worse than what is in store for you," I say.

  For the first time that I can remember, Chaff looks defeated. His sons just look idiotic and confused, as if they don't understand that they will never be allowed to set foot in the Crag again.

  "Now leave, and know that if you try to come back, the people of the Crag will put you to death," I say.

  Chaff nods his head in understanding. He turns and starts walking in the direction of the killing fields. Sickle and Scythe reluctantly follow him.

  "Wait," I say.

  Chaff turns to look at me.

  "Here," I say, throwing him one of the tomatoes I had grown.

  Chaff looks at it for a moment then crushes it in his hand out of anger. We all watch as they slowly make their way over the hillside, until they finally disappear from our eyes.

  As soon as they are gone, I look around. Nearly everyone drops to their knees and raises their hands to the sky. I even see Ebb on the ground, looking up at me. I hear the crowd start to mumble 'Sky Child.' My stomach turns.