THE EVENT

by Jamie Heppner

  It took almost an hour to walk back to the cabin, picking his way around obstacles that could have broken his leg with ease in the night. By the time Shade reached the small clearing around the cabin, he was sure that everyone must be awake. He walked quietly up to the front door opening it slowly. All three members of his family still lay asleep on the ground. Only his mother looked like she had moved from when he had run away in the night. All three were breathing quietly and evenly. Shade’s father looked much improved from before but he hadn't moved at all it seemed. Shade stepped carefully up to his mother and placed a hand on her shoulder.

  "Mom, are you ok?"

  With a start, she snapped awake.

  "Shade! Ohh, you're back! Ohh I’m so happy you're back!" Mom grabbed Shade and squeezed him hard. "You had me so worried last night when you ran out. Your light, it dimmed and then went out completely. I was so afraid for you, but I couldn't leave your father, and Dawn... she fell asleep shortly after. All your lights dimmed, remember? I told you before I could always see you. Your lights went out last night. I have never been so afraid!" Shade's mom was almost in hysterics. It took an obvious effort for her to calm down some.

  "Is Dawn ok? How does your Father look? Are you ok?"

  Shade wiggled his way out of her grip and looked down. Dawn yawned silently and stretched her arms out wide. She smiled up at Shade. A look of confusion crossed her face a moment as she looked at him. Then with a gesture from her hands, she indicated that Shade should look at his father. He lay as he had when he came in the room. His eyes remained closed and he was breathing normally as though in a deep sleep. The three cuts across his face had completely healed. All of the infection looked to be gone, only the scars remained. Three thin lines where only a day ago there had been open wounds. Shade moved closer and placed a hand on his father’s chest. He was still warmer than normal but not raging with fever as he had been the night before.

  "I think he’s better Mom. His cuts have healed now, somehow. He looks a little different though, hairier."

  She let out a sigh of relief.

  "Dawn looks well too. She hasn't said anything to me yet but she’s awake here. What did you say before about our lights going out mom? Is it still gone? Do you know if it will come back?" Shade looked out the window again at the tree outside but it was still lifeless as it had been before the event.

  "I don't know Shade, when you were helping your father yesterday the lights inside you both just started to fade. Then as you ran out, I couldn't sense where you had gone. I was so scared for you and your father! Dawn passed out shortly after you left. I can see her light is back now. It's weaker then it was before but I can sense her here. Yours is still gone. No, wait... It is there, it's just very weak, so much weaker than before.

  Hope swelled inside Shade at those words, his head whipped around again to look at the plants surrounding the house. Could he see a little light inside them again or was it his eyes just playing tricks on him. He wasn't sure, but as long as his mother could see there was light in him, he had hope.

  Shade's mom had turned her black on black eyes away from him and was staring at Dad. "He has a light in him too now. It's different though. Shade, yours and Dawn's lights are a bright yellow. When they were strong before they shone like a small sun trapped inside you. Your father is like that, although weak like yours now. The color is different though. It’s like there are two inside him, a yellow light is wrestling, twisted around another one, a black one inside it. The yellow is stronger but can't seem to push the black one out."

  Shade looked down at his father but couldn't see anything other than him lying asleep breathing quietly in and out.

  "So, do you think we should wake him up?" A faint image flashed in his mind but it was too quick and too transparent to make it out. Shade looked over at Dawn and a weak smile broke on her lips.

  Dawn nodded her head and looked down at Shade's father.

  "I think Dawn says we should try."

  Shade reached down and gently shook his father. "Wake up Dad."

  He moaned a bit and his eyes fluttered before opening up. Shade stumbled back in surprise. His father’s eyes had changed too! The white had changed to a golden yellow and the center was swirling in black.

  "Dad, are you ok?"

  It took a moment for him to drag himself to a sitting position; his movements seemed awkward to him as though his body was different.

  "Yeah, I feel weird though. You all look a little different to me too, brighter somehow, as though the sun is brighter today. What happened?"

  Shade's mom took a deep breath and began the story of the last couple of days.

  "This might be a little hard to believe dear." was how she started.

  Shade listened a moment then went outside to sit alone. He knew his father would find out about him failing to help him. He would know that his son was a coward and had run when his father had needed him the most. It wasn't something he looked forward to experiencing. His father had been in the military and had fought hard to defend his country. He had been away was Shade was born. Shade's mom had told him often how much he regretted being away but his duty had demanded that he do his part. He had retired when Shade was five and stayed home ever since. His duty had changed to his family and he never mentioned his war records or experiences. His military manner hadn't changed though and he wouldn't tolerate failure. Shade heard a sound behind him and saw his father looking down at him from the doorway. His face didn't show anger or betrayal though. If he had to guess, it would have been a look of pride on his face.

  "Your mother explained to me what happened. I can't say that I understand it, not even a little really. Since the event, so much has... changed. Things don't work as they should. All I know is that it’s because of you that I’m alive today. Your mother tried to explain her, visions, I don't know how that works but I do know your mother. She wouldn't lie to me, ever. So, even though I can't explain it, I'll take it as true. It looks like I owe you my life son. Thank you for doing... whatever it was you did."

  Shade was in a state of shock. His father rarely showed much in the line of feelings, he would joke around, play and be silly sometimes but it wasn't often. This break in his usual character was too much for the young boy to take. He broke down crying and moved into a hug with his father.

  "I’m sorry if I got scared and ran out last night Dad." Shade managed to say between sobs. "Something was happening inside me and everything changed. I got scared and ran."

  Shade's father broke the hug gently and held him at arm's length. "What do you mean everything changed?"

  Shade rubbed his eyes trying to see clearly through them.

  "I wasn't supposed to talk to you about this...well...that’s what Mom said before. I guess that has changed now. Hasn't it?"

  A little cough broke from his father’s mouth. "Well I’m not exactly sure myself what’s happening or not happening but for now let's say that yes it's ok to try and explain it to me."

  Shade took a deep breath as he began his tale of what happened to him the night before. His father held him by the shoulders the whole time and not once did he show a sign of disbelief or displeasure. Occasionally he would nod in support and Shade grew more confident as his tale went on. When he got near the end and his retelling, a fear crept into the tale. His eyes fell to the dirt. His father didn't say a word at first. He took a hand and lifted his chin back up so there eyes met again. Shade's eyes were full of tears as he looked up at his father. Those odd eyes looked back at him and they too were full of tears. "I'm proud of you son. I don't know how, but I'm standing here now because of you and Dawn. Something tells me that your mother might know more than she has let on about this. How about we both go in there and see what other stories we can pull from her. Maybe we can piece some sense into this new life we have found ourselves enjoying."

  With his father's hand on his back, the two walked into the cabin. Shade was feeling a whole lot more confident. His father was feeling a wh
ole lot less.

  Chapter 5

  The four of us sat and talked for hours about the changes that had happened. Dawn was able to project images in place of her speech again since her weakened state had passed. Whatever had changed inside Shade's father had enabled him to receive those pictures as well. To say that he was shocked was a bit of an understatement. He almost had a fit the first time she sent him a simple image of himself walking down a forested path. After he recovered, he asked her to do it again and then began to grill her on the mechanics of how she managed to do it. Unfortunately, Dawn was unable to explain it via her projections, other than the simple thought."I just do it."

  Shade's mother had a much more difficult time explaining her visions. After hours of debate about how to trigger them, how often they showed up, were they set in stone or did they change. His father shrugged his shoulders and gave up. They were random, sometimes often, sometimes they were literal and other times only vague. The four sat in silence a while pondering the changes until Shade spoke up with an exclamation. "You’re an Oracle!"

  The heads spun to meet his eyes. "Just like the stories you used to read me about Mom. You're an Oracle, someone who can see the future, the kind that used to hide in caves on top of mountains! People would come from long distances to see if an Oracle could tell them their futures."

  A smile grew on Shade's mothers face as the thought sunk in.

  "Yes, that might be just about the best way to describe it. I do see the future in a way. It is not set in stone though. Your father here is living proof of that." Her hand reached out and touched him gently as his sought out hers.

  "Perhaps that’s what I should be called now too. It does have a nice ring to it. Oracle...Yes, that would do nicely. A new life should have a new name."

  "So what changed in me?" Shade's father looked around the room.

  "Before that wolf attacked me everything looked as it always did. The only change being anything with electronics didn't seem to work. Now everything has a light inside it. Well not everything, but you three know what I mean. So what changed in me that lets me see the light now when I didn't before?" Again, the room fell silent. This time there was no immediate answer. The four sat in silence thinking until Shade's stomach broke the silence. With that they decided to keep thinking about it for a while and continue as they had before, more concerned with survival.

  Over the course of the next few days, Shade's internal light returned in full strength. To say that he was happy would have been an understatement. He practically danced around the cabin when he woke that morning and saw the life inside the tree at the window again. It was as strong as it had been before. Happiness bled from Shade's pores that day and it infected everyone around him as well. After their evening meal, Shade's father asked an out of place question that stumped everyone at the table. "What day is it?"

  No one could answer. The consensus was that it was around three months after the Event, which raised another question from father.

  "Shouldn't we be seeing snow by now? We are higher up in the mountains then our old home. It has to be late October by now. Also, now that I think of it, when was the last time we saw rain?"

  With that question, Shade remembered his exact same thoughts a few weeks before. He still hadn't seen any rain. Yet all the plants looked as healthy as they had before. In fact, they looked healthier than ever. The greens on the leaves seemed to glow with life.

  "Something in the earth has changed." Shade responded. "I don't know how, or if I can explain it. Every plant outside though looks healthy. Is there somewhere around here that we can get a good view of the whole valley Dad, maybe a little farther too? I think we should see what’s around us. Maybe get some answers."

  "Yes, there is an old trail to the top of a mountain not far from here. Your mother and I used to walk it a lot when we camped up here before you were born. It’s a day hike but if we leave first thing in the morning, it would be a good way to spend a day. I think it would be nice to have a change of scenery for a little while."

  They packed a few things for the hike that night in preparation. Dawn projected a happy view of them happily walking up a trail. With the excitement of a change in pace, they called it an early night.

  Morning broke clear again. Same as it had every day. The family started their walk early, each with a small backpack holding a few items to keep the load spread out with one exception.

  "Without your normal sight, this might be a lot harder than it used to be. It would be best if you walked behind me and kept your hand on my shoulder. That way if there are any obstacles you can feel me rise of fall over them before you trip. I will also carry your share."

  "I will be fine honey, and I saw myself reach the top this morning in a vision."

  A smile crept across my father's face instead of the usual sideways glance he gave to those statements."This vision thing is getting a lot easier to accept somehow. Let’s get started then."

  With that, they all proceeded up a thin winding trail. The morning air was fresh and clean, with only a hint of coolness. The walk took the better part of a day; my dad would stop often for my mother making sure that she didn't get too tired out. Somehow, my mom never seemed to have any problems even though she couldn't see the path laid out in front of her. The mood was light as we all walked up the trail along the side of the valley. Even as we got farther and farther from the small cabin the woods, the sky all around us stayed bright and colourful. Everything I could see had the same light inside. There, but not there at the same time, the plants were vibrant in their health. It wasn't until later in the day that something started to change. My mother was the first to notice, perhaps since my father had spared her the extra load.

  "Is it getting hotter out?"

  My dad stopped walking for a moment and looked around at the trees and bushes that still surrounded the path up the side of the valley.

  "I'm ... I'm not quite sure. It could be but it’s hard for me to tell."

  "Perhaps it’s just me then, we should keep going, we're close to the top I believe."

  With that, every one simply nodded and started moving again. Even though the walk was fairly easy it was still a long hike to the top and we were getting a little tired from the steady pace. No more than fifteen minutes later, my mom spoke up again.

  "Yes, it is getting hotter. I can feel it in the breeze. It should be getting colder this high up; also since it is supposed to be snowing at this time of year it should be very chill up here."

  My father raised his head high and closed his newly coloured eyes.

  "Yes, I can feel it now too. There is a heat in that breeze, that isn't right. The answer will be soon though, the crest of this ridge is right ahead."

  With a renewed vigour, we all marched forward. Perhaps the speed was too much for my mom but she never missed a step and didn't complain even once. Only when we were almost breaking the crest, and the heat was becoming uncomfortable, she suddenly let go of my father and stopped dead in her tracks.

  "Oh my god."

  My father looked back a moment, then took the next twenty feet at a pace unlike any I had seen from him before.

  "Shade, Dawn, you both should see this." As he stood on the crest, wind whipped at his cloths and you could tell that it held heat in it as his body started to perspire in combat. Dawn and I walked up to the ridge at a much slower pace than my father had done it. I was still thinking about how fast he had just moved as I came up beside him. A blast of heat hit me in the face, and forced me to look out over the crest to see the downhill decent before me.

  Never had I seen such destruction. We had stayed away from civilization for months after the event. I had assumed that other things had changed but not like this. The shock of what was before me stretched out as far as I could see. The entire valley burned, some fires were still burning strong. Ash and dust lay everywhere, and windstorms blew them into funnels that twisted high into the sky. I had to turn around and look behind me again to see th
e valley we came from. It stood there still full of life, each tree, each plant had the spark of light that I had become so familiar with still strong inside of it. Turning back to the burned valley once again, I noticed the traces of stumps and burned down trees everywhere. The sparks in them were no more as they burned away. Not a single thing before me showed any life at all.

  "What could have happened?"I stammered as my father took a few more steps down into the ash. Dawn projected a giant question mark as she too scanned the horizon looking at the total destruction. My mom was the one to come up with an answer first.

  "It was that night. The light we saw, it could have been some kind of solar flare maybe. This is so much more destructive then a simple forest fire."

  My father reached his hand into the ash and sifted it through his fingers.

  "Why didn't it come into our valley then?"

  "I don't know hon. I’m not even sure about the flare. Perhaps there is something in the valley that protected the trees and plants."

  I had been staring out over the destruction while my parents discussed the possibilities of what we were all looking at. I searched and searched for any signs of life in the ash, even going so far as to dig around a bit as well to see if any shoots had started up under the blanket of ash. My parents broke off a bit as they continued their debate of possibilities. I didn't notice as Dawn walked down the burned side of the valley a ways then stopped. She hit my mind with a vision of an oasis. As I looked down to her she pointed far off into the horizon. Far away, it was only a small streak of green that I could barely see with the lowering of the sun behind us.

  "Dad!"

  My father broke off his conversation at my call and again sprinted to us faster than I thought a human should be able to."What? Is there someone down there?"