Migration

Morning

After three days of continual rain, in the morning the sun rose into a perfectly clear sky and low flying swifts darted about excitedly, feeding on the insects that fluttered about in the warm dry air. The trees hung heavy with water and dripped fat droplets from their golden leaves; whilst on the ground, the grass and wild flowers smoked up delicate wisps of vapour as the sunshine slowly swept across the ground.

From her doorway, Eve watched the world silently and took occasional sips from a cooling cup of tea. She had endured three days of walking to and from the lake in the torrential rain, perching under a small canvas to keep dry whilst she watched the Chute, so it would make a pleasant change to travel a little lighter in pack and step today. She took one more sip of tea and placed her cup gently on the tilted windowsill just by the door. She would take it back in and wash it when she returned. It was too nice a morning to spend any more time indoors. Her pack was by her feet, already stocked for this morning's vigil and leaning slightly to one side with the weight of the water. Eve slung it onto her back and gently pulled the door closed behind her, setting off automatically towards the path that would lead her back to the lake.

The ground was slippery under her feet and the forest smelt intensely of old honeysuckle and tree bark. Still wet mud, crushed blades of grass that had turned slimy with decay overnight and a thin covering of fallen leaves meant in places she had to grasp hold of nearby branches to keep her balance, sending a brief shower of water onto her face and neck each time she did. Here and there she would feel the crunch of an unfortunate snail under her foot, and despite feeling slightly foolish, felt obliged to apologise. After so many years alone in the forest, Eve spoke to pretty much every animal she came across. Even certain trees and rocks had become regular conversation partners, and as she came clear of the forest and began to climb around the skirt of the hill, the large granite rock which stuck out from the hillside like a giant arrowhead received a pat and a "good morning" just like it always did.

The Chute had been unusually silent for the last week or so and as Eve rounded the crest of the hill she could see that nothing had changed since yesterday. The lack of new Dupes had created sweeping tidemarks that contoured the now significant gap from the end of the Chute to the great mass of flesh, as the old corpses shifted under their own weight down the slope and into the lake. Eve stood for a while wondering why everything had stopped, lifting her face to meet the sun's rays that now bathed down on her. She made the most of the sensation, knowing that with the coming winter she might have to wait several months before feeling that warmth again.

When she dropped her head and opened her eyes again, her line of sight landed perfectly on a girl sat on the opposite side of the lake, and the unexpected appearance of someone else made Eve jump visibly. After staring back for a few seconds the girl stood up slowly and Eve took her pack off her back, swinging it gently to her side so it was there if she needed it.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you!" the girl shouted across. Her voice sounded young and gentle.

"What are you doing here?" Eve called back.

"I came down that," she pointed to the Chute.

Eve thought about it for a moment. "Why?"

After a pause, the girl began to walk slowly around the lake, slipping slightly on the incline as she made her way towards her. Eve unzipped her pack and discreetly took the knife from amongst the bits of food and extra clothing, opened it up and slid it blade first into her jacket pocket. It took several minutes for her to walk around, and as she came nearer Eve could see that the girl was young, perhaps only fourteen or fifteen, and covered in blood and scratches. There were rips in the arms of her utility suit, perhaps from her fall down the Chute, and she was limping slightly on her left leg.