Collections of my Old Stories

Aya and The Below Ground Pt3.

Aya couldn't remember much. Only the warmth of each other and the combined beating of their hearts. Darkness overwhelming all of her senses. Then there was light. Blinding light. She blinked hard, bracing herself for the sight that would greet her. She imagined a dry, barren wasteland, with not a single living thing in sight. She imagined a grey, smoke tinged sky and a ground scattered with trash. Then she opened her eyes. It was...beautiful. Lush greenery grew all around her. Big gnarly plants grew tall, their leaves like a mirage against the gold streaked sky. She remembered some elders describing a plant like this. Are these what trees were? Subtle noises sang in melodious harmony, from the sounds of different animals crying out, to the rustle of grass dancing in the wind, to the gentle whisper of a breeze that tickled her skin. Aya turned around, her mouth open in awe. Had this been under them the whole time? Had the government known about this? Her blissful peace quickly melted into anger. "Why did they hide this from us?"

Her brother, who had been gaping at the sky, turned to her "What?

"Nothing."

"The Below Ground is gorgeous!"

"Yeah."

"Anyway, what are we gonna do?"

Aya snapped back into reality, her rage subsiding. She realised guiltily that she had no idea. She had made a rash decision and now her brother would have to suffer for it. Aya shivered remembering the lady that had awaited for her in the shadows. Who was she? And how did she bring her brother to the Haven? Aya faced Sam. "How did you get into the tower?"

He shrugged "I dunno. I was home one second and there the next."

Well that was helpful. Pushing her thoughts aside, she looked around for some sort of shelter.

Then, rustling arose from the trees nearby. A person emerged from them. Aya grabbed Sam. "Stay behind me."

She looked up at the newcomer. "Who are you?"

The newcomer smiled softly "I could ask the same of you. You're not from the village."

The newcomer glanced at her and her brother, then shook her head. Her brown curls flicked in the wind. "Oh. You guys are from the above land."

Aya nodded "I didn't know people lived down here. Actually- I didn't know about any of this."

"Mmm. The government are a bunch of jerks, they are. But, they never usually banish someone so young. Or two at a time." The newcomer stared at them, then shrugged and held out a hand.

"I'm Laura."

Aya wondered for a moment. Should she shake hands? Oh well. She clasped her hand around Laura's "I'm Aya. This is my brother, Sam"

Sam smiled shyly.

"Well you two can't stay out here. Come back to the village with me." Laura beckoned them forward.

Aya eyed her warily. This could be a trick. But she had no choice. She trudged forward, Sam following behind.

As they walked along, Aya gained the courage to ask the burning question in her mind "I thought humans poisoned the land, so we had to create the above lands!"

Laura stared at her. "Is that what they told you? Goodness me. People did poison the land, but we learnt our mistake and tried to fix it. It was a, relatively, slow process but it was working. People were not only changing their behaviour and methods for the better, they were getting more independent and sustainable, no longer needing to rely on the things that poisoned the environment in the first place. " Laura snorted in disgust "The government, of course, didn't like that, and convinced some people to fund and move to the above lands, telling them that it was too late to fix the earth. It was a lie though. They just wanted control again."

Aya's head was spinning. "So they just left, for good?"

"No. The Prime minister still comes down every couple of years. In fact, He's coming down today."

"Today?"

"Yep."

An idea formed in Aya's mind. A horrible one. But not one that the prime minister didn't deserve. This was her opportunity for revenge. Revenge for the people of the above land for all the troubles and hardships they put them through. Revenge for her mother, who was executed for stealing gains after the grain supply disappeared. And revenge for her, for all the times they had worn her down, or hurt her or made her feel insignificant. Her eyes stung and her head felt feverish with excitement. Yes, today would be a momentous day.

"So when exactly is he coming?"

"He's already here. He's in his house in the village. He's preparing for his big speech that he'll give." Laura rolled her eyes "I don't know why he still bothers."

Laura looked up "Speaking of, there it is, the village."

She marvelled at it. There were houses. Actual houses made from wood. None of them were broken, or rotting or cramped. There was a town square, which all the houses surrounded. And there were farms, for every growable thing you could think of. Aya's mouth watered. She had never tasted natural food before. Unless you count the stale dry grains she was sometimes forced to consume to survive. Most of the time grains were traded for other food, like protein bars or nuts. Never actual plant food.