Harmony

Heading Down the Valley

The next thing she knew, voices outside the aircraft woke her and she thought it was still night time. She partially opened her eyes. It was in fact the morning as the sun was well and truly up. Initially she was disoriented, not recalling where she was. Then reality hit her. The immediate surrounds of the aircraft cabin came into focus as she fully opened her eyes. She was staring up at the ceiling, entranced by the arrangement of rivets holding the fuselage together. In her half-awake state, these small items mesmerised her, and she had no coherent thoughts in her head for a few moments.

She tried to motivate herself to get up, summoning inspiration from vague memories of discussions from the previous evening about what was happening today. She was still tired. She wanted a shower, but clearly there wasn't one. She was hungry, and she had five other people with her that she was still getting to know. She groaned and wished she was somewhere else.

She remembered Bia's excitement at camping out. Le didn't share it. A comfortable bed and a normal house with good facilities was what she yearned for. Even barely adequate facilities would do. Rais and Rivo had spoken of a village down the hill. That thought gave her a significant jolt of motivation. She sat up and looked around. She was the last one awake. Everyone else was outside. She peered out of one of the cabin windows to see what they were up to, rubbing her eyes.

She considered the village again, this time with more urgency. She wanted to get there. It was time for her to get up, get going and help the group on their way so she could sleep in a nice bed tonight. Not outdoors anymore and certainly not in a crashed aircraft. Or whatever the heck it was. Some help with her lost memory – hey, everyone's lost memory – would also be appreciated.

Le could already detect that the group was keen to get going. Both Rais and Rivo were already moving around the site, talking animatedly. Rais was gesticulating enthusiastically about something they were discussing. How did he have that level of energy this early in the morning? She certainly didn't, after the night's sleep she'd had. If she didn't have to speak, she wasn't going to. Tau was at the fire, still dealing with breakfast. Bia and Prina were eating something. She felt a little guilty at not helping. She would get out there, eat quickly and then help with preparations for the walk down the mountain.

She stepped out of the aircraft, onto the wing again. It was funny how this wing was now just the entrance and exit to their sleeping quarters, rather than a component of a machine that people could take flights in. She glanced up at the sky, looking for the sun. It was farther above the horizon than she'd expected. She'd slept well after all. She had no idea time it was. No one was wearing a watch. Perhaps that explained the two boys' keenness and activity levels – they weren't wanting to lose any time.

Le stepped into the campfire area, said good morning and thanked Tau for preparing breakfast and, she added, everyone else for helping and for letting her sleep. She was grateful Tau was so keen to cook and could make something from the limited supplies they had. She wished she had skills that were useful to the team. There were no pianos out here though. Instead, she offered encouragement and gratitude where she could.

Soon they were away. The whole site was clean. Rivo and Rais had made sure of that. They all took what they needed for two days' walk, just in case, along with the strange cylinders. Le accepted Rais' theory of how their amnesia occurred. She did not know anything about gas that might cause memory loss. Neither, really, did anyone else. It would have to do as a theory for now.

Some of the others were talking. Le didn't feel like conversation. The others thankfully must have noticed this as they had let her be. Of all the things she had appreciated about her five companions, their empathy was the most pleasing to her. She felt safe, emotionally and physically. All that was left to trouble her was the amnesia. Even then, she was only curious at it, and suspected it was temporary. How this was so, she did not know. She trusted her instincts on it.