The Parables

Blake - Precinct Three

Blake - Precinct Three

The glaring light of the early morning sun shines a spotlight on the car. Sunbeams pierce the ground with a veil of gold, illuminating the waking civilisation. Faint sounds of birds tweeting brings music to my ears, allowing me to witness and hear the beauty of nature. Dew drops shimmer on a network of spider webs, creating jewels of a necklace made of the strongest silk. A light breeze in the air pushes the trees gently to one side, their leaves waving in the wind like fans in a crowd. The glimpse into a new day is unnerving me, as I edge even closer to entering the Labyrinth.

Mother and Rosee have remained in my mind since the beginning of the journey. If I'm not there to earn money for them, then they can only rely on the Pabulum Pannier and the laundry Mother takes in to wash. If that's not enough, I dread to think of their alternatives. I know they'd never steal - they value their lives more than food - but I don't know what else they'd do. I just hope they're alright. It's only two weeks. Two weeks that may be my last two weeks alive. Gulping, I shake off the slightly disturbing thought and focus on something completely different.

The car is in the heart of the countryside, still in the Precinct yet miles from the village. It's as if the Precinct is split in half: one segment was obliterated by man and transformed into a rural milieu whereas the other was left unscathed by man save the inherent, dodgy track that twists and turns everywhere. In the event that the window was open, I would've sailed through it no less than least two dozen times already.

I yawn. I couldn't get to sleep last night. My mind was excessively centred on my family than weariness. My eyes weren't even close to drooping shut. Getting some shuteye was the last thing on my mind. The sentry was still driving strongly as the night progressed, though, so I wasn't the only one still awake. I didn't realise how long the journey to the train station would be, however now I understand how enormous the Precinct actually is. Either that or our village is considerably tiny. Yawning again, I feel my eyelids starting to droop. Leaning back in my seat, I close my eyes and snuggle into the car seat.

 Rounding a corner, he stops dead in his tracks. Ahead of him, lies a course of obstacles. His eyes widen in horror but he dashes forward, almost overlooking that he's against the clock. Or, against an opponent, in this case. He glances to his left to see a boy diving through his first hurdle. Gritting his teeth, he sprints towards his first obstacle, a small gap in a large fence. Shutting his eyes, he throws his hands forward and leaps through the hole, landing on his own two feet on the other side.

The second he's back on the ground, he starts sprinting towards the following obstacle. His rival is neck and neck with him, tearing down the track. Rather than focusing on the other boy, he centralises his attention on the next hurdle, a high fence requiring to be leapt over. The fence is just as tall as he is and the gaps in between aren't sufficiently big to slip through. Taking a deep breath, he swings his arms in large motions and stretches his legs into large strides. When he reaches the point where he's half a metre away from the fence, he lunges out and grabs the ridge of it. Holding it tight, he uses it to throw himself over. Landing smoothly on the other side, he wastes no time hanging around and continues to run. Suddenly, something jumps out in front of him, causing him to skid to a halt. Unbalanced, he begins to fall back, and crashes onto the ground, hitting his head hard...

My eyes open in a split second and I wake from the nightmare, panting heavily. My body is quivering uncontrollably, painted all over with perspiration. Gradually, I start to calm down, breathing steadily as my heart rate returns to normal. The fears I'd pushed to the back of my mind have reappeared and are stronger than ever, taunting me with endless scenarios in The Parables. Shaking it off, I sigh and relax back in my seat. Then, out of the blue, the sentry speaks.