The Parables

Griffin - Precinct Seven

Griffin - Precinct Seven

Suddenly, I find myself blinded by two hands.

"Guess who," a voice whispers into my ear. I grin and move my arms backwards, tickling the person in the stomach. A giggle is released from the person's mouth.

"I don't know." I sigh. "Is it...Texa?" I remove the hands and turn around to see Texa grinning at me, her long, black hair in a messy braid.

"I don't think so." Texa puts her finger on her chin, pretending to think. Grabbing her waist, I lift her into the air, spinning around.

"Put me down, Griffin," she squeals, laughing. I pull her towards me and brush my lips against hers.

"I don't think so," I whisper, mimicking her exact words. Texa's cat-green eyes sparkle with slyness. Out of nowhere, she tickles my stomach and I drop her. She springs to the ground and grins.

"You're not the only one who can do that, you know," Texa says, smiling. I roll my eyes at her and kiss her forehead. I wrap one arm around her waist and she leans her head on my shoulder.

Opening my eyes, I sigh and roll over in my bed, closing them again. This is the second dream I've had since I've left Precinct Seven that has been a recent memory. I wake up, thinking I'll be back home safe and sound and this whole thing was just a nightmare. But then I'm let down the minute my eyes adjust to the light. These ephemeral memories are all I have left to remind me of home. And home is where my family and Texa live. I'm following the sentry's advice by treasuring every memory I have with them, but will I be able to remember them all?

All of a sudden, I jolt and sit up in a flash. Flinging the duvet off my legs, I jump off the bed and search the floor for the navy trousers that I'd worn to the Retraction. Seizing them, I rummage into the pocket and grab hold of the cookie wrapped in the rag of linen cloth. Breathing a sigh of relief, I carefully take it out of the pocket and clasp it in my hands, as if it were the most precious thing on earth. To me, I guess it is right now. Besides my Retraction outfit, I have nothing else from home here with me.

Standing up, I quickly throw my pinstripe Retraction shirt over me and head into the main area of the carriage, the cookie cradled in the palms of my hands. Nobody is in the room, but I can hear light movement in the room where Eranthis and Laurel are sleeping. I can also hear faint snoring, so it's more than likely going to be Laurel up out of bed and Eranthis still in a deep slumber. Smiling to myself, I take a seat in an armchair and sink into the mob of cushions.

Glancing at the television screen, I sit up and take the remote off the coffee table. I turn the television on and a rerun of a previous The Parables pops up onto the screen. Sighing, I decide to watch it anyway to keep myself entertained for the next hour or so. Hopefully by then, Laurel or Eranthis will be in here telling me where to get some food from because my stomach just won't stop grumbling.

On the screen, two boys are scaling a rock wall as fast as they can, trying to get to the leather flag at the top first. The boy in the red shirt is half way up the wall and the other boy in a yellow shirt is only a metre or so behind him. They're both using pick axes to clamber up to the top, but only the boy in the yellow shirt is using a rope tied to a boulder at the top to keep himself secure and stable, unlike the other boy who is being entirely reckless.

Then it happens.

The boy in red goes to hammer his pick axe into the wall when the other pick axe slips out of its hole. Everything happens so fast. My eyes widen as I watch him fall through the air and smash into the ground. The minute he hits the floor, the camera filming it snaps up to a view of the other boy. He's frozen stiff where he is on the rock wall, his mouth open wide and his eyes filled with horror. His body trembles uncontrollably as he turns back around and slowly completes the rest of the climb up the wall.