Maybe Next Time; Probably Not

Chapter 7

When she woke in the morning, Sadairah felt something soft brush across her face. When she woke she saw a strange dog-like creature pacing by the side of her bed. She screamed and Ash came running into the room.

"What?"

"What is that?"

"That's a wolf."

"Get it off of me!"

"Moxie, down."

And with that the wolf hopped of the bed and trotted down the hall.

"Are there anymore of those?"

"Yea. Moxie and DaKota had pups a few weeks ago."

"Why are you up?"

"Here in the Dark Woods we get up with the sun."

"Is the sun up yet?"

"Not all the way."

"What does it look like, when the sun comes up?"

Ash giggled and said, "Come here, but your shoes on first."

Sadairah slipped on her shoes and followed Ash to the barn.

"Ash? Where are you?"

"I'm up here. Just climb the ladder."

     And she did, but when she got to the top and began to walk toward the opening, she saw her first sunrise. Yellows emphasized by bright oranges; all the colors of the rainbow danced in the fading sky. It was like the water paints she did as a child; muddled, yet with a sense of beauty peaking out from under the mess.

"Wow."

"I know, right?"

"This is amazing. Why don't we have this in the city?"

"Because of the pollution."

"The what?"

"Look over there." Ash said, pointing toward the city.

"What is that, that green and grey stuff coming from the city?"

"That is pollution. Everything produced in the city gives off a harmful chemical, and that causes the atmosphere to be clouded."

"Is that why we can't see stars and the moon? Then why can we see the sun?"

"Yea. The only reason you can see the sun is because it is really bright."

"Why is the sun so bright?"

"Nuclear fission. On the sun, Hydrogen fuses with Helium and it explodes."

"How?"

"You'll find out at school."

"You guys have a school."

"Sorta. It's mostly little kids, and a few kids around our age."

"How big is it?"

"Not very. Now enough questions. We need to get dressed, do our chores, saddle up, and get to school."

     After that last statement, Ash jumped down onto a large pile of hay. Sadairah simply climbed back down the ladder, and ran after her.