I stare at my mom her pallid skin and protruding cheek bones. Her hair
sticking to her forehead. Her body racking with coughs as blood splatters the comforter.
I clutch one of her hands between both of mine. Sadly this has become a routine,everyday there's a little more blood. Her cough gets more and more violent too as the Black Plague slowly sweeps every organ in her body decomposing them ever so slowly. It ensures a slow painful death to all who catch it. The disease sweeps poorer provinces with a alarmingly high death rate. It's guaranteed one per house hold will contract the disease.
With us being the 7th province we have little medicine and even less food.
So the survival rate is close to none.
If I had to explain this place in one word it's hopeless. Everything is a shade of grey , white, brown,or black. Even the sky's are a sullen grey shade Everyday I see the same people with the same solemn forsaken faces. Each person with the sad but firm acceptance that they could die anyday or time. Many would walk with shoulders hunch staring at something that wasn't there. I have to work every day in the factories to support my mom and myself..... but I don't know how long my mom will actually last. She's fading I could tell her strength is waning.
"Get some rest I say to her gently squeezing her hand. I get up and leave her bedside.
Many families have members who caught the disease. They end up deciding to end their suffering and have to resort to putting them down. I find this brutish and unreasonable but I understand at the same time . I just can't stomach the idea myself.
I sigh as I pull on my blue work cloths sand boots . I pull my long brown hair into a ponytail and then I put a cap over it. I blow out the lamps and set off to work.
⚜
I pull the last sack of flour into the back of the truck . I wipe my dust covered hands over my overalls. And walk towards the small weather beaten shack by the factory.
The door jingles when I open the door. The merry sound so out of place here.
"Is that you paisley ?" Mr. Reef walks out from the back room.
He doesn't really fit the towns descriptions of grey and hopeless
He always wears a floral tourist shirt with tan khaki shorts. His long black hair streaked with silver and braided. His tanned skin has laugh lines around his eyes and mouth.
Which is strange even still to me.
"I just finished with the flour and I'm checking out I'll need my check before I go" he chuckles
"Ah paisley aways one to get to the point." He gives me a handful of golden tokens. I look at him expectantly "where's the rest"
He sighs "ever since this blasted plague has come through, my contact to the vaults has been cut of"
So I'm running low on cash so every paycheck will cut in half.
Mr.Reef is the banker/loans manager/paycheck-er person whatever you call it.
So anything pertaining money you go him.
I sigh "ok what time do you need me tomorrow.
"Oh you don't have too worry about that were closed tomorrow" he says eyes twinkling "what's going on?"
He smiles "you'll see"
⚜
I'm heading back home deep in thought
When someone slams into me I stumble back and see its my friend Rose "Rose wha-"
"No time for talk" she says hurriedly "what's going on"
"Your mom,somethings wrong "
That's all I need to hear as we sprint through town towards my house.
I hurriedly open the door and run to her bedside. I grab her hand
It's cold
I feel for her pulse Nothing
A deafening silence fills the small space.
Then a small but high pitched keening sound fills the room
At first I didn't know what it was or who doing it but then I realized it's coming from me.
She suffered in the dark alone...
"Rain I'm sorry I-"
"Don't, please just go" I say In a small voice.
I here her footsteps and then the door close.
I will some emotion into my body
Anything but nothing comes but numbness.
⚜
It's midnight so I get of my pallet in the corner. And prepare to bury my mom.
I grab some matches and a wheelbarrow.
I pick up my moms skeletal body mostly dead weight.
And place it gently in the wheelbarrow
I roll her to the to the lake
In the woods behind our- my home.
I set her on a raft I had made
and cross her arms together and close her unseeing eyes.
Light the corner of the raft on fire and push it into the water.
As I see the burning raft float away from shore.
A single tear drops down on my face.
As I stand up with my arms wrapped around myself, I watch the raft burn.
As one haunting tune replays in my head.
"Ashes ashes we all fall down
YOU ARE READING
The Elite
Fantasy"If you don't win" he said pacing the floor slowly,chuckling darkly "you've probably died " He stops pacing and claps his hands together "who's ready to start"
