In the morning, after packing up our belongings we set off, all the while chatting the useless chatter that young people of this world chat. Through the forest we rode, until we came across a vast openness. Green grass overtook the brown rocky ground of the forest floor, the grass swaying in the wind like small green arms. It was such a peaceful moment, the horses’ hooves muffled by the grass, the summer sun shining gently down on us. The scent of summer filled the air, a gently buzzing sounding low amongst the grass and birdsong in the air above. In the distance, where the green grass and the summer sky greeted each other, a great wall loomed from the earth, stretching for miles, as far as the eye could see. Behind it, sat the largest proof of civilisation I had ever set my eyes on. In my whole journey with Grandpa, I had never come across any village or any city which had come near to the size of the one behind the grey wall. Black smoke puffed out from the tallest chimneys, a black line trailing into the air. Tall buildings made of large windows reached into the sky like fingers, whilst large blocks of houses dotted the landscape. Fascination took control of me and I smiled, my eyes wide with impression.I glanced at Michaela and she smiled back, which I took as the signal to push my heels deep into my horse’s side, and it responded by rushing down the green hill, rustling grass in its wake. Giggling came from my right as I saw Michaela enthusiastically enjoying her ride, her horse neighing in content, my own horse showing the same pleasure in the ride. A breeze whipped past our faces as we rode on, fast, down the green hill, until we reached the bottom. As we sped closer to the grey wall, we noticed moving figures just before it. Moving closer still, I could make out tents and the sound of chatting.
Eventually we reached the bottom of the hill. It stank. Body odour and the smell bodily wastes, mixed with the smell of badly cooked food mingled in the air. The second disgusting thing that I noticed was the image in front of me. Everywhere was dirty. The tents that we pitched up on either side we muddied and brown; only glimpses of colours other than brown were visible. It was as if a giant of some sort had come to visit one day and coloured everything in brown. The mud lined path was riddled with litter. Even the people who miraculously managed to live here were dirtied, their bare feet brown and soiled from the mud, their trousers ripped and dirty. The men had not shaved for their beards for what looked like many years, their chins looking like woolly baskets. In comparison to them, even with what little belongings I had, I felt like a king.
My eyes something which looked out of place with everything else. It was a small brick house, and sitting in front of it was a small man, sitting on a small wooden rocking chair sucking on his pipe as if his life depended on it. At the sound of hooves approaching, his eyes flicked open and looked at myself and Michaela as if we were some sort of pest. “What d’you want?” he asked, disgust evident in his voice.
“Well, sir -” I started before being cut of by Michaela. “We want to get past this large wall and out of this stinking place. By the gods, have a bath already there is a lake not too far from here,” she said, wrinkling her nose to avoid sniffing in as much of the stench as she could. I followed suit. The old man, however, seemingly attached to this settlement, took offence to this statement, and looked away, obviously disgusted at our behaviour. He raised a hand, a scrawny finger pointing to somewhere to our right, and we set off, passing rows of thin, starved people. The quality of life here was too low.
After walking for some time, the two of us travellers reached a small camp, hidden amongst a pile of unwanted rubble, presumably from the city beyond the wall. The rubble was no ordinary rubble. Metal pieces constructed and manipulated into shapes I had never seen before lay in heaps before us like a metallic graveyard. The air was cleaner, much cleaner than the dump that lay behind us. The people here were also cleaner, but their source of water was unknown. They lived in better constructed tents which we better cared for as none of them had any unsightly rips and tears all over them. Not long after we entered the camp, a man dressed in simple clothing walked up to us. He carried with him a sort of air of authority about him, and I knew at once that he was a leader. “You heading over the wall?” he asked, his Adam’s apple bouncing up and down like an excited child.
YOU ARE READING
Superbeing
AventuraA young boy. Lost in the world, his future is unsure. On his journey, he will find out who, or what he really is, and control his inner power.
