These Stories Of Ours

Mother

Ave, a mother of three, prepares her journey to gather fresh fruits, berries, or any other edibles that she may find in the forest. She walks towards the room of her three children and sees them peacefully sleeping. She kisses them gently on their cheeks.

"I'll be back soon," Ave says.

She leaves her house as the sun shines brightly in the sky. Ave shields her eyes from the beaming light. Despite the heat of the sun, it's a perfect day for gathering. She begins to journey down the path of the deep forest. Her beautiful dress of different colors contrasts with the greens and browns of the forest trees. One can say she looks like a goddess in the forest.

She stops when she sees a bush of berries. Ave recognizes them as something she and her children would usually eat for supper. She picks up a few branches and placed them in her weaved basket. Brushing off the dirt on her dress, she continues her journey with a basket of berries. Ave then comes across a tree of a sweet fruit. She picks up the fruit with a pigment of yellow and adds two of them in her basket.

Along the way, she spots a girl with a beautiful red dress. Ave recognizes her as one of the residents living near the forest. She can also see the bump on her belly. "Tori?" Ave calls out to the girl.

Tori turns around and smiles at the sight of her old friend. "Ave," she says, "it's been a long time since we've seen each other." The two mothers wrap each other in an embrace. "I just moved back from the east," Tori says.

"I wondered where you went," Ave laughs, "It was a great surprise not finding you at home."

"The last three months were rather cold so my family and I moved to the east to keep warm," Tori replies. Ave nods at this. Some families do that, but Ave just stays at home to keep warm during those months of coldness.

"I better get back to gathering food for the little ones. I sure don't want to distract you from your work as well," Ave says, "It's a pleasure seeing you again." The two wave at each other before leaving.

As Ave continues to walk, she notices that she's been getting closer the cliff's edge. The view of the mountains were outstanding here and the clear sky continues to add to the beauty which is already present. She hears footsteps to her right and immediately hides. Ave peeks from the tree she hides in and sees a young man wearing brown pants.

Ave recognizes the young man as one of the forest's hunters. He is the mysterious and scary-looking man who spends his break at the edge of the cliff.

Ave watches him sit at the edge, his feet just dangling. He closes his eyes and tilts his head back, feeling the sun's rays and heat. He smiles. His relaxation was interrupted when a pebble hits him at the back of his head.

"Ow!" he exclaims. Ave watches as a young girl emerges from the woods, wearing a brown tank top and the same brown pants.

"Are you going to sit there while I hunt?" the young girl says to the man with her hands on her hips.

"If you want to, I'm not stopping you," the man says with a smirk.

"Get up before I push you off," the girl commands before storming back to the forest. Ave smiles, amused with the girl's tough and stubborn personality. She watches the man get up with a smile in his face.

"I think I should go home," Ave thought. She gathers up a few twigs nearby and leaves the area. She recalls the places she passed by. She could feel her heavy basket filled with sticks, berries, and fruits. Ave was determined that these will make her children happy.

As she was walking by the same trees, she notices some signage that weren't there before. She couldn't read them so she continue to walk back home. However, the closer to home she goes, the more signs appear. This makes Ave nervous and anxious.

She comes to the clearing where her home is... was. Her basket falls to the ground and its contests spills. Ave wants to scream in horror as the only thing she sees was the debris of her house. Not a single sign of her three children can be found.

She could hear a series of screams and cries. Ave looks around and see her neighbors' houses gone as well. The couples who once lived next to her are outside. Their screams and cries echo with hers.

They didn't lose their homes. They lost their lives.