Fire Flying- Art Book #5

There are Sharks in the Forest-- Sneaky Preview

I fully edited Chapter 1 today. To anyone who makes it through the reading, please tell me what you think! Any and all feedback is hella appreciated

 The clopping of leather-soled boots on the top of the stairs signaled Max was finally awake. The old couple sitting in the kitchen sighed, and prepared for their silent morning to be broken.

Max stumbled down the stairs and beelined for the kitchen cabinet. Auntie, who was standing at the stove, jolted a bit and stepped out of the way as Max grabbed at the granola bars wrapped in wax paper.

"And where exactly do you think you're going?" Auntie asked. She pushed a lock of long gray hair out of her face, and flipped the omelet cooking on the stove.

Max struggled on his tiptoes to reach the granola in the cabinet. "I'm going adventuring." He said simply.

"You're up late again, and you haven't eaten." Auntie said, in her chirping voice.

"That's why I'm taking the granola bars." Max replied. "Can you help me reach 'em, Auntie?"

Auntie gently shut the cabinet and looked down at Max. "Up on the table. You're not running out of here without a decent meal."

Max groaned, and dropped his leather bag on the ground. The clattering of a glass bottle and Max's instant camera caused Auntie to jump. She set the bag on the wooden counter, and brought Max an omelet in a little hickory plate.

Uncle was at the table as well. He was looking through old photobooks, as usual. Max noticed that Uncle almost always had a book in front of him; sometimes full of pictures, and sometimes there were lots of words that didn't make sense to him. Max liked the photobooks the best. Uncle cleared his throat with a twitch of mustache.

"Out adventuring today?" he asked. Max nodded and swallowed a big bit of his omelet. It tasted wonderfully of goat cheese and peppers and turkey meat. The stirring emptiness in his stomach was filling, and he felt almost grateful for Auntie's cooking.

"Gonna take your sister, too?" Uncle asked, not looking up from his book. He wiped a speck of egg from his fat chin.

Before Max could protest, Auntie spoke for him. "Of course he will. He is a good brother. Plus, Sadie hasn't been outside in days." She said.

Max groaned through his food.

"So," Uncle began, turning a page. "You'll do your chores with the hens, and then take Sadie out for the day."

"But Uncle!" Max pouted. "I don't have time for middly-piddly egg-collecting! I have to go outside to the New World all day, because today might never happen again!"

"You'll have all day, son." Uncle said dismissively.

"Depends on how quickly you can feed those poor chickens." Auntie added, placing an omelet down for Uncle, who quickly dug into it.

"I'll be back for dinner." Max said. He slid from his chair to the floor, grabbed his bag, and made a dash for the door.

"Maxie!" Uncle called, stopping him. "What are the rules?"

"Don't play with danger. Watch after Sadie, and be home before sunset." Max recited, counting each rule off on his fingers.

"Good job." Uncle said dismissively. Max skipped out the door.

Max's village was one of the very few left in the world. Before the New World, it all used to be big cities made of rock and metal. Machines that ran on the power of the sun rumbled along rivers of black, burning asphalt. Auntie had told Max, that the first time the New World changed their lives, it had turned that towering city into the little village they knew now. No more solar-machines, no more endless expanses of tar and concrete. Now, the houses were made of wood and strung up in tree branches. Animals lived in ramshackle huts on the ground that grew lush with grass. The people hauled water out of the stream, and swords and bows and horses were used for defending themselves from wild animals.