A Starless Earth

I Don't Think We're In Maple Grove Anymore

 The rolling river carries Claire downstream for many miles until the log latches onto a nearby bank. As it docks, the rain lulls to a soft drizzle and the stream slowly loses volume. She teeters forward, backward, side to side until she determines it's time to crawl to safety.

Thank God I'm okay.

For the first time in a few hours, Claire looks at her surroundings. The moonlight glitters through parted clouds, illuminating a pathway of trees covered with moss and red capped mushrooms. Thick purple bushes line the sides of the opening, beckoning Claire to travel further. The area was quite a long while from her home, and everything was new and different, as if it was a completely different world. Before John got sick, Claire was free to roam anywhere under the sun. During these trips, Claire would perch herself onto John's broad shoulders, securing the best view. Her frail mother would wave from the doorway, sending Claire and John on yet another adventure.

"I'm the king of the world!" Claire would scream through cupped hands.

"The world is yours to explore, Claire bear," John would say, pointing in the distance,"The rolling hills and the tall trees calling for you to climb them. The rivers wait for you to look in their reflection."

Inspired by her new power, John and Claire set out to build the grandest treehouse in all of Maple Grove. They chose the tallest tree on the highest hill with the most spectacular view of the small village. Over the course of a few months, boards were pulled up by a makeshift pulley system made from a few pieces of rope tied end to end. When it was completed, he once again hoisted Claire upon his shoulders and stepped back to admire their work. The boards were mismatched and poorly held together by rusty nails, but it was theirs.

Claire smiles to herself as she thinks back on the fond memory, but her face falls when her mind is drawn back to reality.

I want John to go back to normal.

In the midst of the moment, something scatters by Claire's feet. The fluffy tail of the creature is illuminated by the moon—it's pink. Intrigued, Claire dashes after the odd looking animal. Her soggy dress hangs like lead around her thighs, slapping against them as she races through the thicket, dragging streaks of red across her shin.

For the most part, the creature remains hidden between the thick brush. But every once in a while, a spot of magenta peaks through, enticing Claire to keep following. Eventually she reaches another clearing. This time, an enormous circle of trees surrounds a grassy field filled with glowing creatures blinking around a tall stone tower. One of the small bugs flies over to her and lands onto her arm.

"Why hello little guy," Claire whispers.

She brings it closer. Even in the dark, she can see that the abdomen is grey with thin pinstripes of yellow that travel the length of its body. After a few seconds, a brilliant blue light emits from the underside of the organism. Claire's face lights up with excitement at her new discovery. Even with her limited education from the farm, she could name almost every type of insect or critter in her town. From ladybugs to wasps, Claire knew them well, and would often spend lots of time observing their behaviors. But this one ...This one was different. It behaved a lot like the fireflies that blinked through the summer nights, but their glow was yellow—not blue. And even if this was some sort of mutation, the color was far too brilliant to be simply looked over. But unlike lightning bugs, their blinking is sporadic and varies in intensity.

"What are you trying to tell me?" Claire asks.

She examines it for a few more moments before allowing it to fly away and join the others.

Claire couldn't get her mind off of the beings surrounding her. How could they simply exist in Maple Grove without anyone knowing? With no one to bounce the question off of, Claire continues to walk along the grass. Its lush and full, unlike the sparse dry grasses in her favorite field.

I think I found a new weaving spot.

In her peripheral vision, a magenta hued blur bounces along, patting at the bugs.

It's that creature!

Not wanting to face the same fate as earlier, she slowly creeps toward it, parting the grass with her slim figure.

The pink fuzz ball notices her, tilts its head in curiosity, then continues to pounce through the field scattering groups of the blue bugs into the night.

After such a long day, Claire is just ready to sit and enjoy such the peaceful moment. The water remaining on the slits of grass seep into her drying dress, but the calmness of everything smoothes over the nuisance. Her breathing becomes deep and full while she observes the harmony around her. The pink tail peaking over the meadow and the trees swaying in the breeze, brought a sense of calmness that the previous sunset couldn't even begin to match.

Though the serenity came a rumble. It was small, but not small enough for Claire to completely dismiss. She cranes her neck around looking for another line of storms, but by now the clouds have fully moved on revealing the stars shining above.

It happens again.

It's getting closer.

Claire swiftly stands to see what is causing such a sound to vibrate through the ground. As her legs stretch upward, so does her neck as she comes face to genitals with a beastly orc standing near the tower. His large tusk like teeth protrude from stretched lips. From her position, she notices one of the yellowing tusks is broken in half. The teal green color of the orc's skin is broken up by long bubbled up scars decorating his chest.

"I am Sugorim—Warrior of Aynor," he bellows.

Claire's legs tremble as she takes a step toward the figure.

"Elven messengers from the Venzor region of this land gave warning of a strange," he pauses to look at her closer, "creature traveling through, and I have been sent to take care of it."

"I mean no trouble sir, I'm just trying to get home to my mama," Claire says.

"I know nothing of this 'mama' you speak of, nor do I care. I have been given strict orders to eliminate any threats to our people, and unfortunately you are at the top of my list"

The ginormous orc thrusts a spiked club into the air, slicing through it like butter. Claire's shaky legs go into a full on sprint toward the entrance of the tower.

"Resistance is futile"

Even with threats erupting from behind, Claire was focused on diving into the safety of the tower. The orc's thick legs flatten the grass as he chases after the dashing girl. For once in his life, his size significantly slows him down in the pursuit.

A large shadow flies over the terrain as Sugorim launches his club toward Claire, attempting to slow her down. The weapon lands with a thud, scraping her cheek on its decent.

With nothing else to throw, Sugorim begins to run faster, hoping Claire was beginning to grow tired. But all of her years of running after pigs was finally paying off. Claire turned the corner and the wooden door of the tower finally came into view. Her outreached hands clasp the cold metal handle, forcing the creaky door to open. She falls into the base of the tower, panting and struggling to stand back up with her weakened legs. Luckily, the heaviness of the door swings it shut, locking Claire in.