Be Brave

To No Man's Land

She thought she had properly anticipated how long she was going to have to walk. But it seemed like forever and she still didn't see anything on the road she had been traveling on for no more than a few hours tops, and the sun had already started its descent. 

Amara walked lazily down the one path to the only town that she's never even heard of nor been to before, following only Kylie's uncertain and kind of unclear directions. The sky was quickly darkening, big dark, fluffy clouds pooling over the evening sky. Trees were scattered throughout on both sides of the path, casting oddly shaped shadows that reached long tendrils out towards her, dropping the degree rapidly. 

Her feet were starting to stumble every few steps, kicking up pebbles and blades of grass in her wake. Her suitcase was still miraculously in her numb hand, hitting the side of her leg on every step with a dull thud, no doubt a bruise would be there tomorrow. Her head was spinning from hunger and exhaustion. She had hoped that it wouldn't be much further now until she could see the sandy town that Kylie had briefly described to her before leaving.

Amara was extra careful to make sure she deliberately stayed on the path, never losing sight of its dwindling appearance because it was clear that this road was not used frequently by foot, the path barely noticeable to the naked eye. She started to regret her prideful decision to stubbornly walk. It was too late to turn back now, and she wasn't too keen on wasting time and the effort it took to get just this far.

It was completely dark now, cutting her line of vision off. Amara thought it best if she stopped now and rest for the night. If she lost all sight of the path now, she may never find her way back and her supposed short travel time will be dragged out for another day or so. Dropping her suitcase, her arm felt instant relief and she plopped herself on the ground next to it, her legs feeling rubbery and her feet achy. The thick, green grass felt cool and she lay down on her back and gazed up at the night sky. The stars shone all across the black canvas; even the ones that were covered by clouds were made up for by hundreds of more all splattered across in unrecognizable patterns. Amara couldn't recall the last time she looked at them, if ever. She closed her eyes and could already feel herself begin to drift off, feeling lighter and lighter, like the stars were pulling her to them and exhaustion took over.

She dreamt she was a little kid again. It was a memory of happier times. Her mom, or a ghostly version of her memory, was standing in the backyard, hanging out laundry to dry. This load was the bed sheets. Long, billowy, multicolor patterned fabric flowed in the summer breeze. Perfect for playing hide-and-seek with mommy. She crept in the grass, weaving in and out of the sheets, being as stealthy as a cat and just as quiet, or so she thought. But mommy was better.

"BOO!" mommy tackled her to the ground and relentlessly tickled Amara till she was red in the face and breathless. She then cradled Amara close to her chest and carried her inside for an afternoon snack. 

Amara sat at the kitchen table patiently waiting, her mom standing at the counter, peeling and cutting a juicy green apple, Amara's favorite kind. She placed a small bowl of sliced apples and a glass of water in front of Amara which she gladly accepted with childish glee. She sat in her high chair, munching on her snack, her little feet kicking the air. She looked at her mom who was standing in front of the sink, gazing out the small curtained window that overlooked the front of the house. 

Amara looked at her mom, really tried to imagine her, remembering how her hair used to look, long chestnut brown and braided down her back, contradicting to Amara's own raven black. Her eyes were a soft brown that seemed to match her hair, opposite to Amara's violet gray. But in this memory, her mother's eyes were glazed over and watery. Her mom was crying.

Why is mommy crying? 

Amara looked at her with wide eyed wonder and worry, still chomping on apple slices. Her mom, tears freely flowing down her cheeks, ran from the kitchen, through the front door and out of Amara's sight. 

Confused, Amara hopped down from her chair, last apple slice in hand, and walked to the front door. Mommy was running to someone, a man. A tall man with a long coat, big boots, and a funny looking hat that overshadowed his face. She leapt into the man's arms, knocking his hat off and Amara could see the man's face clearly, but it took a moment for it to register. Dad. Her dad. 

It was daddy! 

Amara dropped her apple slice in the dirt and ran as fast as she could, her daddy was waiting to pick her up in his arms. He swooped her up and spun her around before squeezing her in a tight hug. Daddy was finally home. Mommy said the last time daddy saw Amara was when she was a little tiny baby. She would talk about daddy to Amara all the time, telling her stories about his adventures, showing her pictures everyday so she would know what her father looked like, as if she'd known him her all life. 

She was finally getting to see him after all this time, the excitement her mother had built up was finally being fulfilled. She hugged his neck as hard as she could, mommy standing next to him and hugging him too, still crying happily. Finally, he set her down after a long time to look at her. He cupped her tiny face in his big hands and grinned, his eyes looked shiny, but he wasn't crying like mommy.

Then, everything was changing before her eyes. The happy mood was quickly gone, the bright memory vanished as the scene quickly changed. Things turned dark, real fast. Suddenly Amara wasn't outside anymore. She was in a secret room hidden behind a false panel in the back of her closet, the one mommy always says is for emergencies but sometimes Amara liked to go in there and play. Some of her toys were still scattered inside. 

Only this time, mommy told her she needed to go hide in that room and keep quiet. She was told to stay and not make a single sound until mommy came and got her, no matter what. Mommy said it was like a game, and if she was quiet she wins! And so, Amara sat and waited. Sat and waited. Sat and waited. Even when she heard weird loud noises outside the room, she didn't move a muscle. Instead, she drew her knees up to her chest and laid her head down and closed her eyes, trying to tune out the commotion. But no matter how hard she tried, the screams and hollers and shouts wouldn't go away. 

Instead they seemed to get louder and closer, getting nearer and nearer until-

Amara's eyes flew open, taking a moment to adjust to the dark and then she remembered where she was. The shouts from her dreams were still getting closer though, as if they leapt right out from her thoughts. These were not a dream, these were real. They're as real as the grass Amara laid on right now, and they were coming from her far right. 

Soon she could hear the hooves of horses running down a hill. Unsure of whom they were or what they could be capable of, she stood up and immediately fell again, her legs had fallen asleep and felt like lead from all the walking. 

She panicked, afraid of what those people might do if they saw her. Amara wasn't sure why she was afraid, just something about the way they shouted and screamed made her feel untrusting and nervous. Amara grabbed her suitcase with both hands and swung it as hard as she could in the opposite direction of the noises. She crawled after it, sticking low to the ground. It's still dark out, more clouds hung in the sky, partially covering the full moon and the stars left and right. She hoped that would be enough to make sure she remained unnoticed. She kept crawling till she reached one of the first trees scattered nearby and dashed behind one. She looked back around but since it was too dark, she didn't know which way to look or what exactly to look for.

The voices were now almost to the spot where Amara was just at. There were at least five of them, all men from what she could guess judging on the voices. They came to the path and hooked a right, heading straight towards the town Amara was supposed to be going to. She waited quietly until they passed, reminding her of that room again. 

Just as soon as the voices came they were gone again. Amara refused to budge, afraid that they might come back, or maybe one of them stuck around to sneak out and surprise her. 

She stayed still until dawn. She has survived her first night out on her own. Barely...