Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
All the king's horses and all the King's men
Couldn't put Humpty Dumpty together again
The sun shines through the clouds, like a video camera peeping through to have a look. When I stroll downstairs to the kitchen, I smell acrid burnt caramel. A beep sounds, a standby-for-announcement type of beep. So, I do just that, surverying the kitchen and tapping my foot in a steady beat against the concrete floor. Metal and untouched, three chairs scrape at the wood of the living room planks, gathering dust in the corner. In the centre of the room, lies a forest green rug, with swirly lines that make me dizzy. A wooden coffee table, stained with circles from my mugs, sits on top of it, with two open-air portals underneath for various cleaning supplies and books.
With a fizz, the monitor lights up and there on the screen, it says 'NEW MESSAGE (1)'. I click to open it and press my finger to the text, seccuring it a place in my 'keep' folder. We aren't really meant to save messages, the Guardians tell us it is 'lingering', but I've created a way to do it secretly, so I never get bugged. My heart almost skips a beat when I open it, discovering it has the same username as the dot on the card.
'MeEt Me At ThE eDgE oF tHe GrAvEl PaRk At 3.10.' I smile as I read it, both excited and proud to see someone else knows of the capital secret. With a nod, I realise I am beggining to like this 'Rope' guy very much indeed. I found out about it when I was 8, the capital secret, sending a message spelt incorrectly is unreadable by robots, such as the Guardians. I admire Rope's technological skills for a moment, and then jump into action. I scramble upstairs like a dog, using my arms to help me get up faster, making sure my Guardian doesn't see me.
Dressing like a toddler, I put my limbs in all the wrong holes. I have to stop and retry several times. When I am finally dressed accoridingly, I leap down the stairs two at a time, almost tripping as I lunge down 5 steps to the landing. With a quick survey of the living room, I reach the door and slip out into the empty neighbourhood sector streets. I quicken my pace to a jog, eager to reach the designated meeting spot.
Three-ten o'clock finds me perched on a park bench, watching as walker robots stroll past me wihtout a glance, blank faced, with up to 6 gleaming children being pushed around in the carriers. I analyse my surroundings, searching each and every expressionless human and robo face for Rope.
At 3:15, the other two kids arrive, their faces shiny in the afternoon glare.
"Hi." says the girl, waving at me with a smile. "I'm Lauren, I don't think we've really met properly." Another smile.
"Hi. My name's Jack. Nice to make your acquaintance." I reply, outstretching my hand to the boy and nodding at Lauren with a quick adjust of my glasses.
"Hey, Jack, my name's Noah." He smiles at Lauren, who beams back, an expression of ease plastered to her face.
"So... How old are you Jack?" Lauren smiles, seemingly actually interested.
"I'm 14 years 7 months and 26 days old." I smile, nodding awkwardly. "Oh, I calculated that this morning, in case Rope, you know, needs to know..."
"Well, in that case, I'm... 16." Lauren smiles, her eyes crinkling and her teeth gleaming.
"I don't even know how old I am in years!" Laughs Noah, his arms wide.
"You're 17 years 5 months and 15 days old, if I am correct." I say, scratching my head.
"How did you know that?" Noah asks, still smiling.
"Oh, sorry, I kinda' hacked into the Guardian database to see your birthdays... I just, wanted to know how old you guys were...?" I shrug, feeling unsure of how they will respond to my geek-worthy question.
To my great relief, they just laugh and turn to watch the bend in the pavement for Rope to appear.
"Hello." I hear a voice behind me and jump at the cool breath on my neck. I see Rope, standing there, his face scrunched up into a crooked smile.
"Got ya'." He turns to me, a frown appearing on his face as he checks his watch. "Oh sorry, I'm a little late, I see."
"Uh... yeah."
"Sorry, I got caught up at... Work. Come on, I got something to show you guys." He stands up and begins walking into the dark of the forest, beckoning for us to follow...
"QUICK! GET DOWN!" He suddenly scrieches, digging his fingers into my arm and yanking me behind a bush. I peer through the branches and see a Watcher scanning it's surroundings. "Phew, that was a close call."
"Why do you have to hide from them?" I ask, frowning.
"Because if they catch me... They'll take me back to... The Place." Rope's brow is indented with deep lines of worry and the edges of his mouth turn down.
"Um... What's 'The Place'?" Lauren asks, curiosity hinting in her eyes. "If you mean the void then you shouldn't worry, the Elders will care for you, they always do." Lauren stops in her tracks when Rope turns on his heel to face her.
"I do not speak of that place." He replies, his face grey. "Let's just go, before someone else sees us."
We don't reply, just follow him through the hole in the fence, silent, swimming in a pool of thoughts. I anxiously step through the underbrush, following my footsteps from last night, now mud-encrusted.
Rope leads us to the fallen log, but just as I sit down to regain my breath, he turns sharply and motions for us to follow him further up the valley.
YOU ARE READING
The Nursery Rhyme
Teen FictionNoah, Lauren and Jack live in a world where polite behaviour and an impeccable manner is essential. Guardians monitor their every move, to ensure they follow the strict rules of the city. Everyone lives in perfect peace, just as everyone has always...
