Faerie's Aire and Death Waltz - John Stump

The Promised Land: (Part 15) Crash and Burn

“Ah, that’s much better,” Eden said as she ran a comb through the last wet tangle. After pulling her golden hair into a meticulous French braid, she looked at the finished product in a full-length mirror. Dirty blue jeans replaced with clean black ones and bloody brown sweater replaced with a burgundy turtleneck. With a satisfied nod at her reflection, Eden pulled on a pair of gray boots, gathered her belongings, and headed out into the maze of corridors once more.

Turning around a corner, Eden happened to see someone exit a room, close the door, and start walking away. She thought it was the same lady from the night before. What was her name again? Emily? Edna?

“Hey!” Eden called out. The woman stopped and turned around, a lock of dark curls falling into her face.

“Um, hi,” Eden said with a wave. “This is kind of awkward,” she thought as the woman looked back at her with a blank stare. “I’m Eden Teknia. Caden and I rode in your van on the way back from Jericho last night.” As she spoke, the lady walked closer to Eden with an expression of interest. The woman had on a long skirt that was brown, layered, and patched. She wore an off-white shirt with puffy sleeves under a dark blue shawl. She looked like someone dressing for another time period. The orange scarf was the only familiar article of clothing Eden recognized. For a long minute, Eden wondered if it was really the same woman. “You… you ARE the lady we rode back with… right?”

The older woman nodded. “Yes. My name is Ezra,” she said with a foreign accent. “It is a pleasure to meet you.” Eden reached out to shake the woman’s extended hand. As soon as their hands connected, Eden’s vision clouded and a flurry of images invaded her sight. The images were flashing far too fast for Eden to make any sense of them. With a terrified gasp, Eden yanked her hand back and stared at the foreigner in alarm.

“Forgive me,” Ezra apologized with a roll in her R. “I was… curious.”

“What was that?!”

“Your future.”

“Excuse me?” Eden wasn’t sure if she was agitated at the visions for coming without warning or at Ezra for barging into her mind and future without permission in the first place. “Definite stranger danger here,” she thought, but curiosity got the better of her and temporarily pacified her anger.

“What did you see? Do I ever get out of this place?”

Ezra calmly folded her hands together. “Only if you choose to leave.”

“What do you mean if I choose to?” Eden balked. “Of course I choose to! Tell me how to get back right now!”

“Forgive me for upsetting you,” Ezra said as she backed up and turned to leave. “Perhaps this conversation should be saved for later. Thank you for assisting with the children. Have a nice day.”

She was halfway down the hall by the time Eden recovered from her stunned state. “Wait!”

Ezra stopped and turned again.

“If you can see the future…” Eden’s mind tried to fit the pieces together. “Then you knew what would happen to Jericho.”

The woman nodded.

“But then… why didn’t you stop it from happening?”

Ezra exhaled slowly, almost as if strained, and thought for a moment before answering. “Jericho is not the reason I am here. I came to help the living make a difference.”

“Explain,” Eden demanded.

“You will see. Another time perhaps.” After a pause, Ezra asked, “May I leave?”

“One more.” Eden crossed her arms and stared hard at the lady. Thinking about all the comments Caden made about needing to find this mysterious woman, Eden asked, “Why does Caden have so much faith in you?”

Ezra pondered the question longer than Eden expected. Maybe she asked a question that actually stumped the woman. That thought made her feel a little better, though it didn’t quite make up for the feeling that people were hiding information from her. Finally, Ezra answered. “Perhaps because I have faith in him.” She tilted her head and smiled. “Try it some time. Farewell.” Without giving Eden a chance to reply, she disappeared around the corner.

“…Weird.” Eden turned around and walked the other way. She didn’t remember where she was going or what she was looking for before the strange meeting occured. Eden was too busy trying to figure out the storm of images she saw before pulling away. She saw a multitude of faces, most of them unfamiliar. Two faces stood out from the rest and kept showing up throughout the barrage. If Eden learned anything from meeting Ezra, it was that her future was closely linked to the twins. But why? Lost in thought, Eden easily missed the tiny bundle on the floor. Until she tripped over it, that is. 

“Owwww…” Eden picked herself up from the floor and brushed dirt off her “new” clothes. The faintest of sounds caught her attention. “Hm?” It was then she realized that a small child was curled up on the ground. “Oh, I am so sorry! I didn’t mean to fall on you. Are you ok?” Eden crouched next to the sad looking lump. The hooded child sniffled and buried its head. “Hey. You ok, sweetie? You’re not hurt, are you?” The kid sat up and shook its head. “I want to go home,” it whispered.

Eden cautiously reached out. The child didn’t move as she pushed back the hood. It was a young boy with auburn hair and grey eyes. “What’s your name?”

“Jordan.”

“How old are you?”

“Ten,” the kid said as he wiped his nose with an oversized sleeve.

Eden pursed her lips before asking, “Where are your parents?”

“I don’t know,” the boy said with a fresh wave of tears. “I was hiding in my room and they took them away.”

“Who?”

“Soldiers. They came yesterday and Mom told me to hide.”

A ball of emotion formed in the pit of Eden’s stomach. “How did you get here?”

“A lady found me and told me she would take me some place safe.”

Eden’s sorrow and compassion received a jolt of pity when the little boy asked, “Can I go home now?”

“Have you eaten yet?” Eden hoped the kid didn’t realize she was trying to avoid his question. Jordan shook his head. “I was hiding when the other kids went to eat.”

“Well, we can’t have you going home hungry.” Eden put as much hope and happiness into her voice as she could muster. “Why don’t we go find some food together?” She stood up and held out her open palm. Jordan placed his little tear-drenched hand in hers and they walked together. Though Eden was indeed hungry before, she found she had just lost her appetite. 

Hope - Remedy Drive

Hello. Been a hectic time so far. We hit KY, SC, NC, TN, and GA again. We stayed about a week in NC visiting relatives. That’s always bittersweet. It’s difficult to talk about God and the Bible with someone who wants to avoid it, particularly with a family member.

Anyway, I just wanted to sort of relax and chill out for a while.

Did you see the poll in the top right corner? Because this story is taking a lot longer than anticipated, I’m wondering if you guys want to see other stuff instead. So go check that out and help me get to a general consensus.

Whether or not you vote, I want to do a question and answer session with my characters. So feel free to ask any of my characters however many questions you want. No guarantee that all questions will get used in this character interview, but send as many as you like.

Send all questions to THIS address: blackberrymew(at)yahoo(dot)com

Be sure to put THE PROMISED LAND in the subject box, otherwise it will be ignored and sent into the abyss of time and space.

Don’t send your questions into the dark, cold abyss of time and space. Use the subject box.

If you ARE bored with The Promised Land, I have a new short story up in the Pages section at the top. My sisters thought it was creepy. O_o Oh well.

If not, here's some more. 

~*~*~

The Promised Land: (Part 14) Hope 

An empty battery blinked in the corner of the screen before it went black. Eden sighed and put her phone away. She was still in the room with Shiloh. In truth, she didn’t really feel like leaving him alone in his uncertain condition. She was starting to wonder where Caden wandered off to when Sunshine walked into the room.

“Oh, hello again,” the girl in the yellow dress said with a happy smile. “We were never properly introduced. My name is Hope.”

“I’m Eden.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” Hope stepped aside as the woman in the wheelchair entered. “This is my mother, Grace. I’m sorry to interrupt, but she would like to continue healing Shiloh. If you don’t mind, of course.”

Eden stood up and pulled her chair out of the way. “Not at all. He hasn’t woken up yet, so I was starting worry. You sure he’s going to be ok?”

Grace wheeled next to the bed and pulled back Shiloh’s sheets, his bloodstained shirt recently replaced with a faded green one. “It’s going to be a while before he wakes, dear,” the elderly woman said as her hands hovered over the wounded area. “His body has a lot of blood to make up in addition to the repairs.”

Eden stepped away from the bed and tilted her head. “Why not just get Caden to donate his blood? They’re twins, right? So they should be the same blood type.”

Grace gave a soft laugh. “That would make this easier, dear, but I’m afraid that won’t work. Although they were identical, the infection altered their DNA. As it stands, Caden’s blood would only harm Shiloh.”

“Oh, sorry,” Eden replied, unsure of how to respond. Her eyes widened in surprise when Grace’s hands started glowing blue. “Whoa. That’s cool.”

“We should leave them,” Hope whispered. With a nod, Eden followed Hope out of the room and down the hall. “I’m sorry for rushing you out. My mother’s power takes a lot of concentration.”

“No problem. My mom’s a doctor so I know what that’s like. Sort of,” Eden replied with a smile dimmed by memory.  She stopped in the middle of the hall and rubbed the back of her neck. Hope paused as well in patient curiosity.

“Um, I hate to bother you about this,” Eden started, “but I kind of need a shower and some new clothes. You think you might have some jeans that’ll fit me?”

Eden watched realization kick into Hope’s facial expression. “Oh! Of course! I’m sure we have something for you somewhere. Come with me!”

As if being granted new purpose, Sunshine bounced down the halls with a mission. She led Eden to a room lined with shelves and filled with boxes. Each wooden shelf had different sizes printed in black across the side. Hope pulled down a couple boxes and opened them. “This is the storage room. You might find something in here.”

Eden wasn’t sure how the frail-looking girl managed to haul the boxes around. They were at least two times bigger than her. One thing Eden never noticed before now was how she didn’t see a single strand of hair from under the girl’s white hat. Poking into one of the boxes, Eden pulled out a large shirt that was neither her style nor size. The cloud of dust the blouse brought sent her and Hope both into a coughing fit.

“Maybe not that one,” Hope said between coughs. She pulled out a trunk and unlatched the hinges. “Try this one.”

Eden pulled out a few articles that looked as though they might fit. Though she’d much rather have an outfit that was both clean, new, and fashionable, she’d have to make do with what was available, especially if she was going to be here a while.

“Find something?” Hope asked.

Eden nodded with a hum.

“That’s good.” Her host pointed out the doorway. “The showers are just around the corner on your left. I’ll have lunch ready for you when you’re done.”

~~~

Caden huffed and wiped the dirty sweat from his brow. With a confident smirk and narrow dark eyes, he sprinted toward his target. Caden swung his leg at the spinning orb. As soon as his foot made contact, he realized a drastic mistake in his calculation: the running back. The two boys crashed into each other before either one could slow down. Thankfully, neither player was seriously injured. Caden laughed in relief as he rubbed his sore leg. It had been far too long since he played any sort of sport for enjoyment. It reminded him of a time when things were different, a time that only existed ages ago. The children continued their game without Caden and he was just fine with that. Lying on the brown grass, he took some time to catch his breath. A cool breeze washed over the field, refreshing the worn-out teen.

“Having fun?” a familiar voice matched an equally familiar silhouette. Caden quickly stood up and brushed off his cargo pants.

“Course not,” Caden replied with a lighter tone in his signature sarcasm. When he looked back at the ongoing game, Hope giggled and brushed the dried grass off his back.

“Hah, thanks,” he said with a smile.

Hope tilted her head, the pink butterfly on her hat shimmering. “You should smile more often, Cay. A real smile, I mean. Not that one you get when you think you’re winning.”

Caden chuckled as he tried to think of a good comeback.

“That’s the one!” Hope exclaimed. “The one you’ve been hiding.”

Cay’s grin diminished as he ran a hand through his hair. "I can’t always afford to smile when the world’s at stake.”

“Good thing it’s free.” Hope’s light tone turned uncharacteristically somber. “The fate of the world isn’t your responsibility, you know.”

“Yes it is. I lived,” Caden thought to himself, but he didn’t tell her that. How could he? He survived the illness and recovered with abilities beyond that of an average human his age. Not only that, but he and Shiloh now possessed something that might be the key to saving people around the globe, a key he could not afford to let fall back into enemy hands. A phrase his father often said snaked through Caden’s thoughts, “Take every chance you get to help someone.” As long as he had that key, the world WAS his responsibility. He had a duty to save others, especially those he cared about.

“Cay.” Concern flooded Hope’s voice. “You can’t help everyone who needs you.”

“I know, but I need to try.”

“Even if you try, you have to let go of those you can’t save.”

Caden looked straight into her brown eyes. “I’ll never let you go.”

After a second of surprise, Hope started crying.

“Uh-oh, what did I say?” he thought.

“I-I’m sorry,” the confused and slightly panicked lad stammered. “I didn’t mean to make you cry.” Hope lowered her head and hid her tears under the brim of her hat, though Caden could still see them trickle down her fluorescent red cheeks.

Attempting to fix the situation, he pulled out a light pink bandana from his pant leg pocket and handed it to Hope. “T-this is for you.”

“What is it?” Hope asked as she took it and studied the white butterfly print.

Caden jammed both hands into his pockets and muttered. “I saw it in Smyrna so I got it for you. If you don’t like it, you can give it to-”

“It’s beautiful!” Hope exclaimed as she threw her arms around him in a big hug. “Thank you.” After taking a few moments to quit crying, she let go and wiped her tears. “I have a gift for you too, remember? Come with me!”

White Dove - Scorpions

Happy successful rebellion day, fellow Americans! 

I can't help but be patriotic myself. My siblings are all out at camp this week, so I'm enjoying the silence. It's been raining everywhere we've been, but I don't mind. I'm happy with any reprieve from the humidity. We're still traveling around, currently in TN. 

Go have fun eating hot dogs and saving the world from aliens. ^_^

Maybe check up on Caden and Shiloh in your spare time. And Eden too, I suppose. 

The Promised Land: (Part 13) White Dove 

When Teknia woke up, light was streaming through the window above her head. Eden sat up and stretched with a yawn. The beds around her were empty, sheets and covers abandoned in crumpled piles, but she could hear children laughing outside. The events from yesterday seemed like merely a dream. Were it not for the splotches of dried blood on her dirty jeans, she wouldn’t have believed they really happened at all.

Eden wiped the sleep from her eyes and stood up. After another long stretch, she left the room and headed down the hall in the direction she thought she came down last night. With some wandering, Eden found the room Shiloh was resting in. He was still sleeping, no change from the night before. Caden was sitting in the same chair from last night, probably having fallen asleep at some point by his brother’s side. For once, they both looked completely content. Cay’s head, resting by his twin’s shoulder, moved slightly as he breathed. Though both twins were covered in grime, a stark contrast to the clean sheets, Eden found the overall scene adorable. She dug her phone out of a jean pocket and quickly snapped a picture. The simulated “click” of her phone’s camera was loud enough to wake Caden. He jolted upright and reached for his gun. In his haste, he knocked over his own chair and found himself sprawled on the ground, eyes red and gun poised. His expression of controlled wrath turned to one of confusion as his mind grasped the situation.

“Whoa there, quick draw,” Eden said as she put her phone away and walked toward him with her hands in the air. “Slow down before you hurt someone.” She offered a hand to help him up.

“Heh, sorry. Habit.” Caden grasped Eden’s hand firmly as she pulled him to his feet. “Thanks.”

“No prob.”

Putting away his weapon Caden stretched with a grunt. He ran both hands through his hair, rubbed his stiff back, and then switched to rubbing his eyes.

“You all right?” Eden asked as she picked up the chair.

He stopped rubbing and blinked a few times as his eyes returned to their original color. “Tired.”

“I can tell,” she stood back with her arms folded and looked him up and down. “You should try to get some more sleep while you can.”

“I’d love to, but I have things I need to take care of.” Caden scooped his windbreaker and sack from the cold floor and hung them on the chair.

“Dude, you seriously need to relax. You’re killing yourself here.”

“I’ll live.” Leaving it at that, Caden glanced at his sleeping brother then left the room.

Eden plopped into the chair beside the bed with a sigh. “He takes life way too seriously.”

Turning her attention to Shiloh, she patted the covers and said, “Hang in there, kid. Someone’s got to take care of that boy and it’s not going to be me.”

~

Caden continued down the halls until he came across an old cafeteria. Hope was stacking dirty plates at one of the tables. Streams of filtered light shone on the sparkly pink butterfly pinned to her white hat. When she noticed him, her face lit up with a bright smile.

“Oh, hi Cay! Did you rest well? Is Shy doing better?”

“He’s fine. Grace did a good job healing him last night.” Caden muttered as he watched her finish stacking plates then attempt to lift them. “I’ll get those for you.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” Hope said, but moved aside as Caden came and lifted the entire stack of thirty-eight china plates.

“Where do these go?”

“Oh, just over here. Follow me.” Hope led him to the back of the room and through an opening into the kitchen. “You must be hungry. I’ll fix some lunch for you,” Hope said as she started pulling food out of a large silver refrigerator. Her yellow dress swirled around her knees as she moved from the counter to the fridge and back. Caden, as gently as he could, set the heavy stack of plates into a deep, metal sink. He turned to lean against the sink and shoved his hands into his pockets.

Hope filled a clean plate with fried rice, mixed vegetables, and a slice of bread.

“It’s a little cold. We can heat it up in the microwave real quick if you want.” She was in the process of putting the food away when she realized Caden hadn’t moved or said anything. “Cay?”

After a moment of silence and staring at the ground, he looked up and asked, “How long have you been here?”

Hope detected the somberness in his voice. “Almost a year now. They banned Diseased in Alcor not long after you left.”

“I never knew.” His face turned downward.

“Don’t feel bad about it.” Hope’s smile and cheery voice returned. “Hey! I have something for you! You can eat first though. And I have to finish these dishes. Why don’t you go eat outside? It’s such a lovely day. I’ll come join you when I’m finished.”

“But I-”

“Hush, now take your food and go outside.” Hope said as she brought the plate and a fork to Caden, pressed them into his hands, and hurried him out the side door.

The 16 year old exhaled loudly before chuckling to himself. There was no stopping Hope once she had her mind set on something. As pushy and talkative as she could get every now and then, he knew she meant well. There were very few people in this world Caden could ever call his friend and she was one of the best. She and Shiloh both always looked for the best in people, even when Caden didn’t believe there was any to be found.

Emerging from the shadowy overhang, he carried his plate down a set of concrete stairs. Once he reached the bottom, Caden sat on the second to last step and enjoyed his food. As Hope had said, it was a nice day. The sun was actually shining through various gaps in the clouds, providing warmth to the cold earth below. All of the children were on the playground. Little kids were swinging, sliding, and climbing on the jungle gym. A group of girls sat in a circle and played with dolls. A number of the older boys had a game of soccer and football going on at the same time. One of the boys accidentally kicked the soccer ball harder than intended and it wound up three feet from where Caden sat. The boys stopped playing and watched him expectantly.