The Great Tear

“On the count of three, run as fast as you can!” yelled Payden at her little brother. The violent winds whipped the debris around the siblings. Payden looked around the corner. When the coast was clear she counted to three.

“Go Raiden!”. She pushed the wheelchair and whispered. “Hold on tight grandma.” They began to run straight to the abandoned library. With the wind at their tail they made it to the doors. Rain and hail began to beat at Payden's back. She quickly slammed into the doors, which opened. Raiden pushed their grandma into the library. Payden pulled out of her backpack chains with a lock and proceeded to chain the front doors.

Raiden dropped his backpack and fell into the nearest chair. “I can't believe this place is still standing, and empty.” Payden scrutinized the lower level of the library.

“You're right, I’ll be right back.” Payden takes out her stun gun and flashlight. “Stay with grandma.” She walked around the first floor and checked the offices and bathrooms. She quickly checked the second floor. Satisfied, she slowly descended the stairs. Raiden pulled out his radio and began cranking it. A news report began to come through.

Its January 15, 2080, 20 years have passed since the vile vortices began to widen and tear. Half of the world's population lost to the vortices. The phenomenality of the mysterious triangles have been an interest to scientists for many centuries. Scientists knew the 12 triangles were dangerous but never in a million years could they predict this destruction. As people scramble to get as far as they could away from the still widening and tearing vortices. The meteorological phenomenon is occurring in a constant state. Many places have created pods to live in so the elements will not kill them. The government has made a law that those who cannot afford a pod must sign up to live and work for those who have them.

Raiden turned off the radio. The three sat in silence. The far away sounds of multiple tornadoes could be heard. Payden got up and checked the windows.

“We should get settled in the back office since it doesn't have windows and wait out the storms” Raiden began to pick up their backpacks and radio then headed to the back. Payden pushed her grandma’s wheelchair. Once she settled her grandma in a snugged corner of the office. Payden began to take out the photo of her parents. As she looked at the photo, Raiden looked over her shoulder.

“Mom and dad would be shocked to hear that people have to sign up to be slaves!” Raiden landed hard on a chair. “What does that make us?” he asked as he turned to look at his sister. Payden placed the photo beside her grandma.

“Well I am not surprised, Scouters have been after us for years, now they can kidnap people legally.” Payden sat down on the floor beside her grandma. Grandma Milly began to caress her hair. Payden asked, “Tell me about life before the great tear.” Grandma smiled with a far away look. She began to describe the bright blue skies, a valley of flowers. She told her how she would lie in the grass just letting the sun warm her face. She explained to Payden that the simple life sustains and nourishes the earth. And she forgot that all those years she worked as a scientist for the government. Sadness across her face told Payden that grandma was thinking of her mom. Payden grabbed her hand and rubbed her soft skin.

“Don't start blaming yourself again, you didn't know what would happen to mom.” “She thought she had the answer to stop the vortices from getting worse.” Grandma shook her head. “I never taught your mother how to survive outside of a book.” “I was raised to know both worlds, I know how to live off the land as well to work in a lab.” Payden hugged and kissed her grandma.

“Well you made up for it because me and Raiden know how to live off the land and hunt.” “You have nothing to be ashamed of, okay” She looked into her grandma's teary eyes.

“Mom thought going to the Bermuda triangle was the key to stopping the tear.” “When she and dad disappeared we knew we would be okay because we had you.”

“Yeah grandma, you saved our lives,” Said Raiden. “Our ancestors would be proud.” Grandma looked at her grandchildren, “I am so proud of you two, embracing your native side has kept all of us safe.” Payden pulled out a thick warm blanket and tucked her grandma into a small sofa. As she began to make a pallet on the floor she overheard her grandma humming a beautiful song. Payden sat on her bed and closed her eyes. The song seemed to quiet the winds just as it was quieting her mind. Even Raiden got comfortable on two chairs that he turned into a makeshift bed.

“That’s beautiful grandma, why haven't we heard that song before?” Payden asked. Grandma Milly opened her eyes and thought about the question. “For some reason I just remembered my mom used to sing it to me when the thunderstorms used to scare me.”

Raiden chuckled, “Man, we could have used that song a few weeks ago when that earthquake hit.” Payden smiled but looked at her grandma with curiosity. “Grandma, what is your theory of the vile vortices?” Grandma caressed Payden’s cheek.

“You need to understand the Earth evolves like we do, the great tear is just the beginning of its evolution.” Payden was contemplating what she said. Then her grandma continued.

“The twelve triangles that make up the vile vortices also form a shape called icosahedron. This is a sacred geometry shape. It symbolizes transformation and equilibrium.” She looked for understanding in her granddaughter's eyes. “There are two vortices that are the most powerful, which are the Bermuda triangle and the Easter Island megaliths.” “Our ancestors believed that these two triangles needed something to tame the tear and help the Earth heal.”

“What will help the Earth heal?” asked Payden. Grandma sat up and shuffled through her shirt, until she found the right necklace.

“It takes the minerals and crystals of the land to help it.” “This locket was passed down from generation to generation, I was going to give this to your mom but she thought science will heal the planet.” With tears in her eyes she placed the locket around Payden's neck. Raiden quickly sat up to get a better look at the necklace. The black heart shaped locket with the icosahedron shape embossed on the outside. Payden opened the locket and she saw twelve small crystals inside. “What are these?”

Her grandma smiled and said, “They are called moonstones, it’s believed they have the energy of the moon and they promote healing and balance.” “The legend is a brave warrior sings the song of calmness while dropping one stone in the water.” “The song and stone work together to stop anymore tearing and the storms, tornadoes, hurricanes etc will lessen and the sun will shine brighter once again.”

Raiden smiled and hugged his grandma, “That would be nice.” Payden closed the locket and began to ask more questions.

“So if the Bermuda triangle and Easter Island are the most powerful, I guess they would be the first to go to?”

Grandma Milly looked up from her book and observed Payden. “I guess that would make the most sense but it is far too dangerous to try and it’s just a legend.”

As weeks went by Payden asked many questions about the legend and the song. They made a secure home in the abandoned library. Payden and Raiden are excellent hunters so food was not hard to find. She cleaned up and stored some non-perishable food. She stopped and looked at her brother while he slept. She noticed that he has grown up. He just turned 17 and was already taller than her. Then she sat by her grandma, who slept quietly with a book over her chest. Payden sat at a desk and wrote two letters. She put one letter beside her grandma and one by her brother. She picked up her backpack and left from a back exit of the library that automatically locked behind her. She looked one last time at the library and pulled out the locket. “I guess it's time to find out if folklore outdo science.” She put the necklace inside her shirt. As she walked she hummed the song of her ancestors.