A Century Since Green

“Our luck with meat today. Uncanny.”

“It’s a sign of good fortune for us!”

“Us.”

“Yes, all of us!”

“All of us. Sure.”

Undi brushed Ovi’s suspicions to the side. Everyone in the village has been on the receiving end of it, or her equally natural anger, or her bitterness, her jealousy. Of course, no one had to endure Ovi as much as Undi, and as long as Undi lived with Ovi, everyone who wished to be with Undi will be susceptible to Ovi for all eternity.

Forever shall end today.

Undi believed it had ended a year ago when the two of them found an orange tree. A completely healthy orange tree with foot-long oranges ripe on the branches with some rotting on the grass below. Just moments before, Undi merely wished to go for a walk in the nearby green, wanted to see the bush with the enormous orange flowers, and Ovi, sick as she so often was, had little strength to refuse. Very rarely have they left such safety.

The first time had been their hometown village, buried underneath the fervor of a new Shepherd, a new leader who feared the green and promised that the brown has always protected the brown children of the world, and will continue to do so, as long as the green became black ash.

Neither Undi nor Ovi cared at all for the new religion or all the bush burning they had to do as long as the meat stayed. It wasn’t until the new leader demanded twins, the symbol of growth, to be sacrificed from their own village, that Ovi took their legs far away- after breaking through their bonds.

Then the caravan! Nobody knew Ovi, and kept their company. Undi realized she and her twin were considered… pretty. They were tall and strong; she was nice and sweet- perfect for a caravan getting bigger every day. They kept both towards the front to introduce new people or trap new meat. They wrapped them in the gorgeous red and black linens of the main family, and people would say such lovely things.

“I came because I saw them. They’re quite pretty, and the thickness of their robes. Is this what living here is like?”

Then Ovi made herself quite known, and being alone gradually became the norm once again.

“My Prince, over here!”

Hand-in-hand with the prince, Undi walked with him to his Second Guard, with his First and Third Guard joining them shortly. The First Guard had two arms holding an umbrella over the prince’s head, another pair aimed at the ceiling of the ruins for falling debris, and a third on his hips.

“More fantastic meat!” the Second Guard exclaimed, blinking her eight eyes randomly. “Alive! We may pray our apologies entirely. What fortune!”

They circled around the massive mound of a week-old meat, with more arms and legs than one could properly live with. Undi couldn’t even see its head, or heads.

They held hands, reciting the Fifth Compromise, amended for their number: “This is murder. You have lived your life as we live ours. As such, we are wrong. Forgive us our trespasses, as we see a life in waste. A life in waste is meat in waste. Meat shall not be wasted.”

Together they repeated, “Meat shall not be wasted.” Then, the Second Guard, surer of its innards’ location, stabbed the meat dead.

Praying with other people made Undi suddenly remember the loneliness of the back of the caravan, and how it had absolutely no comparison to being absolutely alone.

Ovi wanted to hide the fruit and eat them at their leisure, but Undi wanted to see everyone surprised, happy, proud! That didn’t happen, as most of the caravan tried to steal their orange tree. Fortunately, they were tall and strong, and the main family hid them in black to sneak away in the night.

So there they went and were. For an entire month. Ovi called it the greatest time of their lives. Undi, the direct opposite. Keeping the orange tree upon their back saved her among the brown, saved them both, although Ovi would never admit it. Just as she wouldn’t admit that Undi’s habit of befriending anyone and everyone- including the cartographer of the caravan- came in handy. Undi remembered a city nearby. Despite her knowledge, they ran out of meat.

Undi refused to eat the oranges. She blocked Ovi’s mouth so that she couldn’t eat them herself. There was nothing she could do about their arms and legs most of the time, but with her head being in front of and below? Blocking she could do.

Luckily, they reached the city of metal, stone, and green! A magical place with fields of green, ruins, more people Undi could ever remember. They had found paradise! Or hell, depending on the twin.

Being tall, pretty, and strong got them inside; knowing the True Ways and the Ten Compromises had them staying; and their orange tree got themselves an audience with royalty.

The prince.

Prince Ji-an. The tallest person they’ve met, even taller than themselves.

However, he said upon seeing them, “You ladies are so tall! May I… hug you?”

“Stay your arms, Prince.”

“I want a hug!”

Undi only managed control of one arm, but Prince Ji-an finished the hug, and they looked into each other’s eyes, and Undi realized the man was utterly perfect. Other than his oppressive height, he seemed like an angel bringing back the Compromises. Undi felt for the first time a burn in her stomach, her mind, her heart. She will never leave the green and metal and stone city. She’ll stay with Ji-an until the end of time!

“You say his name in your sleep.”

“I had a dream with him. A hot dream.”

“Disgusting.”

“By the True Way, Ovi, I think I am hot for him.”

Ovi snarled, “You don’t know anything about that. We do not bleed. Only Bleeds can breed. A Prince will want an heir as much as he wants the crown.”

“He can breed with someone else.”

“He will not waste time with you.”

Yet Ji-an wanted nothing more than to waste time with them. He had a living father and mother who seemed to want nothing more than for Ji-an to spend his time with The Great Twins, symbol of growth, who had brought a fruit tree which continued to grow, providing enormous fruit. More fruit, berries, soon started growing among the vines suffocating the metal ruins, ruins that had been built atop of the ruins buried deep within the ground. Some said the metal reached hell, poisoning the earth, but now that they have been dead for so long, the brown ground was healing, and a healed ground was green.

At least, that was what the city Shepherd said. The best part of her, though, was that she cared not if anyone believed, which only made her all the more convincing.

“She is only so believable because all of you want to believe her. She is no more right or wrong than any other Shepherd.”

“….You didn’t say the prayer when we found that animal earlier.”

“Why should animals receive a prayer of the Seventh Compromise?”

“We are stealing their lives!”

“They will not pray for us.”

“We do not pray to receive.”

“Idiot. You sound like the Shepherd.”

“Well-”

“Shut up, before I walk us home.”

“Yes, Ovi.”

Ovi would send them home. She could send them home now.

They continued walking the central ruins for meat from other villages. Their city worked in tandem with other cities, as if they wished to make a holy country of old. They discarded their meat here, and since all the cities were so enormous, the meat was bountiful between them, instead of building up among friends and family who couldn’t bring themselves to make meat out of friends and family.

“What is that sound?”

“I don’t hear anything.”

“Enough of this farce, Undi. There is something clinking on your side. Your shoulder.”

“I don’t have to tell you.”

“That Prince gave you something a week ago, when I had that fever. Is that it?”

“You already know!”

Undi fought for control just as Ovi did, but once Ovi put her mind into it, as always, Undi could never win. Ovi grabbed the specially made epaulette Undi had been hiding well enough for a week. Undi always received clothing, ever since they were actually small, but the shoulder piece became the first thing she had ever hidden from Ovi’s knowledge.

“It looks like a behind ending in our privates.”

“Ji-an says it is a ‘heart’.”

“We have seen hearts. This not such a thing. It opens like a door! What a useless, broken object.”

“Nonetheless,” Ji-an spoke. “It is eons old. Beautiful. A proper gift for you both.”

“Both? She has hidden it from me. Not like I want it. I would sell it.”

For the first time, Undi heard anger in Ji-an's voice. “If you do not want it, Undi does. And if Undi shall not have it for your sake, I will have it back.”

Undi protested at once, “But your proposal?”

“I’ll not take that away as well!”

Ovi whispered, “Proposal?”

“I’ll marry you. Both of you.”

“I do not want to be married. So Undi will not be.”

“How unfair, Ovi! Let her have something for herself.”

“She has EVERYTHING!” Ovi screeched. “She is beautiful!”

“So are you!”

“She is nice!”

“Then, be nice, Ovi!”

“So strong and brown.”

“As are you!”

This conversation had everywhere became the same result: “I won’t be swayed by sweet words. We won’t be married!”

Ji-an grabbed their hands, now firmly Ovi’s. “As long as you live in the city, I shall love you, both of you, as you are, even if it is only Undi who acknowledges me.”

“Is that so?”

She jumped back, swung back her arm, and Undi’s world sputtered black. The locket twinkled in the rare sunlight. That twinkle! The beautiful promise of forever!

“I will burn all the green!” promised Ovi. “You’ll have to exile us then- unless you leave us alone.”

“No.”

“Shush!”

“No.”

“Shut up!”

“…This… is murder. You have lived your life as I have lived mine.”

“Fool. I have control.”

“As such, I am wrong. Forgive me my trespasses, as I see a life in waste.”

“My life is to waste yours.”

“A life in waste is meat in waste. Meat shall not be wasted.”

“And who shall make me meat?”

“Ji-an.”

“Wh…What?”

Undi closed her eyes, pleading in a whisper, “I told you it would end this way.”

“My Second!” ordered the prince.

Undi felt a jerk over her shoulder, no other sound. She saw the tip of the guard’s spear dripping with blood, nothing more. Her heart hardened with guilt, then unfurled with the sudden realization that she was finally free. Free of the head of meat that grew on her back and jutted awkwardly off to the side. Meat that was determined to make her miserable, although Undi forever made excuses for her. That ended today.

“My love?” Ji-an stood before her.

Undi’s heart blossomed. She opened her mouth to tell her fiancé that they should go look for the locket, raised her arms to hold this man.

She could not speak, or move.

She fell backwards.

“Is Ovi not dead?”

“She’s dead.”

“Who is in control then?”

The First placed a sympathetic hand on Ji-an’s shoulder. “No one, my Prince.”

“No, no. They were so beautiful, Heavyarms.”

“Yes, my Prince.”

Tears formed on Undi’s unblinking eyes, as they dried in the air. Her beautiful life with a beautiful love in a beautiful city of beautiful green…

“This meat shall go to waste.”

“My Prince?”

“To waste. I will take care of them myself.”

“That is a bone-deep sin, my Prince.”

“Close her eyes. Her eyes will dry out.”

Undi then saw nothing. She felt nothing. Forever.