A New Leaf

A NEW LEAF

Mankind’s struggles with greed and strife as a whole finally ended in a cataclysmic war. Now, the hope was that the survivors would rise from the ashes of thousands of years of conflict and relentless pursuits, and would turn over a new leaf.

Such was the theory hoped for by many to be enacted, as a transformative turn toward the ideal principles of goodness, righteousness, and true humanity.

This hope for now, however, would be delayed.

The fomenters of this theory had failed to consider the idea that some of these potential survivors would be aggressors; ones who survived and who had learned no lessons from what they and their ancestors had previously sown. Humans had ignored the other victims in this great tragedy as well; the earth and life on it. Being hell bent on continuing their selfish pursuits, their actions would thus delay, but hopefully not forever ruin, mankind’s new rise.

This is where our story begins.

Miri went to gather kindling for the fire. These days, kindling and branches were almost one and the same as many of the trees struggled to regenerate and thrive.

“ What are you doing, Miri? Didn’t I tell you to gather the sticks and bring them inside? You know we can’t be outside too long what with the air and all of the damage done,…so please, get inside.”

Miri hugged her sister and did as she was told. She then went to place the pile of kindling into the fireplace.

A necklace fell from the sticks and dangled from the grate. It was a heart-shaped locket. It was quite dirty, with old dried mud. She pulled it out and tried to clean it with her apron.

“ Amar, look!” Miri said. “Oh wow, what’s that? It looks dirty and old!“

“ Yes, but-" Miri said.

“We don’t have a lot of safe water right now but I can see that you like it. Put a little water in that wood bowl and let it sit .”

“ Okay.” Miri said.

She decided to gently clean the necklace by hand instead. She wondered what was inside. Her sister didn’t seem concerned. She was preoccupied with fixing things up, while waiting for their parents to return.

Cans of food were on the shelf. Miri watched as her sister grabbed a can of beans, wiped it off and contemplated opening it.

“It will be beans again, Miri.”

Miri cleaned the heart locket to the best of her ability. Maybe she could give it to her mom on their return. It was quite small. If only she could open it. She wondered what was inside- couuld it be a message, a photo, or something else. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind could be heard. The door flew open, as leaves and dust blew in. The door slammed into the pail left nearby knocking it backwards, startling Miri and Amar. The locket fell and opened after hitting the floor.

Amar picked it up. She excitedly looked inside of it.

“What is it?” Miri exclaimed, “ What?!”

“Seeds? I was expecting a picture or a message...seeds …” Amar said, somewhat disappointed.

“What will we do with them? Let’s plant them now!” said Miri.

“Well, we could, but I think it’s too cold …. Let’s put them in this cloth and save them till it gets warmer. Mom and dad will know when it’s best to try.”

Miri put the locket around her neck. She wanted to wear it, though the anticipation of what was in it had not met with reality. She was also getting hungry and wondering when her parents would return.

She peered out of the window, looking for any sign of them.

“When will they be back?” Miri asked her sister.

“I have a feeling, very soon. No need to fear. There are marauders but mom and dad are skilled. I’m confident they will return like they always do. Let’s ready the house and prepare dinner for when they get back.”

“With only beans?" Said Miri.

“Yes, Miri it’s all we have right now. I’ll season them some. Hopefully, they will be bringing back some food, and we can have a nicer meal tomorrow and maybe even the rest of the week. Be grateful Miri, this food keeps us going.”

“You’re right. It does. I just wish we could eat like mom said people did before.”

“Well, Miri, according to the writings that wasn’t always the best. Food had some poisons. Even the healthy food wasn’t as healthy as they said.”

“Do you think the time will ever come when everything will be good? Will things get better?”

“I have hope they will. So do mom and dad. I mean they say things are looking promising. Hopefully, very shortly, there will come true relief. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

Amar hugged her sister, and resumed preparing the food. She placed the beans in the fireplace.

Miri was starting to feel hopeful. She looked forward to a future time of security, peace and order. Sometimes Amar would say things only to comfort Miri even when she wasn’t sure. This time, she had special confidence in her sister’s words, and in her current actions. Preparing supper was a sure sign of their parents’ imminent return.

After starting the fire, she sat and stared into the flames a bit and then her mind drifted towards the heart locket. She got up and looked for it, and decided to put it on. The seeds, she thought, could very well be planted now. She got them and took them outside to the back, in a space where they’d tried to grow things before. She planted them, with a bit of water, and then marked the spot. Frost would be gone soon, and she hoped that they would then grow and eventually flourish. Curious to see what they would become, she imagined that this would have been the intent of the heart locket’s owner.

Just then, there was a coded knock on the door. She heard voices. It was her parents. She ran inside, so happy to see her mom and dad. They all embraced one another.

“Oh girls we are so happy to see you!” They exclaimed. “Everything ok? Sorry, no food this time. It’s tough out there still. But from what we can see, things are getting better. We’ll talk more during supper!” They went to their room to freshen up a bit.

Miri would wait and tell them about the seeds; that is, if her sister didn’t tell them first. If the seeds grew, she thought it might mean that the ground, the earth, was beginning to thrive. She closed her eyes and grasped the heart locket. She had hope that the seeds would mean a new start; a final new beginning so long delayed by many of the survivors of the Great War.