Freedom We Reap

“Manny, you’re hurt!”

“What did you expect? I wasn’t out for a walk in the park. The warden thought I wasn’t working hard enough. Here’s today’s wages: a bag of carrots and tubers.”

“Let me clean up the wound.”

“No. Don’t be an idiot. We can’t afford to waste the little water we have.”

“Do you always have to be so rude? She worries about us.”

“Oh, hey, son. I wasn’t expecting you back so soon.”

“I found a shortcut to the water lines.”

“David, you must be careful. You, more than others, know how severely the Morendai punish what they deem as insubordination. Those blue-skinned demons have no morals.”

“Yes, Mama. I know. I’m always careful.”

“I’m proud of you, son. We need to be resourceful if we are to survive this invasion.”

“You always encourage him to be reckless. It’s your fault those creatures cut off three of his fingers.”

“And you would have him be a sniveling slave.”

“Stop arguing. I have news. Something strange happened on my way home. Before I took my detour, I ran into a man who said you owe him two potatoes and a loaf of bread. He said he expects payment by midnight tomorrow. His name is Jaime Correl.”

“Yes, I know Jaime. He speaks the truth.”

“Really? You’re so stingy. I find it hard you’d owe anyone anything.”

“Very funny. You’re coming with me tomorrow when I deliver what is owed.”

“Don’t bring him into this, Manny. The boy has suffered enough already.”

“He’ll be a man soon. It’s time.”

“I’d like to go with you, Papa.”

“Good.”

***

“It’s time to leave.”

“Why so early, Papa?”

“David, I love you so very much. Be careful, son.”

“Mama, every day, the same thing. Please, don’t look so sad. I love you, too. I’m just accompanying Papa on his errand.”

“Here, take this. Some leftover carrots from yesterday’s dinner and water.”

“Thank you, Mama. Here’s an extra kiss and a hug to put a smile on your face.”

“Thank you, sweetie. And goodbye.”

“Papa, is this going to be a long trek?”

“Yes. You ask too many questions. Let’s go.”

“Mama can be a bit dramatic, but I hate to see her so stressed. So, since when do you know this Jaime Correl? I know all your friends, Papa. I don’t know him.”

“Shush. Hopefully, the Morendai guard doesn’t give us too much trouble. I’ll do the talking at the checkpoint.”

“Where are you going, human?”

“To the trading post to barter with these food items.”

“Go ahead.”

“Well, that was easy.”

“Spare the commentary. You know they have surveillance and listen in to even the most casual conversations.”

“So, not only is this going to be a long walk. It’s going to be a silent one, too.”

“Shush.”

“Whoa, what was that, Papa? An explosion?”

“We must hurry. The diversion will only gain us a few hours.”

“The diversion? And since when do you grab me by the hand?”

“Shush.”

“Where are we going? You’ve warned me never to walk into the forest. Scared me to death as a child with stories of it being a dangerous place with wild creatures and crazed people living on the fringe of society.”

“We need to hurry.”

“Boy, this is turning into quite the adventure.”

“Let’s take shelter in that cave over there.”

“Thank goodness. It’s already nighttime. We’ve been walking all day. Aren’t you tired?”

“Shush. Here. Have some bread and carrots.”

“I thought the bread was payment for that guy, Jaime.”

“Never mind that. Eat and drink some water, too. David, we need to have a serious conversation.”

“Umm...OK.”

“I have never mentioned this to you before. My great-grandfather told me that this lush forest was once reduced to ashes.”

“The Morendai destroyed our planet, right?”

“No, son, we did that all on our own with our pointless wars. The Morendai arrived and took advantage of our divisions. They cleaned up our mess, restored our planet’s natural beauty, but took over and enslaved us. How do you feel about that?”

“It’s time to forget about the past and the old wars. We must unite and get our freedom back, now. If I ever have children, I don’t want them to live subjugated to Morendai rule.”

“I agree, son. That is why I’ve brought you here. Follow me.”

“Where is this tunnel leading to? Whoa, look at all this electrical equipment and computers. Papa, what’s going on? Who are these people, and how do they have power and all this futuristic-looking stuff? What about those kids with them?”

“Son, there is nothing advanced about what you see before you. This is old equipment from a time before tragic wars and alien invasion erased centuries of technology.”

“Welcome.”

“Wow, they even have a sound system.”

“You’ve taken an important step in reclaiming our planet. Cadets, your training begins tomorrow.”

THE END