Hidden Oasis

Life on Earth was altered greatly after the great sickness, I have heard and read of this, but it was before my time. My life has been sad and lonely, the council controls us. They tell us what to do, when, and how to do it, my biggest problem with this is I’m not like everyone else. I hide my differences and push others out of my life even as they ask.

“Why do you have no friends or family.”

“I don’t want them.”

“Does this not bother you?”

“No, why would it, I need no one other than myself.”

People leave me alone, I’m that good of a liar. In my world differences are bad, you must blend in and never stand out, this is how I survive, eat, and hopefully have a normal life span. My only goal is to find what my ancestors lead me to. I work as a scavenger which allows me access to the outside world.

I feel free once I’m out of the compound and searching among the ruins that are all that is left of a wonderful civilization, or so I have read. One day I find what I’m looking for, I was with that team on purpose. As soon as I heard where they were heading, I was the first to sign up. The head scavengers favor me because of my size and endurance.

When you are only five feet tall and petite you can fit into small spaces, also I never quit working, no matter what. The more we bring back, the more we eat, we work hard to find anything that can be reused and recycled.

On this day I wake up knowing, today is the day, when the head scavenger calls, “Aurora.”

I happily jog over, on this trip I’m going to retrieve more than a can of green beans or a pudding pack. I will find a missing piece from my family heritage, last night I fell asleep re-reading one of my mother's journals.

She writes of many generations from her family, I am lucky to have a faded picture of her. We look much alike, pixie-faced with dark curly hair, and blue eyes. In these books, I learn of her family that lived in a house together with their mates and children, they were special with a unique connection.

Each female had a locket, which helped in forging their connection. I dream of the locket and the females, I have a bond with them that I don’t understand, and have to hide. It’s one of my secrets that makes me different from everyone.

The great sickness took the house quickly, and the cleansing was performed. The burning helped no one, but the leaders feel better. This is the area of the wastelands that we are traveling to, that was once my ancestor's home.

How I know where to look is another of my secrets, I have vision dreams, I have seen the home, and the place where one of the lockets can be located. These visions don’t center around my family, I know what people are going to do before they do it. This is not always the case, but it happens often.

When I was younger, I would warn people before they entered an area of sickness. They never believed me beforehand, and after they labeled me, “The Bringer of Death.”

They wished to persecute and kill me, the warnings had to stop, my crime was being different. My life has not been easy, but whose has? Once I have the locket, my hope is my ancestors will stop tormenting me. They show me a place that is lush and green, with clean water and fresh air. Their images are torturous, we have no good water or sweet air.

There is nothing green, only dead and dusty land. Once we arrive I make sure to fill my quota quickly, a girl has to eat. Then sneak off to the black and dusty mound that was once my family’s home. When I locate the place I’m looking for, I start to dig, which takes hours, but I know that I have to keep going.

I’m rewarded when my hand closes around a locket, I try to open the latch, but it’s too twisted for me to budge it. I place it in my secret compartment, under my armpit. We are searched when we leave and enter our compound. This is one area I know they don’t look closely, and my compartment is skin-colored.

On my way to rejoin the group, I think of someone I know who can open the locket. He repairs old and damaged goods for a price, I can’t trust him, I trust no one. At the compound where you turn your neighbor in for sneezing, so that you may eat an extra slice of bread, it’s not safe to trust anyone.

We are always kept on the edge of starvation, so I can’t blame them for this. It’s one way for the council to keep tight control over everyone. Once I have been cleared to reenter and am back in, I search out Ja-har. He wishes to be my friend, possibly even more than that.

He is tall, with golden skin, and bright green eyes, many call him handsome. I pay little attention to him unless I need his help with artifacts from the time before. Most females my age have many young ones, I’m proud to have none. My body will stay intact, as it was when I started life, no matter what age I die.

Something else I don’t worry about, old or young doesn’t matter. Old age is forty and they usually die from starvation and dehydration, when they are deemed no longer useful for our compound. It’s not a pleasant way to end one’s life, I hope to end life on an adventure searching for something better.

Ja’har grins lewdly when I enter his home, made with straw walls and a cardboard ceiling. Dust covers everything, but it’s a place to be proud of because he can call it his own.

My eyes roll, “Ja’har I need expertise that only you possess, what’s it going to cost me.”

He wiggles his eyebrows, as he looks me up and down, “Aurora for you, we may talk about many different methods of payment.”

His words make me gag, “No we won’t, I have solar panels, either you want them, or I can find someone who does.”

The smirk leaves his face, the one thing I like about him, he is all business, “Don’t toy with me Aurora, there is no way that you have solar panels stashed.”

He is both correct and incorrect, I do have them stashed in my cave. My problem is going to be getting them here to him after I sneak them into the compound. As I think about this I turn to leave, he stops me after one step.

“Wait, if you deliver those to me, then yes I will open this hunk of junk for you.”

Quicker than he can blink, I have my shank pressed tightly against his throat, “I’m the only one who gets to call my family's crap junk. Just get it done, you open the locket, I’ll bring you the panels.”

He holds his arms up as he steps away from me, “It’s all good Aurora, you don’t have to threaten me. I got this, just do your thing and get me the merch.”

My head nods as I walk out deep in thought, time to call in one of my markers. I was trying not to, but under the circumstances, I must. My next stop is Chef, she owes me for bringing her extra cats, without telling anyone. I didn’t eat for a week, but her favor makes it worth it.

She has a motorized vehicle, as well as a pass to a gate that no one other than her uses. They never search her closely, they don’t want to know what they are eating.

She grins and I take a step back from her rancid breath, “Yes, girlie you take the bike, and bring me back all the critters.”

“Any that throw themselves in front of me are yours.”

She nods and smiles, I have not lied, but I won’t sacrifice any more strays for her stew pot. Once I’m off the compound I make my way quickly to my cave that is a mile away. When I pull up I wipe the dirt and grime off my face and look around. As far as I know, my secret stash has stayed hidden from everyone, I want to ensure that I have not been followed.

When the area remains clear, I walk in and unwrap two panes, I need to check and make sure they are not cracked or damaged. I have more stashed here, along with a lot of other stuff. This is my currency, and I only take out what I need to spend.

I carefully clean and rewrap the panels then slide them into the specially lined backpack, that I made. The only way they are going to break is if I crash. Once back in the compound my first stop is to Chef, where I drop off the squirrels that did run in front of my tires. She is so pleased, she forgets to ask for her keys, and I keep them.

Then I head to Ja’hars, I take the long way, making sure to circle around many times. What I carry is very valuable, I don’t want people to know where he got them from. I sneak in a back way and lay the bag on his counter.

He jumps when he sees me, then opens the pack, “I’m without words Aurora; I hope the information I found is worth such a treasure.”

I grab him, “What have you found, tell me now before I gut you.”

My hands shake, but he doesn’t notice as he backs away with an annoyed scowl on his face, “It’s a message, as well as a map, there is a location circled in red. It’s very small and took the strongest magnetizer glass that I have to find, so you’re welcome.”

My shank disappears into my boot as I rush over to one of his tables. On it is the map under one of his glass contraptions, I squint my eyes and try to picture the area as I read.

“Find this and you will live healthily and in freedom.”

“Ja’har, tell me do you know of this place or someone who does?”

“My father talked of such an area, but he died, go away.”

“Ja’har, please help and join with me, perhaps we may have a better life together.”

He grins, “Let us go, we must waste no time. He told me of such a place, I thought it was only one of his stories.”

Since I still have her keys and it’s the same day I don’t bother to ask Chef’s permission, we strap on our helmets, “Ja’har, hold on tightly, I’m going to get us there fast, your job is to tell me when to turn.”

Our only stop is for extra batteries for the bike, then we head out, he taps my shoulders right, and left, as needed. We travel down a dusty path with large boulders on either side kicking up a cloud of dust. Because we are unable to see, he taps me on both shoulders and I stop.

We look around, once the dust clears, and see a green lush valley, overflowing with colorful plant life. The air smells clean and sweet, we hear a noise and rush over to see a waterfall surrounded by a deep pond.

I look at him, “This is where we are supposed to live, go and bring anyone back that wishes to live freely. My ancestors lead me here, and I’ll not leave again.”