The Fate of the Red Race

As a child of the Red Race my life has never been easy. We who have survived live a joyless life full of toil and despair. My first memory is being torn away from my caregiver. This was the only time I have ever felt any great emotion. As I was pulled away from the only person I loved, she slipped a heart shaped locket in my grasping hand. To this day I hide the locket under my tunic to soothe my weary soul.

We live in the caves under the city of Anduwan. In the day light hours we are forced to sleep and eat in the caves and at night we are forced to clear the city of debris. The cave is much like you would expect, there is little light coming from the sky shafts and the floors are damp with decay. The Blue guard allow us rushes for bedding but these are usually infested with mites.

We wake at sunset and are allowed a time above ground while the Blue guard prepares our meal below. The meals are quite wholesome with legumes, rice and a smattering of meat. We must have our strength for the long night ahead. The trucks take us far away to complete our assignments. As we rumble down the long dusty roads all are too weary to speak and we try to get a few more moments rest.

Upon arrival the Blue Guard quickly herd us to our designated zones. There, with calloused hands and bloody feet, we begin our time clearing away the rubble and wreckage that was once a thriving city. The burned out buildings offer us little protection from the fierce winds and scorching heat. My threadbare scarf does little to keep the grit out of my hair. My face burns from the slashing muck that is kicked up in the wind.

The Blue believe the mainspring of their ruination was brought upon by the Red Race. With superstition abound in a culture of gods and spirits we are not to be seen by one another so we work at night and sleep by day. The Blue Guard are covered head to toe with black garb that glistens in the moonlight. One misstep and they are quickly upon us with whips. If anyone is injured or sick they are taken away and never seen again.

Upon return to the caves at dawn we find food at the ready and sometimes buckets of water for cleansing. I consider this our one luxury. To be cleaned of the grime and pollutants of the city gives me the only sweet breath I possess.

Although quite drained, I sometimes seek out a friend. I call him Mouse as no one here has a true name. We play find the rock. Hiding it in the cave could be challenging as our caves are quite sparse. At times, I can sway an old one to hide it behind her back but mostly they just want to be left alone. This game becomes easily stale, so many times we just sit back to back with our thoughts.

Soon I must rest on my rushes in preparation for another long night above ground. The sounds of the cave begin to dwindle as we prepare ourselves for a restless sleep. There are no words of comfort among us as we are within our own worlds trying to survive one more day.

I have never heard why the Blue find us repulsive and why they think we have wronged them. It is a story of long ago history to me. The old ones choose not to talk about how we ended up in the caves and if we will ever get out.

Should hope be in my thoughts? I don’t know.