The Past We Won't Forget

Nestled on a tree covered mountain side was the quaint little cabin I was born in. I was named Brianna after my grandmother who died when I was only three. She was remembered for something that I didn’t quite understand, she was known as the survivor. Any time I asked what my elders meant they grew quiet and promised I would understand after the trial. The trial was something everyone in the village did when they came to the age of fourteen. The fourteen year old was told to walk the gray forbidden path till they found the past, with them the silver heart-shaped locket ‘the survivor’ took with her on her journeys. My four older brothers all went and came back acting like the elders, knowing of the well kept secret. This year was my turn and I couldn’t be more excited for my birthday.

One snowy morning my father creeped into my room. “Bri” he whispered softly, gently shaking me away. I woke and tried to rub the sleep away. There was no sign of light outside nor had the fire been lit to warm the cabin. “Papa? Is there something wrong?”I asked, sleepy. “Why Bri it is your birthday” at his words I was out of bed and scattering to my bag that I had ready for days now, just waiting for papa to tell me it was my turn to go on the trail. “Get dressed and meet me at the main cabin.” He said with a chuckle as he left me to change.

The main cabin was only three cabins away,an easy walk even in the dark and it was the biggest and sturdiest. The main cabin was used as the living space for other four ‘survivors’, storage for food and for village wide events like yule and Beltane. According to my uncle Dale it was made even before grandpa, who had died five year before my birth, had known about it. I always asked Dale if gramba didn’t build it then who did and he always said those more fortunate than us. ‘How could someone be more fortunate than us?’ I thought but never asked allowed as I knew it had something to do with the secret all adults knew and after the next couple days I would know too.

The main cabin was the only cabin built with glass windows and clean cut wood from some other type of tree than the surrounding area. I could see the warm glow of the bees wax candles and smell the wood smoke of warm fire as I climbed the slick steps. When I entered and there sitting in the sitting area was my parents, and the survivors. They all smiled at me with some sense of pride. “Bri sweetheart, come sit next to me” my mother becond next to her. I did as I was told. “Brinana of the woods we have called on you to congratulate you on living to fourteen and to warn you of the trial.” the oldest living survivor spoke, which was a treat as he rarely spoke. His voice was rough and grainy yet soothing at the same time. “On this journey you will learn the unspoken past.” The second oldest survivor chimed in a much more serious manner compared to her cheerful manner she normally had. “And you better pay more attention than that boy over there” harrumphed the third oldest survivor and pointed at my father. Both my mother and I laughed as my father curled up in empressment. “This is serious. We want you to know but also do be careful and take great care of your grandmother.” the fourth oldest survivor said while crossing the room to give me the heart-shaped locket. I took the locket and my mother helped me put it on. When I turned to look at my mother her face was glistening with tears. “Mama, why are you crying?” I asked, whipping away her tears. “You’ve grown so much!” whipped my mother “oh hug your parents goodbye and follow the forbidden path, you have two days travel before you reach the past. '' snapped the third oldest. I did as I was told and began on the forbidden path six cabins down the hill.

Daylight began to peak through the snow covered trees and I could see the uneven, unkempt path in front of me. The older trees seemed to avoid the path and the younger ones thrived along with shrubs around the path. Sometimes the path was hard to make out in the snow especially when the path curved this way and that, but some instinct inside guided me back to the path I was on, or was it the locket that seemed to radiate with heat, when I was on the path it warmed me to my core.

About mid day I stopped for lunch and to admire the view of the hills that hugged the land and surrounded the valley. As I sat on a strange log that was silver and much harder than the rest I found myself beginning to daydream. A wounded young man was beside me looking out at the valley covered in the green of summer. ‘Are you sure we will live to see your family’s summer home?’ his words echoed through my mind. I looked over to where I thought he would be standing, no one was there, just the snow covered path. Yet I could distinctly remember his brown hair shining bronze in the sunlight and his hazel eyes dark with worry.

My daydream was broken by the snap of a twig, my hair stood on end and my ears rang. I turned to see the tall slick black starved human-like figure, Night Eater. Its straight ruby eyes locked onto mine and I was stunned right there. I had never seen one in daylight, its mouth hung open showing its long sharp crooked teeth and forked tongue. We stood for a moment just staring as though we were playing a game of wits. I heard it retract its claws, in response my reflexes kicked in, grabbing my axe from my pack and held it in front of my chest. In the blink of an eye it was running at me like it was a spider with two legs. I was pinned to the ground, its claws digging into my shoulders and with the hard push of my ax it was dead on the ground. Its body became black ooze that slowly dissolved. I knew better than to stick around the Night Eater would rise from the dead soon. I sprinted down the mountain till I could run no more, and felt safe.

Night fall was almost on me by the time I had gotten to the valley at the bottom of the mountian. I set up sturdy ling two and made my fire for the night, the only thing Night Eaters were afraid of. I cleaned up my shoulder wounds and had some jerky for dinner. I looked into the dying embers and fell into another daydream. He was sitting in front of me while I sticked his wounds ``why do you have to be so reckless” I hissed and he simply chuckled “Brianna,I must protect those I love” he explained in a soft voice and he yelped in pain when I pulled a little too tight just to spite him. Soon the memory that was not mine and the warmth of the fire pulled me into the land of dreams

The next morning I was woken by the sunlight poking through the ling two. I got the fire going to cook some eggs I brought with me and began on the path once more. As the day dragged on the trees started to become sparse and I began to feel exposed. A part of me wanted to turn back but a voice inside told me I must uncover the truth so continued on. I began to see these large objects that came in all different shapes and sizes, some on the path and some were to the side of the path. They were like cabins with wheels and large windows; some of the widows were broken. Inside each ‘cabin’ were couches that took up most of the space and in front a compartment separating two couches. There was a wheel in front of one of the couches and I couldn’t help but wonder ‘what’s the purpose of the wheels?’ I also saw cabins that had no roofs and were cube shaped with rectangles line up in front of them. The further I got from home the weirder everything became.

Soon I could see my destination on the horizon, tall glass tree trunks. I didn’t understand how I knew it was my destination somewhere in my heart just told me it was there I would see the truth. Night fell by the time I got there,everything was eerily quiet and I felt glass red eyes on me.I knew I had to hurry. I was surrounded by the glass tree trunks that oddly had doors on them. There was one that called me to it and I followed its call.

It was not the tallest nor was it the shortest building of the trunks. I walked inside and there was a wide open space taken over by nature. As I looked around there were suddenly small bits of white sunlight flashing in my memory. For a moment the lobby looked clean and well taken care of. All around me were ghosts of the past living the lives they once had. My vision flashed between well lit, ghost riden and well kept to dark, lonely and loved by nature. My head hurt and the hairs on my back stood on end, I could feel its ruby eyes on me. Soon one of the ghost approached me, I could recognize her or at least the old woman she is now, Joleen, the second survivor. “Come on, Bri, we got the luggzery sweat!” The ghost squealed, pulling my arm. The memory inside had control over me, for the me that was in this decrepit building wanted to run for my life….wait building? How in the world did I learn that word? “Okay okay let's go!” I laughed and took one step before the lights in the memory went out. Gasps of astonishment rang through the room and then before my eyes a Night Eat crashed through the once full window and hit my sister, knocking her across the room. My heart beat picked up as I was face to face with a Night Eater both in memory and present day.

I had to do something in real life or I would die and doubt grandmother would want that, then it struck me. I yanked at the chain of the necklace and the heart-shaped locket went bouncing to the floor and the memories that were not mine disappeared, giving me a clear mind to face the beast. With lighting reflexes I pulled out my ax but the creature was faster it slashed at me with its claws. I slashed back with my ax despit my pain that ran down my body. It screamed, encouraging me to slam my ax into its chest. The night eater dissolved away and I could finish uncovering the truth.

I found that my grandmother was a part of a long gone society that collapsed when electricity disappeared and was replaced with magic. My grandmother and the five other survivors found a safe place to settle down and learn how to do things without technology. The memory also gave me the ability to read and write. As I walked home I also realized something else no one in the village had realized, I had magic. I was inspired to carry out the duty to learn magic and bring back technology in a new magical way.