The Road to Jokai

Waking up to the sound of someone rummaging near her was nothing new for 14-year-old Anezka Preza. In fact, since the final earthquake that ended much of civilization hit 8 years prior, she had become accustomed to waking at every little noise around her. Anezka knew the dangers of someone scrounging for food around her and what would happen if they found her sleeping and vulnerable. Being a short 5 foot, 86 pounds, there wouldn’t be much she could do if someone bigger came along. There was no humanity in what was left of the world, words like ‘family’ and ‘friend’ meant nothing anymore. The lack of food and other resources caused all sense of trust to dissipate and, unfortunately for Anezka, survivors had to learn that for themselves.

The darkness was lonely and terrifying, she laid quietly in the backseat of a partially stripped car fearing for the stranger to find her. She reached onto the floorboard and gripped her sharpened stick that acted as her only form of protection. She thought back to when she was not alone, when she had her aunt Iren along side her for these moments, telling her it was going to be okay. The way Iren would stroke Anezka’s hair when she would become frightened, softly sing her an old Czech lullaby that her mother used to sing. She missed Iren’s stories of Anezka’s childhood, how happy she was, “Always smiling, Always laughing”, Iren would say. It was at this moment Anezka grasped the heart-shaped locket around her neck. The one piece of her past she could hold onto.

The locket was a tarnished silver piece, with the picture of a woman on one side and the picture of a man on the other. The day Iren gave the locket to Anezka, she told her, “No matter where you are in the world, your family is right here with you. We’re never far from you.” Those would be the last words that her Aunt Iren would ever say to her before hiding a young Anezka in a cabinet and disappearing into thin air. Anezka always knew the people in the locket were her parents, but she had none of her own memories of them before her building collapsed around her. All she knew was when she woke up, her aunt was there holding her in her arms.

Her happy flashbacks were quickly interrupted by the voice of another person around her. She couldn’t make out what he was saying but he began to yell at the other. Soon enough, the yells became screams and the screams became the sound of fists hitting skin. One pushed the other against the car, as Anezka pulled the stick against her body, the whole car was shaking. The two fell and two shots rang out into the silence followed by the sound of footsteps running away. After the rude awakening, she decided to continue her journey and stay on the move.

The clouds hung over the sky caused by pollution and debris and left a heavy sepia tone over the world around her. Breathing in the open air was hazardous and she always wore a long scarf wrapped around her head and most of her face. It doubled as a mask against the air and as a disguise to avoid being seen as a young, defenseless girl. She would rarely come across others, she didn’t know how many others survived the initial fall of civilization or how many were still surviving with very little food, but she felt as though there couldn’t have been many. She had been walking for 6 days and only encountered one other child, in which, caused her no harm and the two men fighting near the car.

Anezka knew nothing of her past, where she originated from, she just had an old map that her aunt always carried with them. One night after Iren’s disappearance, Anezka found herself intensively studying the pictures in the locket, hoping to get any indication of where they were taken. Maybe if she could figure that out, she could find her parents, if they’d survived. While examining the picture of her father, she noticed a street sign behind him that read “Jokai u”. Looking at her map of the surrounding countries, she had been marking where she was along the way, she realized that street in Budapest was only 526 kilometers from where she stood in Prague. That was the day she decided she was going to find her family.

She had been traveling for days already and was just outside of Bajna, near the Sandor-Metternich Castle, she was less than 50 kilometers of Budapest. As she continued her journey east, she came across a boy alone. A little taller than her, but equally as thin as most survivors were now. She kept her head down and just hoped he didn’t see her but alas, he did. He changed his direction to follow closely to hers, causing her to feel uneasy. With one arm behind her back, wrapped around the stick, she picked up her pace but prepared for the worst. She had made it this far and there was no way she was going to give up this close to the finish line. If he laid even one finger on her or her belongings, she knew what she had to do.

“I’m sorry to bug you,” he started. Anezka ignored him for fear of confrontation, but he persisted. “Look, I mean you no harm, I ju-“, Anezka grew annoyed and decided to turn with her weapon drawn. “Whatever it is, find someone else.”, she exclaimed. He looked deep into her eyes, a vibrant blue in a world that was so dark and dull now. “I mean you no harm, I am Endre, and you are the first person I have ran into for months. I have been alone since my father was taken by ravagers and was wondering if I could accompany.” Her stance soften slightly as his voice was melodic and innocent, much like her own.

As these two strangers stood across from each other, staring into one another’s eyes, Anezka broke and said, “You seem like a fine guy, but I don’t trust strangers.” Endre smirked and said, “Well, I told you my name. Why don’t you tell me yours so we wont be strangers.” “Anezka, if you really must know.” He took a step closer, “Anezka,” smile grew bigger, “A name that matches the face. Where are you headed?” Anezka, feeling slightly more comforted by his charm, explained she was heading toward Budapest. Endre asked if he could tag along and promised her would not be a nuisance to her. “Fine,” Anezka began, “but anything funny, and I’ll-“ “Turn me into a kabob,” he interrupted, “Got it.”

She continued on her journey with someone by her side. She had ate shortly before and had no need to bring out any food around him, as to not tip him off that she had anything of value for him to turn on her. They made small talk and she started feeling as she used to when her aunt was with her. She told him her life story, but explained a lot of her stories were passed down from her aunt, he told her his. She told her how she became separated from her Aunt Iren and how she didn’t know whether she was alive or dead. Endre questioned why she would choose Budapest as her final destination and she went on about her locket. How she got it, who she believed the people inside were.

The pair had been walking for quite some time without stopping, and had just reached the Danube River which ran down the center of Budapest. Just a ways on the other side of the river was the street she had travelled so far to find and she was within moments of possibly finding her family. Along the way, she had even gained, what she considered, a friend. She felt so connected to Endre and like they had known each other their whole lives.

As they stood on the west edge of the river and looked across to the other side, Anezka revealed her nerves, how she would feel if she found out both her parents had perished in the disaster. She expressed concern over if she would even be welcomed into their arms or if they would just take what they could from her because, after all, this was 8 years later and she would be nothing more than a stranger to them now. As a tear fell down her face, Endre wiped it away and told her, “No matter what happens, you have me. I’ll never be far away from you.” Those words from his lips triggered her flashback to when her aunt said that “We’re never far from you.” She felt so comforted from someone who she didn’t even know yesterday.

Anezka spotted a bridge just a ways up the riverbank, but just then Endre became unsteady. He fell and slid down the riverbank, Anezka grabbed his arm and tried to help him up. “I’m so sorry,” Endre said, “I haven’t eaten in so long and it suddenly hit me. Do you think we could scavenge through one of these buildings before we continue?” Feeling she could fully trust Endre at this point, Anezka explained “That wont be necessary. You see, I always have just a bit of food on me and I don’t mind sharing.” But as she turned to grab her pack, she felt a tug on her matted ponytail and fell backwards into the water. Confused at what just happened, she quickly stood up and saw Endre run up towards her pack with all her food inside, turn back and say, “I’m sorry, it’s just about survival, I’m sure you understand.” He ran off before she could even fully grasp what was happening.

As she sat on the edge of the river, she felt defeated, betrayed, embarrassed, but worst of all, alone. She would give anything to feel her aunt’s hand running through her hair again and hearing her voice whisper the words to the lullaby. “Lie, my little angel. Lie and Sleep. Mum is rocking her baby. Lie, sleep sweet, little one, mum is rocking her baby.”, she sang softly to herself as she cried into her knees. She clutched her locket and felt the momentum to finish this out, crossing off the fear of her parents only wanting something from her since she now had nothing.

She crossed the bridge, made her way through the streets of Budapest, there were a lot more people than where she came from and where she passed along her journey. They all seemed to have come together to build a community in all the turmoil. It was in this moment that she felt positive about being reunited with her parents. Along the way, she stopped people to ask if they knew who these two were in her locket. She was given the names of Ferenc and Lena. “That means they’re alive?” The kind stranger gave a puzzled look and explained that while Ferenc was indeed alive, Lena had suffered illness in the aftermath of everything. Anezka, saddened by the news, pushed on to find her father.

It was on the corner of Jokai and Szondi that Anezka saw him standing there. Significantly skinnier than the man in the picture, but the structure the same. She ran to him and inhaled as she divulged everything. Her name, the aunt, the locket, the journey, the stranger. Ferenc looked at her, then looked at the locket, confused and concerned. Only to utter, “I’m sorry, I’m not sure where you got this, or who told you that story, but we never had a daughter, this locket belonged to my wife and we lost it when the earthquake hit, dear.” She thought to herself, “Now I really do have nothing.”