Miranda

The dust lifted from the ground in a swirl, skittering over the barren land of their ancestors… people that had made decisions for the future that they were never going to see. ‘One step forward, two hundred steps back’ was a thought that crossed their mind as green eyes stared at the never ending yellow skies. The wind whipped the ground in a rush as dust and debris lifted into the sky. A few scraps of paper fluttered in the air as they reached out to grasp one of the pieces that was within reach.

It was the scribbling of someone, handwritten and barely legible. Taking a deep breath, they stepped forward with the original mission on their mind. This was a scavenger run to find anything of interest or somewhat intact. Anything that could be brought down below the surface that could piece together the past. Bending down to pick up a few more scraps of paper, they followed the trail to what looked like the remnants of what people called a suburb. Most of the houses were long gone but the foundations and basements were often a treasure trove of items that could be taken back to the new civilizations. Lost pieces of the past.

It was said that their people were resilient when it came to surviving. The lone person wondered how those of the past were able to rebuild after the great light. They had only even heard of the oral histories of the past… stories from their great grandparents and the survival and their suffering. There were times when they thought that they were still suffering. The ancestors of the surface had been so lucky to have had an ozone, fresh air and sunshine. But now, they only had supplements and sun lamps so they were able to survive the lack of Vitamin D. There was no time to dwell on the forgotten past as they went back to their land bike to grab a shovel. It would be a long day, but the hidden things might be worth it if they were able to find it under the heaps of sand and gravel.

The mundane work of lifting the shovel and throwing it down into the earth was tiring, but they would be given a few days of rest if they were a success. Short straws, everyone was to do their part in the ongoing survival, it was simply a part of their world. Some days you were lucky and others, not so much. They prayed to an unseen being that they would have the luck to find something… anything.

Last week, they had found a heat pot that could be connected to the electric circuit, so that food could be cooked for hours at a time without a fire source. It had been an amazing find and the stew that had been made by their partner had been the most delicious. Another scoop of the earth was lifted from the ground as their mind wandered.

Their green eyes looked at the dark fabric covering their dull coloured hands. Exposing skin was dangerous, they were wearing a protective suit so that the work could be done effectively. The suit was made of lightweight materials and there was a cooling system installed since this was tiring work that was being done… Sometimes, they were able to find lost technologies from the past that would help their future. Completely intact books were precious and rare to be found.

It was hours later that they had found only a few boxes, but these missions were usually made of multiple days. There was a whizzing noise and they looked up to see a land bike coming towards them, a hand of the other person in a similar suit raised in greeting. It was a sign that this was a friend but they knew that it was Ema. “Find anything, Alex?”

Nodding their head, “A few boxes… I am hoping that there are some books and other things in them, did you find anything good?” They could see the smirk from behind the visor as their partner lifted up a bottle and said, “Booze…”

A short laugh came from their lips, “It’s a good day…”

It took the two of them some time to set up their tent between the two land bikes with the oxygen tank attached to it. They would not be eating a hot meal because of the danger, but they would be able to enjoy the old bottle of liquor. It was a dusty bottle of wine with a faded label of Jackson Figgs, 2011 Merlot. Alex did not like merlot, but it was better than nothing at all… they didn’t know how old the drink was since marking time was different than the times before.

Once the tent was set up, Alex watched as their partner pulled their helmet off and took a sigh of relief. “Hate these suits…”

Alex laughed as they also took off their own helmet. It was time to relax and look through some of the things that had been found. The tent was large enough that the two of them were able to spread out their wares. There was a lamp dangling from the top of the tent as they chatted about this and that. “Hey, Ema… I found a few pieces of scribbles… it’s in another language… can you read it?” Alex said, going to their suit and shook the dust from it before taking out the scraps of paper.

Ema looked over, putting out an arm to take the scraps of paper that Alex had collected from earlier. “Hmmm… looks like the remnants of some sort of log or diary…” They said as she squinted at the text before reading. “Dear Diary, it’s been so long since I have written, mostly because I have been busy… school has been crazy!”

“They sound young…” Alex chuckled as Ema continued to read the page.

“I am just a bit worried about tomorrow. I should be studying for the exam, but I am also worried about why Tara is so mad at me. I didn’t do anything, it’s all a rumour that I tried to kiss her boyfriend at Hannah’s party.”

“Oh… gossip..” Alex said, wondering if this person had tried to kiss Tara’s boyfriend as they took a swig of the terrible wine. It was sour and old, but the effect would be the same.

“Shh… there’s more…” Ema said, lifting her hand up as if to silence Alex’s commentary since she wanted to know more detail.

“Like, how can Tara think that I would betray her so deeply when I have known her since second grade? I would never try to kiss Kyle… like, I don’t like Kyle. Like, I know Tara likes Kyle but… like gross, no thank you.”

Alex pressed their lips together, trying not to laugh at the story, as Ema turned the page hoping to get more. “Journal… or Diary, what is even the difference? Okay, dear diary… Oh god, I did try to kiss Kyle… someone took a damn video and like… fuck, Tara is so mad at me. She won’t even pick up the damn telephone.”

“What’s a telephone?” Alex asked.

Ema looked over, “Communicator.”

“Ah.” Alex nodded with understanding.

“I am trying to apologize but like… I don’t know, I just feel bad about it because I drank a bit too much that night.” Ema looked up with a smirk on her pretty face, staring at Alex.. “Sound familiar?”

“Come on, that was years ago and you know that I only have eyes for you now.” Alex turned towards Ema, a grin widening,

“Charmer…” Ema waved her hand as if to tell them to stop.

Alex shrugged as they looked up at the ceiling of the tent, arms behind their head as they relaxed and listened to Ema’s pleasing voice.

“I don’t really know what I am gonna do but I hope that Tara talks to me soon… I would hate to lose a friend over something so stupid… talk to you later, love Miranda.”

“And… that’s it.” Ema said as Alex sat up.

“Damn… I want to know if Miranda ever made up with Tara over Kyle… and I wonder what Hannah is like.”

“I’m sure they did… but wherever they are… they are long dead now.”

“True.”

The glimpse into a forgotten past did make Alex wonder about their own life as they looked over to Ema and crooked their finger. “Hey… just know that I would never kiss Kyle.”

Ema rolled her eyes as she was digging through one of the boxes that Alex had found.. “Mostly because you are kissing me, fool.”

“Ignore that box and come over here, my love.” Alex purred as Ema smiled and put a smaller chest down that she had lifted to look at. Crawling over to her partner, she kissed Alex gently with love in her heart.

The mission had taken a few more days and they had been lucky to bring back quite a few things back to their home under the Earth’s surface. Alex was going through the items hoping for something that they could sell or trade with others who lived in their small community. Opening one of the boxes, it was a pink plastic tub of things; crumbling papers, knick knacks and a jewelry box. The box itself was worn out from the years under the dirt. There was a picture of some animals that looked small but not really like the animals that were under the ground with them. Alex was drawn out of their thoughts as they felt their cat winding themselves around their feet “Hey, I missed you too.” Alex whispered as they got down to pat the cat before returning to the box.

Opening the small jewelry box, there were a few necklaces and other bits like pins, but down on the bottom was something that glinted in the light of the cavern. Lifting it out of the box and into the light, Alex revealed a dangling heart shaped locket on a chain. Swinging a few times, Alex moved it around and looked at the back. Engraved on the locket, it said. “To Miranda, Love Grandma”.

Alex’s green eyes went wide with a bit of surprise as they wondered if this was the same Miranda from the notes. Those notes had been tucked away in their room to be read later.

“Huh… would you look at that?” Alex said quietly before going back to look through the boxes of treasures from long ago. There was a moment where Alex hoped that whoever Miranda had been, she had had a long and happy life.

“Alex… dinner!” Ema’s voice rang through the cavern.

Putting down the box, they turned to go into the other room to enjoy a meal with Ema and the rest of their family.