Finally! After eight months I can start publishing this! My goodness, the plot's been through about a hundred redrafts. And the ending about five hundred. But oh well. I can finally get this off my mind. (Updates might be a bit slow in coming)
Big thanks to Illuin for beta reading and encouragement!
75 Years after the Dark Days
"You can't go!" my son shouts. He smacks a fist down on the letter that orders me to surrender. "You promised. You promised you wouldn't go back to him!"
"This ain't no request, Howard," I sigh. I am almost 79 years old, and tired of fighting. "I have been summoned."
"He can't summon you like you're his bloody lapdog!"
"I think you'll find he can."
"Then I'm going with you." he blurts out- what's the word? Impetuously. Howard always dives head first into things, just like his father did. What would Aunt Emmeline say? 'Acts first and thinks later.'
I miss Aunt Emmeline.
"I don't think that's a good idea," I tell him.
"You can't stop me comin' with you any more than I can stop you going."
"They won't like it," I say for the first and last time.
"They don't like us anyway, Mom. Victors are executed on live TV every other day. Why are you still even alive? Because of an old memory? That's all that stopped you being reaped for the Quell. No. I wanna make sure you come home again."
"But if I come home or not is all on my own head, Howard. I've done what I had to do and now I gotta face that. I don't want you getting involved. Come with me if you want but don't think it will change anything."
He looks me in the eye, pleading.
"Don't go. Please Mom, don't go. What if something bad happens?"
"Then I'll have finally paid for my mistake." I turn to the window and look out at all my fields of grain. From up here, looks like they're waving to me, beckoning me to join them and be safe. But nothing ain't safe any more.