It was a day like any other day. Hot dry, the wind blew the sand up and
around in mini storms. People passed though the settlement quickly, as if
the abject squalor of the town would settle onto their clothing, causing
them to catch the disease of poverty. The people who lived here were
slaves; slaves to their jobs, slaves to the land, slaves to each other. The
hollowness in their eyes reflecting the hollowness of their existence.
From the outside nothing seemed different, the hovel was the same sun-baked cube shape as every other hovel in the area. The shutters were closed against the blazing sun and the coarse gritty sandstorms. No one could have guess what had happened inside. The scarcity of furniture wasn't what set this hovel apart though, the occupants probably had even less of it than their neighbors.
But what set this place apart, what made it stand out was the joy that then had permeated the air in one small hovel was terribly out of place; an anomaly in a place where anomalies could mean death. It was a shame really. The birth of a child, especially a boy child shouldn't be the cause of death. But then no one would have guessed that the birth of this boy child would have signaled the end of life in their little corner of the universe.
This child with his blonde hair and brilliant blue eyes was special. His long limbs and digits that his mother so gently showered with kisses would one day be raised and strike down dictator who he had been born under; but that, that is a story for another time. This, this is the story of one little boy and how his life was changed one average afternoon.
"Ben, Ben where are you." Marie stood in the doorway of her three room dwelling. Her hand was shaded over her eyes as she searched the street in front of her house for a sign of her son. "Benjamin Walker you have 2 seconds to get in here before I throw your clothing out into the street." Marie's mouth curled up into a smile as she watched her son and his three friends come tumbling out of the house across the street.
As they came into the house, shaking off the dust from their clothing the youngest of the group began to talk excitedly. "We're sorry mom we were caught up in building. You wouldn't believe all the wizard stuff Ben and Jace found in the junk heaps. We almost have all the parts we need to make our..." An elbow cut from her older brother off her excited chatter.
"Ben don't hit your sister. What do you almost have enough parts for Jade?" Marie asked her daughter, as she tried to straighten her rakish curls.
Jade looked at her companions then mumble, "Nothing, nothing at all." Marie gave her a skeptical look but nodded.
"Well I am sure what ever you are building you will do just fine. But unless it is a droid that can clean your room Ben I don't think it will do you much good."
Ben felt his ears redden as his friends and cousins began to snicker. "But it isn't my stuff mom. It's Jade's she left all of her stuff all over the place."
"Ben" Marie looked sternly at her son. " Unless Jade has started to have an interest in racing models and wears your undershirts I believe the mess is yours."
Ben sighed, "All right, I'll clean it later. Can we just finish what we were doing?"
"No you will clean your room now. Then you can have all the time you want to do what ever it is you are doing in Lee and Hank's backyard. Now I am going over to help Lee finish with the dinner preparations, Jade I want you and Paddy to watch the stew. Don't let it boil over or we won't have anything to eat tonight." Marie spoke as she put on her head covering, over her flaming red curls and stepped out the door. "Oh Ben I expect that room to be clean before you come over, if it isn't you will stay up all night and finish it."
After Marie had left Ben turned to his sister and their friends a mischievous look on his face. "Well since Mom is gone who wants to go see if we can find the rest of the parts we need for the droid?"
"Ben, your mom said you were to clean your room, while Jade and I watch the stew. Just go clean it and then you can go dig around in the junk pile." Paddy crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Ben.
"Yeah Ben I am not sleeping another night in that junk pit you call a room. You clean that up or I will tell mom about what you are trying to build."
Ben looked at his sister in horror. "You wouldn't dare."
"Go off with Jace and you'll find out." Jade had unconsciously mimicked her mother's exasperated with Ben stance.
"Fine I'll clean the room, but just watch to see if I let you use the droid when he's finished."
"It's not like I care. Come on Paddy lets do what we are supposed to do so mom won't be mad at us." Jade turned on her heel with her nose in the air.
"Watch where you are going or you'll end up with a bloody nose Jade." Ben called after her before turning to Jace, "Come on maybe between the two of us we can get the room clean and still have time to go look for parts."
Jace nodded his brown hair flopping over his eyes. "Great idea. How bad is it?"
"Not as bad as they make it out to be. Hey maybe our dads and grandpa can help us, with the droid I mean. I bet they know lots of cool stuff that we can program it to do when we're done."
"Yeah." Both boys tore into the small alcove that doubled as Jade and Ben's room and began to put things back in their places. The job would probably take all afternoon, but with the hopeful promise of help from their father's and grandfather spurring them on neither noticed the passage of time.
From the outside nothing seemed different, the hovel was the same sun-baked cube shape as every other hovel in the area. The shutters were closed against the blazing sun and the coarse gritty sandstorms. No one could have guess what had happened inside. The scarcity of furniture wasn't what set this hovel apart though, the occupants probably had even less of it than their neighbors.
But what set this place apart, what made it stand out was the joy that then had permeated the air in one small hovel was terribly out of place; an anomaly in a place where anomalies could mean death. It was a shame really. The birth of a child, especially a boy child shouldn't be the cause of death. But then no one would have guessed that the birth of this boy child would have signaled the end of life in their little corner of the universe.
This child with his blonde hair and brilliant blue eyes was special. His long limbs and digits that his mother so gently showered with kisses would one day be raised and strike down dictator who he had been born under; but that, that is a story for another time. This, this is the story of one little boy and how his life was changed one average afternoon.
"Ben, Ben where are you." Marie stood in the doorway of her three room dwelling. Her hand was shaded over her eyes as she searched the street in front of her house for a sign of her son. "Benjamin Walker you have 2 seconds to get in here before I throw your clothing out into the street." Marie's mouth curled up into a smile as she watched her son and his three friends come tumbling out of the house across the street.
As they came into the house, shaking off the dust from their clothing the youngest of the group began to talk excitedly. "We're sorry mom we were caught up in building. You wouldn't believe all the wizard stuff Ben and Jace found in the junk heaps. We almost have all the parts we need to make our..." An elbow cut from her older brother off her excited chatter.
"Ben don't hit your sister. What do you almost have enough parts for Jade?" Marie asked her daughter, as she tried to straighten her rakish curls.
Jade looked at her companions then mumble, "Nothing, nothing at all." Marie gave her a skeptical look but nodded.
"Well I am sure what ever you are building you will do just fine. But unless it is a droid that can clean your room Ben I don't think it will do you much good."
Ben felt his ears redden as his friends and cousins began to snicker. "But it isn't my stuff mom. It's Jade's she left all of her stuff all over the place."
"Ben" Marie looked sternly at her son. " Unless Jade has started to have an interest in racing models and wears your undershirts I believe the mess is yours."
Ben sighed, "All right, I'll clean it later. Can we just finish what we were doing?"
"No you will clean your room now. Then you can have all the time you want to do what ever it is you are doing in Lee and Hank's backyard. Now I am going over to help Lee finish with the dinner preparations, Jade I want you and Paddy to watch the stew. Don't let it boil over or we won't have anything to eat tonight." Marie spoke as she put on her head covering, over her flaming red curls and stepped out the door. "Oh Ben I expect that room to be clean before you come over, if it isn't you will stay up all night and finish it."
After Marie had left Ben turned to his sister and their friends a mischievous look on his face. "Well since Mom is gone who wants to go see if we can find the rest of the parts we need for the droid?"
"Ben, your mom said you were to clean your room, while Jade and I watch the stew. Just go clean it and then you can go dig around in the junk pile." Paddy crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Ben.
"Yeah Ben I am not sleeping another night in that junk pit you call a room. You clean that up or I will tell mom about what you are trying to build."
Ben looked at his sister in horror. "You wouldn't dare."
"Go off with Jace and you'll find out." Jade had unconsciously mimicked her mother's exasperated with Ben stance.
"Fine I'll clean the room, but just watch to see if I let you use the droid when he's finished."
"It's not like I care. Come on Paddy lets do what we are supposed to do so mom won't be mad at us." Jade turned on her heel with her nose in the air.
"Watch where you are going or you'll end up with a bloody nose Jade." Ben called after her before turning to Jace, "Come on maybe between the two of us we can get the room clean and still have time to go look for parts."
Jace nodded his brown hair flopping over his eyes. "Great idea. How bad is it?"
"Not as bad as they make it out to be. Hey maybe our dads and grandpa can help us, with the droid I mean. I bet they know lots of cool stuff that we can program it to do when we're done."
"Yeah." Both boys tore into the small alcove that doubled as Jade and Ben's room and began to put things back in their places. The job would probably take all afternoon, but with the hopeful promise of help from their father's and grandfather spurring them on neither noticed the passage of time.