Wow, a short story, this is weird for me. Just to let you know, this is a
story in 3 chapters about the freeing of humanity, from the eyes of three
different people.
Oh, and a quick note: a miko is a Japanese priestess
Thanks, and please give me lots of Reviews to tell me what you think!
Brave New World
Chapter One: The Beginning
She awoke with a start, heart pounding, sweat clinging to her face. Breath coming out in short, hurried gasps, she took in her surroundings and almost seemed surprised to find herself in her room, laying in her bed, the covers splayed about her in knots.
Taking a deep, shaky breath, she brushed her damp hair back from her forehead and felt her shoulders begin to shake in relief. Only a dream.
It had been so real.
The memory of it was fading fast though, ebbing from her consciousness like poison being extracted. Desperately she tried to hold onto it, onto the thought. It seemed important somehow.
But all she could remember was that it had felt cold. It had felt like dying.
That and the face of a man, grinning wildly at her as he.did what? She couldn't remember. She could barely remember his face.
Part of her didn't want to, but she furrowed her brow anyway, trying to see past the sunglasses and maniacal smirk . . .
"Alice! Are you up yet?"
The burgeoning memory was lost as she swung her head around toward the open doorway. "Yeah, yeah, I'm up!" she called, swinging her legs over the side of her bed, fingers automatically going to the gold cross necklace fixed eternally to her neck.
She padded downstairs to find her mom bending over the stove, flipping pancakes. Smiling, she wrapped her arms around her mother's petite frame. "Morning mom."
"Good morning honey," he mom scooped the pancakes onto several plates and handed one to her. "Did you sleep well?"
"Ummm," she found the memory of the dream fading even faster into the background. "Yeah, I slept ok."
"Oh, so those circles under your eyes must be natural then," her fourteen year old brother teased. Her scowl was interrupted by her dad's weary voice.
"Chris, Alice, hug each other good morning. I am sick of all this fighting."
Alice reluctantly leaned in to hug her brother, and then recoiled backward in anger. "Damnit Chris, you reek of pot!"
"Nuh uh, I told you, I quit," her brother flashed her a cheeky smile. "It just hasn't washed out of my clothes."
"Mom," she wheeled onto her mother, who smiled her strained smile indulgently.
"Honey, can we not talk about this so early in the morning? I don't want to fight," she yawned. "I didn't really sleep well last night. Nightmares." Sighing, her mother crossed to the window, staring out of it. "God, will you look at that sunrise."
The dream flashed back into her mind as she took her seat at the table, but she brushed it away. She just wanted to forget about it and live her life.
Biting her lip, she worried about her brother as she reached for maple syrup. Real life was sometimes scarier than dreams, it seemed.
******
"Naoko-chan!" Black shoes clicked on the packed sidewalk as the tall girl struggled to catch up with her best friend. "Naoko, Naoko!"
Lost in thought, the sought after girl finally turned her head, seeming surprised to find her friend there, even though they walked to school together every morning. "Oh, good morning Umi-chan."
"Good morning," the girl fell into step next to her tiny, frail looking friend, who was staring at the sidewalk and running her fingers through unbrushed black hair. "You look terrible."
"I didn't sleep well last night," Naoko fiddled with the small bow attached to her school uniform, her hands shaking slightly. "Bad dreams."
"Yeah, me too," Umi's eyes drifted to the Tokyo tower looming in the distance. "I can't remember them though."
"There was a man," Naoko murmured.
"Yes," Umi smiled suddenly. "I remember now. An American!"
"Yes . . . " Naoko kept her gaze fixed to the ground. "I feel . . . shaken. Something doesn't seem right."
"Do you want to go to the temple after school?" Umi tried to calm her friend, whose face was drawn and eyes looked lost.
"Yes . . . yes, the temple. Maybe the miko can help me." Naoko was almost whispering.
"After school then," Umi hooked arms with the short girl.
Naoko looked at her almost fearfully. "Promise?" she begged.
Umi smiled. "Promise."
****
He hardly ever went to school anymore. He hated it. The young man stood across the street as the bell rang and turned his back, walking away. It seemed pointless.
He smiled bitterly as he took a final drag on his cigarette and chucked it to the ground. It was good to be alone.
He hated people too, as a rule. As a matter of fact, he hated rules.
It seemed he hated everything these days.
He fell into a slow, relaxing step as he crossed the fields and the breeze picked up, rifling his clothes even when his stiff, bright red hair stayed perfectly spiked and in place. He loved his home though, the small villages and pubs of rural England. He seemed such a contradiction sometimes, a punk in the countryside. But what could you do?
Settling himself on a hill overlooking the town he pulled out another cigarette, staring at the beautiful sunrise and mulling over the dark, frightening dream that had come to him in the night. But he could barely remember it.
It had felt like dying.
"Richard Blake, how had I known I would find you here?"
The young man turned, smiling at the aging farmer who had ambled up silently behind him. "Hello John."
"Skipping school again, I see."
"It's my birthday," he said by way of explanation. Frowning, he pulled out a small package from his coat. "I got a letter from my mum."
"And?" The older man tried not to look pitying.
"I don't know, I didn't read it."
"Are you going to?"
Richard pulled out his lighter, lit his cigarette, and then held the letter over the flame. "No, I'm not."
"Well, you must do what you think best," the old man began to continue his journey down the hill. "May God be with you."
The young man scowled at the retreating figure. He would have hated God too, had he believed in such a thing.
Sighing, Richard leaned back against the hill, staring at the sky and the brilliant sunrise, pondering his dream.
That dream, that damn dream . . . he hated that more than anything.
I beg of you kind readers, Review! Review until you're blue in the face!
Oh, and a quick note: a miko is a Japanese priestess
Thanks, and please give me lots of Reviews to tell me what you think!
Brave New World
Chapter One: The Beginning
She awoke with a start, heart pounding, sweat clinging to her face. Breath coming out in short, hurried gasps, she took in her surroundings and almost seemed surprised to find herself in her room, laying in her bed, the covers splayed about her in knots.
Taking a deep, shaky breath, she brushed her damp hair back from her forehead and felt her shoulders begin to shake in relief. Only a dream.
It had been so real.
The memory of it was fading fast though, ebbing from her consciousness like poison being extracted. Desperately she tried to hold onto it, onto the thought. It seemed important somehow.
But all she could remember was that it had felt cold. It had felt like dying.
That and the face of a man, grinning wildly at her as he.did what? She couldn't remember. She could barely remember his face.
Part of her didn't want to, but she furrowed her brow anyway, trying to see past the sunglasses and maniacal smirk . . .
"Alice! Are you up yet?"
The burgeoning memory was lost as she swung her head around toward the open doorway. "Yeah, yeah, I'm up!" she called, swinging her legs over the side of her bed, fingers automatically going to the gold cross necklace fixed eternally to her neck.
She padded downstairs to find her mom bending over the stove, flipping pancakes. Smiling, she wrapped her arms around her mother's petite frame. "Morning mom."
"Good morning honey," he mom scooped the pancakes onto several plates and handed one to her. "Did you sleep well?"
"Ummm," she found the memory of the dream fading even faster into the background. "Yeah, I slept ok."
"Oh, so those circles under your eyes must be natural then," her fourteen year old brother teased. Her scowl was interrupted by her dad's weary voice.
"Chris, Alice, hug each other good morning. I am sick of all this fighting."
Alice reluctantly leaned in to hug her brother, and then recoiled backward in anger. "Damnit Chris, you reek of pot!"
"Nuh uh, I told you, I quit," her brother flashed her a cheeky smile. "It just hasn't washed out of my clothes."
"Mom," she wheeled onto her mother, who smiled her strained smile indulgently.
"Honey, can we not talk about this so early in the morning? I don't want to fight," she yawned. "I didn't really sleep well last night. Nightmares." Sighing, her mother crossed to the window, staring out of it. "God, will you look at that sunrise."
The dream flashed back into her mind as she took her seat at the table, but she brushed it away. She just wanted to forget about it and live her life.
Biting her lip, she worried about her brother as she reached for maple syrup. Real life was sometimes scarier than dreams, it seemed.
******
"Naoko-chan!" Black shoes clicked on the packed sidewalk as the tall girl struggled to catch up with her best friend. "Naoko, Naoko!"
Lost in thought, the sought after girl finally turned her head, seeming surprised to find her friend there, even though they walked to school together every morning. "Oh, good morning Umi-chan."
"Good morning," the girl fell into step next to her tiny, frail looking friend, who was staring at the sidewalk and running her fingers through unbrushed black hair. "You look terrible."
"I didn't sleep well last night," Naoko fiddled with the small bow attached to her school uniform, her hands shaking slightly. "Bad dreams."
"Yeah, me too," Umi's eyes drifted to the Tokyo tower looming in the distance. "I can't remember them though."
"There was a man," Naoko murmured.
"Yes," Umi smiled suddenly. "I remember now. An American!"
"Yes . . . " Naoko kept her gaze fixed to the ground. "I feel . . . shaken. Something doesn't seem right."
"Do you want to go to the temple after school?" Umi tried to calm her friend, whose face was drawn and eyes looked lost.
"Yes . . . yes, the temple. Maybe the miko can help me." Naoko was almost whispering.
"After school then," Umi hooked arms with the short girl.
Naoko looked at her almost fearfully. "Promise?" she begged.
Umi smiled. "Promise."
****
He hardly ever went to school anymore. He hated it. The young man stood across the street as the bell rang and turned his back, walking away. It seemed pointless.
He smiled bitterly as he took a final drag on his cigarette and chucked it to the ground. It was good to be alone.
He hated people too, as a rule. As a matter of fact, he hated rules.
It seemed he hated everything these days.
He fell into a slow, relaxing step as he crossed the fields and the breeze picked up, rifling his clothes even when his stiff, bright red hair stayed perfectly spiked and in place. He loved his home though, the small villages and pubs of rural England. He seemed such a contradiction sometimes, a punk in the countryside. But what could you do?
Settling himself on a hill overlooking the town he pulled out another cigarette, staring at the beautiful sunrise and mulling over the dark, frightening dream that had come to him in the night. But he could barely remember it.
It had felt like dying.
"Richard Blake, how had I known I would find you here?"
The young man turned, smiling at the aging farmer who had ambled up silently behind him. "Hello John."
"Skipping school again, I see."
"It's my birthday," he said by way of explanation. Frowning, he pulled out a small package from his coat. "I got a letter from my mum."
"And?" The older man tried not to look pitying.
"I don't know, I didn't read it."
"Are you going to?"
Richard pulled out his lighter, lit his cigarette, and then held the letter over the flame. "No, I'm not."
"Well, you must do what you think best," the old man began to continue his journey down the hill. "May God be with you."
The young man scowled at the retreating figure. He would have hated God too, had he believed in such a thing.
Sighing, Richard leaned back against the hill, staring at the sky and the brilliant sunrise, pondering his dream.
That dream, that damn dream . . . he hated that more than anything.
I beg of you kind readers, Review! Review until you're blue in the face!