Author's note Draft 2

If the story does not say draft 2, it's not the final draft

I base Cypress Community land on my grandmother's bayou land on a bigger scale. And we deal with alligators.

Edited on 10/24/21
Edited on 2/8/22

Life Worth 0

VII-VIII

VII (Tuesday the 9th of July 1957. New Orleans, United States of America)

Looking out the window of the truck I was saying, I could only see destroyed buildings, upturned cars, lamp posts torn down, dead bodies, sunken houses, sunken cars as the thunk passed the destruction of Hurricane Andriy. Make me think back to Hurricane Katrina and how it was not this bad. But then again, New Orleans was built to withstand the destruction of a hurricane of this magnitude. And it was easier to get out of the city in time, so the only people who die want to stay. Not people who could not leave.

Taking my eyes off the window and looking at my family's reactions to the city makes me feel uncomfortable.

Lynda's face was too neutral for my liking. Neil's face had a grimace on it. Halona's face was purely unhappy. Luthor looks angry. But their face was no match for Louis and Ista's face.

Louis's face looks as if the army had told him that the injury he had gotten in World War two was not much for stopping him from being put into active duty.

Ista looks like someone who has been told that it has destroyed all her life accomplishments, but then again, maybe it has.

Not being able to continue looking at the hopeless faces, I turn my eyes back to the window.

It is funny to think about how just yesterday we and the community were celebrating Neil's eleventh birthday, not caring one bit about News still going on about the aftermath.

The ride to the Community Land was going to be a silent event.

Giving out of the truck and giving my first look at the community land, brought up the thought of the look Ista has worn throughout the entire drive here.

It ruined the community land.

We split the land up into four areas. Technically, the garage area is the start of Cypress Community land, but because it doesn't leave directly into the housing area, makes you think of it as its own area. Because the tree separates the garage area from the other area and that it has its own path to the street that leaves New Orleans makes it seem more separate.

To get to the entrance to the community, you have to leave the garage area and go into the street that leaves for New Orleans and walk down it until you see a path concealed by trees.

That path is called the main path because it would go through most of the areas.

Walk down the main path, and you will feel a slope. Keep going down the slope until you hit the bottom, then you would keep going down the path in front of you. You would stop when you see the housing area on the left side and the working area on the right.

The housing area is just made up of community members' houses and the school makes for kids that can't go to school in New Orleans.

The working area is made of the water cleaner building, powwow space, food storage, and the wood carving building.

After those two areas are the swamp river that leads to the watery swamp part of the Bayou, and the bridge that connects the main path to the farm area.

The farm area is made of a vegetable garden, with ten different vegetables usually growing in it. Then a big barn where our house, mostly the animals. And a section where farm animals can move around with a gate around it.

Now the land was flooded with trees, that have fallen on some houses, another seven houses flip over, and the rest of the house doors and windows blown out, because wood that was supposed to protect them came off, and the alligator congregation has tried to take over the land. And a lot of smaller things, making more problems.

The only bright side of this situation is the house is on stilts, making them not flooded. And the alligator can be used to make other things out of it.

But looking around at everybody, only Neil and I see that. And that the community members are starting to look at us for what to do next.

VIII (Saturday the 13th July 1957. Cypress Community, New Orleans, United States of America)

The last five days have been very trial and error for the community.

After seeing how the land was, the most physically able of the older members rounded up the alligators in the area that the river used to be and not killing them for suggestions from me and Neil's for the use of them later on.

They took the suggestions and started to make a noise with the pot and pan to drive the alligators in the direction of the river area. It was hard for them to do that with all the water and things floating around and getting in their way.

Until they were done, everybody ages fifteen and below stood on the street where it was safe. The members that were between the ages of fifteen and twelve state watching out for the alligators that came close. That only happens five times. The members that were between the ages of eleven and nine made to make meals for everyone these days. And I made members aged eight and seven to watch the members between six and the infants don't cause more problems.

That took up to the day before yesterday to get done.

Yesterday we started making wooden polls to make a pin for the alligators where the river used to be with the wood of the fallen tree. It took more of the day to give all the trees that fell on the houses into the street while making sure the alligators don't get loose.

Right now, eating with my family as half of the alligator's parole switch out with the members who had their break. As some teenagers sit down and talk and others bring in more trees. And members between eleven and nine sit down or give out food.

Looking to the side of us at the members between six and infants being entertained by the seven and eight-year-olds brought a smile to my face.

'I wonder how Andrei is doing,' I think while turning my head to Ista to ask to go see him.

Author's note:

The next update is 2/4/21

Now on to facts