I was born in a village in the countryside.
"Happy birthday to you!"
It was a day like any other.
"Happy birthday to you!"
As normal as a day could be after the apocalypse.
"Happy birthday to Nash!"
I would have never known that day...
"Happy birthday to you!"
...That my life would change drastically.
"Now blow on the candles!"
And so I blew.
They rejoiced over the tiniest things.
"Our Nash is now 6 years old!"
"Pumpkin, come here." said a gentle-looking middle-aged woman.
I ran to her, and she took me into her arms, covering my eyes.
While in her bosom, I could hear something rustling from behind me.
The woman released me from her embrace and whispered, "You can open your eyes now, pumpkin."
As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw an old woman holding a colourful package. I turned to the woman in joy.
She smiled at me and nodded, confirming what I was thinking.
I accepted the package from the old woman and thanked her, "Thank you!"
Our village was relatively safe from the apocalypse because of its remoteness.
"This piece is for you, pumpkin." said the woman as she handed me a plate.
"Thank you, mom!"
"You're welcome! Now finish up; it's about to get dark."
While we didn't have to fear much in the morning, even we were not immune to the night.
"Mom, can you read me a bedtime story?" I asked, already tucked in my bed.
"Sure, pumpkin, what story would you like me to read?" She replied with a warm smile.
"The one grandma gave me!"
She then walked to the bookshelf, took out a book from it, and sat on the bed.
"There once was a child, left alone in the world."
"The child grew amidst sadness, shrouded in night,"
"Blind to the dawn, longing for light."
"Yet the child found strength, in the depths of his plight,"
"Learning to battle through each endless fight."
"Trapped in his circumstances, a captive of fate,"
"The child once resigned, to accept his harsh state."
"But in the depths of despair, he found a new cope,"
"For the child learned to embrace, he had learned to hope."
"Mom, why was the child alone?"
"Sometimes life puts us through challenges."
"Now go to sleep, pumpkin."
"I will! Good night, mom!"
"Good night, pumpkin."
I think about the lonely child as I fall asleep.
Nash!
Nash!
Huh, is somebody calling for me?
"Nash! Wake up!"
I woke up abruptly.
"You finally woke up! We have to get dressed, pack up, and head to the cafeteria!"
"Could you please stop yelling!? I'm starting to believe that I'll get a heart attack because of you!"
He laughed for a moment before noticing, "Huh, are you crying?"
"Just shut up already!" I shouted, facing the other way.
I touched my face and realised he was right, 'Why am I crying?'
I quickly wiped my tears with my sleeves.
"Nash, what happened?"
"I'm not sure; I think I had a bad dream."
This loud guy is called Khaled. I've known him for 9 years. He may have given me hearing loss, but he's a nice guy.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"I am fine! Weren't we late?"
"Fine, let's go meet the others; Aria is probably waiting for us."
"Let's go then; I'm getting hungry from all this yelling."
Being already late, we started jogging.
In front of our room, we met two familiar old men.
"Oh! Good morning, youngsters!"
"Good morning! / Good morning."
"How about helping us old men tend the fields when you are free?" asked one of them while stroking his beard.
"Of course!" Khaled replied without missing a beat.
"Oh, how kind. Thank you very much, young man."
He always likes to help people; that’s one of his best traits.
I interrupted them before they could start blabbering on.
"Sorry, but we are late; we need to go to class." I said in a gentle tone, too low for an old man to hear.
"What did you say?"
"We are late for class!" shouted Khaled, coming to the rescue.
"Ah! Right! See you later, young men!"
"See you later!" replied Khaled.
I think I have finally found a situation where his screaming is useful.
We took in the view as we walked to the cafeteria.
From the hallway's windows, we saw wheat fields and some cows.
"Do you think the harvest this year will be good?" I asked Khaled.
"We can do our best, but the rest is up to fate." he replied with a smile.
We kept jogging towards the cafeteria, greeting people on the way.
There, we met her.
"Hi guys! You're late!"
"Hey Aria! Where are the others?" Seeing her cheerfulness brightened my day.
She was different from the other girls our age. They only thought about training and had a rigid personality. Maybe that's why she's always preferred hanging out with me and Khaled.
She shrugged, "They headed to class."
Khaled recoiled, "Already!? We've got to hurry up!"
"Yeah, let's take a seat and eat. I already asked for our servings."
""Thank you, Aria!"" Khaled and I shouted in rare synchronisation.
"You saved us!" Khaled added.
"Of course!" she exclaimed. She then rested her hands on her hips and added, "Although I wouldn't mind a couple of chocolate bars!"
"I don't mind—"
"We're late! We've got to go!" interrupted Khaled.
"Oh! You're right!" said Aria after checking her watch.
We quickly gobbled up our food and headed to class.
Knock Knock
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Excellent job 🫣 it's funny how I usually like reading books that aren't the same style as the ones I write.
Thank you❤️ I'm glad you liked it!