Short+Story+GOOD+COPY

__A Chain Reaction __ The Wild Dogs came last night and ate all our meat from the Baleen Whale that washed ashore five days ago. The job to put the trap up was mine, but I had just come back from a whole day of collecting Oyster Shells with Utakra, who is my best friend and I was so tired, that I fell asleep by myself beside the Fire. My Grandmother said I was lucky that //I// didn’t get eaten by the Dogs. “Good morning, my dear Ahuma-Kuhret Liota,” a voice said beside my ear that sounded like my Grandmother. I got up from beside Fire pit, and stifled a yawn. I knew it was her because she is the only one who calls me by my full name. It means girl with golden eyes and I am proud to say that they are the only eyes in the whole village that are not brown coloured. I picked up my basket to search for some Berries from the woods, and was just starting to walk out towards the woods, when I heard someone shouting at me from across the village square. “Hey, Amuha! I cannot believe you forgot to put the traps up! Not even I would forget! Hahaha!” yelled Kepo from my Handcrafting class at school, causing everyone in the village square to look at me. The village had suddenly grown quieter, and from the corner of my eyes, I could see people starting to whisper, their bodies huddled together like they are fighting against the winter’s cruel winds. It’s exactly like when my Mother died, but they had sympathy in their eyes back then. Now, it’s plain disappointment that cloud their eyes. We have a natural respect for Nature and Human Beings from the way we were brought up, so disappointment is as close as we got to hatred. I quicken my pace, and keep my eyes low, as I head past the great bonfire pit, and into the quiet, but welcoming woods. I let my eyes close, as I take a deep breath of the fresh, summer air, and break into a sprint. I have no problem finding my way through the dense forest because, like most of the villagers, I can find my way around the island with my eyes closed. The soft ground sinks to the pressure of my running footsteps and soon, I find myself where I want to be. There is a small meadow with Flowers that have bright blue pedals and yellow stems that bloom in the spring. It is right behind the quicksand pit, so no one knows about it. It’s my little secret and I did not even tell Utkara. I come here often because it is my sanctuary, the place I always feel free and safe in. Two Blue Jays glide past me, chirping and spinning in the air. Dropping the basket that I had brought for Berry picking, I sprint after them. I was catching up to them until suddenly; I trip over something, hidden in the long, emerald Grass. There, was a piece of light grey stone that looked like an arrow head. When I turned it over, I saw that it had two initials engraved on the side that read: //U.L.// These were the initials of Utakra, and no one in the village had the same ones. I didn’t know that anyone knew of this place, especially Utakra! Why would he not tell me? He must have a good reason not to, like I have a good reason for not to telling him. I noticed the Sun was making its daily trip down the sky, and I wanted to enjoy the last few minutes I would have here, so I closed my eyes and hummed the lullaby my Mother used to sing to me.

I woke up to a pitch black sky and a hooting sound in the distance. I realized that I must have fallen asleep, and adrenaline rushed through me as I realized that I was outside in the dark with Wild Dogs everywhere. I stood up so fast that my head rushed. Tripping over Sticks and Shrubs, I frantically ran around, not knowing where I was going. I didn’t stop running until I thought I was close to the village, but instead, I realized that I was lost. Nothing looked familiar, and I was about to start crying when I realized that crying will do me no good, so I climbed a good sized Tree and waited it out until morning.

Bright light and a horrible itch on my left arm greeted me as I opened my eyes to the new day. I looked down on my itchy arm, which was covered with swollen red bumps, and sighed. I must have brushed it along something poisonous last night. Looking around from my Tree-top point of view, I saw that I was actually not far from the main path by the quicksand. I mentally smacked myself for assuming that I knew the forest so well, when clearly I didn’t. All of a sudden, I noticed a radiant colour of purple peeking through from behind a bush. Wanting to go see what it was, I climbed down the Tree as quickly as I could. When I finally got to the purple Bush, I was out of breath, and starting to loose feeling in my left arm, but seeing what I saw that was behind the Bush, I quickly forgot about my stinging arm. I gasped and let out a short squeal of delight. I recognized the flower immediately because this was the legendary flower, Isrim that was thought to physically keep you at the age you’re in. The legend is known by everyone: “There is a flower with gold and orange pedals that will not be as great as it seems. The children will lead the way.” No one understands it, and everyone disregards it because there was no such thing as a gold and yellow flower on this island, or so we thought. The stem was as thick as a man’s thigh, and was pale blue in colour. It supported a flower the size of a wagon wheel and had orange dots littered across the gold petals. Hanging off the underside of the petals, were little red things that looked like peppers the size of my pinkie. The leaves and the rest of the plant were purple. <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">I suddenly heard a Bush rustling to my right, which woke me from the dazzled stage that I was in. A series of sticks snapped like someone was trying to move quickly away. I whipped around to face where the sound came from but no one was there. It did not matter if anyone was watching me because I was going to tell the village anyways. I was getting hungry and making this discovery of the flower was extremely overwhelming, so I left the spot where the flower was growing and headed back towards the village to gather my thoughts. About five minutes away, I saw Utakra running towards the village. <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">“Utakra! Utakra!” I yelled. <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">When he turned around, there must have been the patch of sunlight that caught his face or something, but I swear I could see anger in his eyes. He saw that it was me, and as that look was gone as fast as thunder striking. <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">“Oh hi, Amuha, How are you?” he said, slowing down his pace to a walk so that I could catch up to him. <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">I stopped where I was, stunned because I didn’t know how to answer his question. He never asks me how I was because he just isn’t the type of person to. It didn’t matter anyways because he was too busy looking at my swollen arm. <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">“Oh Utkara, I have so many things to tell you,” I said, but I was too late. He was running again, not even bothering to mutter a good-bye or even to look back at me.

<span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">Seven days have gone by since I last saw Utakra in the forest, but quite a few things happened during those days. <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">The first was that my arm healed, thanks to the healing soup that my Grandma fed to me non-stop, just like I did to my mother before she died. I had thought about the flower more and actually decided to keep it to myself for now. There is clearly a warning in the ancient legend and it should not be overlooked. <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">The second thing that happened was that three days ago, everyone found this message engraved on tree bark, placed on the doorstep of our tents: <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">“The legendary flower of Isrim has been found on our island,” it stated. <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">People would have assumed that the message was a fake if it was not for a small piece of ripped-off orange and gold petal that was put underneath the message. <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">After the reality sunk in, the village broke into total chaos. It’s like the teenagers threw all the values of their humanity out into the rolling waves of the Sea. We have 73 people who live on the island and there are thirty-one people, not including me, who are between ten and twenty years old. They are the ones who care about getting their hands on the flower. Actually, I think I am currently the only sixteen year-old who is not out in the forest, looking for the flower. Anyone under the age of ten does not want the plant simply because they don’t care much about getting old. The people over twenty have lived long enough to not be as out of control but also they know that this many people fighting over one thing means disaster. <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">Even though the parents know better, they are starting to get mad at one another because their kids are telling them exasperated stories. I’ve even heard rumours about someone tripping another person on purpose! No one has ever intentionally hurt someone else in our village, before. The flower is bringing everyone to their worst. The decision to keep the flower a secret would have been the right one and everything would still be fine, had it not been for the note. I never told anyone about this flower, yet the note was not sent by me. The person who was spying must have been a child because an adult would never have made the foolish decision to tell everyone.

<span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">The last of the day’s sunlight shined in through the open flap of my tent, almost calling out for me to come outside, so I put down the Seal skin belt I was making, and walked outside into our own mini disaster. I heard a boy, maybe twelve years of age, talking to his Father. <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">“Ivret slapped Okli in the face and told her that he saw a mosquito there. He also smugly pointed out that he just did her a favour and killed it. I was right beside them, and there was no such mosquito. He only did it because she wouldn’t tell him where she thought the flower was located. Ivret is so mean! I don’t like him anymore,” said the boy. <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">The Father first had a look of disbelief on his face, and then it turned into anger. <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">“Ivret’s Father and I work together at the tanning shed. I will strongly state my opinion about his son’s disgraceful behaviour to him!” the Father replied. <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">The teens were even turning lifelong friends into foes. It is none of anyone’s business to spread around gossip and to taint other people’s opinions about each other. <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">The chaos was too much for me to handle, so I headed towards the Cliff with rocks below it that were as sharp as spears. I like this place because even though everyone avoids it like they avoided the quicksand pit, if you give it a chance, you will realize how much closer to Nature you feel when you’re here. Plus, if you close your eyes to the sound of the waves crashing on the rocks, sometimes you feel like you’re floating above them. <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">I watched the blazing Sun set on the horizon and I turned around to leave. I slowly took my time walking towards the woods because I was definitely in no rush to get back to village. Suddenly, a seagull scooped down right in front of me to catch a small crab and flew back into the twilight sky. As my eyes followed it in surprise, I noticed a figure standing to my right. <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">The figure was standing near, facing right at me. My instincts kicked in as I suddenly noticed the tough gravel underneath my feet, the wind whistling past and just about every little thing that was around me. I got a sick kind of feeling in my stomach as I called out to the still figure. <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">“Hello? Who are you and what’s the matter? Why are you standing so still?” I yelled. I knew the figure could hear my voice because it was easily carried by the wind which was starting to blow harder. <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">The figure didn’t answer me, and by the time I got close enough to see who it was, the wind was blowing so hard that my hair flew around like a tornado, covering my eyes. Through my thick hair, I could see that the person was pulling out something from their belt. I saw the glimmer of a dagger’s blade and suddenly, I knew that many things were going to happen tonight. <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">I kept my reaction hidden, and my hair was still covering my face so I knew that whoever it was didn’t know that I saw what I did. I stopped and turned around to slowly push the hair out of my face as I thought up a plan to escape. I would have to get around them somehow and as soon as I was in the forest, I would be free. It’s as hard to find a person in the forest at night as it is finding an arrow head in a meadow. When I turned around, the person was right behind me and I was so shocked to see their face that I hunched over like I had suffered a blow. I had been planning to even fight back if I had to, but now, I had only the strength to utter one of the hundreds of questions swimming in my head. <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">“Why me?” I said. <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">“What’s with the shocked face, Amuha? You must have figured out it was me, with the arrow head and the sticks that I had purposely snapped. I gave you so many clues but yet, you still didn’t figure out it was me,” said Utakra with an expression that I’ve never seen him wear. <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">He hadn’t answered my question, but I was still in shock so he continued to speak in a twisted voice, completely different from his old one. <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">“Everyone in the village is so ignorant about anything other than nature. Living in a village where the idea of fun is picking berries, is making me so angry. I knew about your secret spot only days after you first discovered it. The arrow head was to warn you that I knew you were keeping the secret from me, but sadly you only discovered it recently. <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">The morning you found the flower, I was going to the meadow to check and see if you found my arrow head. I heard your little squeak and followed the sound, only to find that you had discovered something that I’ve only hoped and dreamed to find,” he explained. <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">“I snapped the twigs to tell you that I had seen, and if you weren’t going to tell everyone, then I surely would. I waited two days to see if you were going to say anything but obviously, you liked their boring, polite ways, so I did the deed. Honestly, I think it’s doing our village some good. I knew that if the children got involved they will unintentionally sting the adults with them. It’s like a chain reaction and all I have to do is watch it unfold. The village has finally stirred from a long hibernation that has lasted longer than it should. <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">Unfortunately, I need to get rid of you because you know more than I would like you to. I truely do like you, Amuha, and maybe we’ll see each other in another life, but just not this one,” he said, and started walking forward, forcing me to back up, which led me closer and closer to the cliff’s edge. <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">I tried one last time to convince him of the reason why I didn’t tell anyone. <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">“As soon as the reality of the flower sunk in, I knew that what the legend meant was that kids our age are the next generation, they are the future and what they do actually really affects you adults more that you have ever realized. Teens have an amazing ability to easily, yet greatly influence the older generation. If the flower was exposed, many of the teenagers would want to get their hands on it, no matter the cost or sacrifice, influencing the adults to think that way, too, leading the whole village into utter chaos,” I blurted out. I’m not even sure he understood some of what I said, but his expression didn’t change and he kept moving forward. <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">“Well this is it,” I whispered to myself, as we neared the edge. <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">A flash of pity and hesitation flashed across his face, and I knew that if I wanted to live, this would be my only chance. Forgetting about my fear, I swung around and kicked his gut as hard as I could. I felt a surge of pain on my side and felt the rush of blood seeping through my clothes and he took a swing of his own, only with a dagger. We both dropped to the ground from the pain. He was getting back up when I heard a crumble of rocks and a sudden splash as the cliff edge began to crumble from our weight. I looked down at the thirty foot drop. <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">Utakra saw his chance and moved to push me off but I grabbed on his arm by instinct. He instantly pulled back to save his own life, but forgot that he was pulling me back up with him. He reached for his dagger but it was on the ground, just out of reach. I grabbed him and swung him to where I used to be standing. Kicking and pushing out of his grasp, began the run for my life. Just before I had taken two steps, a loud crack boomed behind me and when I turned around, Utakra, and the edge where he was standing had disappeared, fallen off. <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">That one glance was already more than I needed to see so I kept on walking, back to my village, never looking back once. <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">**non proper nouns are capitalized to emphasize Amuha and her village’s appreciation to nature

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