Don't Say Anything

Don't Say Anything

by Lady Rants-a-Lot

Prologue: Sirena

He may cry for mercy 
The cries of lost children. The shouts of their parents. The screams of the pursued. The moans of the hopeless.



And speak of things unknown 
Unfamiliar landmarks, foreign roads, the dim sky brightening with bursts of red, brown, and black. I don't recognize any of them. Where are the trees, with their curving, elegant branches and soft bark, carved with delicate patterns? Where is the sea, with its foaming, churning water and attention-seeking waves? Where is my family? I want them back, and with each step I take as I run, I wish for them more and more.



His wants are nothing to me 
The landscape changes, and I am in the city. The buildings are encompassed in greedy flames, twisting and wrapping around the structures, eating them alive. The deafening thunder arrives again; more screams. Why am I here? I want to go back to the unfamiliar, where I was more protected, covered, hidden. But I can't.



He knows I'm not alone
 I run down the streets, too afraid to look back. A firework of red and white light sparks on my left, and I dive into an alleyway. I keep running, and the alley opens up onto another street, but this one leads onto another highway. The open road, untouched for now, calls me from my shocked state. This won't last long like this, it is only a matter of minutes before this highway is in ruins too.



His ship crashes on an island 
Open road. Freshly paved road, untouched by the present. Trapped in the past. At least for now. The echo of my shoes on the pavement fill my ears; the sound of freedom. Faster, faster. My lungs burn. Faster. I hear the roar of the enemy. Faster! An opening in the road rails, leading into the forest. My feet do all the thinking, pulling me under the shelter of the trees, as the road I had just traveled on collapses and dissolves into nothing.


He sinks into the churning sea
 I stagger a few more steps forward, and collapse onto the forest floor.

Lying on the bottom sand
 I stare up at the tree tops. Is this the end?

Our voices are the key.


****************************************************************************************************

We never saw it coming. Well, at least most of us didn't. I knew. I tried to warn them, I tried to tell them that our enemies would be after us. They didn't listen to me, dismissed it as "a childish joke". They sure must be laughing now.

Sixty years ago, the government sent the rover - what was the name again? Curiosity? - to Mars. Twenty years ago, the first humans moved onto the no longer foreign planet. Ten years ago, after almost a third of the world's population was living on Mars, the war began. The human inhabitants of Mars had started to turn rogue, and developed.... alien-like characteristics. Their eyes turned gold, and their skin turned red. No one thought it would happen. They didn't know how, or why. Everyone assumed it was their body's advanced way of adapting to the new planet. All everyone knew was that they were different. They were nicknamed "Ignis", because their appearance made them look like they were made of flames. Eventually, the government sent a few astronauts to the planet, to dig a bit deeper into the mystery. The people of Mars felt intimidated, wanting the astronauts to leave their planet. More scientists came, and captured several of the Ignis, and tested them. They were caged, needles and medicines and chemicals pushed and flushed into their systems. The Ignis had had enough. They turned hostile, and vowed to never let another of their kind be captured again. The last Ingi to be hunted killed one of the scientists, out of self defense. The government immediately sent an army to the planet, killing almost every Ignis left and destroying their homes. Nine years later, the Ignis finished recovering and building a new home and population. Now they have attacked, here to get revenge. I only know this, because of I heard my father discussing it with some of the men that he works with. The story that the government has told the world is a lie. To the rest of the world, the government sent troops to help the Ignis, but the Ignis declined, and killed half of the troop, so the government had "no choice but to attack". That is complete BS. The government is blinded by hate. Unfortunately for me, I am stuck on the wrong end of the war. I am tied to the government's side, because the leader, is my father.

I race through the forest, my mind full of fear. If I had been half a second slower, I could've been blown to bits. What if they target the forest now? I need to get to my family. I need to find somewhere safe. My lungs and throat feel like I just swallowed a dozen of jalapenos whole. My eyes sting from all the smoke, dust and ash floating in the air. My legs ache from running for miles, and my heart hurts with the pain of being lost. I want my house, my family, my music, my books, and the beautiful blue ocean. The heartache seizes my chest, wrapping it in its cold, roping arms, and I stop running, collapsing on the forest floor. I feel so hopeless, and useless. Useless! I hate feeling useless. I stand up, and start walking. I have no idea where I am going, but trying to get somewhere is better than doing nothing. I walk for an hour before I reach a small stream. Water. I decide to follow it, hoping it will at least lead me to the ocean. My parents will look for me there.

I can't bare the thought of never having the cool waves tickle my feet again, and the soft sand brush against my arms and legs once more. I walk faster, following the stream. The trees start to thin, and the stream soon leads to a wide river. I walk along the river bank, watching the trees thin out even more. Blue sky greets me as I start to run. The cool fall breeze brushes against my skin, and the smell of dead leaves and salt fills the air. I run faster, sprinting along the river's edge. The wind blows in my face, and I laugh, enjoying the freedom and fresh air. No ash, no smoke. The Ignis haven't noticed this part of the state yet. Before I know it, the beautiful ocean is sprawled before me, covering the rest of the world in a silky blue blanket. The water is serene, and gentle waves crash against the shore. I smile, pulling off my burnt shoes, and walking in the soft white sand. The water brushes my ankles as I walk along the shore, perfectly happy where I am. I don't need anybody to find me, I could just live here myself forever, with the ocean as my neighbor. My long, curly chocolate brown hair tangles on my face, swaying in the breeze. I inhale the salty ocean air, and listen to the sound of the dune grass dancing in the wind. I close my eyes, and sit down in the sand, and let the world fade out leaving me with nothing but the sound of waves. They start to get louder, and louder, until I realize I am not hearing the waves anymore. The steady hum of a hovercraft interrupts the glorious sounds of nature. Thanks a lot advanced science and technology. I slowly and reluctantly open my eyes, and watch as the craft flies closer to the beach. Soon it is about a hundred yards to my right, and a ladder is lowered to the ground. I watch my father climb down, and he sprints across the beach to me. I sigh, and consider getting up and running away from him, into the ocean, where he wouldn't be able to catch me. But the logical side of me tells me to go with him. I was just missing my home and family anyways. I stand up, and let my father embrace me once I reach him. I hug him back, feeling the want for my family back again.

"We were afraid we'd lost you Sirena!" My father exclaims, pulling back and holding me at arms length. "We looked everywhere; the city, the school, the woods. We didn't expect you to travel this far! Are you ok?" I look my father directly in his piercing blue eyes.



"Yeah, I'm fine- wait what?" I ask, alarmed. How far did I run? Where am I anyway? Is the war still going on?



"Sirena, you're in Rosagrum. That's five territories over from Terraesole." My eyes widen in shock, realizing how far from my territory I had traveled, and my father laughs. "I guess you're more athletic than you think. C'mon, let's go home."

"Is the war over?"

"What?"

"Is the war over?"

"What war? What are you talking about?" My father asks, in question. My heart leaps into my throat.

"There was a war.... Against the Ignis. They bombed the city, and the highways... You were there. Remember?" My father's face turns worried.

"Sirena, are you sure you're fine?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" I feel so confused. How does my father not remember? The city was demolished!


"Because the city is still standing. You left last night while we were asleep, and we had no idea where you went. There was no war."

Shaun’s Travels: The Three Pigs

There was a little boy, sitting by himself on the side of a hill on a beautiful autumn day. His name was Shaun, and he had an obsession with the word Midday. He was a bright, nice, and curious boy. He had sea-green eyes, a deep and thoughtful expression, and a pair of glasses. He liked fantasy and humor books. A strange little boy was this Shaun.

He thought of how the flight attendant said ‘Get on the plane’, and how that would not be agreeable. The wind would most likely push you off. “You should probably get inside of the plane, and not on it” the little boy mused. He began to think of the fact that he was only a little boy, and he didn’t appear to have a home or a family. Shaun decided that he must get some of these things, because other people said that a family and a home are good things to have.

So he ventured out into the big wide world to see if he could find any of these things. He first happened upon a lonely straw house, sitting all by itself. He decided that this might be a nice home to live in. So he very gently, gently rapped on the chamber door.

Immediately a disgusting, fat, short pig in a bath-robe responded to the door, murmuring something about his lost lemon store or something. The pig looked at Shaun and grunted in a piggish way “Yeah, what do you want? You interrupted my pondering.”

Shaun said “Sir, I was just looking for a family or a home, do you happen to have either of these?”

The pig responded “No, you miserable little orphan, now go away so I can resume my wondering, or blundering, or whatever I was doing before you interrupted me!”

So Shaun began to cry about his mistreatment at the hands of the mean pig, when a big nice wolf came across Shaun. The wolf asked Shaun why he was crying “Why are you crying, little boy?” and the little boy responded “Why, Mister Wolf, the short, mean pig that lives in the straw house over yonder made me cry because he slammed the door on my face.”

Mister Wolf was enraged by the piggish behavior of the pig in a straw house. So he said to Shaun, “You wait here and I’ll, I’ll huff, and I’ll puff, and I’ll blow that pig’s house down for what he did.” And true to his word, Mister Wolf did.

So Shaun began his search anew, with a bright and happy outlook to the future. Maybe more people would be like Mister Wolf, he thought, and might be able to give him a family and a home. He set out towards the west. Soon he came to a small town, with a nice inviting wooden house, and he thought he’d try his luck again. So this time he firmly tapped upon the front door.

Again, Shaun was greeted by a pig, but this one seemed more respectable than the first. He was wearing a t-shirt, jeans, and a pigskin jacket. He asked “Yes, little boy, what do you want?”

And Shaun replied “Hello Mister Pig, I was wondering if you had a family or a home that I could have?”

Mister Pig responded “Yes, I gave one of those to King Nestor, but it seems that he has forgotten where he placed them.”

“Yes, but do you have a family or a house for me?”

“No, I don’t, and it’s rude to beg. You can go play with Irus, you miserable beggar.” And Mister Pig slammed the door on Shaun.

Repeating the process, Shaun sat down and cried, Mister Wolf came and asked what’s wrong, Shaun related everything to him, Mister Wolf got mad. Then Mister Wolf goes and blows the house down.

So Shaun resumed his journey to find a place where he belonged, and the people he belonged with. Suddenly he came onto a large city, with a particularly large mansion. The Mansion happened to be made of brick. Shaun was more curious than hopeful when he used the knocker on the door, which had a face on it. He saw a boy doing the twist off in an alley way.

The door opened and Sir Pigenezer Scrooge answered it “Yes, what is it you want you beggar boy? if it’s money, you won’t get any out of me.”

“No, I was just wondering if you had a home or a family to spare.”

Sir replied, “What, are there no prisons? and the union workhouses, are they still operational? You will find plenty of miserable wretches like you in the establishments I have named, and there is plenty enough home there for you.”

So Shaun began to wail louder than he had before, and Mister Wolf came running to the rescue “What happened this time, little boy? Haven’t you found a home yet?” Shaun wailed “Oh, Mister Wolf, the pig in the brick mansion is the worst yet! He’s a regular old Scrooge of a man. Would you please be kind enough to blow the house down for me?”

Mister Wolf replied “Well, you’ve made me blow down two houses so far, and I’m almost tempted to leave you here crying, but I won’t. I’ll blow this one down, and that’s it for today.”

Then Mister Wolf walked up to the house, and he began to huff, and puff, and blow, but the mansion wouldn’t fall down. Then, in his exasperation on his second try, he forgot to puff, and the third he forgot to huff, and on the fourth he forgot to blow, and he gave up.

He went back, and found Shaun still crying. He said “Okay, you, I’ll take you back to my house for a while. That can be your home for the length of approximately three months, and I’ll be your family. How does that sound to you?” And Shaun’s face began to dry and light up like a lightbulb. “Thank you Mister Wolf, oh, thank you thank you thank you thank you! This will be such fun, Mister Wolf!”

So Mister Wolf and Shaun went off into the horizon, following a yellow brick road.

The End.

By T.H. Wam!