LOST

By Bokei Thompson
Age 10

 

“Rivers flow,
steady blow,
treacherous peaks stretching far below.”

“Abandoned here,
suddenly in fear,
the terrors of this place.”

Rocks suddenly look sharp,
I can’t hear thy lark,
it is thy mark of terror.

“Thy willow blowing,
by far knowing,
does it know our destiny?”

“Will we find our way back?
we can’t cut our slack;
death is reaching for us even now.

“Thy water like glass,
how long will we last?
for shadows cast,
in front of us darkness.”

We’re alone now – abandoned. But do you know what we also are?
Free.

“Pack up,” Bree shouted. We were moving. A bear couple had moved in not too far from our little camp, and apparently was stealing our food. These bears were brutal and large; we couldn’t just fight it.

“Are we ready?” Bree called out. There was a chorus of six ‘yeses’ and nods. Bree nodded, and zipped up her backpack.
“Come on.” She said, and we moved out.

We were too far up to stop.

We hadn’t noticed we were climbing a mountain until we were half-way to the top, and it was beginning to be steep. The sun was sinking below the horizon. I ran ahead, and started to walk beside Breanna.

“We should stop for the night,” Breanna commented flatly. Secretly, I agreed. But I payed no mind, and look at her with a concerned expression.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, ignoring the question altogether.
“Um, nothing.” She said. I started to get worried; this was not the hyperactive Bree I knew. I decided not to sound like a concerned mother and leave it, but as I was about to turn away, Bree rested her hand on my shoulder. I turned to meet her gaze.

“It’s the poem,” she said softly. “I’ve been hearing it again.”

I paused, and looked down at my feet.
“Me too,” I said quietly. Bree looked faintly surprised.
“Really?” she asked, but her heart wasn’t into it. I nodded.
“You should tell the others. We may be stuck with each other until we die, you know.”
Bree lowered her head, and then touched her palm to her forehead as if she were having a serious debate in her mind, which she probably was.

“Okay,” she said after a few moments of silence. “After we set up a makeshift camp.”

Everything was set up now. Breanna hoisted herself up onto a rock, and stood, while the rest of us viewed our progress.

“Um, guys,” she started. Ha. Intelligent. I thought sarcastically, but didn’t show anything. We all looked up at her.

“Er, Bokei, would you like to tell them?” she gave me a pleading look. I bit my lip, but complied anyway.

Now I was facing four expectant people, and I got a little jittery. Hey dummy, what did ya say to her again? Oh yhea, spendin’ the rest o’ your days with these folks. Said a little voice in my head. I inwardly grounded, but didn’t argue.

“Well,” I started, “Breanna and I have been hearing the poem again.” I gestured for Breanna to speak, even though I felt a little guilty for doing that to her when she specifically asked for me to do it for that very reason.

“I’ve been seeing it in the words of our books. I see the real words for part of it, and then around two times in the page, I see the poem. The places where the poem is also changes as I flip the page or sometimes when I blink.” She said.

They nodded. Michelle was the first to speak up, followed soon by Izzy, then Mimi, and Finally Ella.

“I’ve been hearing things, too.”

“Same here.”
“I wasn’t sure if I was just thinking about it too much or I was crazy.”
“That about sums it up.”

They all agreed, and it was clear they too had been seeing and hearing things.
“So it’s agreed,” Breanna stated, and motioned that I could step down now. I let out a breath I didn’t even know I was harboring, and hopped down.

“Let’s get some rest.” She said, and proceeded to one of the two tents we had set up.

It was then next day, probably around two P.M. and we had reached the summit of the mountain.
“I think this is Mount Wilhelm.” I stated quietly. Izzy shoved me with a small laugh.
“Yhea. I guess you’re the only one who actually did your research about this place before we left.” I ignored her, and stared at the scenery.

The poem was true.

The river was flowing, the wind was steadily blowing, and the peaks was treacherous below us.

We were abandoned here. Suddenly, the forest seemed unfriendly.

The smoothest stone looks like it’s dangerous. I had noticed before how loud the larks were singing, but now I realized it had died out. The peak was silent.

A willow was blowing in the wind beside a lake. I could see its ancient branches, like they knew of anything and everything. But the question rang in my mind before I could even comprehend it; does it know our destiny?

Will we make it? There is only wilderness for as far as I can see; and a line on the horizon – the sea. I saw many, many dangerous peaks and fast-flowing rivers. We wouldn’t survive if we kept traveling and we got hurt. We have no herbs to heal; we’d surely die.

And finally, my eyes settled upon a lake. It was completely consumed in the shadow of the mountain, but the water was as clear as glass. There, instead of sandy ground, I could tell the grass was soft just by looking at it. The willow was nestled right at the lake’s edge, and many other trees surrounded it.

Breanna cleared her throat.
“I vote we stay at the lake.”
It was our fate.