Uses and Gratification

I will be at the edge of the sea. Wilting trees coloured a haunting black will stand along the sea bank. A raven will watch from one of the trees, its blood-red eyes watching on. It will shed a tear that is red of itself, and as it does so, it will be caught by another—by the other me.

I will wonder where the other me came from, but this will only last a moment, for the bloody tear will manifest as a new object.

The other person will hand me this new object: a ring of human hair and a blood-red ruby of the teardrop. Three cats will dance along the edge of the sea under the crescent moon. Music will be playing, but I'm not sure where. One by one, they will stop dancing and will lie down to sleep.

The dream fades into black.

──✩₊⁺⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧──

Some days passed, and with them, the remaining handful of individuals who intended to go into the rift. All that remained were members of the Church of Xilu, and many of the others, like Miss Zaloneas, had just come to terms with dying.

I continued to do my perimeter checks with Buddy, though we never went near the entrance again. For some reason, the thought of seeing my parents at the entrance made me nervous. I think Lady Scarlet called it anxiety. Apparently, it is related to trauma. I don’t get it. But I do know I don’t like it.

I don’t know how much time has passed. I began counting on my fingers; Lady Scarlet taught me how to count and read. But after I ran out of fingers, I could no longer count the days. Since then, I have measured time by the end of the world.

If I don’t wake up dead in the morning, then the world hasn’t ended.

After some time, I shifted to a new counting method based on interesting events that happened in camp. When a thunderstorm hit during the night, the loud bang gave Buddy and me a big fright. We cuddled up to Lady Scarlet, who was fast asleep during it. That was a particularly interesting day, so I started counting the days from then on.

On the third day, after I found a bird’s nest in one of the trees, I was sitting with Lady Scarlet, practising reading.

“Th—The app—apple is r—red.” I tried to read out loud. I struggled with certain letters, such as t, which made many different sounds. I also often got confused between the letters d and b, which looked very similar.

“Very good; you are getting better each day,” Lady Scarlet complimented. I liked it when she praised me. It made me feel good.

A guard burst into the tent, startling me slightly.

“Lady Scarlet, I apologise for interrupting your reading practice time, but I have come to report that Ren has returned from his journey and will be over shortly to disseminate the spoils of his trip.”

Mr. Ren had returned? That was good news. I was very happy. I wanted to show him how much I had learnt while he was away. Maybe if I impressed him enough, he might put his hand on my head and rustle my hair.

Perhaps my joy was showing on my face because Lady Scarlet sighed. ‘Kid, why don’t we call it here for the day and prepare for Rens’s return instead. Would you like to do that?”

I nodded enthusiastically.

We began preparing, which meant Lady Scarlet discussed things with the guard while I put away the teaching resources: paper, books, and pencils. Not long after I put it all away, Ren entered the tent.

“I have returned, Lady Scarlet.” he bowed before turning to me. “And it’s good to see you again, Kid.”

Seeing Mr. Ren again was exciting. I hadn’t felt so joyous for such a long time.

I couldn’t wait any longer. I wanted to tell Mr. Ren about everything that had happened since he had left, so I ran up to him.

“You’re looking awfully cheery. Have you had a good time?” He asked.

I nodded. “Lady Scarlet taught me to read. I can now read some words.”

“Well, look at that. Aren’t you a clever girl.” He put his hand on my head and rustled my hair. I had achieved the praise I wanted from him.

“I hate to interrupt your reunion, but how did your journey go?”

Mr. Ren didn’t stop patting my head but shifted his attention to Lady Scarlet.

“Unfortunately, the locals around the area had mostly raided the estate. I did manage to scrounge up some items, just not as much as I would have liked.”

“Well, as you probably saw when you came into camp, almost everyone has already entered the rift. As long as we have equipment for us, we should be good.”

“Well, that’s good to hear. I managed to find some rope, a box of medical equipment, and a small knife.”

“What good would that knife do?”

“I was thinking it could be a gift for the kid.”

“You would gift a knife to a child? Ren, this is why children are afraid of you.”

“The rift is a dangerous place. If the kid plans to come, she will need some protection.” He turned to me, “You’re not afraid of me, are you?”

Afraid of Mr. Ren? How could I be? He was one of the kindest people I knew. He praised me and spoilt me. I couldn’t help but appreciate everything he did. I wasn’t afraid of him in the slightest.

I shook my head.

“See,” he commented to Lady Scarlet. “So, kid, you’ve had some time to think and learn. What’s it going to be? Are you going to come with Lady Scarlet and me to the rift, or will you stay here with Miss Zaloneas?”

I liked Miss Zaloneas; she occasionally had me over for tea and biscuits, but I could only give one answer.”

“I want to go with you to the rift.”

“If that’s what you wish, I will not stop you.” He handed me the knife. “This is for you. Hopefully, you will not need this knife. Lady Scarlet and I shall do our best to protect you. But should you need it, it’s there for you.”

I had never held a knife before. It was somewhat heavy, but I could still carry it.

“When should we leave?” Mr Ren asked.

“Good question. The earlier we leave, the more time we can spend looking for the Chalice.

“Then, if you can be ready by tomorrow, we will leave early in the morning, “Ren suggested.

Lady Scarlet stood up.

“That sounds good. I need to speak to Zaloneas to tell her we are heading off.” She walked over to me and got down to my eye level. She smiled softly. “Do you want to come with me to say goodbye to Zaloneas?”

“Ok,” I responded.

──✩₊⁺⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧──

End Chapter 12