Hello New World

Eli Jones

Hello, Mister Blue Sky. It is nice to meet you, too. 

I roll over and get up. My shoulders ache. 

Hmm... I was on the way to school... 

Shit, shit, shit. I am late! Where's my bag? What time is it?

Wait, how did I get here? 

Oh, my school bus fell into the river... and I got drifted here? Does that mean no school today? 

"Eli! Why weren't you at school?" "Mom! The bus fell into the river; what do you want me to do?" "Are you trying to skip school? This is why your grades are always terrible." "It is not my fault. I-. The bus fell. I almost drowned. What do you want?"

Anyway, I'd better get going. Even if there's no school for me today, I want to get home for dinner. The sun in the sky says it is about 3 in the afternoon.  

I look for my backpack. My clothes had dried when I woke up, so I must have been out for a while, and if my backpack had been gone for that long...

I look down towards where the river flows. I give myself time to come to terms with the reality of never probably reuniting with my backpack, the one thing that had my bag through middle school.

Memories come rushing back. I got you when I went to year 5. You tore down after three years, but Mom stitched you back, not because we can't afford a new one. She wanted to get me a new one, but I wanted you fixed because you are a friend I could never trade. I remember you held more and more books as years passed by. I remember when I beat a bully with you. I remember you were with me everywhere; every day I go to school, late-night homework sessions, on school trips, and on family trips. I-

I look away from the river. The wild flowers on the riverbank calm my emotions. I carefully pick some of them: a yellow for happiness, a purple for companionship, and a blue for safety. I throw them into the river, and I watch as they float downstream and out of my sight. 

When the tears stop, I climb up the slope on the riverside. 

After all, the sky has grown dark. I should find shelter if I don't want to get rat-soaked. 

A few minutes can't hurt. I stand at the top of the riverbank and look up at the rain clouds. Cold wind blows in my face. 

"Aargh!"

I shout as someone tackles me out of nowhere. We both rolled down the riverbank. 

Before I can say anything, where I stood explodes, and embers shower the area. The lady who tackled me grabs my hand, and we immediately dash out of the vicinity. 

"What are you doing in the storm?" she yells at me. 

The sky continues to shower in meteors. Thin trees break as they are caught in strong winds. Lightning flashes in the heavens. 

Where am I? 

She takes me into an underground shelter. We both sit down as soon as we close the metal doors and lose the storm behind. 

"Who are you? Are you with the bandits? What's your name?" The lady interrogates me as soon as she catches her breath. 

"Ah, my name is Eli Jones." 

"Are you working for the bandits?" 

"No, I am not." 

She stares into my soul. "I am taking you to the charters. We will know who you are then." She grabs my hand and pulls me deeper into the cave. 

The shelter was built of concrete and steel. Ceiling lights brighten the rooms. Each room is an interconnected hexagonal cell, spreading out who knows how far. Well, that is not true; at least the residents must know how big their shelter is. It must have been built because of the hostility of the surface. If I lived in a world which rains meteors regularly, I would want to live underground as well. 

Huh? 

But it doesn't rain meteors regularly where I live. 

Where am I?