This short story features a character created by one of my KickStarter backers, Hannah L. ! Thank you so much for the support.
The soft ground bounced as her bare feet dug into the wet dirt. As each step brought her closer to her destination, the mud flicked up and left stains on the bottom of her rolled up pants. She took heavy breaths, exhaling as each step landed harshly forward. The sky above swirled with lilac and white, the clouds moving alongside her as she flew past the various towering flora. A laugh erupted from her chest as she dodged a low hanging vine reaching across the aisles of crops. She ran her hand across the underside of a juvenile leaf, her pace beginning to slow. Her breath was becoming ragged, and the air was warm against her freckled skin. She flicked her head to the side, glancing over her shoulder, checking how far she had gone. A tall latter shone in the bright sun several aisles behind her. She had remembered everything she needed to harvest today’s petals, except for the shears to harvest them. This was just a week-long job, so it didn’t faze her that she had forgotten her supplies. In fact, she didn’t mind it. She immensely enjoyed running up and down Lenord’s field. She slowed to a stop, looking at her surroundings for a moment.
“It shouldn’t be much further,” she spoke out loud to herself in between breaths. Her chest moved up and down as she strolled in the direction of a small hut several meters from the end of the field. This was just one field in the vast land that fell into the territory of Underbelly, covering their grounds in lush greenery. The sun shone through the leaves of a fragrant bush catching a glimmer on the ground below. Hannah’s attention quickly snapped towards the shining item under the plant. Her stride halted, and she watched it closely. It was small but looked large enough to fill your palm. She slowly walked towards it, reaching gently to pick it up. The smell of basil filled her nose, and she paused, pulling her hand away. Hannah stepped closer and squatted over it, letting her shadow block the sun from the shining object. It was smooth and deep blue, little white speckles spreading across the left side of it. They almost looked like stars twinkling in a newly darkened sky.
“You look like me, little buddy,” she chuckled, reaching out to it and picking it up in her fingertips. Hannah used her other hand to brush the dirt that was lodged into its smooth surface. She inspected it closely, looking over the specks with intent. Several of them lined up, utterly uncanny to a series of freckles on her own body. She let out another soft chuckle and stood. “I guess it was meant to be,” she tucked it into the pouch at her side and patted it. For her, things like this were what made her daily life exciting. Small joys and connections within the world that she called home. Hannah pulled her short hair into a low ponytail, her chest filling once again with energy. Small tufts of her dark brown hair sprung from its place before she let a skip explode from her feet, springing her forward into a run. The mud slid under her toes, and she smiled wide, returning to the task she had before her.
This part of her trip was significantly shorter, Lenord’s house coming into view quickly. The stone weighed down her hip satchel quickly, but she kept her hand on it, knowing exactly where she would put it when she got home. She could see it now, set upon her bookshelf surrounded by other shiny objects she had the pleasure of finding in her travels. Maybe she could even place it in the shell she got from Clearwater several months back.
Lenord’s house was small but a pleasant dark color against the green surrounding it. She slowed her pace once again; her breath was shuttering quicker than before. The door was swung open and moving with the wind. Her mind began to race, knowing that he wouldn’t be so foolish to leave the door wide open with a newly walking child.
“Lenord!” she yelled, sprinting into the house with a fury. The windows were open as well; the wind was swirling around them. Lenord was leaned far out one of them, straining his neck to see something Hannah couldn’t. “Lenord?” she spoke in almost a whisper at this point. He turned quickly to look back at her.
“Go!! LEAVE NOW! RUN AND DON’T STOP RUNNING!” he yelled as the sky above them began to darken quickly. Her breath hitched, and she shook her head.
“What?! What the hell is going on? Where is everyone?!” her thick eyebrows knit together, and a fire lit within her core. He rushed to her, grabbing her shoulders and pushing her. His eyes were filled with a raging fear as his wrinkled hands shook. He shoved and shoved, Hannah stumbling backwards for a moment.
“There is no time for you to ask questions, do what you do best, and leave.” he pushed her out the door, trying desperately to get past her stubborn personality.
“Lenord! What the fu-” her words cut short and as she finally saw what was moving quickly before her eyes. A dark cloud swirled in the distance, licking the ground with its fiery tongues. Her lips pressed together harshly, and she turned, sprinting away from the looming shadow.