Read Online Migration by Daniel David - Free Book Online Page A

between the worlds of eternity and mortality. After thirty years of guessing, she would know in less than an hour.
    11.00am
    When they arrived at Echo Farm, the doors hissed open and they stepped down onto the dark slate pathway that led up through beautifully manicured gardens towards an imposing white thermoplastic building. The grass had been cut earlier in the morning and the air was still heavy with the rich and earthy scent of the summer. Stray blades of grass were scattered around the edges of the path and a couple of blackbirds were taking advantage of the abundance of bugs and worms that had been tricked to the surface or caught in the open.
    As they walked slowly away from the train, Sarah continuously panned her head from side to side, trying to take in all the sights and smells she could, one last time. The day was bright now and the sun glared onto her skin with a continuous searing heat. It made her sweat a little and she felt her skin prickle and her clothes move stubbornly against her limbs. In the distance, over the tops of the evergreen trees that bordered the ever so green lawn, she could see the peaks and ridges of the outland hills that looked bleached and bare by comparison.
    As her gaze swept left to right she paused once or twice as the doors at the end of the path grew ever closer. The tall glass panels augmented her view with an almost perfect reflection of her and Zoe, but with a slight ripple from the heat and the imperfection of the surface. She noticed that they hadn’t spoken for the whole journey, though they were still holding hands.
    “This sunshine is beautiful,” said Sarah, feeling her words clash a little against their nerves.
    Zoe pulled her arm to a stop and turned her towards her.
    “Don’t go, Mum,” said Zoe staring directly up into her face, her voice loaded with fear, sadness and desperation. “Please, please, please don’t go.”
    She sounded like her five-year-old self, Sarah thought, the very first time she had left her at school. She remembered her tiny utility suit, her bag that never had anything in it and the short cropped hair she’d hated. Sarah smiled at her and took her other hand.
    “Zoe, darling, I know how you feel, I know. I’m scared too. But please understand, I’ve been waiting for this my whole life. Apart from you, everything else in my life has been about getting to this point.”
    “I know,” Zoe looked awkward, “but I’m worried that you’re making a mistake.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Well, with Dad…” Zoe waited for a moment, “and you’ve given so much to me and…” Zoe frowned as she hunted for her words, and then took both of Sarah’s hands. “I remember when I was little, you used to read me stories about Kings and Queens, about the first woman to fly, Amelia someone. Explorers. The wars before AarBee.”
    Sarah looked at her confused, waiting for this stream of memories to conclude, but Zoe’s words ran out and she instead stood staring at her, waiting desperately for an answer that Sarah couldn’t give. She let go of her hands and brushed her fingers through Zoe’s hair.
    “I love you so much sweetheart, and I’ll be right here, whenever you need me, wherever you are… and when you come over, we’ll all be together. Forever.”
    Zoe kept her eyes fixed on hers for a moment, and then reluctantly dropped her gaze and wrapped her arms around her and held her in a long embrace.
    “I know,” she said quietly, “I’ll just miss hugging you.”
    Another couple nudged past them on the path. Sarah hadn’t thought about the others that would be here too. They must have been the first people off the Vac, as now when Sarah looked up there were at least fifty other people walking up the path and moving past them. Some laughed and chattered in groups, some walked arm in arm. Most smiled and talked excitedly, but within a few seconds she recognised the uncertainty that lurked beneath the surface and stole a little of the