bounced her down the path.
With no real thought
for direction, just a desire to move away from the sounds of destruction which
were still creeping nearer, she led the ragged band through the woods. She
heard the cries of people stumbling and falling behind her, but she didn’t turn
and she didn’t stop. Despite all that had happened this afternoon, she had
managed to keep her head. Until now. This was panic in
all its raging glory and she was giving it full rein. She hadn’t wanted to be
their ‘leader’, but she had taken on the role because everyone expected her to.
Like so many things in her life, the expectation of others had over-ridden her
own wishes and desires. But all that was forgotten now and she simply ran, to
protect herself and to protect her daughter.
She stumbled and fell
more than once, but each time she twisted, cat-like, to land on her back, and
then with a roll she was up on her knees, Alyssa still in her arms, and then
she was on her feet and running.
The noise of the beams
churning the earth stopped, but Nicola carried on running. Alyssa’s wailing
finally calmed to breathy sobs, but Nicola kept on running. The noise of the
others following her started to fade, but she kept on running.
She didn’t stop until
the canopy of the forest disappeared from over her and she found herself wading
into a field of some kind of grain. The combination of the sudden shocking
light and the impediment of the crops brought her shuddering to a stop and
crashing to her knees. Alyssa struggled from her arms, seemingly wanting to get
away from this crazy woman who had replaced her mother, but she didn’t run off,
simply stood and watched, panting, as her mother started to sob into hands
which she had raised to cover her face.
Nicola did not stay
there very long. Her worries of death and destruction raining once more from
the skies – especially in this exposed location – were too pressing. They
brought her back to herself and lifted her once more from her knees to her
feet.
Alyssa was looking at
her, concerned. “Are you okay, mummy?”
Nicola thought for a
moment, but not for the first time, how strange it was to hear that English
word, ‘mummy’, coming from the mouth of the child who had first called her
‘mom’. Alyssa had taken to England and its version of her language much faster
than Nicola could ever have expected. She had already lost almost all traces of
an American accent, and Nicola knew that she would grow up sounding distinctly
different to her mother. She guessed it was another reason why she sometimes
felt alienated from her own child. But nothing could have been more distant
now. She had almost been playing along and performing a role up until now, but
all of a sudden this six year old child and her safety were the most important
things in her world. She wanted time to savour this, to remember that this
should have been her priority all along, but knew that any analysing would have
to wait for later.
She heard noises
behind her and turned. It was Stan, wading through the corn, with Dave a little
way behind, and a handful of the others. She could see one or two more at the
edge of the trees, but that was all. Suddenly, the guilt of her sudden flight
hit her as well. The weight of all her responsibilities threatened to crush
her, but she knew she couldn’t let them, so she took a deep breath and buried
them for the moment. There would be a reckoning later, but that was later.
“Sorry about that. Did
everyone make it?” she asked Stan.
He nodded. “Yes, I
think so. A few with burned legs or feet are taking a little longer, but I
don’t think the flying saucers, or whatever the fuck they were, came anywhere
close to us in the end. It just sounded like it.”
“It sure did,” was her
response, and she was amazed to hear a small laugh escape her mouth.
“Sounded like a
mountain crashing towards us, eh?” Stan was also laughing. She could tell from
his expression that he was as
With no real thought
for direction, just a desire to move away from the sounds of destruction which
were still creeping nearer, she led the ragged band through the woods. She
heard the cries of people stumbling and falling behind her, but she didn’t turn
and she didn’t stop. Despite all that had happened this afternoon, she had
managed to keep her head. Until now. This was panic in
all its raging glory and she was giving it full rein. She hadn’t wanted to be
their ‘leader’, but she had taken on the role because everyone expected her to.
Like so many things in her life, the expectation of others had over-ridden her
own wishes and desires. But all that was forgotten now and she simply ran, to
protect herself and to protect her daughter.
She stumbled and fell
more than once, but each time she twisted, cat-like, to land on her back, and
then with a roll she was up on her knees, Alyssa still in her arms, and then
she was on her feet and running.
The noise of the beams
churning the earth stopped, but Nicola carried on running. Alyssa’s wailing
finally calmed to breathy sobs, but Nicola kept on running. The noise of the
others following her started to fade, but she kept on running.
She didn’t stop until
the canopy of the forest disappeared from over her and she found herself wading
into a field of some kind of grain. The combination of the sudden shocking
light and the impediment of the crops brought her shuddering to a stop and
crashing to her knees. Alyssa struggled from her arms, seemingly wanting to get
away from this crazy woman who had replaced her mother, but she didn’t run off,
simply stood and watched, panting, as her mother started to sob into hands
which she had raised to cover her face.
Nicola did not stay
there very long. Her worries of death and destruction raining once more from
the skies – especially in this exposed location – were too pressing. They
brought her back to herself and lifted her once more from her knees to her
feet.
Alyssa was looking at
her, concerned. “Are you okay, mummy?”
Nicola thought for a
moment, but not for the first time, how strange it was to hear that English
word, ‘mummy’, coming from the mouth of the child who had first called her
‘mom’. Alyssa had taken to England and its version of her language much faster
than Nicola could ever have expected. She had already lost almost all traces of
an American accent, and Nicola knew that she would grow up sounding distinctly
different to her mother. She guessed it was another reason why she sometimes
felt alienated from her own child. But nothing could have been more distant
now. She had almost been playing along and performing a role up until now, but
all of a sudden this six year old child and her safety were the most important
things in her world. She wanted time to savour this, to remember that this
should have been her priority all along, but knew that any analysing would have
to wait for later.
She heard noises
behind her and turned. It was Stan, wading through the corn, with Dave a little
way behind, and a handful of the others. She could see one or two more at the
edge of the trees, but that was all. Suddenly, the guilt of her sudden flight
hit her as well. The weight of all her responsibilities threatened to crush
her, but she knew she couldn’t let them, so she took a deep breath and buried
them for the moment. There would be a reckoning later, but that was later.
“Sorry about that. Did
everyone make it?” she asked Stan.
He nodded. “Yes, I
think so. A few with burned legs or feet are taking a little longer, but I
don’t think the flying saucers, or whatever the fuck they were, came anywhere
close to us in the end. It just sounded like it.”
“It sure did,” was her
response, and she was amazed to hear a small laugh escape her mouth.
“Sounded like a
mountain crashing towards us, eh?” Stan was also laughing. She could tell from
his expression that he was as
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