La Gaudière
two
You're a wise girl, Cherynne. Always remember that.
The girl sighed as she pulled the little slip of paper from the book. It was the fourth one she had found today. Her father had left notes for her all around her house before leaving on a business trip, and she wasn't sure why. But she didn't question it too much - sometimes her father just did strange things without ever giving a reason. She flipped through the rest of the book, searching for other notes. There were none.
Just then, someone knocked on the front door. "Cherynne!" a voice called. "You better come soon! We'll be late!"
Cherynne felt her heart flutter and a small smile formed on her lips. She set the book down on the table and answered the door, composing herself. "I thought we weren't going yet."
The tall girl who stood before her sighed. "Have you checked the time?"
Cherynne glanced at the clock on the wall. "It's only five, Aoise."
"Yes, but if I had left you to yourself, you wouldn't have noticed until all of the marigolds were gone."
She had nothing to say to that. She knew Aoise was right. "Well, alright then. Let's go."
The planet was named Marigold for a reason. Millions of marigolds bloomed in the meadows that covered much of the land, leaving the nearby villages in a fragrant cloud of eternal springtime. This time of year was the annual planet-wide Festival, a treat to behold due to the near-endless supply of flowers.
Cherynne enjoyed the Festival along with everyone else, but not for the flowers. To her, it was an excuse to be with friends and cling to the last years of freedom.
"This will be our last Festival before we finish school," Aoise said, stooping to pick a marigold and adding it to her basket. "Time goes by so quickly, doesn't it?"
"I suppose," Cherynne said. "I feel like not much will change. But I guess it will."
"It definitely will. What do you plan to do once we're all done?"
"I don't know," Cherynne answered. The truth was, she had never really known. "I'd like to do something big one day. To go down in history, maybe."
"Big dreams, huh?" Aoise said, raising a dark eyebrow. "That's a lot for a girl from the little village of Azelmar."
"I guess." Cherynne twisted up the corner of her mouth in an uncomfortable smile. "What about you?"
Aoise brushed back a long strand of hair. "Maybe a teacher, for a few years. For children, of course. After that, I think I would just want to settle down with someone and just... be a mother."
"You shouldn't have a problem with that. Any man would be lucky to have you." Cherynne felt a small pain in her heart. Their futures would never be tied together the way she wanted them to be. But she kept herself composed and continued gathering marigolds. The two girls finished filling their baskets and started walking back to the village.
"I hope your father brings back a lot of things for the Festival," the dark-haired girl said. "When is he due back?"
"I think he should be back by now," Cherynne replied. "We'll go by the port after we drop these baskets off at my house."
The meadows were not far from the village, and in the few hours they were gone, it seemed to have transformed. The houses were all decorated in a rainbow of colors and an air of cheeriness surrounded each one. Aoise, getting into the Festival spirit, flicked her fingers and a blossom floated from her basket to each house they passed. By the time they reached Cherynne's house, Aoise's basket was half-empty.
"We can always go again," she said. "But I suppose you don't want to. You never liked the Festival as much as everyone, huh? I can go with Quinn, if you want."
Cherynne didn't like the idea of going to pick more flowers, but she wanted to spend time with her friends, especially Aoise. And so she said, "Of course I'll go with you. But later. Now we can go by the port and see what they brought back from the city this year."
The village was surrounded by meadow on one side and water on the other, so it wasn't a very long walk to the port. As they got closer to the water, they saw a crowd forming, blocking all view.
"What's going on?" Aoise asked. "Why are all these people here?"
"How should I know?"
They tried to get closer to the boat, but they didn't want to rudely push through everyone, not at the beginning of a holiday. So they waited at the back of the group, asking the people around them what had happened, but it seems that everyone in the back of the group was in the same situation: when they saw the crowd, they unsuccessfully tried to see what was going on. The girls waited and waited, knowing that something important must have happened. Then the crowd parted to let a small girl through. She went immediately to Aoise and Cherynne.
"I knew you would be here!" she exclaimed. "It's horrible!"
"What is it?"
"The boat returned right on time, with all the cargo and everything. Except... no one was on it."
"What do you mean?" Cherynne asked immediately. Her father was on that boat. Where could he be?
"Everyone is just... gone. The only trace is blood. Just... blood everywhere." The small girl looked sick. "Cherynne..."
Cherynne barely heard her. She seemed to fade in and out of reality for a moment. She didn't truly believe it yet, but there was no way she could doubt the truth. A few words replayed over and over in her head.
You're a wise girl, Cherynne. Always remember that.
The girl sighed as she pulled the little slip of paper from the book. It was the fourth one she had found today. Her father had left notes for her all around her house before leaving on a business trip, and she wasn't sure why. But she didn't question it too much - sometimes her father just did strange things without ever giving a reason. She flipped through the rest of the book, searching for other notes. There were none.
Just then, someone knocked on the front door. "Cherynne!" a voice called. "You better come soon! We'll be late!"
Cherynne felt her heart flutter and a small smile formed on her lips. She set the book down on the table and answered the door, composing herself. "I thought we weren't going yet."
The tall girl who stood before her sighed. "Have you checked the time?"
Cherynne glanced at the clock on the wall. "It's only five, Aoise."
"Yes, but if I had left you to yourself, you wouldn't have noticed until all of the marigolds were gone."
She had nothing to say to that. She knew Aoise was right. "Well, alright then. Let's go."
The planet was named Marigold for a reason. Millions of marigolds bloomed in the meadows that covered much of the land, leaving the nearby villages in a fragrant cloud of eternal springtime. This time of year was the annual planet-wide Festival, a treat to behold due to the near-endless supply of flowers.
Cherynne enjoyed the Festival along with everyone else, but not for the flowers. To her, it was an excuse to be with friends and cling to the last years of freedom.
"This will be our last Festival before we finish school," Aoise said, stooping to pick a marigold and adding it to her basket. "Time goes by so quickly, doesn't it?"
"I suppose," Cherynne said. "I feel like not much will change. But I guess it will."
"It definitely will. What do you plan to do once we're all done?"
"I don't know," Cherynne answered. The truth was, she had never really known. "I'd like to do something big one day. To go down in history, maybe."
"Big dreams, huh?" Aoise said, raising a dark eyebrow. "That's a lot for a girl from the little village of Azelmar."
"I guess." Cherynne twisted up the corner of her mouth in an uncomfortable smile. "What about you?"
Aoise brushed back a long strand of hair. "Maybe a teacher, for a few years. For children, of course. After that, I think I would just want to settle down with someone and just... be a mother."
"You shouldn't have a problem with that. Any man would be lucky to have you." Cherynne felt a small pain in her heart. Their futures would never be tied together the way she wanted them to be. But she kept herself composed and continued gathering marigolds. The two girls finished filling their baskets and started walking back to the village.
"I hope your father brings back a lot of things for the Festival," the dark-haired girl said. "When is he due back?"
"I think he should be back by now," Cherynne replied. "We'll go by the port after we drop these baskets off at my house."
The meadows were not far from the village, and in the few hours they were gone, it seemed to have transformed. The houses were all decorated in a rainbow of colors and an air of cheeriness surrounded each one. Aoise, getting into the Festival spirit, flicked her fingers and a blossom floated from her basket to each house they passed. By the time they reached Cherynne's house, Aoise's basket was half-empty.
"We can always go again," she said. "But I suppose you don't want to. You never liked the Festival as much as everyone, huh? I can go with Quinn, if you want."
Cherynne didn't like the idea of going to pick more flowers, but she wanted to spend time with her friends, especially Aoise. And so she said, "Of course I'll go with you. But later. Now we can go by the port and see what they brought back from the city this year."
The village was surrounded by meadow on one side and water on the other, so it wasn't a very long walk to the port. As they got closer to the water, they saw a crowd forming, blocking all view.
"What's going on?" Aoise asked. "Why are all these people here?"
"How should I know?"
They tried to get closer to the boat, but they didn't want to rudely push through everyone, not at the beginning of a holiday. So they waited at the back of the group, asking the people around them what had happened, but it seems that everyone in the back of the group was in the same situation: when they saw the crowd, they unsuccessfully tried to see what was going on. The girls waited and waited, knowing that something important must have happened. Then the crowd parted to let a small girl through. She went immediately to Aoise and Cherynne.
"I knew you would be here!" she exclaimed. "It's horrible!"
"What is it?"
"The boat returned right on time, with all the cargo and everything. Except... no one was on it."
"What do you mean?" Cherynne asked immediately. Her father was on that boat. Where could he be?
"Everyone is just... gone. The only trace is blood. Just... blood everywhere." The small girl looked sick. "Cherynne..."
Cherynne barely heard her. She seemed to fade in and out of reality for a moment. She didn't truly believe it yet, but there was no way she could doubt the truth. A few words replayed over and over in her head.
You're a wise girl, Cherynne. Always remember that.