Chapter 3
Having traveled several cold nights and days, hurt and hungry but most of all feeling alone, she came across a wall built of large stones that stacked so tall she wasn’t sure anyone could climb it. Blackberry bushes grew like wild hair across the bottom, its vines crawled up in every direction, shooting thorns across the foreseeable height of the wall. It stretched out in each direction across the land, as far as the eye could see. She knew there was nothing on this side of the wall that would keep her alive. She hadn’t seen any sign of food in a long time. But she had set off on this journey with a feeling in her gut to head north. Her gut had kept her alive this long. It felt like north was the only option, just keep walking till things made sense again.
Effie had tried following the river back but its banks were treacherous, steep with over grown brush on either side. She found a path following it till she had to decide which direction to take. Fires had taken everything south. The east had too many people, all fighting for what was left after the war fell apart. The west is locked up stronger than any prison with dangers along the way. The north would be dangerous too, and it may be entirely destroyed, but the south was for sure gone. She had to go north till her gut figured out the next move. And this wall could not stop her progress now.
Days of walking, sleeping only when her mind could not go forward any more. Passing out inside a burnt out tree for shelter. She didn't know what strength she had left,
but it had to be enough.
Now standing at this massive barrier, what could she do? She must climb the wall. Her tired hands, feeling like they might crack from dehydration, sore from the many rocky hills already. And having climbed the various trees to see if she could get a vantage point of what's ahead. Along a spot with the least bramble of blackberry, Effie tore off the bottom of her dress, it did little to keep her warm anyway. Wrapping the fabric on her hands, over her knuckles, she had some small protection from the thorns.
Reached up, pulling herself up with all her strength, Effie cleared the first of many large rocks that were stacked as if giants placed their blocks in a row. As she climbed her stomach felt like it had its own rock in the pit of her hunger; holding her down and making her feel fluttery in her limbs as if they would just let go, but she would not.
Come on, almost there. She urged herself on. The scrapping thorny vines seemed to move into her way, but she avoided them best she could. Nearly to the top, it was taller than most of the trees she had climbed, when she noticed that the stones were not as close together on this row. I might be able to squeeze through here, I am skinny enough now after being so hungry. Has to be the only perk right now to being hungry. Reaching her arm through the stones, then her shoulder, but her hips were still too wide ...just barely. I am not going back to climbing, I have to fit.
She pushed with her shoulders, hoping they were still strong enough to gain another inch. She felt it give, as she fell forward trying to catch herself. Through the crevasse to the other side.
Falling away, hopefully, from the large stones as they were also budging under the shift in
weight. She pushed off the rocks, hoping to fall at least out of their path. Even in the dusk
she could feel the world falling towards her.
Light woke Effie as it shines softly in her eyes. The sound of birds filled the air. More songs than she was sure she’d ever heard before. Birds were not common in the desolation of home. Effie looked around, to see where her fall had brought her.
She found herself, sitting against a tree, in a garden. Effie's eyes widened at the sight. She was in a garden! A whole palace of food! It seems to go on forever! As tall as trees: there were trellises growing over the neat pathways. Rows of perfect food growing, all in peak season.
Effie walked through fields of food all glissing in the sun. She passes by each row with her mouth open, eyes affixed on grapes growing like bright gems along an old wooden fence.
“Oh am I dead?” Effie exclaimed out loud. That has to be it. Have I found the afterlife? Where
was the wall I had just climbed over? She pondered her possible death as she went down the
path in front of her. She sees above her: fruit trees stretching tall into the sky, all in perfect lines growing rows of every color of apple, peaches, plums.
She reached up to get the most beautiful reddest apple she had ever seen, while plucking it, the branch almost seeming to bend down to be easier to reach. Her gut told her to eat, but it also was very confused at the sight before her. She wasn’t wondering anything at this moment, not how did she get here, or is she dead from that fall. Her focus was entirely on the amazement of the apple nearly calling to her now.
She bit into it, to find …it was the best, most flavorful, apple ever tasted.
Her heart swelled with joy, her stomach could barely handle it’s excitement! She felt tears
welling in her eyes. She wasn’t sure food had ever been this good. But… as she looked down at the apple… it was whole again. She didn’t understand, maybe she was too hungry for her eyes to understand. She bit into it again, and again she felt overwhelmed, and her body rejoiced.
Juice running down her face, dripping off her chin, each bite better than the last.
But again … she saw the apple was whole, as perfect as ever. She bit again, and again, eating
nearly the whole apple, pausing with a mouth full to look at the core in her hand… the apple
shimmered... a mirage like wave passed over it, and it was whole again. As if she had never even caused a blemish to it’s perfect red skin.
She would have worried about her sanity, if she had the focus of a less hungry person. But she looked around at the garden, that seemed to glow to her now, like water on a hot day, calling her. A glorious song seems to surround her, all of the food calling out.
She ran back to the grapes, grabbing as many as she could off the vine. In their place, more
grapes appeared. She devoured the grapes, as she turned surveying the garden, suddenly
more conscious of keeping her guard up in such a place. She was surly trespassing and
possibly hallucinating from falling and hitting her head. Nothing around her made sense.
And as she reached out for the spinach growing in patches, she kept her eyes open for anything that could snap her back to reality. She crept along the ground, shoving spinach in her mouth (to avoid the apple and grapes upsetting her stomach after so long without food).
She hoped for carrots, as she looked around. Her wish seemed to be granted, when the path along the spinach patch led to carrots in floppy top rows. As she pulled them up, she saw they came in many different colors. She put those in her bag for later since they were hardy, and possibly she could replant them later, but her mind wasn’t thinking about that right now. She grew so suspicious of her surroundings, she wasn’t sure which way was what, or where the wall was that she fell from.
“You don’t have to rush… it’s not going anywhere.” chuckled a man’s voice from out of sight.
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