Writing Flow
"Don't worry, Meda. We'll rest soon. Lets just make it to that rock, yeah?"
Layam panted heavily, her feet catching on every surface as she struggled to keep moving. Her legs burned, and the weight of the sack filled with essentials didn't help. But they couldn't stop. Not yet.
Layam glanced at her little sister trailing behind her. "How confused she must be, being stripped from the only home she ever knew. Hell, maybe she still didn't realize that they never would be going back. Maybe this was all an adventure to her."
"My feet hurt."
"I know, little lichen. Just- we just need to make it to the rock." Layam stopped to point it out, catching herself as the heaviness on her back threatened to send her tumbling down the mountain. "See it?"
Meda eyed the pillar of stone, still too many paces ahead of them. It was of red clay, with indented hand prints colored in with some kind of pigment. Something about it was too much. Meda threw herself down into the dust with a loud cry that threatened to turn into a scream.
Layam's heart threatened to burst out of her chest. It took her a second to leap into action, dropping the sack and planting her palm over the sobbing child's mouth. She caressed her hair frantically, whispered calming things in sheer desperation to stop her sisters cries. They were in danger now, and it was Layam's fault for letting this happen. Maybe they should have taken more breaks. Maybe they should have eaten more food, or drank more water. Maybe-
A branch snapped out of sight.
Meda stopped crying, eyes fearful.
Layam slowly stood up and reached for her knife. "Here's what we're going to do,"she murmured, not taking her eyes off of the dense forest. "I'm going to put you on my back, ok? And we are going to walk to that rock that I showed you. I'll put you down when we get there."
Meda didn't seem to hear. she was too busy clinging on to Layam's pants with her thumb in her mouth- something she rarely did.
Layam crouched down. "Hey, look at me. I need you to get on my back, and I promise you can have some maple sugar when we get to town. But we need to go now. "
She finally nodded, and clambered onto her back with some difficulty. still, Layam was grateful for the fact that she was lighter then the pack she had been carrying for so many miles.
The pack.
I forgot the pack.
Layam spun around to grab it, even though she knew that there would be no way to carry both her sister and it at the same time. It held their food, water, medicine, and whatever money they were able to scavenge, and everything else that was necessary to start a new life.
But there was only dirt where it should have been, with a perfect imprint of where it was-- as if it had been lifted straight into the heavens themselves.
There was no more time. Despite her burning muscles, Layam forced herself into motion. With Meda jolting with every step and her arms straining to hold her up, every little movement nearly sent her to her knees. Every branch that crackled behind them, real or imagined, was a warning. They had to make it. They had to. If they didn't, they would die.