With Love from the Stars

the morning

When I woke up in the morning it was because our young rooster tried his best to imitate the call our old rooster did every day. And bless his soul, he really tried to sound the same, but it was just awful. After turning in my bed for a few more minutes I knew that I could not go back to sleep and stood up. Wrapped into my favorite sweater, one of Jilka's old ones, I went down into the kitchen. 

Apparently I wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep any more, because Sara was standing in front of the stove and was in the process of filling the old ceramic teapot with hot water.

"Hi there, did Henry wake you up so lovingly too?" She brushed her curls behind her ears - or at least tried to, because in the morning they always surrounded her like a cloud.

"I remember that you had to feed him by hand and you always said that he was a very shy creature. What's your defence now?" Sara just laughed and went to the fridge.

"While we're up, we might as well prepare breakfast for everyone - what do you say?"

It could well be that I was possibly grumbling a tiny bit, because I had just warmed my hands on the stove. Despite the morning sun, it was still quite fresh this early in the day, but spring was actually my favourite season. I enjoyed watching when everything turned deepest green, the flowers began to bloom again and the first birdsong of the year could be heard.

 
I took the pan from Sara's hand and put it on the stove before I went to the fridge myself and took out the eggs. All our experience had taught us not to leave Sara alone in the kitchen when life was dear to us. Once or twice she had almost managed to start a fire unintentionally and as a rule she liked to flambé everything she put in the pan. It wasn't that she didn't try, because she did (unfortunately) very often, but for some reason the kitchen spirits were not favourably disposed towards her and so everyone else had quietly agreed to take the pan from her on a regular basis.

Sara, meanwhile, fetched bread and vegetables from the pantry and set the table. She then filled one of the teacups with tea and placed it wordlessly in front of me. I threw her a kissing hand. I needed my first tea in the morning like pigeons need the earth's magnetic field. Just as I was preparing the fried eggs, we heard footsteps rumbling down the stairs and probably not even a minute later a delicate figure stormed into the kitchen.

"I smell food! Is there breakfast?"

"Good morning to you too, Marla." Sara ruffled the young girl's hair and pressed two jars of jam into her hand for the table. Elaine was Jilka's daughter and the youngest of our community.

At thirteen, she had begun her growth phase and since then had been eating quantities of food that could have made a bodybuilder blanch. I could swear that like a bloodhound, she could smell food from far away.She was now juggling the jam jars with her floppy arms, humming a tune I could have sworn was Heroes by David Bowie. 

"Marla! Put the jars on the table right now and help Sara set the table." Jilka was standing in the doorway with her arms on her hips. 

"But Mum..."

"Nothing there, but Mama. You dropped a glass only yesterday." With a look that resembled that of a kicked dog, Marla put the jam on the table and went to Sara.

"I swear I'm getting better and better. But I can only do that if I get to practise too."

Sara popped up behind Marla and again wafted her hair.

"You may practise  waking up Elaine directly." 

And already their footsteps were rumbling up the stairs.

"Helena, we definitely need to check the boundaries today. I have a feeling we need to be more vigilant than usual. The forest was quiet again this night. Too quiet. Please be careful."

"Of course. What about the solar panels?"

"Elaine wants to take care of that today. We should also definitely revise the plan for the garden. The radishes and carrots are ready for harvest and we need to see what seedlings we want to put outside from the greenhouse."

In a very natural way, we had all found our place here in the community. Jilka took over planning the food crops and making sure our harvest was processed, Sara was incredibly happy to look after our fields, Elaine had a knack for all things technical and I helped wherever I was needed. 

I had been so young when I arrived here that I had learned everything I knew now from these three incredible women. Fortunately for me, Jilka loved books and had collected a small library before the disaster, so I had received at least a fraction of the education that had once existed. Sometimes I wondered what would have become of me if the catastrophe hadn't happened, but on the other hand I knew that you couldn't change the course of things. And this community here made me happy.

"Who sent the monster to me?" Elaine shuffled into the kitchen with narrowed eyes. Her face still showed the marks of the pillow.

"Are you talking about me again?" Marla hopped down the steps and jumped on Elaine's back.

 "Catch me!"

"You really are terribly lucky that I have such good reflexes - especially when I'm so cruelly awakened, little monster." Elaine grumbled but carried Marla on her back across the kitchen to the dining table.

"Are we all finally here and ready for breakfast?" Marla scrambled off Elaine's back and sat expectantly in her chair.

"Who wants the biggest fried egg?" asked Sara and immediately all eyes moved to Marla who already had her best puppy dog eyes on.