The Chronicles of George

7 - Not The First

7 

Not The First

I knew I was dreaming. I had been having the same dream, well nightmare actually, since I got here. it didn't make it any less real though.

I  was in the water, and I could see Andrews face above me. I was being pulled down, deeper and deeper, being Dragged away from him. I could see his face, fading into the watery distance. I opened my mouth to shout his name, stretching out to him with my hands, they looked luminous. my mouth filled with water,  My lungs started burning, I felt like I couldn't breathe. 

I woke, as usual, suddenly, eyes wide, gasping for breath. I looked at the other two occupants of the room, in the early morning light. Mattie looked like an angel, curled on her side, her long plait hanging over her shoulder and off the bed. Keetovu was just a mound of snoring furs, buried under the blankets, How could he even breath  in there?

I reached behind my bed, picked up the chalky stone and marked another day, I counted 172. 172 days, that was nearly 6 months and I hadn’t even started looking for a way home. I grabbed my bag with a sigh and quietly made my way out of the hut, heading toward the stream. I had gotten to really like it here, so I guess I just kept putting it off.

it was light out, but only just, sunrise wouldn't be too far away. 

The people here, they called themselves the Matura, had really accepted me. Mattie had started to teach me their language the first week I was here, i picked it up quickly, it wasn’t too difficult. Being able to talk and understand made me feel like I belonged a little.

I knew I was safe here, Mattie and I had gotten it to a routine, after breakfast every day, we would walk round the village to see who need any help. We could be set to work in the fields, or helping get the lunch or dinner prepared, fixing tools or clothes, even babysitting. And after lunch we would, go for walks, go swimming, or find a sunny spot to just relax and chat. I would tell her of life back home, and she would tell me stories about the monsters that lived here. 

I passed by Seref and Nigala’s hut. Seref as I had suspected  was like a chief, or leader, Mattie and Keetovu, who were brother and sister, were their grandchildren. Their parents were killed by troll like creatures that lived outside the valley to the north. They were on a fishing trip, not unlike the one where I met Mattie, they were attacked and one of them grabbed her mother and ran off. Her father went after them, to rescue her, neither of them were seen again. She told me this happened about 5 years ago, when she was only 10. I could see the hurt in her eyes as she told me, her eyes filling with tears, That she blinked away, getting angry with herself not allowing them to fall. she smiled up at me as I pulled her into a hug, the pain evident on her beautiful face. 

I got changed behind the bush, I wore my cut down pyjama bottoms to swim in. there was no way I could bring myself to swim naked, even though at this time of the morning there was nobody else here. they all did it, swam naked, even the elders! I suppose it would be a natural thing to do if you had grown up with it.

I walked into the warm water, and I had only swam A few widths, when turning round to head back over I noticed Mattie sitting on the opposite bank.

"hey" I shouted over and waved

She waved back smiling "I brought us some breakfast"

"great" I said diving in and swimming over. I got out and went behind the bush to get dry and changed first.

"you're up early" I called through the bushes

"I heard you leaving. I thought you would be here, I decided to grab some food, so we could have a sunrise picnic"