Chapter 4: A Town Called Mine
"It's no use Bird, I can't find it again. When I close my eyes...I just can't see anything...."
Harmonia had awoken with high hopes after finding Bird safely tucked into the crevice of her arm. It had remained there all night, softly snoring through its chirps and cheeps. She had unsuccessfully tried to shut her eyes the night before, if only for a moment, to capture the radiant beauty of distant Eidos. For a second time now meditation had offered nothing but an endless stream of questions.
Bird could sense the disappointment in Harmonia's voice. It offered what little comfort it could as it gave a soft reply, "Chirp, cheep-cheep, chirrup."
It had been enough to evoke a smile from Harmonia. It felt good having someone respond to her when she spoke aloud. Bird was the closest thing she had ever had to a genuine friend. Years of asking questions which had been answered by the same person who had asked them had long since lost its appeal. Now a cheep-cheep, or a sweet toned chirrup, always followed. She tried weighing the sound of Bird's approval or disapproval by the tone of its voice. Her busy imagination had already led her to believe she could fully understand the language of birds.
"Yes," she answered her red tailed friend. "You're probably right about that. Still, can I even believe what I just...saw...or experienced? How can I put it into words!"
"Cheep-cheep," answered Bird as it flew down to the edge of the water.
Harmonia did not realize her imagination was filling in much of what her friend was trying to say. Despite that fact, she spoke aloud all the same, "Whatever it was, it was definitely Eidos. The way it shone, the colour, the energy, the way it pulsated with life. I mean, the planet actually had a pulse! Can you believe it Bird?"
She continued vocalizing the thoughts that came into her head as she pondered on what to do next. All the while Bird simply began bathing in the fresh pool of water, paying no mind to the wild rants of its new friend Harmony.
"Only living things can have a pulse Bird. So how can a planet have one too? If a planet has a pulse, even when we don't hold it in our hands – as if we ever could hold an entire planet - would that mean it was alive just like you or me? Oh there are so many questions! I don't know where to start."
Still no answer came from the bathing red feathered Bird.
"Grandpa George believed Eidos was real. He used his dying words to remind me about that lesson. That's got to mean something, doesn't it Bird? Grandpa George could have said so many things, and instead he chose to remind me. Now what was it he said." Harmonia paused staring up at a lone white cloud that was passing in front of the sun, "I'd need a ship...a good crew...and then he said something about a map. But where can we find the map?"
By then Bird had finished bathing its wings as it flew back and landed on Harmonia's shoulder, "Chirp, cheep-cheep."
"Well that's where we have to start then, don't we? We have to find this map. Now where do we start looking?"
A short cheep-cheep was its only reply, and still Harmonia had imagined it was only trying to express that it did not know where to go, "Very well then. That settles it. We will have to settle on finding a ship and a crew. Hopefully along the way we will find the map mentioned by Grandpa George. How's that sound Bird?"
It immediately took flight, opening its crimson feathers, "Chirp, cheep-cheep, chirrup."
That had settled it. Harmonia wasted no time putting back on her boots after taking them off to soak her mud clad feet in the water. Her pack was no more than a foot away. Next the two bottles of sludge had been emptied off the edge of the mountain, she would not miss the rare chance to fill up on a fresh supply of water. Harmonia then took a final look at the reflection which had replaced the filthy girl from the day before.
She had seized the chance to bathe in the clean water on the far side of the pond. For the first time in weeks the matted clumps of stark red hair came undone and tumbled past her shoulders. The dirt and grime that had covered her face had been scrubbed away, and a few hidden freckles had emerged from beneath her mud-mask. It was the first time she felt like a girl again. If only Grandpa George could have seen her like this one last time.
Bird steered the way as they started down the path that descended along the edge of the crag. Their surroundings were like none Harmonia had ever seen before. In each direction a peculiar set of crooked mountains could be seen crossing over one another. It reminded her of a tree she had once seen slumped over after a heavy storm, a memory from what felt like another life. The stones were mostly grey but came in all shapes and sizes. Bitter winds and time had moved lose boulders from the very peaks and down to the valleys below. Piles of rocks jutted out from every which way. It felt as if a maze that had been carved thousands of feet in the air.
Harmonia had all too easily lost her direction within the labyrinth of stone. The further they descended from the top of the mountain the thicker and more elaborate the maze became. Each boulder that promise freedom only led to another grey corridor. Soon even the way back had been lost to her. It was then she noticed Bird perched atop the largest of the stones with the white of its wings illuminating in the sun. For some reason, she could shake the feeling that Bird wanted her to follow.
With the red and orange hues of its wings standing out against the grey backdrop, it became easier for Harmonia to navigate. By the time she had reached her mark Bird had already moved to the next stone. And so they continued, Bird jumping from rock to rock, Harmonia following its path. After what felt longer than a lifetime trapped in the sea of stones, the two emerged upon yet another small pool of water waiting to greet them.
"Well aren't we lucky," she paused stopping to catch her breath. "Two pool of fresh water in one day? I think I have been living on the wrong side of Sky for far too long."
The two dashed towards the shallow pond. Neither hesitated to start gulping down the water. Harmonia would not shy away from such a blessing from Lady Luck. As Bird submerged its head into the water, popping up from time to time with its feathers all ruffled, something caught Harmonia's eye. At the edge of the stony pool there appeared an odd looking object.
"Bird, stop!" a red head followed as it was ordered, its eyes darting back and forth for any sign of trouble. "What is that? It looks like its made from wood."
A strange white object was blatantly protruding from the water. It was just low enough between the rocks to guide the water out from the pool. The two curious onlookers, slowly flapping and walking one alongside the other, approached the peculiar contraption. It was carved from the bark of the white trees of Sky, only it had been carved into a smooth surface that guided the water further down the mountain. Although the water was moving at a sluggish pace, forming a meagre trickle rather than a flowing current, it was going somewhere below.
Harmonia eagerly peered her head over the cliff with Bird close behind as it landed securely on her shoulders, "Would you look at that!"
Just below, the trail of water did not plummet into the shady divide as had been expected. Instead another smooth piece of wood waited to carry it even further. And then there came another, and then another, descending down the edge of the mountain only to disappear into a hole carved out through a large grey boulder in the rock wall far below.
"What do you think Bird?" asked Harmonia turning towards her small friend. "Should we follow it?"
Bird paused, Harmonia imagining it caught deep in thought, before it sang back its reply, "Chirp, cheep-cheep, chirrup."
Harmonia took the happy chirrup as a sign that it was a good plan. They did not waste much time in finding a makeshift set of stone steps that led to where the water had disappeared. When they reached the rock, Bird had found a convenient path that brought them around, guiding Harmonia with a chirp and cheep-cheep to make sure she made it safely through. On the far side of the wall the white wooded planks continued descending all the way into the flat valley. But before the two could go any further something else had caught Harmonia's eye.
Far off in the distance, a pillar of billowing grey smoke fumed upwards across the blue sky. Harmonia's gaze followed the smog to a wide fissure between the stone floor that stretched across the clearing between the mountains. From within, a medley of red and orange embers would occasionally spark to life becoming visible across the dark pillar of smoke. It looked as if the very stones that composed the surface of Sky had been lit on fire.
Bird was the first to utter a response, "Chirp. Chirp. Chirp."
Harmonia could not help noticing the sadness in its tone, "I don't know what it is Bird. Judging by the direction the water is flowing, it looks like the runoff goes all the way down there. Should we check it out?"
"Chirp. Chirp. Chirp," the sadness had not left its voice, but Harmonia paid it no mind as she started off once again.
The white wooded trail along the hills descended into the smouldering valley. Whoever had laid the track had been clever, they had chosen to run it far off the beaten paths, where no one would accidentally stumble across the trail. It continued to slip through narrow crevices between piles of stone and along shady parts of the muddied hillside. When they had finally reached the last of the mountains the trail of water abruptly disappeared into a burrowed hole in the dirt. By that point in the track, Bird and Harmonia had come face to face with the rising black cloud of smog.
"It looks like the trail ends here Bird," pointed out Harmonia as she tried to peer down the crack in the ground. "There must be a tunnel or something. Should we go try finding a way inside and figure out where it goes?"
The same serious reply followed her question, "Chirp, chirp, chirp."
Despite its attempts, Bird had not managed to turn around its human friend Harmony. Her curiosity had gotten the best of her. No matter how many times Bird could chirp chirp chirp, it was no use, Harmonia was set in her ways. She had an insatiable desire to find out where all the fresh water had gone, and that answer alone could sate her curiosity. All Bird could do was flap its wings as it apprehensively followed the mischievous girl.
The flat monotone greys and browns that had normally covered the flatlands of Sky had been shattered. A jagged array of stones surrounded the billowing pillar of smoke, ones that had abruptly brought an end to the levels plains. Each was larger than the next as they rose up into the blue air like hands reaching for the sky. They were terrifying in their height and appearance. Each was more twisted and distorted than the next, resembling the teeth of some terrifying creature. Adding to the nightmarish entrance of the burning pit came the mangled shadows that crept along the protruding stones. The apparitions had no distinguishable shape or form. These were shadows that could only belong to the monsters that lived below.
Bird tried to give another formal protest, "Chirp, chirp, chirp! Cheep-cheep, cheep-cheep, chirp!"
Harmonia remained ignorant despite its protests, "I wonder what those strange shapes are on the wall? We have to see what is going on in there Bird."
A final chirp chirp chirp was voiced as it sighed before landing on Harmonia's shoulder. With her new friend close at hand she began walking along the twisted stones in hopes of finding a way through. On the far side of the grey billowing pillar they finally discovered the trail that led into the pit. With a final breath of fresh air for courage, and a quick shake of the shoulders, the companions stepped inside.
A row of buildings was the first sight that came into view as they proceeded into the stone burrow. Each was stacked atop the next, just as the homes back in Ralph's Castle, but these were in much better condition than the mess of steel and stone that she had left behind. Not only were these in a far better state, but so too there appeared far more in number. Just by the fact she could not count the stone shacks she could see, it looked as if there more than a few hundred people living in the pit.
It was then, at the centre of the scattered village buried within the stone, that Bird and Harmonia found the source of the black smoke. It looked as if a piece of the earth had been ripped away to reveal a pool of fire and brimstone. Machines plunged in and out of the magma, pulling out stones and minerals into even larger machines that let out grey fumes from their backsides. Other machines glided above the lake of fire, skimming lightly across the surface and pulling out floating pieces of blackened rock. It was not a pleasant sight for either Bird or Harmonia, if anything, it brought them nothing but sadness. The people of her planet had finally burrowed so deep that they had pierced the heart of Sky.
Harmonia frantically gazed about trying to find someone responsible for the rising smoke before finding an ash covered boy close to her age, "You there! What is going on here? Why are these machines digging so deep into the earth?"
With his shoulders lowered in a stance of defeat, almost shocked that another person was even speaking to him, he answered in confusion, "What do you mean? This is the town of Mine. What else would anyone be doing?" A short pause followed as he waited for the obvious answer to follow, but with none given he continued, "Mining of course! We are mining. Where have you been living, under a rock? Ha, ha!"
"The town of Mine eh?" Harmonia began, muttering her thoughts aloud. "Do your people live here alone? What I mean is, do the kids run everything around here by themselves?"
Harmonia's questions had only further confused the boy, "You are weird, you know that? To think, kids running Mine! And by themselves! You must have had a rock fall on your head this morning or something. The Corporations run this place. Just like they do everywhere else. They're the ones in charge. Duh!"
"Sorry," responded Harmonia as she caught Bird gliding by the ceiling of the cave. "I guess they have to get all their metal from somewhere."
Finally snapping out of his robotic state, the boy's eyes widened as Bird came flapping down onto the girl's arm, "Yeah....that's it...steel...rocks...stuff....."
"Hmm." Harmonia began tapping her lip as she posed her next point towards her red feathered friend, "This must be where the Corporations keep all the fresh water too."
"Chirp, cheep-cheep, chirp," answered Bird.
The boy still could not believe his eyes, "Is that a...a...? What...where...how...?"
"You really aren't very well spoke are you?" her question was met with only silence. "It's alright. We'll find someone else to ask. Have a good day."
Without another utterance from the filthy boy, who they left wide eyed and staring, the two continued further into the depths of the town they called Mine. Soon, more and more children came into view, some older than Harmonia, others younger than the Little Kids back at Ralph's Castle. But no matter what age, all of them were busy working. Some were walking towards the pits with steel oversized mining picks slung over their shoulders and yellow work hats that did not fit very well. Others were returning from their time on the lake of fire, they were in even worse shape than the others. Their shoulders hung a little lower as their picks dragged across the trampled dirt and stone. They moved sluggishly, each struggling to stay on their feet. Whether they were going to work, or coming back, each looked as defeated as the next.
Harmonia thought back to Ralph's Castle and all of the silly children she had left behind. No matter what time of day, and no matter the weather, they seldom ceased their silly game. The town of Mine however was another story. The children here were lifeless, empty husks left dredging along through a monotonous routine beneath the surface of Sky. There were no smiles like those she had left behind, there were no games being played, or silly kids drinking Silly Juice. All that could be found here was work and its workers. They only knew how to press on, unquestioning the reason why, knowing only that they were doing that which they had always done. As they traversed their path of condemnation, an almost whispered song followed their march:
We work, we work, we work,
The dirt, the dirt, the dirt.
We walk, we walk, we walk,
No talk, no talk, no talk.
Just work, just work, jut work.
For Sky, For Sky, For Sky.
We dig, we dig, we dig,
No end, no end, no end.
We march, we march, we march,
For need, for need, for need.
No light, no light, no light,
No right, no right, no right.
We die, we die, we die,
For Sky, For sky, For sky.
The lifeless words were sung with not a hint of joy. They were as hollow as the voices that half-heartedly carried the tune, empty and meaningless. It was clear most had only memorized the words for no reason other than the fact that everyone else had done so. Seldom did ears turn their attention towards the song they sung, nor had they tried to discover the deeper meaning of the words. Instead they ended where they had begun, on the lips of those who given rise to them. Their intentions were not carried beyond their hole in the ground. Their message was lost to all save themselves.
From amongst the passing procession of lifeless workers, going to and fro from their daily duties, there came something that Harmonia did not imagine she would see for quite some time. Between a young girl who was nearly hairless, and another girl much older and tired than the first, there marched a real, living, walking, talking, grown-up. Despite their uniform grey overalls, it was easy to see this was no boy, but a full grown man. A grizzled greying beard hugged his face, a thick frayed moustache concealed his top lip, and his face was covered in lines left behind by the passing of time. Soon Harmonia began to notice other grown-ups amongst the marching workers. There was a fat woman going to the pit, then a slim man struggling to keep his eyes open. There were more grown-ups still left in Mine than there ever had been back at home, even from when it had been called Ridgetown.
A sudden burst of urgency took hold of Bird as it began anxiously flying around Harmonia, "Chirp, chirp, chirp! Chirp, chirp, chirp!"
She snapped back from her wandering curiosity, "What is it Bird? What's wrong? Is there something...."
Before she could finish her question, a displeased and shrill voice shouted from behind, "You! Stop right there! State your function!?"
Harmonia's heart began pounding in its chest as she turned to find a girl only few years younger than her. She stood garbed in the dark reds of the Corporations, another member of the Privateers. However, beside her stood a woman far older than anyone from amongst the younger Privateers, and much fatter too. This had been the first time Harmonia had met a full fledge member of the Corporations. In most towns it was the Privateers that managed and dictated the rules passed down from the Corporations.
"That was very well said Initiate," answered the older woman. "Now try putting a little more force behind your threats. You have to remember that we are part of the Corporations, while these filthy mongrels are nothing more than the lowest of the low. They are not your equals."
"Right, of course Lieutenant Rollrock," answered the younger Privateer before turning her attention back towards Harmonia, "State your business! Why aren't you in line with all the other workers? Speak!"
Harmonia was nearly speechless, she had no idea how to answer the girl. She was not sure if she had a function, and if that was not enough, Bird was clinging on for dear life in hopes of hiding, digging its claws deep into the small of her back, "I'm...I'm not sure what I am supposed to say? My name...my name is Harmonia, but everyone just calls me Harmony."
"I asked your function girl, not your name!" corrected the Privateer.
"Very well done. There you go, now you're getting the hang of it. Intimidation and force always rule the day," smiled the fat supervisor from the Corporations. "Remember to make your voice strong so that it can carry your intention. These workers must not forget the lessons you are here to teach them."
She could feel Bird's wings rapidly flapping against her back as she voiced her answer, "I don't have a function."
"What!?!?" declared the Privateer in shock and anger. "You are a citizen of Mine, and more importantly, a citizen of Sky. And as such every citizen has a function, or else you are not a citizen of Sky. Even the stones have a purpose here." As she said the words a sudden idea flickered to life, "Hmm, perhaps you are not from Sky at all then? Perhaps you are a runaway? How old are you? Where are your registration papers?"
Harmonia's heart was racing even faster as she thought of what to say next, "Um...I'm...I'm not sure what you are asking. I'm Harmonia...."
"Are you simple girl? Are you...." Before she could finish her thought Bird's head popped up from behind Harmonia's shoulder, "What is that behind your back? Show me!"
Her body froze as she began inching away from the two members of the Corporation, "Nothing! There's nothing behind my back. Anyways, it's been a pleasure, but I have to get back to work. Mining stuff to do and what not."
A hand suddenly pressed against her back, "Where do you think you are going?"
Another Privateer had crept up from behind, a boy about the age of conscription. Before he could wrap his hands around the small red feathered creature that had captured their attention, Bird had already taken off. Red and orange feathers frantically flapped every which way. It circled above their heads as it did all it could to keep itself out of reach amidst the black smoke littering the air.
The marching workers had ceased their singing once they notice the commotion. There were a few amongst their ranks who still remembered birds before they had been condemned to work beneath the dirt. More than a dozen of the most exhausted from amongst their ranks stopped to take a break. The others followed in suite, if only to see what a real bird looked like. It was almost as if they were seeing the sky again for the first time since being forced down into their little hole.
Amidst the ensuing chaos Lieutenant Rollrock was the first to realize what they had stumbled upon.
"Why, it's a bird! I haven't seen one of those in quite some time now," declared the red uniformed woman while fixed on the red feathered marvel.
"What's a bird?" asked the young girl from the Privateers.
The Lieutenant from the Corporations held a gluttonous look, unconsciously licking her lips as she answered "A bird, why a bird is a delicious snack, that's what it is. When there were still birds on Sky, oh what feasts we used to have, tasting of all the multicoloured birds. Four winged bluebirds, purple tailed plump doves, wild beaked flappers, and red feathered skylarks. Those were always my favourite."
"No!" screamed Harmonia. "You can't eat Bird. Its a living feeling creature too! Get away!"
Without thinking, Harmonia threw herself atop the boy from the Privateers who was still busy chasing Bird around their heads. The boy cursed as he threw off the girl - who was only half his size - with great ease. Harmonia landed face first into the mud only to pounce back up with a speed the boy could not match. This time she lunged atop the back of the Privateer and held on.
"Somebody help!" screamed Harmonia as the Privateer wildly threw her about atop his back.
No one answered her cries. The people of Mine feared the consequences if they tried to help the outsider. Not only were there little Privateers running about to contend with, there were grown-ups from the Corporation supervising their work. Now they were truly trapped.
Harmonia could see the boy's face turning purple before she noticed her arms were wrapped around his neck. The knees of the Privateer began to shake as he dropped to the dirt, but before Harmonia could fetch Bird, two fat arms wrapped tightly around her small body.
"You are a frisky one aren't you!" the fat woman was already breathing heavily. No doubt it was the hardest job she had been asked to perform since being promoted to her current station. "Well we know what to do with your kind back at the Capital. The Corporations will see you learn some respect."
That had been the last straw. With all the force she could muster, Harmonia stomped her foot down atop that of the fat Lieutenant Rollrock. A gurgled thick noise came out instead of a scream as she began jumping on one of her plump legs. Before she could find her footing, she tripped over the nearly unconscious boy who had not yet risen. They collapsed atop one another as the little girl from the Privateers came racing over in hopes of trying to help. Harmonia did not wait to see what would happen next.
The loudest whistle Harmonia had ever been able to conjure echoed through the cave as Bird launched through the smog filled air like a spear. They pushed their way through the workers who had stopped their march and raced towards the nearest row of houses. The two turned into the first alley that came across their path only to find a maze of stacked stone blocks greeting them.
"No, no, no!" Harmonia was in a panic. "What do we do?! What do we do?!"
Bird answered in an equally alarmed tone, "Chirp, chirp, chirp?!"
A moment of utter defeat had frozen them in their place. There was nowhere to go that did not lead back into the central pits of Mine. Now there would be no Eidos, there would be no great journey, and she would not see her parents. Once the Privateers got a hold of her they would take her to Capital and place her in reformation. It was what happened to all the kids that disobeyed the Corporations. Each was taken away, reformed, and enlisted into the ranks before heading to war. And from there, few had ever returned.
Amidst their despair a voice whispered from above, "Psst! Psst! Hey you! Look up here."
Harmonia wrenched her head upwards to find a bushel of wild unkempt black hair protruding from a hidden ledge above her. The hair belonged to a boy who looked moderately clean despite the old and weathered pair of goggles strapped around his eyes.
"Who are you?" Harmonia asked hesitantly.
"Look..." the wild boy began scanning the alley from which she had emerged, "...that's not important right now. You're in no position to begin negotiating anything. We're in the midst of an escape plan. You'll have to trust me, otherwise there goes the whole point of my escape plan!"
"Alright, alright," she turned towards Bird who was fluttering in the air beside her. "What do you think Bird, should we trust him?"
Bird answered a short and simple chirrup in a happier tone than any she had heard since they had wandered into Mine. It was a good sign and that had been enough. She gave the young boy a final nod of approval. A sleeveless arm reached down and pulled her up, but it had taken the boy nearly all of his strength. As soon as they were beside one another Harmonia notice he was much smaller than he had appeared from below. He was dressed in a sleeveless and tattered shirt three sizes too big and a ripped pair of shorts to match.
Harmonia's curiosity immediately began to poke its head out, but before she could say a word, the boy continued, "Shhh! Save your questions. Just keep quiet and follow me. And that means you too little bird."
Bird gave an almost startled look towards Harmonia, one which only made her want to giggle. The boy's serious looks had said all that needed saying before he turned away and slipped around the corner. They continued along a narrow ledge that circled the roof of a small home cut out from its neighbour. There seemed to be little order, yet the stone stones did not collapse beneath their weight.
It was not until they reached the end of the row that the boy revealed a hidden hatch he had dug out from the wall of rocks. There appeared a lone ladder, constructed of steel and wood, that led into nothing but darkness. Harmonia hesitated until she heard the sound of the approaching mob. With that she stepped in first, the boy waiting for Bird to fly through before stepping in and closing the hatch.
They were now in utter darkness as the he whispered from above, "Hold on here...just a second. No. That's not it. Just give me one...."
Harmonia had to quickly squint as a blinding light illuminated the engulfing darkness. The light had emerged from a strange looking ball the boy tied to a strange before lowering. It was the first device Harmonia had seen that generated such a seamless glow, despite having no plug. With the path now lit, she began her descent. Climbing down proved much easier now that she could see where she was going.
From there the journey transformed into a dream, a distant blur she could barely remember once it was done. The descent had taken ages, from there the boy led them through a series of intertwining tunnels. He had mentioned something about them being below Mine, yet it was hard to make sense of anything amidst Harmonia's calming fear. After what felt like an eternity they reached the end of their journey, a white wooded door tucked far behind a low hanging stone.
The boy suddenly pulled a thick ring of keys out from his giant pockets, "Just one second here. Let me just...there we go! We've arrived, and all in one piece."
"Wait!" Harmonia grabbed the boy by the shoulder before he could step inside. "How do we know this isn't some clever rouse? We don't know who you are. You could be leading us right into a trap. Yeah, that's it, a trap! You're leading us into a trap aren't you!?"
As she gave him the best scary eyes she could muster in hopes of intimidating her savior, the boy only laughed, "You're weird, you know that. But that's good, I'm weird too. I'm sorry about what happened up there. Those people don't get out much. I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Ro. It's short for Ronaphanes."
Harmonia shot a glance towards Bird who seemed to nod in approval, "Well Ro, I am Harmony. It's short for Harmonia."
"A pleasure to meet you Harmony," answered Ro. "Now can we go inside where it's a little bit warmer. You don't seem to have any food, in which case I can help."
Her head began wildly twisting back only to find her pack had finally torn open while they had been running through the crowd, all of their food and water was gone. "No, no, no! Those were all of our supplies!"
Before the sadness could well up in the corner of her eyes, Ro placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "It's alright. I've got enough food and fresh water for both of you. No one even knows this place exists. It's kept me safe for a long time now."
She did her best to put on her brave face as she greeted Ro's almost unfamiliar sincerity, "Well then! Lead the way hero boy."