The Dawn of Skye (The Someday Children Book 1)

by E. B. Heimdal

  “What’s happening, Puk? Why are the dogs barking?”

  Fella and Hackett stop right in front of the door trying to catch their breath. “Hackett? Fella? Why are you guys up?”

  Dagwood’s voice is low and mumbling and he rubs his eyes. The others in the hut start gathering behind him eagerly looking over his shoulder. With wild eyes Puk looks up at Dagwood as he turns around and points at the other two.

  “They’re the thieves. They’ve been stealing food from the supply box. Dagwood, it’s them!”

  His voice sounds panicking and shrieking.

  Fella runs to Puk, grabs his shirt, and throws him to the ground as he screams: “You’d better stop now! You filthy liar. First you attack us and now you accuse us of stealing. What’s wrong with you?”

  Puk is lost for words and doesn’t know what to say. He looks up and sees everyone staring at him hoping for an explanation.

  Fella goes on: “He wants to get back at us, Dagwood. Believe me!”

  Dagwood looks at them, confused. He tries to think but is distracted by the dogs’ barking. They’re obviously agitated by the loud voices and they run nervously around and between people. He walks over to Puk, who’s lying on the ground.

  “Puk, is it true what you say? You can’t say things like that unless you’re absolutely certain. Are you?”

  Puk struggles to get up. His breathing is still affected by the long run. With a stern look he stares straight back at Dagwood without moving a muscle.

  “I’m absolutely sure. They took food from the box then went to the forest and hid it in a hollow tree.”

  Skye gasps loudly and then covers her mouth with her hands.

  “What is it, Skye?”

  She removes the hand from her mouth while she shakes her head slightly.

  “No, I think Puk’s got it wrong. It isn’t Fella and Hackett, who are storing food there …”

  She looks around to see where Salomon is, but she can’t see him anywhere. Dagwood grabs her by the shoulder and turns her towards him.

  “But then who is it? Tell me who it is, Skye!”

  His voice is loud, and she wishes she’d kept her mouth shut.

  She quietly answers with her gaze turned to the ground: “It’s Salomon who’s been hiding food in the forest. I’ve seen it myself.”

  A shiver runs through the group, and Dagwood lets go of her shoulder.

  “Salomon … I don’t quite understand …”

  Fella runs to Puk and points at him straight in the face, shouting: “There, you see! He’s a liar!”

  A voice suddenly grows from the darkness and Salomon steps towards them.

  “But he isn’t really a liar, Fella, is he? You are a thief. And Hackett too. And you know it.”

  A large linen sack is thrown on the ground right in front of Dagwood and the others and a few roots and berries fall out.

  “But, but … you heard what Skye just said. It’s Salomon, who’s been hiding food.”

  Fella doesn’t shout any longer but speaks in a low and insecure tone. Slowly, he steps back as Salomon goes on.

  “Skye’s mistaken.”

  He turns to her and looks her straight in the eye. A sizzling feeling runs through her and she swallows a couple of times. If only she hadn’t said anything. Her stupid, stupid words. Her ears and cheeks start burning, and suddenly she feels like a liar exposed to the scrutinizing eyes of the others. Salomon starts talking again but doesn’t take his eyes off her.

  “I found the hiding place with food a while ago. It was hidden in an old, hollow tree trunk close to the edge of the forest. For several nights I’ve been sleeping in the forest, keeping guard. But it wasn’t till tonight that I saw who the thieves were.”

  He finally takes his eyes off Skye and looks at Fella and Hackett. Their eyes are flickering and they look scared. Fella starts talking but he can’t get the words out right.

  “But it was … we didn’t take anything … it isn’t us who’s been stealing.”

  He desperately looks at Hackett, who slowly stutters: “Not us steal eggs. It be Sal.”

  Salomon lightly kicks the sack on the ground and more food falls out.

  “How did you know there were stolen eggs in the sack?”

  They all look at the ground and see three eggs lying between the roots and berries. Puk now understands that it was the birds’ eggs they picked up when they stopped briefly before walking to the forest. Hackett sits on the ground. He knows they’ve been found out, and he doesn’t feel like insisting on his innocence any longer. The battle’s lost.

  Dagwood opens the sack of stolen food and he’s shocked to find two fresh long-ears. Bastards! Suddenly he understands why the traps were empty so often. Fella and Hackett had been taking the food for themselves. He looks at them with contempt. Now it all seems so obvious. How come he hadn’t noticed that those two were the only ones who hadn’t lost weight? In fact, Fella looked a bit on the heavy side, and Hackett’s cheeks had never been this round. The others in the clan had gone hungry to satisfy the greed of Fella and Hackett. The rage within Dagwood is about to boil over.

  He turns around quickly and walks into the hut. A moment later, he returns with two sacks and throws them on the ground in front of Fella and Hackett.

  “Here are your belongings. Take them and go. I gave you one chance. You’ve wasted it. We don’t want to see you ever again!”

  His voice sounds serious, but also sad. A low mumbling spreads among the others, but no one speaks aloud. Hackett looks down at his things on the ground and suddenly the seriousness of the situation hits him.

  He starts crying as he shouts out in despair: “No, no go. Sorry me. Me stay here …”

  Dagwood doesn’t react to his crying but looks at him with empty eyes and says: “Go. NOW!”

  Fella walks over to him. His eyes are closing into tiny cracks and he’s clenching his teeth hard. For a moment, he looks at Dagwood without saying anything. Everyone around them can feel the unspoken aggression in the air, but no one dares to say a thing. They’re all holding their breath and the only thing they can hear is the desperate sobbing from Hackett.

  Fella looks up and down at Dagwood as he arrogantly snorts in the air. The difference in size between them is remarkable, and if you didn’t know any better you’d think that Fella hadn’t noticed how small he is compared to Dagwood. His arrogance belongs to a much larger opponent, not a small boy who stands in front of a superior giant surrounded by his allies. He lifts his hand as he forces the words out through his teeth.

  “I deserve that extra food! And so does Hackett. We’ve worked much harder than the rest of you. We’ve captured more animals for the clan than you and Salomon combined. If it wasn’t for our traps, we would’ve starved to death long ago. Should I settle for the same amount of food as that little weakling, Puk? Ha! That makes no sense at all. What does he contribute other than eating my food and my animals? For all I care you could send him and Evi out in the forest so we didn’t have to waste food on them. Or Finch. The only thing he does is make stupid drawings all day long, that little fool. No, Hackett and I deserve all the food we’ve taken. In my eyes we haven’t stolen anything, only taken what’s rightfully ours.”

  Dagwood shakes his head and considers for a moment whether to answer Fella or not. He feels that his words are wasted on a person who doesn’t understand that everybody is valuable. That everyone is part of a whole and is needed, whether you prepare food, hunt animals or take care of others. Dagwood chooses silence because he knows that Fella will never understand any other reality than his own, in which he’s worth more than the others. He’s upset that Hackett has been seduced by Fella’s words, and has lost his consideration for others and his sense of justice.

  He looks Fella in the eye for the last time and then says: “Just go.”

  Fella turns to Hack
ett and slowly the two thieves pick their things up from the ground and start walking. No one says goodbye. Fella turns around for one last time and shouts at them, with hate in his voice: “We’ll be all right. Don’t worry. You’re the ones who’ve lost, not us.”

  Puk is relieved that the situation hasn’t spiraled into another direction, and that it’s over. He picks up the food and smiles at Dagwood, who doesn’t return his smile. He looks sad, and Puk understands how hard it must be to exclude someone, no matter how serious a crime they’ve committed. Maybe he’s sending them to their deaths or to a life full of sorrow and loneliness. Puk stands next to him as they silently look at the two evicted boys leaving the camp. Dagwood then turns around and walks into the hut. The others follow, except Salomon and Skye.

  For a moment they stand still without moving or saying anything. Slowly Skye starts walking towards Salomon, but he turns around and starts walking away.

  She shouts after him: “Salomon, stop!”

  He hesitates, and then stops. But he still hasn’t turned toward her.

  “I was wrong. About you.”

  The words are easier to say than she thought they would be, but she fears his reaction. Carefully she steps one step closer, but he doesn’t answer her.

  She goes on: “I’m sorry that I doubted you … but I thought that you …”

  “That I was what?”

  He cuts her off in the middle of the sentence and turns his face halfway towards her. She can tell he’s upset and his shining eyes look like they’re beaming fire. She starts backing away from him slowly, and suddenly she feels she’s standing in front of an unpredictable and wild animal. He starts talking again, and she stops moving away.

  “If it’d been Dagwood you saw in the forest – would you have thought the same? That he was a thief?”

  His question makes her think, and she doesn’t know how to answer him. Then she realizes that she’d never have suspected Dagwood or Puk or any of the others for that matter, only him, and she’s saddened. Why has she had so little trust in Salomon? Why has she judged him solely on his rough looks and unapproachable personality? She wishes she had some of Puk’s abilities to sense other people’s thoughts and feelings. The words have disappeared from her mouth. She has no answers, and looks silently at him without saying anything.

  Quietly, he starts walking away, and she doesn’t try to stop him this time.

  CHAPTER 28

  After Fella and Hackett have left, the mood in the camp is quiet and solemn. They’re all affected by the eviction, and no one’s laughing or making fun. The seriousness of the crime and the consequences of it have left a mark on them all. Not because they find Dagwood’s decision wrong, but the disappointment of being betrayed by someone they care about is almost unbearable.

  Skye sits alone in the hut and tries to find the energy to get up. The others have been up for a long time and are already busy doing the chores of the day. She’s still very tired, but she’s getting better and her muscles are growing stronger. For the past couple of days Dagwood has given her his egg for dinner, even though she’s protested. Finally, she gave in and accepted his gesture. She knows he’s trying to fatten her up so she’ll grow stronger and tougher. And it helps. Even though the food in the camp is scarce, she’s still getting more food than when she was wandering with Ecco. Her hip bone and her collarbone are still very distinct though, and she tries to cover them as much as she can.

  It’s warm in the hut, and she feels like breathing some fresh air. The sun’s burning stronger today and she thinks about walking to the river. She doesn’t feel like walking alone because she might run into to Salomon, so she prefers to walk with one of the others. Maybe she can find Knox and ask him if he’ll spear some swimmers with her.

  He’s not around, but she sees Flo and Finch, who are in the process of planting roots. They’ve found out that if they plant them in some soft soil they can make them grow and make more roots. She starts walking towards them and sees Puk running with Twice following him. He spends most of his time training the little roundsnout, and he proudly parades his talents to everyone who cares to watch.

  “Skye, come with me. I’ll show you what Twice has learned.”

  He yells eagerly as he waves her over. She can’t help smiling at his happy face and she gladly follows him. They hurry behind the hut and she’s anxious to see what trick Twice has mastered.

  “Sit down over there.”

  He points to a large stone, and Skye walks over and sits down. Twice is circling Puk’s legs while he constantly looks at his face. Puk makes a small movement with his hand and instantly Twice sits down in front of him. He’s still completely focused on his master’s movement. Carefully, Puk takes an egg out of a small sack he’s tied to his belt and then squats in front of the roundsnout. He starts sniffing eagerly in the air while he swings his head slightly from side to side, and Puk sticks the egg in front of his snout. Afterwards he points at some bushes and says “egg”. Skye looks excitedly at the small animal, who immediately runs off and dives in between branches and leaves.

  Shortly after, the roundsnout appears again with an egg rolling in front of its snout. It carefully pushes the fragile egg on the ground until it reaches Puk again. He picks it up and passes it to her.

  “Isn’t it amazing! He can find the eggs the birds have laid by using his sense of smell.”

  He smiles proudly, and Skye claps her hands in excitement.

  “Yes, it’s amazing! You’ve trained him well.”

  He walks over and sits next to her. They both look at the egg in his hand as he says: “He’s already found five today. It’s more than we normally find. I thought the birds had grown tired of laying eggs, but maybe we just haven’t been very good at finding them – or maybe Fella and Hackett stole most of them.”

  Skye remembers the half-eaten bird that Salomon found in the hollow tree. Neither she nor Salomon have mentioned it to the others, but she’s pretty sure it must have been the missing bird of theirs that she saw the remains of. There was no reason to make the unfortunate circumstances surrounding the theft even worse than they already were, and the scale of Fella and Hackett’s thieving didn’t matter now. Maybe she and Salomon did actually agree on something. Thinking about Salomon makes her sad and she tries to forget their last conversation.

  “What’s worrying you?”

  Puk’s voice suddenly sounds serious and grown-up. She’s about to deny that something’s wrong but knows that she can’t fool him.

  “I don’t think that Salomon likes me. He always looks at me strangely and he never speaks to me. But I do understand if he’s mad at me because of … you know, that I said he was a thief. But he didn’t like me before either. I’m certain of it.”

  Puk looks at her with a weird expression and frowns.

  “Don’t you know what he did?”

  She shakes her head and answers: “Did? What do you mean?”

  Puk tells her: “It was Salomon who found you dying in the forest. He’d been gone for several weeks and we were beginning to think he’d never return. But suddenly one day he came back, with you in his arms. He must’ve carried you through the entire forest and then some, and he spent his last strength to bring you home. You’d been lying on the cold ground for several days without eating or drinking anything. All curled up next to your … dead brother. And you were so tiny and starved that he thought you were dead at first. Your muscles had almost disappeared and you didn’t weigh much more than a tiny bird. He was sitting by your side, day after day, nursing you. He wouldn’t let anyone else. And when you were on the brink of dying he didn’t sleep for several days. No, Salomon doesn’t hate you. He saved your life.”

  Skye doesn’t understand what Puk’s telling her. It makes no sense.

  “But when I woke up, it was Dagwood who sat by my side. I thought he was the one who’d been taking care of me. I
don’t understand.”

  “Salomon is sometimes hard to understand. Even for me. Maybe it was safe to sit by your side when you couldn’t see him. He has more scars on his body and soul than you might think. Maybe he isn’t ready to show them to you yet. He still has many things he hasn’t shared with us. Salomon has secrets. We all know that.”

  At that moment they’re interrupted by Twice, who comes rolling another egg towards Puk. Puk starts laughing, and Skye can’t concentrate any longer. She’s confused, and needs to be alone with her thoughts.

  The cold water brings her back to reality. She’s been walking, lost in her own thoughts, without noticing where she was heading. Now she’s standing with her feet in the water in the middle of the river. Knox and Dagwood come walking along the riverbank. They have a couple of swimmers in their hands and proudly lift them in the air. She tries to force out a smile, but it doesn’t feel real. However, she’s happy to see Dagwood walking toward her with a smile. Knox puts their catch on the edge of the river so it will keep fresh. Experience has taught them that swimmers quickly turn foul smelling and start to decay if they’re left in the sun for too long. He jumps to the shore, followed by the other two, and they lie down in the sun.

  Skye finds it liberating to lie next to Dagwood, staring into the sky without talking. In her head there are lots of questions, but she doesn’t say them out loud. She doesn’t know how they’ll find their way out of her mouth if she does. Maybe they’ll sound accusing or doubtful. Maybe Dagwood will misunderstand her if she suddenly asks him a question about Salomon, and experiences that belong in the past.

  She tries to think about something else and spots a colorful buzzer circling her face. It’s blue and yellow and looks like a tiny bird in pretty clothing that hasn’t learned how to fly properly yet. She reaches her hand up, hoping that it might land on her finger. But it’s much more occupied with dancing back and forth in the air, and soon it’s joined by another colorful buzzer.

  Dagwood turns his head and looks at her. From the corner of her eye Skye sees his eyes on her and immediately forgets all about the dancing buzzers. She suddenly feels his hand touching hers. Very lightly, like a feather grazing her hand accidently. She’s startled and quickly pulls her hand back. Soon she feels his hand next to hers again. Carefully he puts his little finger across hers, and now Skye knows that it didn’t happen by accident.