Toy Soldier

by Khaleel Jooste

looks up, just in time to see a huge boulder rolling from above in his direction. He ducks to his left. The boulder hits his shin and tumbles over the edge.

  He tries to move his leg. Wants to scream due to the pain, but he manages to keep it down.

  If they should know he was down here, he would surely be dead. He controls the tears that were burning his eyes. Now was not the time to cry. He crawls to the side of the cliff and assesses his leg. The bone wasn’t broken. It was only a flesh wound. The skin scraped off. He wipes away the blood; again he controls the urge to scream.

  He gets up slowly and puts weight on the leg, it was fine. He looks down. To jump would be best, but would he manage to get out of the water in time.

  More rocks fall.

  He would have to decide quickly before another one hits him.

  What could be making the rocks fall like that?

  He goes to the edge.

  He jumps.

  ب

  He looks up as the door opens.

  This time there were two. They come into his room and come to stand in front of him. The one takes his hand and holds it for a few seconds. He lets it go and starts assessing his face. First he opens his mouth, sticking a finger to the side. Moves to the nose then the eyes. Runs his fingers across his hair, all the way to the tiny incision at the back of the boy’s head.

  Seemingly satisfied, he turns and looks at the one to the left of him. They stare at each other for a while; stare at him a few seconds then leave.

  He rubs his hands. The man’s hand was cold. It did not feel normal. He gets under his blanket and covers his head. What were they going to do to him next?

  He hears the screams coming from next door. They must be doing something to the girl.

  He remembers she said her name was Kimberly.

  She was pretty.

  Her brown eyes warm. Theirs always seemed cold. Like they were not real. More like they were in the wrong place. He didn’t know how to explain it.

  They never spoke either.

  Her voice was gentle. He liked that.

  It comforted him.

  He didn’t like to hear her scream.

  It saddened him.

  Who could hurt someone so cute and sweet?

  They were definitely not human.

  He was convinced of that.

  But what could they be?

  He covers his ears with his hands.

  He prays that all this would only be a bad dream.

  Soon he will wake up and his mom would be there calling him to come and have breakfast.

  Lovely waffles topped with eggs and sausage, all drizzled with thick maple syrup, and to drink some warm milk with marshmallows; the tiny pink and blue ones. Perhaps mom would spoil him with some caramelized apple. Maybe even some chocolate covered doughnuts.

  He sighs.

  He waits.

  ف‎

  She looks.

  Two, perhaps three.

  What was she going to do?

  To her left there was only empty space. Flat, dry ground as far as she could see. To her right rocky hills. The sun was hot. She hadn’t had any water for two days. Her lips were dry and cracked. If she didn’t find water soon, she would surely pass out from dehydration and perhaps be food for the vultures.

  She also had to worry about the three that were looking for her. She has evaded them for all this while, but there was now little place to hide.

  She looked in the distance; the three short flashes, followed by one long one.

  To get there meant survival.

  What was she going to do?

  She rests her body against a rock. It provides her with some shade. The air is still hot and she finds it difficult to breath. She assesses her wounds. Two cuts to her left arm and two bruises on her left hip. She got those when she slipped and fell from a small cliff. Her head had several knocks. A bump was forming on her forehead. Nothing major that would impair her though.

  But she needed to get water.

  She scanned the area.

  Behind one of the hills she sees what looks like water, but it can all also be a mirage. Perhaps even a trap.

  She decides it’s best to take a chance and investigate. Then she can attempt to get to the flashes and safety.

  She looks to see if the three were still where she saw them last.

  Satisfied, she starts to run in the direction of the small hill.

  ط

  “It’s not all that bad.”

  She sits next to him and puts the bowl on her lap.

  “Just imagine it’s oatmeal.” She tries to smile.

  She puts her spoon into the grey goo in her bowl. It sticks to the spoon as she lifts it into the air.

  “I close my eyes and imagine it’s my dad’s breakfast of champions. It still tastes like…”

  “Smelly feet covered with farts and dirty diapers?” It’s the first time he speaks.

  “You forgot to add the rotten eggs and castor oil. Don’t forget the toilet cleaner rubbed with some vinegar. Last I tasted something that was like toothpaste. The bad kind.” She shakes her head. Puts the spoon back into the bowl.

  “Nope. That wasn’t toothpaste. It was flavoured glue. My teeth stuck too each other. Only when I…” He sighs and looks away.

  “I know. The screaming does that.”

  She puts the bowl to the side and looks around.

  All the other children were swaying back and forth. Some had their thumbs in their mouths; others were pulling at their hair. One black girl kept hitting her head against the glass window. Blood was slowly trickling down her forehead.

  “How long have you been here, Sean?”

  He looks up.

  His face pale and blue circles around his eyes. His nose was running.

  He was wearing a stained white shirt and blue short pants. No socks or shoes.

  “I don’t remember. A few weeks. Maybe months.” He shrugs.

  “And you?” He looks her in her eyes. A slight smile comes to his face. His blue eyes brighter. His pale face more colour.

  “The same I guess. I don’t know though. I think we have been here longer. Perhaps before. I think…”

  “They make us forget? Or we can’t remember?” He looks down.

  “Something like that.” She fixes her dress. It was torn at the hem. Brown. She didn’t like brown. She wore a white shirt, with yellow stripes. It reminded her of her cousins’ Brownies’ stuff.

  “Do you have family?” Her big brown eyes curious.

  “No,” he shakes his head, “only mom.”

  “What happened to your dad?”

  He looks up slowly. Blue eyes less lively. He doesn’t make eye contact.

  “I don’t know. Never met him. It has always been only mom and me.”

  He looks at her. Soon as his eyes meet hers, his eyes brighten up. Pupils grow large.

  “Sorry, I guess.” Kimberly shrugs and starts playing with the spoon, picking at her meal with it.

  “No reason to be sorry. Mom and me have always managed.”

  “But still. I can’t imagine my life without my dad.” Slowly she lifts her spoon into the air. The grey goo hangs from her spoon in the air. It slowly starts to fall back into the bowl. It makes a soft squish as it starts to blend with the rest. Kimberly laughs to herself and puts the bowl down.

  She looks around.

  The room looked different. Usually all the glass walls were covered, but today all the other rooms were visible. The room to the left had a little chair in the middle. It was different to the chair in her room. There was some small circular thing hanging from the grey, metallic ceiling. Blue light came from it, but faint. It would be there than it would disappear.

  Next to this room, was the long corridor that seemed to go on and on forever. The room to the right had only concrete walls, with the glass sliding door; the same as hers. The ones next to it seemed to all be the same. They stretched all along the corridor.

  The room behind
her was similar to the one they were in now, but there were what looked like several cots all next to each other. They looked the same as the one she was in when she was born. The picture was the second one in her album; the first being of her in her mom’s arms. She and Blair both had albums of their own. Dad always took the pictures and mom personalised the albums. But since she has been sick, dad took over. That is what she remembers. Though not many pictures have been taken for quite some time.

  She looked at the ceiling of the room with cots. It was not the same as the rest. It seemed as if the ceiling could open up. There were also many air-conditioners all along one of the walls.

  “Wonder why they have all these airconny things there.”

  She points with her finger.

  Sean looks up.

  He was about to speak, when they hear the noise.

  It came from the end of the corridor.

  All the children immediately stood up and went to stand by the glass wall next to the room with the cots. The black girl starts crying. Soon more girls start to cry too.

  Sean gets up, so does Kimberly. Noticing the fear in his eyes, she puts her hand in his.

  “Don’t worry. It will be okay.”

  He looks at her. His eyes less sad. He manages to pull his lips to smile, but it disappears soon as the door opens. Two of them come in. One remains by the door, while the one comes to fetch Sean.

  He holds onto her hand for as long as he can. Then lets it go. Her brown eyes the last he sees. Her beautiful smile.

  The door closes.

  Kimberly turns and looks at the room with the cots.

  She starts to sing.

  “The incy-bincy spider climbed up the water spout…”

  ظ

  He hits the water wrong.

  It slaps him hard in his face and side. His leg hurts more as the cold water envelopes him. No time to waste. He immediately starts to swim.

  He keeps looking over his shoulder. It was hard to see though. He kept swimming.