The Travel South

Preview of what will hopefully become a story comparable to the one of Katya. I wrote it in Dutch and translated it to English. I'm not completely satified by it, so I'll most likely redo some things, but it's good enough for a start.

Prologue

It was calm at the cape. At our feet lay an obscure, threatening gray mass of water, ashgrey in the darkness. No wrinkle or wave seemed to disturb the sea in her peace. Everyone held his breath. Was this the end of our travel, our quest? All kinds of thoughts shot through my head. This seemed the end of the world, with an impenetrable border before us: an endless water with no land at the horizon.

His hair suddenly fluttered. We were all gazing at him, our hope. His long hair fluttered and I felt a cool breeze coming from the east. He turned his head in that direction, a small light of hope glowing in his eyes.

From the bent-grass sounded the shrieking of a gull. A dark shape flew over us, coming from the dunes. And while his shrieking resounded in our ears, breaking the silence and we looked at the sky the miracle happened; and the light in his eyes was suddenly as clear as glass, shining brightly like the stars do at nights.

A ray of light, dazzling after a year of darkness fell upon us, a group lonely travelers. Hundred-twenty-two people, cold and numbed, gazed startled to the east, were slowly but surely a glowing globe appeared above the horizon. Then he shouted, and his words were of hope and future, loyalty and present.

"Praise Foiros, men and women, this is our moment. Here we shall built a new existence, at this place where we found light after a long search. Here we shall bear children and they shall play in our streets lest everyone shall hear their laughter. They will continue with what we've started, months ago in the north, in Vardýnn. May you all live in prosperity, in Strata, the South!"

We were glad, no we were mad of happiness. The sun had returned and its warmth would make the crops grow again and make the animals return from their dark holes. Now the humans could live again like they had used to, and that day we celebrated clamorous. Still we thought of the past, especially the last few months. How Drafas had helped us through this journey, how he had fought indefatigable for our lives, even if it was futile or hopeless.

It was then when I decided to write down the tail of him and our travel south. May Foiros inspire me to do this as accurate as possible, that our children and our grandchildren won't forget these events.

Edited by: Gean Firefeet at: 2/11/01 5:30:12 pm