The You in Me: 1 - The choice in between being kind or looking away.

 

P R O L O U G E

“We’re all made of stardust, what makes them better than us?” Seraphina asked as she followed her mother’s trail, diligently avoiding any missteps on the path into wilderness.

“If every human sat back to ponder on that, we would be even more jobless than we already are,” Lisbeth replied as she hiked higher up the mountain, combating thickets with tender hands and observant eyes.

“I wouldn’t say we’re all that jobless,” Seraphina huffed, a frown easing onto her brows. The lush overgrowth darkened their paths ahead and the only light soothing their insecurity was the lantern in Lisbeth’s hand, swinging to-and-fro.

“That’s because humans as a species are inherently stubborn and would never concede their pride. Their territory, they would, but not the pride.”

“Ha!” Seraphina exclaimed, avoiding the outgrown roots with a small skip in her step, “That’s why we are here, in the thick of the night, because you are too prideful to accept Mr. Henrick’s accusations!” a cheeky smile graced her face as her mother’s arrogant shoulders slumped just enough to prove her point.

“We are here to help old Mr. Henrick. Not because he offended me with the baseless accusations of feeding him the wrong medicine. He’s a patient and so, we must be patient with him. If humans abandon their patience and kindness, we’re no better than those who invaded us. Remember, haste makes waste.”

Lisbeth crouched under a low hanging branch and turned to hold out a hand for her daughter. Under the fluorescent glow of the lantern, her brown locks blazed gold. Seraphina rolled her eyes at her mother’s holier-than-thou smile but held onto Lisbeth’s hand as she crouched under the branch and was swiftly pulled to the other side.

“Look at you, still being so prideful,” Seraphina scrunched her nose with the reply.

Lisbeth let go of her daughter’s hand as they neared the hill-top. Her steps grew smaller and gentler as she placed them precisely over flat stones or muddy patches lining their path, “Be careful of the Panicum maximum,” she pointed at the guinea grass, “There’s already limited grazing pastures. No need for us to ruin more.”

“Yes, yes, yes, I always am,” Seraphina sang, “We must protect the limited resources left for human survival.”

“Ruin one life and it always comes back to you,” Lisbeth sang back and the duo broke into laughter. Upon reaching the hill-top, Lisbeth inhaled fresh gusts of carbon dioxide as if it were early morning air; regardless of its major constituents, the air was still more pure up there than on the ground they came from.

“I love being in the midst of nature,” Lisbeth commented as she raised her lantern to illuminate the trees around.

“Being raised in a bunker surely makes you considerate,” Seraphina snorted as she squinted her eyes in the opposite direction of light. “I think I found it,” she pointed at a lush tree with long broad leaves and a silhouette of round fruits hanging in the center.

Lisbeth raised her lantern to Seraphina’s side and rolled her eyes.

“Are you kidding me? You understand that using basic observation skills is not a privilege. It is a right and you can exercise it, my daughter; that is the Annona Muricata, not even close to what we’re looking for. Don’t you see the literal spikes on its fruit?” Lisbeth worded out her exasperation.

In the light, Seraphina’s brown hair seemed haywire, each strand in strong opposition of sticking to the other. They framed her head like a crown of hay, giving way to a large forehead and sunken grey eyes. She raised her glasses closer to her eyes and replied, “Well it is not my fault that we are trespassing on government grounds with barely a light source to survive. I’m not the one with fifty years of experience in illegal activities, mother!”

“Thirty-seven!” Lisbeth corrected and turned Seraphina’s chin to the opposite side, “And that is what we are looking for. Carcia Papaya, its leaves are used to increase potential platelet count of a patient suffering from Dengue fever. Pick out the fresh ones; we’ll make a juice out of them for Mr. Henrick.”

Seraphina nodded at her obvious error in observation, for surely, the papaya tree bore round fruits instead of prickly ones. “It might need a little bit of climbing,” she pointed out, comparing their cumulative short heights with the tree’s.

She grabbed the lantern from her mother’s hand and opened up her backpack. Lisbeth grabbed a fistful of chalk from a paper bag and rubbed it across her palms. On the count of three, Lisbeth grabbed a hold of the tree’s slender trunk and mounted it with the ease of an expert. Though, just as she was about to pluck a leaf, from the gained extra height, Lisbeth spotted a fire on the lower end.

“Sera! I think there’s a fire across,” she informed as her hands hastily plucked the leaves and threw them to Seraphina.

“Why then, jump and run, mother?!” Seraphina whisper-shouted as she haphazardly picked up the leaves.

Lisbeth’s eyes did not move away from the smokeless flames which flared up her beloved trees; two silhouettes struggled in the midst of it.

“No, there’s people there…we must help them!”

“Are you kidding me? We are trespassing, mother, we cannot be caught up in it!!”

“Seraphina! I raised you better than that!” Lisbeth snapped as she jumped down with a subtle thump and forced the last bunch of leaves in her backpack.

“Even if we save them, the system will have our heads!” Seraphina snapped as she zipped up her backpack.

“We all have a choice and we must all choose kindness. If we do not, then we are no better than them.”

Lisbeth looked her daughter in the eye. Against the lantern, the grey of her eyes twinkled like a star. It brought a smile to Lisbeth’s face.

“You go home, wash the leaves, crush them and juice them. I’ll see what I can do to help. Run, now.”  

So, Seraphina ran.