Part 101: Day 17
Mia reeled from the snow thrown into her face. The impact made her stumble back, and landed hard against the ground. At that moment she was covered in snow. The young girl coughed and gagged from the snow, wondering where it came from. “MIA, MIA, CAN’T WE SEE-YA!!” two little boys laughed.
Mia looked up and across the street. Tommy Riles and Marcus Jones were laughing at her, as they had just thrown snow at her. They were both ten years old again. The Lakota girl stood up, brushing the snow off of her daddy’s overcoat. She smirked, realizing she was dreaming again. She was back home and it was snowing. The two local bullies were attacking her again. Some of her aunts and uncles told her they only picked on her cause they liked her.
Mia never believed it.
She quickly grabbed a handful of snow and hurled it back to them. She wasn’t ten year old; she was an adult. The snow collided with Tommy’s face, sending him careening into the street. By the time Marcus saw what was happening, Mia was already on top of him. She shoved him down and bent his arm back. “FEEL FAMILIAR, MARK?” she screamed at him, reminding of the times when he held her down and did the same thing.
Marcus wailed like a baby.
“Get out of here, you little rat!” she said, letting him go, “And don’t pick on any girls again!”
The two boys ran off into the distance, crying and demanding their mothers. Mia brushed the snow off of her overcoat. She smiled brightly; she felt good and justified. The Lakota girl wondered why this was in her dream; what was it telling her? She turned around and looked at her home, so peaceful in the snow. She walked over to the stairway entrance to the porch. It creaked like always. How many times did dad promise to fix it and never deliver? Mia didn’t mind. It was a sure-fire sound that always reminded her she was home.
She opened the door to the cold, wooden floored house. Mia looked to her left and then smiled. On his recliner was her father: asleep after a hard day’s work. The Lakota girl walked over, and picked up a blanket from the stack of month on magazines under the window. Her father moaned as she covered him up. Mia gently kissed her fingers and placed them on her his forehead. She had missed him so, but it didn’t change the fact that she knew this was a dream and her father had been dead for a year. “Don’t you know your father will always be with you?” her grandmother said behind her.
“Granny?” Mia turned around, pleased to hear her voice.
Her grandmother sat on the couch, covered in her blanket. She was less that three from the fire. “Come sit with me a while, my little sunshine,” her grandmother whispered, “While I try to get warm.”
Mia walked over to the couch, joining her grandmother. The young Lakota girl leaned upward, then leaned over to rest in her grandmother’s arm. The old woman kissed her granddaughter on the forehead, rubbing her arm. Mia sniffed, rubbing a tear away from her eye. “You warned me about pain and grief, granny,” she whispered, “I am sorry I didn’t believe you.”
“No, Mia, you did believe me.” The old blind woman whispered, “You just didn’t think it would affect you so.”
“Brendon was a good man. I didn’t want him to die.”
“But you knew he was going to?”
“Yes, I knew. I was just in denial.”
“Do you want to know where Brendon is right now?” her grandmother smiled.
“Please,” Mia said, wanting to hear it.
“Brendon is currently sipping tea with his mother, father and uncle. The house he is in the middle of some Mulberry Fields, where the scent will caress his nose and give him peace for eternity.”
Mia sniffed, “That sounds beautiful.”
“You don’t need to worry about Brendon any more, my little one. He is at peace. Probably for the first time in his life and he would want you to be happy for the friendship you and he had; not mourn him constantly.”
“Okay, Granny,” the young Lakota girl agreed.
“Now tell me about him.” The old woman grinned.
“About who?” Mia leaned up.
“The brave man who has captured your heart.”
Mia giggled. Her loving grandmother was talking about John. “He’s strong; he’s handsome,” the young girl smiled, “He’s brave in the face of danger. He’s fiercely loyal to his friends. And . . .I think he really loves me.”
“That is wonderful, Mia,” the blind woman laughed.
“Yes,” Mia grinned, “It is wonderful, isn’t it?”
“You see? It’s not that hard to be happy.”
Mia laughed at her grandmother’s statement. The two relatives enjoyed their laughter together. They always had in the past. The Lakota girl never realized how much she missed it until it was gone. Mia leaned up, hugging her knees inside her father’s overcoat. She turned her head toward her grandmother. “Granny, is Black Faction going to be a threat anymore?” she asked.
“My sunshine, “ The old woman chuckled, “Always down to business, eh?”
“I have to, Granny. You said I need to be strong and you helped me with Brendon. I am ready again. I have to help these people find the other survivors.”
“You realize, of course, you can’t do that alone?”
“Yes, that is true,” Mia scratched her eyebrow, “I probably will be able to convince John. Seth is still a non-believe, God bless him. Shanna is still a little heartbroken over Brendon. I know she trusts me, especially now.”
“That’s all well and good, Mia. But you are missing the obvious. They are not the ones that need convincing.”
Mia blinked. “Who must I convince, Granny?”
“The one who has something in common with me.” She smiled.
Mia wondered which of her group had something in common with her grandmother. She immediately thought of age, reminding her of Bernard and Cecil. Then she clicked her fingers, realizing the other thing she had in common with another person was something called blindness. “Tony!” Mia smiled, “He’s the one I must convince.”
“Once you are able to convince him, he’ll be convincing the others. Above all else, he wants his friends safe.”
“He’s a good man. Just like John.” The Lakota sighed, grinning.
“One part of your journey is over, Mia. Another will begin soon. You must watch for the signs.”
“What signs, Granny?”
“Two if by land, one if by sea,” her grandmother whispered.
“Two if by . . “ Mia blinked, “Wait a second, granny, I think you got it backwards. It’s one if by land and two if by sea.”
“Who you gonna listen to, child?” her granny giggled, “Them or me?”
Then a sound interrupted Mia’s thoughts. It was the sound of a woman screaming. Her screams were there, then they disappeared. Then the screaming happening again, then suddenly silent. Mia walked over to the window, then looked outside. She saw no one out there but the gentle falling snow. “Who was screaming, granny?” the Lakota girl asked.
“It doesn’t matter who she is,” her grandmother whispered, “What matters is why she is screaming.”
Mia opened her eyes. The soft breathing of John on her neck told her she was back at the beach. She leaned up to look toward her friends who were all there still with her. The Lakota girl leaned back into John, making him moan slightly. She had had another vision. Her granny literally speaking to her from the grave or was it simply thought in her head showing her the way? Mia didn’t care; she felt better after their discussion. She kept the words of her grandmother in her head, as she drifted back to sleep. Thank to the vision, her strength had returned and her resolve even strong.
Now more than ever, she had to find the bald man and the other survivors.
Mia looked up and across the street. Tommy Riles and Marcus Jones were laughing at her, as they had just thrown snow at her. They were both ten years old again. The Lakota girl stood up, brushing the snow off of her daddy’s overcoat. She smirked, realizing she was dreaming again. She was back home and it was snowing. The two local bullies were attacking her again. Some of her aunts and uncles told her they only picked on her cause they liked her.
Mia never believed it.
She quickly grabbed a handful of snow and hurled it back to them. She wasn’t ten year old; she was an adult. The snow collided with Tommy’s face, sending him careening into the street. By the time Marcus saw what was happening, Mia was already on top of him. She shoved him down and bent his arm back. “FEEL FAMILIAR, MARK?” she screamed at him, reminding of the times when he held her down and did the same thing.
Marcus wailed like a baby.
“Get out of here, you little rat!” she said, letting him go, “And don’t pick on any girls again!”
The two boys ran off into the distance, crying and demanding their mothers. Mia brushed the snow off of her overcoat. She smiled brightly; she felt good and justified. The Lakota girl wondered why this was in her dream; what was it telling her? She turned around and looked at her home, so peaceful in the snow. She walked over to the stairway entrance to the porch. It creaked like always. How many times did dad promise to fix it and never deliver? Mia didn’t mind. It was a sure-fire sound that always reminded her she was home.
She opened the door to the cold, wooden floored house. Mia looked to her left and then smiled. On his recliner was her father: asleep after a hard day’s work. The Lakota girl walked over, and picked up a blanket from the stack of month on magazines under the window. Her father moaned as she covered him up. Mia gently kissed her fingers and placed them on her his forehead. She had missed him so, but it didn’t change the fact that she knew this was a dream and her father had been dead for a year. “Don’t you know your father will always be with you?” her grandmother said behind her.
“Granny?” Mia turned around, pleased to hear her voice.
Her grandmother sat on the couch, covered in her blanket. She was less that three from the fire. “Come sit with me a while, my little sunshine,” her grandmother whispered, “While I try to get warm.”
Mia walked over to the couch, joining her grandmother. The young Lakota girl leaned upward, then leaned over to rest in her grandmother’s arm. The old woman kissed her granddaughter on the forehead, rubbing her arm. Mia sniffed, rubbing a tear away from her eye. “You warned me about pain and grief, granny,” she whispered, “I am sorry I didn’t believe you.”
“No, Mia, you did believe me.” The old blind woman whispered, “You just didn’t think it would affect you so.”
“Brendon was a good man. I didn’t want him to die.”
“But you knew he was going to?”
“Yes, I knew. I was just in denial.”
“Do you want to know where Brendon is right now?” her grandmother smiled.
“Please,” Mia said, wanting to hear it.
“Brendon is currently sipping tea with his mother, father and uncle. The house he is in the middle of some Mulberry Fields, where the scent will caress his nose and give him peace for eternity.”
Mia sniffed, “That sounds beautiful.”
“You don’t need to worry about Brendon any more, my little one. He is at peace. Probably for the first time in his life and he would want you to be happy for the friendship you and he had; not mourn him constantly.”
“Okay, Granny,” the young Lakota girl agreed.
“Now tell me about him.” The old woman grinned.
“About who?” Mia leaned up.
“The brave man who has captured your heart.”
Mia giggled. Her loving grandmother was talking about John. “He’s strong; he’s handsome,” the young girl smiled, “He’s brave in the face of danger. He’s fiercely loyal to his friends. And . . .I think he really loves me.”
“That is wonderful, Mia,” the blind woman laughed.
“Yes,” Mia grinned, “It is wonderful, isn’t it?”
“You see? It’s not that hard to be happy.”
Mia laughed at her grandmother’s statement. The two relatives enjoyed their laughter together. They always had in the past. The Lakota girl never realized how much she missed it until it was gone. Mia leaned up, hugging her knees inside her father’s overcoat. She turned her head toward her grandmother. “Granny, is Black Faction going to be a threat anymore?” she asked.
“My sunshine, “ The old woman chuckled, “Always down to business, eh?”
“I have to, Granny. You said I need to be strong and you helped me with Brendon. I am ready again. I have to help these people find the other survivors.”
“You realize, of course, you can’t do that alone?”
“Yes, that is true,” Mia scratched her eyebrow, “I probably will be able to convince John. Seth is still a non-believe, God bless him. Shanna is still a little heartbroken over Brendon. I know she trusts me, especially now.”
“That’s all well and good, Mia. But you are missing the obvious. They are not the ones that need convincing.”
Mia blinked. “Who must I convince, Granny?”
“The one who has something in common with me.” She smiled.
Mia wondered which of her group had something in common with her grandmother. She immediately thought of age, reminding her of Bernard and Cecil. Then she clicked her fingers, realizing the other thing she had in common with another person was something called blindness. “Tony!” Mia smiled, “He’s the one I must convince.”
“Once you are able to convince him, he’ll be convincing the others. Above all else, he wants his friends safe.”
“He’s a good man. Just like John.” The Lakota sighed, grinning.
“One part of your journey is over, Mia. Another will begin soon. You must watch for the signs.”
“What signs, Granny?”
“Two if by land, one if by sea,” her grandmother whispered.
“Two if by . . “ Mia blinked, “Wait a second, granny, I think you got it backwards. It’s one if by land and two if by sea.”
“Who you gonna listen to, child?” her granny giggled, “Them or me?”
Then a sound interrupted Mia’s thoughts. It was the sound of a woman screaming. Her screams were there, then they disappeared. Then the screaming happening again, then suddenly silent. Mia walked over to the window, then looked outside. She saw no one out there but the gentle falling snow. “Who was screaming, granny?” the Lakota girl asked.
“It doesn’t matter who she is,” her grandmother whispered, “What matters is why she is screaming.”
Mia opened her eyes. The soft breathing of John on her neck told her she was back at the beach. She leaned up to look toward her friends who were all there still with her. The Lakota girl leaned back into John, making him moan slightly. She had had another vision. Her granny literally speaking to her from the grave or was it simply thought in her head showing her the way? Mia didn’t care; she felt better after their discussion. She kept the words of her grandmother in her head, as she drifted back to sleep. Thank to the vision, her strength had returned and her resolve even strong.
Now more than ever, she had to find the bald man and the other survivors.
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