Ani Was Writing

Part 5: Questions Day 1   We found some of the children! We always wondered what happened when they children vanished into the outlands. You can definitely see the changes in them that lead to them becoming Wild Ones. The biggest one we caught in the food silo looks like a mini Wild One! The don't have any grasp of how to speak, which makes me sad. We gave them some of our food and hope for the best.  Day 3   They seem ill and weak from our food, which is odd. Maybe we need to feed them the wild contaminated food? I'll ask Andrew to get some. Hopefully he won't try to eat any of it.  Day 5   Andrew found wild food and they gobbled it up. Do they really prefer this contaminated food, or is their diet a sign of something with this place? I have no idea. Is there a way we can find out? I don't know.  Day 7   Today I heard all of the children howl -which is normal- and a deeper howl answer. Our people are on edge. The deeper howl is the...

Part 4: They Survive    They skitter across the foliage. Looking. Looking. Looking for food. For shelter. For anything to help them survive.   The biggest one of them finds a thin thing with bumps in rows. They lick it, then bite into it. As soon as it is deemed good to eat, the biggest howls. Others join them and eat what is left on the plants. The rest of them pass by and look for more. They come across a river and take a drink of water. They jump over and stop at the edge of the metal boundary. They gather and see all of the bodies shuffle and flop along their dirt paths. Some carry death-bringers; other food-gatherers. The biggest of them reunites with the group and finds a higher spot to see what was important. A small part of the group joins them. The group stares and searches around the area. One of the smaller ones nudges the biggest one and indicates a shelter with food scents inside. The biggest one moves swiftly around the edge.   As soon as...

Part 3: All We Have    We remembered our mother touch.   It took a long time to remember. Our elder beings said that things were written down a long time ago, but none of the writings were kept safe. Those that were close to death muttered strange words related to the writings, but we never understood them. We still don't.   Our population is slowly growing. The elders helped us welcome our newest young into the clan. A celebration day indeed! Now we wait for five suns to pass over us to see if the children will flee into the outlands or remain close to their mothers. All of us are nervous about the choice these children will make.    Today our group also saw a giant orb falling out of the sky. At first, we thought it was going to fall near us, but then we saw it was landing far away. Hardly anyone is bothered anymore. We all just hope that the children who past into the outlands are attracted to it so we can avoid them and live in peace...

Part 2: Five Days       YOU HAVE FIVE DAYS   It was a strange message to receive. It came on the President's personal cell phone from an unknown number. A quick chat with other intelligence agencies and we realized all of the major and minor world leaders got the same message. We spent the entire time trying to figure out who sent the message.    Five days later, we found a strange breach in our intelligence database related to our nuclear weapons and codes to access and detonate them. As we scrambled to secure the intel, I was told that an unidentified humanoid appeared suddenly in the Oval Office. No one could detain or kill it as it stood there. After the agents in the room realized their action were futile, the humanoid addressed the President. "Have you made your preparations?"   "Preparations?" The President repeats in confusion.   The humanoid looks disappointed. "Perhaps I have placed too much hope in you...

Part 1: A Story   "Don't let that water fool you. It's not safe to drink."     I stay still. Water drips from your hand. You've given me that look before. That look that says, "Are you seriously trying to be my parent right now" look you always get whenever I direct you. You drip the rest of the water back into the stream and dry your hand on your pants. I motion with my head and we waddle forward.   "What are we looking for again?" You yawn as we stumble over an overgrown tree log. I close my eyes a little and think of the last time I hit you. It has been a long time. "We are hunting some meat for the womenfolk. You know that." I say instead of lashing out at you. You mean and keep going ahead of me. We both know how important this is for the women. All of the niceness we had before is long gone. In my hazy mind, I can just make out memories of clean hallways and stores of food. Little flimsy rectangles we gave to hazy figures. Walki...