Billy Part 10

The crescent moon rose slowly in the horizon above the empty plains, casting a small sliver of cold light that did little to illuminate the land. There was nothing in sight but emptiness and somewhere from a distance, a lonely wolf howled in hunger. There would be no food tonight. It had been an exceptionally hot summer and the animals that had not been hunted by the beasts of prey had died of thirst. The streams ran dry and the grass had burnt under the scorching heat of the sun. This was a summer unlike any other, a summer of pain and death that had ravished the land with such speed that there was little time to escape. Flourishing towns were now abandoned and left behind and the roads were littered with bodies, of humans and animals alike, no one had the energy or the time to bury them.

A lonely house stood at the edge of the plains just within reach of the dying trees of the forest oblivious to the death surrounding it. Despite the heat, a thin stream of smoke was steadily rising out of the chimney and the fire lit inside danced brightly from the windows. Inside the house sat two children at a large wooden table, kneeling on their chairs. In front them was a board with small wooden pieces, intricately carved into animals with such skill that they almost seemed lifelike. They sat in solemn silence facing each other staring at the board in concentration. The girl gently fingered the miniature wolf in front of her, running the tip of her finger over the ridges across its back and then with a smile, moved the token across the board and smiled triumphantly. Her little face was bright with glee and her soft golden curls bounced gently as she moved her head. The boy in front of her frowned and bit his lip. Outside, the wolf howled again.