Hugh J. O'Donnell

The bridge had washed away in the spring floods. The scout stared across the expanse of tumbled stone and foaming water and felt disgust rise in his throat.
How could this country let things fall into such disrepair? His fathers had built these roads for their safety and comfort. And these savages had let his empire’s gifts rot beneath their very feet!
He turned and headed back through the overgrown forest, already preparing his report to the commander. The army couldn’t cross here.
She watched him go from the trees. She was thankful they had been turned away without bloodshed.

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On the day he shipped out, he had left the bicycle out leaning against a tree, forgotten. She made a promise to herself that he would find the house just as he left it, so she kept it where it was, taking care to secure it properly and protect it from the weather.
When he never came home, she left the bicycle where it was, the dangling thread of a promise broken by war.
A tree knows nothing of grief, but it still embraced the bicycle, growing slowly around it and keeping the mother’s promise long after she passed away.

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They found the installation tucked into a forgotten corner of the museum. The three children stared at it long after the rest of the class had moved on. Their teacher had to find them when the trip was over.
Later, the three of them gathered in their secret hideout.
It looked so soft and fluffy,” Beryl said. She was the youngest.
Rusty, her older brother, scolded her. “It was all wet. How could it be fluffy?”
“Clouds,” Jade said. “I want to see a whole sky full of them.”
That was when they began planning their escape from the tunnels.

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The duel was over, and so was everything that had led up to it. She had won.
She sheathed her sword and just stood there for a long time. The sun rose, and she felt its warmth on her face. She listened to the wind rustle the long grass. The birds were singing.
It was all behind her: The vow of revenge, the years of hiding, and the years of training. He couldn’t threaten her any longer. She was finally free to be a normal young woman again.
She just needed to remember how. It would start with this moment.

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