The Doomsday Book of Fairy Tales by Emily Brewes

Author:Emily Brewes [Brewes, Emily]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction / Dystopian
ISBN: 9781459747029
Publisher: Dundurn Press
Published: 2021-05-11T00:00:00+00:00

WINNER, WINNER

“I LIKE YOUR STORIES,” said Doggo, licking the last of what I’d dubbed Krill Casserole from the whiskers on his muzzle.

“Thanks, Doggo,” I replied.

“What do they mean?” he asked.

“Well, I don’t suppose they mean much of anything,” I admitted.

He paused to consider. “Then why do you tell them?”

“Because you like them. And I like you.” It wasn’t a lie, because it had been once true. Thing was I felt compelled to tell the stories. I probably would’ve gone on telling them even without Doggo to listen, since it was the only thing I knew how to do.

“That makes sense,” he said, yawning expansively and putting his head on his paws.

“Hey, buddy. There’s no time to sleep. We’ve gotta get under cover before nightfall.”

It was no use. Doggo was out like a light.

I looked out from where we’d perched, partway up the western-facing slope of a steep valley with a creek snaking along its bottom. A fair amount of tall grass grew all around where we sat, but other than that, it afforded a clear view in all directions. I sat up on a nearby rock, gaining enough height that I could see over the grass. We could stay for a few minutes there.

The sun was about two-thirds of the way across the sky, which I estimated gave us an hour or two to find a better place to spend the night. I didn’t think that humans spending a mere three decades Underground was enough to repair the damage that we’d done to the climate, but the weather seemed to be holding for the time being. Even if a storm swept across right then, driving us to the valley floor and drowning us in a flash flood, it had been worth it. The struggles, the loss — even the brand on my face.

I figured I might never make it back to the farm, but at least I’d lived like a human being the last of my days. Before this, I’d never realized how soul-crushingly awful it was to live Underground.

Buried alive.

I took a deep breath and soaked it all in.

Just a few more minutes, I thought. Then we’ll make our way back to the road and carry on.

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