War's End by Christine D. Shuck

Author:Christine D. Shuck
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: dystopian, survival, civil war, near future
Publisher: Christine D. Shuck
Published: 2010-08-08T00:00:00+00:00

23

A Good Harvest

“Remember to be gentle with yourself and others. We are all children of chance and none can say why some fields will blossom while others lay brown beneath the August sun. Care for those around you. Look past your differences. Their dreams are no less than yours, their choices no more easily made. And give, give in any way you can, of whatever you possess. To give is to love. To withhold is to wither. Care less for your harvest than for how it is shared and your life will have meaning and your heart will have peace.”—Kent Nerburn

Fine-boned fingers covered his eyes, the smell of freshly turned dirt and the mint she had been picking filled his nose. “Guess who?”

Chris smiled, “Hey Liza. Making mint tea?”

Carrie’s sister let out a disappointed sniff. “You knew it was me!”

“Of course I did. You smell different from Carrie.” He didn’t tell her that Carrie had this indescribable scent, this earthy combination of sage and wood smoke that was almost drug like. It pulled him in and made him want to get closer, wrap his arms around her, and never let go. Liza smelled good too, but she smelled of childhood and cinnamon. He couldn’t explain it any better than that.

In the past few weeks Liza’s attitude toward him, and towards her sister, had begun to alter. She kept seeking him out when the others were busy with tasks. And whenever Carrie and he were together, she picked fights and argued with her sister endlessly.

It had taken him a while, but he had come to suspect that Liza had a crush. She would be fourteen in just a few months, and she was acting as if Carrie was more a rival than a sister. Carrie was confused by the behavior, commenting to Chris in private that they had always been close and rarely fought like other siblings. “I just don’t know what’s with Liza these days. Everything I say or do is wrong,” Carrie nibbled her thumbnail, “It’s almost as if she is dying to pick a fight with me. But why?”

Chris had caught Liza spying on them twice now. They still hadn’t gone all the way, but they were getting close, and he was worried that things were coming to a head. He had to deal with it, somehow. He looked up at Liza, who was staring down at him with a confused, half-hopeful smile. Crap. He set down the basket of tomatoes he had been picking. It was nearly full, the red and orange fruits firm and beautiful, promising to explode with juice the instant they were cut into. He figured he had three more baskets to pick before he would be done for the day.

“Liza, we need to talk.”

She grinned happily, “Did you finish Voyage from Yesteryear already? I just left it by your door two days ago.”

He shook his head and her expression turned from excited to guarded. “No, I haven’t finished reading it yet. But it’s good,” he smiled at her, “I had a hard time putting it down this morning and getting to work.

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