The Future by Catherine Leroux

Author:Catherine Leroux
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Biblioasis
Published: 2023-07-23T00:00:00+00:00

They tore logs out of the earth, which had already begun eating away at them, found muddy planks they secured to the logs using nails from the last battle between Terror and Method, lashed it all together with lengths of rope, then jumped wildly up and down on their barge to test its solidity. Rasca would have wanted them to install a mast and a sail and a cabin to shelter from bad weather, but she was made to understand it was impossible, useless, and ridiculous, childish concerns of the kind she’d have to suck up if she wanted to be a crew member. There was no time for finer points; their raft would be rudimentary, light enough to pull over logjams, and, above all, heroic. With both feet planted on the watercraft, Rasca can gauge the urgency with which it was built—planks shake, nails poke up, the wood smells of worms; it is barely big enough for the four of them seated, but one will always be standing to manoeuvre the pole that will help them follow the current and avoid any perils. Yatim has a waterproof tarp and a sleeping bag, Method has her collection of whistles and bird calls, Terror has a gun, and Rasca is in charge of provisions; to keep hunger at bay, Magic helped her make a hard, compact bread that settles in a lump in their stomachs.

When they woke, fog had conjured away the forest, but now the weather is so fine it’s as though the sky has delivered on a promise, a guarantee that they will return safe and sound. Fiji and Lego and Wolfpup and Stutt and Adidas and Pretty gather on the bank; they dish out goodbye hugs, some with tears in their eyes, and Rasca has the sudden feeling that they are off to a rendezvous with death, but her brother slaps her bum hard, and she feels reassured. Stutt begs the big kids to let him bring his books along, but they refuse, claiming the raft is too top-heavy as it is. Rasca doesn’t know how to read, but she agrees to carry one on in secret and hides it tucked in the waist of her shorts, like Terror carries his gun. Pretty has made them necklaces as talismans, Rasca’s turns out to be smaller than the others; she’s about to complain but bites her tongue, knowing they’re waiting for just such a wrong move to call her a baby and stop her from being part of the mission, and instead she ties the string round her neck and, looking at the locket on her chest, recognizes the star symbol she’s seen on cars, unsure it will actually bring her any luck. Fiji reminds them to be extra careful crossing the barriers formed by branches and trash and to head for the riverbank in the event of a downpour since some of the city’s sewers spill into the river, which can rise by several metres in the space of a few minutes, but they already know all that—everyone remembers Murmur’s death.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.