The Abassi Expedition by @MelanieSokol #NaNoWriMo
The Abassi Expedition
Written by Melanie D SokolFollow @MelanieSokol
Blog: HERE
NaNo Excerpt
Prologue
"There is a myth about the moons," Nada said softly to her daughter and to the man holding her closely. Her English was broken and accented but it was just another thing that Nicholas loved about her."The Život say that many years ago the big moon Ida fell in love with a man, Matej. He was beautiful, a great king, a beacon of hope for his people, and when he died he was raised up to the stars. But he was a man of the south, so he was raised up far from Ida. So, every year, when the growing season comes, she leaves to see him.
"During their time, Ida felt guilty for leaving the Život without a moon to watch over their nights, so Matej and Ida in their love created a son to care for the Život. And so, she spends her time with the Život and with Matej, leaving Luka, so much smaller, to help us in the growing season. He is young so sometimes he plays more than he works but he is a good moon and the people rejoice to watch him play among the stars of the Laku Noć Nebula."
Stretching out in front of them was the sea, different from the seas of Earth-that-was because in the nighttime, it would not turn the deep, dark blue of their paintings and pictures, but a soft green. Playing on the horizon, as Nada said was Luka amount the red, blue, and purple clouds of the beautiful nebular. Once her story was over, Nada and Nicholas watched the waves come in and roll out in silence.
"What are you thinking, my love?" Nada said.
Nicholas looked back at the woman, dark with summer tan against her dark brown hair lightened by the sun. He smiled at her, "In the colony, we have a lake that is small, but still my father used to take me and would tell me about Earth that was. 'It was all water!' he would say." He looked back to the bay and the reflection of Luka in the green water. "He would dream for me, 'Can you imagine, Nicholas? Seeing water that went on for days? It wouldn't end outside some humming barrier, but go on forever. So rough it was that it would kill men!'"
He looked back to Nada and the small bundle in his arms, resting. "I want for her to see water that doesn't end! Water that is so strong that it can kill men. I do not want to take her to that small lake and only say, 'Imagine.'" "One day, my love," Nada said, "one day Alice will see this water and she will know. But she is not like our people, she is not strong enough to make it with us."
"You tell me to take her, to take her and grow her in a cage. Everyday, I will limit her."
Nada smiled at him, "You grew up in a cage, and I love you. This cage cannot be so bad."
Nicholas wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close as if trying to warm her, "It is still a cage."
Together they watched the water and silently Nada sent up a wish to Luka that one day he would have the strength to pull Alice back to her and the Život while Nicholas thought of more reasons, more excuses, more attempts to convince Nada to keep Alice with her.
"Come, my love, let's walk back to the camp. I am sure Papa has dinner ready," Nada said before standing. Nicholas took the baby into his arms and they walked through the small bushland that separated the camp from the bay.
As they came over a small crest, fire danced over the tops of the tents, destroying everything that came into its path. Nada whispered under her breath in the language Nicholas had yet to master.
"Take the baby," he said as he handed the bundle back to her. "Meet me at your mother's tent, it is far from the flames. I will help stop it. Be ready to run, Nada."
"Be safe," she said as Nicholas ran off towards the flames.
Author Bio
Melanie grew up mostly along the east coast of the United States from North Carolina to Pennsylvania with her family. Throughout her whole life, Melanie has loved to read and make up her own stories with some personal success. Though she has never been published, she's very experienced with poetry and short prose but has been longing to write a novel. Right now she's working a YA-SciFi/Fantasy piece with hopes to finish it within the next year.
