Remainder of Two

Remainder of Two

By Indigo Giordana-Altu

Skin stained from a mixture of ash and desiccated blood, a toddler in frayed clothing cries atop a mound of skeletal remains.  She gazes out at the charred land through the blur of her tears. Too young to understand her own feelings of the futility of sobbing, she pulls herself together.  She wanders unaware that she is one of only two people left on earth.  She stops here and there observing the human debris. Picking up a skull, she softly questions, “Mama?” before whimpering and tossing it down.

            The sky is a strange melding of cerise and gold with lines of black cloud cover. The girl sighs in memory of what happened in the weeks before when the people of the world destroyed each other with all manners of weapons by land, air, and even at sea. It was a brutal display of giving up on all that is still good in the world, but these were all grown-up issues that she has no certainty of. All she knows is that her name is Sethina, she’s alone, and afraid.

A sweet scent that reminds her of her mother’s garden cuts through the putrid air.  Like an animal, she sniffs and tracks the scent until she arrives at a small hovel fashioned from random materials in the refuse.  Inside is a woman with chalky skin and long black hair that brushes her hips as she stirs something in a makeshift pot. She is as sallow and dirty as Sethina but still beautiful.

The woman is startled by her. Sethina is the only person she has seen since the uprisings.  She speaks frantically in a language that the girl does not know. Sethina backs away slightly but the woman motions for her to come closer. She tiptoes to her and is embraced as tears flow freely from the woman’s almond eyes.  Sethina’s abdomen releases a deep growl. She looks over at the simmering pot to catch a glimpse of rose petals, pieces of sugar cane, and belladonna bobbing in the water.  Pulling from the woman’s embrace, she points in her mouth repeatedly. The woman realizes what the girl wants and then shakes her head to decline her.

Sethina begs and the woman shoos her away. She is now confused by the woman who was just hugging her as though she we were her very own. Reluctantly, she leaves but does not go very far. She sits nearby with her head against her knees for almost an hour when she hears the woman’s voice. She raises her head to see the woman standing with two mock cups. Sethina smiles and the woman responds sympathetic grin. Together they drink the strange yet fulfilling brew. When they are done, they sit together staring at the sky that no longer knows day or night.  A breeze passes them causing Sethina to snuggle closer to the woman. The woman strokes Sethina’s hair and hums an old lullaby until they both fall into eternity’s slumber.