They ran for nothing more than a few minutes before stopping. It was amazing how easily a voyager could cross the distance they took days to go through. The blizzard that had hindered them on the way was now over. But why were they stopping Luke wondered.

“Why did we stop?” asked Luke.

“We’re here.” replied Yuga.

“So everyone is here? I don’t see anyone”

“Look ahead, you’ll see them.”

Luke squinted his eyes and looked ahead. All around was snow but as he looked closer, in the distance he could see some black figures on the snow, about three of them, unmoving. That couldn’t be-

Before he could complete the thought he was already sprinting towards them, hoping and praying it wasn’t what he thought he’d saw but the closer he got the more apparent it became what they were. There was no mistake, it was his family. The moment he confirmed this he sprinted even harder, squeezing out every last drop of power his legs could give him. He finally got to the first body. It was his father.

“Papa, papa!” he shouted as he shook the body, trying to wake him up. But he didn’t move, he didn’t respond, he didn’t smile, he didn’t speak, he didn’t do anything. His body had gone pale and his body was as cold as the ice beneath him. No matter how hard Luke tried he just wouldn’t move. Luke left him and went to check on the next body, tears already welling up in his eyes. He was panicking, his heart was beating faster than it ever did, every movement he made was a nightmare. He tried his hardest to push back the thoughts of what might be but he was failing. He checked the next body, it was his uncle. He didn’t spend much time on it, he didn’t care as much. There was only one body left, much farther forward than the previous two. He knew who it would be but he kept praying that somehow he was wrong, that somehow someone else had just fallen on the way. Or maybe there weren’t dead yet. If he ran as quickly as possible it wouldn’t be too late. And so he ran, scrambling through the snow, every moment he wasn’t there yet was anguish and he gritted his teeth so hard he thought they’d crumble.

Please, please, please, please, please be ok he thought as he raced through the snow.

He got to the body and and the moment he saw the face of who it was he became unable to breathe. Lying there in the snow, clutching something small to her heart was his mother. Like the other bodies her’s was pale and unmoving. Her eyes closed as if she was sleeping. Like he could just call out to her and she’d wake up and give him a hug, tell him to come out of the snow and go back to the log house. When they got home she’d make a warm meal just for him.

He bent down slowly to shake her awake, but as their skin made contact he jerked his hand back. It was cold, far different from the familiar warmth of his mother.

“Mama…. Mama….” he said softly, his voice cracking, tears trickling down his face and freezing before they could drop. As he shook her, her arms came free and from it rolled out the figure of something small. His baby sister, her small face pale and expressionless. He jerked back and fell into the snow. He could remember, the small smile that melted his heart, her little expressions that brought him happiness, it was now replaced with the harsh, unloving cold. He scrambled back away from them.

What is this? What’s happening? They’re not moving, they’re not responding. None of them are! His mind went blank for a second and he sat unmoving, his mind couldn’t process what he’d just seen. Then he suddenly shot up from the ground and ran back to his mother. He quickly pulled off his shirt, picked up the baby and tied it to his back with the shirt. He put his arms under his mother’s and tried to drag her through the snow. He pulled for a while but quickly tired, he wasn’t strong enough and it wasn’t working. He needed to be quick.

Have to get them out of here, I need help. Help? Yuga! He’s a voyager, he could get them all out in the blink of an eye! He turned around and ran back to where Yuga was, screaming his name as he went. “Yuga! Yuga! Help! Help!”

Yuga was standing still, his face solemn as he watched Luke struggle in vain.

“Sir! Yuga! I’m sorry I said you were lying, please help me. They’re not moving, if you don’t help me they’ll really die!” Luke pleaded.

But Yuga didn’t respond or say anything despite his pleas. “Can’t you see they need help? Can’t you see?! Help me! Why aren’t you doing anything?! You’re a voyager, you can save them!” he cried, shouting on the top of his lungs.

Yuga shook his head and finally responded “Luke, they won’t move, even if I moved them they won’t wake up…. They won’t respond no matter how hard you shake them… They’re gone…..”

“No! They’re there, if you just help me they’ll be fine!” screamed Luke in denial.

“You’re the only one left”

“No, no, no, no, no, no. That’s not true! Please just help me!” pleaded once again, ignoring every claim that they were dead.

“Luke-“

“But mama! And everyone!” Luke screamed, shaking his head in denial. Tears streaming down his face heavily now. He left Yuga and ran back to the bodies, the head of the dead body of the baby bobbing as he ran but it didn’t stir in the slightest. He shook, dragged, screamed and did everything he possibly could but nothing changed.

What’s happening? Why is this happening? What did we do wrong? Why?!

“Mama, mama. I have the baby with me already, let’s go! Wake up! Why won’t you move?!”

He knelt down in the snow, arms dangling by his sides, the feeling of defeat and helplessness washing over him. Despair tugging at his heart.

Are they dead….? Dead? But how….. If they’re dead then what?

What was going to happen, to him, to their family, to their happy days, to everything…..

“Aaaaaaaaaahhhhh!”

They can’t be gone, they can’t be! He slammed his fists continously on the cold snow as he cried. The baby had come loose from the turbulence and fell on the snow.

“Why….. What did we do?” Luke asked as his heart bled and tore apart.

Yuga just watched, his expression downcast, unable to offer any help. This couldn’t go on forever, they had to leave. And so he walked slowly and silently to the crying Luke. He gently picked him up and put him over his shoulder.

“Sir, what are you doing?! Where are you taking me? You’re not supposed to help me. Help them, they’re right there!” Luke pleaded from his very soul.

But Yuga didn’t respond and kept walking slowly. Luke watched as the bodies of his family got farther and farther from sight, unable to reach out and help. After walking a short distance Yuga turned back to look at the bodies one last time before speeding away from the scene in a blur.

***

For the next three days Luke cried without end. Trashing and screaming, his heart filled with grief and despair. He prayed and begged to anyone or anything to bring them back, he’d trade anything in exchange. He hoped that it was just a dream and he’d wake up, they’d never left and everything would be fine but nothing changed, he didn’t wake up, they were really gone.

After a repeated cycle of crying himself till exhaustion he finally ceased his crying all at once. He’d cried till he couldn’t make any more tears, his body didn’t have the moisture. His voice and cracked and faded from the endless screaming. He hadn’t eaten ever since he got back so he barely had the strength to move. He sat outside, still as a statue, staring into the space in front of him, never once blinking. His eyes were red as fresh blood and his body was pale. He’d lost weight in the past three days from overexerting himself and a lack of food. He heard footsteps from somewhere, he couldn’t tell where or maybe he just didn’t care to know.

“Who is there?” asked Luke in a small raspy voice, not turning to look “Is that you sir?”

“Just call me by name.” said Yuga, walking down from the forest.

“Ok, Yuga.” replied Luke with little emotion. “Yuga, you said you have no memories. Does it not bother you? Isn’t it scary or does it hurt?”

Yuga paused for a while before speaking “Sometimes I really wonder, who I am, where I came from, what did I leave behind? But I can’t do anything about that so I’ll just focus on what I have already.”

Luke continued to sit in silence. His heart was heavy and very moment was anguish, every second was awake was a reminder of what was never coming back.

“I want to bury them.” said Luke calmly “I know they’re dead already but the thought of them lying out there in the cold, harsh snow is just too sad…I want to bring them here. I think they should lay here as their final resting place. The place where we all lived, loved, laughed. Their home. Our home.”

“I’ll bring them back, and whenever your ready, you can lay them to rest.” said Yuga.

A large bird, nearly half the height of a person, came down from the sky and landed in the field around the log house. At the sound of its flapping Yuga turned to see what it was, but he already knew, he had sensed it before it landed. “Hey mimic, where’ve you been” said Yuga with a bit of excitement “Did you learn anything new?”

He crouched on the ground next to mimic rubbing its head fervently. It cooed softly then changed form. It became a large ball like creature covered in short, thick fur that was coloured black. He approached mimic and touched it but then withdrew his hand. The point he touched had changed colour to red. He ran a finger through its fur and a red line mapped the path of its movement.

Time for art

But before he started, he looked back to check on Luke who was staring in awe at what went on in his view. Noticing his curiosity, he tells mimic to change into a bird then carried it on his arm to where Luke was. He tells mimic to change into a rock, then a stick, in front of Luke so he could see the transformations.

“Where did the stick come from and where are the rock and bird go?” asked Luke.

“They didn’t go anywhere, they’re all the same thing.”

“You’re lying. I’ve been to a circus once and papa told me it’s all tricks.”

“Not this one, this is real. Want to try?” asked Yuga.

He hands the stick to Luke, who accepts it. He waves the stick around then stops, he points to the grass and the stick changes into a blade of grass. He’s startled for a second, it really was the same thing.

Yuga walked back from Luke and stood out in the grass. He called out to mimic and it changed into a rodent, jumped down from Luke’s palm and ran to where Yuga was.

“Change into that black ball again.” said Yuga. Mimic did as it was told. And Yuga started drawing, smiling as he did.

“Come try this, it’s cool.” he said to Luke who was a ways behind him.

It did look cool to try. Luke finally got up and walked lazily to where the ball was. He made several strokes on it, after about thirty seconds the red lines of fur became black again. He tried again, this time aiming to draw something and soon he was running lines all over the black ball. The both them of scribbled lines on mimic the black ball, trying to make shapes and drawings. They had to be quick because the lines soon faded to black. They were both bad at drawing but they just laughed at the silly things they drew, it didn’t matter much.

This was funu. Just out in field making crude shapes on a mysterious black ball that was actually an even more odd creature, laughing through it all. For the first time in three days Luke was able to smile a little. For a moment he was able to forget the pain of what was lost.