Water Saga - Part 1 (A Post Apocalyptic Story): Water Saga, #1

By Claretta Maynard

Part One in the Series Water Saga

Sisters Mabel and Tess live in what remains of southern Appalachia, eking  out an existence among a small group of villagers.

The earth has been flooded by never-ending rains. No one knows when the rain started, it has just always been. There is a legend that has been passed down by the elders of a land with blue skies. Every two years the leaders send out a scouting party in search of this legend. Does it exist or is it just a myth? No one knows, so far no one has ever returned.

Apprx. 50 pages

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Claretta Maynard
• Release date: Jun 19, 2014
• ISBN: 9781501434792

Claretta Maynard

Claretta Maynard lives in North Carolina with her husband David, daughter Cayli and their dog Lewis, 2 birds Buttercup & Peanut and a fish named Snow-Heart. When she's not writing, she's reading and dreaming up the next tale.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Mabel lay in her bed still groggy with the fog of sleep. Something felt off as she lay there listening to the quiet. She lazily rolled over in her bed considering whether she wanted to get up, or give in to her desire to go back to sleep, when she shot straight up. The quiet! That was it. She suddenly realized that she didn’t hear the sound of the constant drip that was so familiar. The never-ending ping in the old bucket, as familiar as an old song that she had grown so used to that it was now part of her senses.

The rain had stopped!

No!

I don’t want to miss it.

She pulled off her threadbare nightgown and dropped it to the floor and hurriedly dressed. Mabel stepped over to the window and pulled back the blue worn curtains, the dust motes floating in the air as she watched her neighbors as they scurried about. Mabel was excited to see that the village was alive as she listened to the rising chatter. She saw some of the women hanging their laundry out to dry, jockeying for position on the clothesline.

Mabel stopped long enough to reach for her gear. She slung her treasured rope over her shoulder, and slipped her spear, net and mudders inside her sack before she stepped out into the dim sunlight.

Mabel stepped out onto the front porch and instinctively closed her eyes to purge the foreign, dim brightness. She shielded her eyes with her hand while she gazed upon the deep green pines with their glistening branches that were laden from the recent heavy rain. She inhaled deeply, taking in the rich scent of pine. Mabel felt a surge of energy wash over her as she listened to the sound of the birds as they sang. In a sudden hurry she rushed down the steps and nearly slipped on the old creaky split wood, reminding her once again that she still hadn’t gotten around to repairing it.

As she set out among the villagers, Mabel slowed down when she came upon a group of children. They were busying themselves making mud pies, and singing a childhood song that she could remember singing when she was their age. Rain, rain, go away. Mabel smiled at the children and wondered how they never grew tired of making mud pies in this land of constant mud.

She continued on traversing the patchwork of planks, careful to avoid the mud as she made her way to the kitchen.

Tom, have you seen Tess? I was hoping we could hit the water early, before it gets too crowded, Mabel asked as she walked through the square.

Last time I saw her, she was over by the kitchen, Tom answered.

Thanks, I will head on over. See you later, she called as she made her way to the kitchen.

Hi, Mabel, Sara called as she walked in. What will it be?

I’ll have the special, she said, knowing it would be rice and eggs, which she could have made herself, but she was in a hurry. Have you seen Tess? she added as she scanned the room to see who was there.

Look behind you, you passed her on your way in, Sara answered.

Tess, there you are. Boy, you’re up early.

Hi, Mabel. I wanted to get out early this morning to gather some sassafras.

Tess enjoyed being up before everyone else. She relished the quiet walks, just her and the birds alone in the early morning light. She liked that she could take her time strolling throughout the edge of the village. She knew not to go too far, for fear of getting stuck in the mud. Knowing she could get trapped all alone and be buried alive and no one would even know she was ever there. But still she would stand at the edge, just out of reach, looking out at the fields and trees beyond longingly. She would often dream of just being free to roam where she pleased, to just run

Reviews for Water Saga - Part 1 (A Post Apocalyptic Story)

[Robert Garth · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Rain, what a great idea. Very vivid storytelling, im on to the next book.