Gina and the End of the World

By Rebecca Troup

Gina comes from a small village tucked away in a vast forest. She often skips out on her duties and plays in the woods, between an adult and a child in her thoughts. Everything changes when two strangers appear and talk about going to the End of the World, a place where souls travel after death to be reborn. The situation is complicated by the passing of Gina's grandmother. Gina won't give up. Together, with the help of the strangers, she plans to get her grandmother back from the Creator at the End of the World. Can she? The path is long and hard with many trials.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Dec 20, 2017
• ISBN: 9781387459209

Book preview

Gina and the End of the World

Gina and the End of the World

Rebecca Troup

© 2017 Kaela Creighton

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review or scholarly journal.

ISBN: 978-1-387-45920-9

Chapter 1

The sun drifted through the forest, lacing the trees and leaves.  By that time, the animals had awakened and were chatting to one another on various branches, like welcoming arms to life.  Mists rose from the ground and acted like happy ghosts, free from mortal frailty.  The trees were also vibrant and content with their deep roots, the kind that go down for centuries.

Gina looked up.  There was a hole in the top of the hut to let in light.  She regretted ever laying down.  It was such a torment to get up.  Her friends were already scattered across the village, doing morning chores with their elders. 

Gina! Gina’s grandmother Lil had the stick ready.  When Gina protested, she got a quick whip on the legs.  She’d been known to be a slow riser. 

Before a foul fate could engulf her, she sped out of the hut’s thin screen and into the village.  She started looking for berries, as that was the job of young girls.

Grandmother Lil was already attending to the fire.  She would cook the meals and wash the dirty clothes, skins of animals.  As a hard worker, she expected the same out of Gina, but it didn’t always happen that way.  The world doesn’t always give us sunshine, as Grandmother Lil used to say. The rains have their place.

Gina loved her grandmother.  The light sparkled in the sky for her.  The fish darted into the fishing net easier. 

Gina came back with a bunch of Kiki, a fresh fruit that tasted like a strawberry but juicer.  The berry was succulent and satisfying, oozing with dripping juice.  Gina knew she’d be swatted on the hand if she ate them before her grandmother.  The tribe had the rule that the elders broke the meal. 

Precious, Gina. Grandmother Lil smiled.  Several teeth had abandoned her mouth, but her smile still brought a great happiness to Gina. She was love.

She hadn’t known her parents.  They’d died before she had her soul’s memory.  Grandmother didn’t like to talk about them.  Tears would roll down her cheeks, even though grandmother Lil was a strong person.  She’d heal both her and Gina with her tight embrace of love. 

Grandmother Lil took a bite of the berries, sour and sweet.  The fresh berries’ juice went down her chin, but she caught it fast enough. 

Now that her grandmother had broken the meal, Gina was allowed to take a few bites.  Her blue eyes lit up, just as her grandmother’s had.  They had the old blood.  The chief talked about it, about a people that had lived long ago at the end of the world, and they’d given the women many children and those gorgeous, blue eyes. 

Like night, Gina held onto a darker hue.  Her skin was much darker than that of her friends.  Sometimes, they teased Gina about it, said her brown eyes got drown.

Gina wasn’t the most popular girl in the village.   She had funny features, a small nose and white freckles around her eyes.  She covered them with dirt.  The other kids said she’d never find a husband, but Gina didn’t care as long as her feet were allowed to be bare and exposed to the moist dirt and wet leaves. 

Her heart had always been filled with a fire, but she kept it to herself—as much as she could.  The smoke sometimes rose into her throat, but she dared not speak the words of insult.  Sometimes, she found it difficult to hold her tongue, flames and the smoke.

Gina! Grandmother Lil slapped her on the leg.  You eat too much.  You’re going to get fat, my love.

It was true.  Gina had an appetite to fit a beast.  She had the start of a belly under her skirt.  Her breasts were becoming full and exposed.  She’d wrapped a piece of cloth around them, like the women in the village.

On the edge of seventeen, she knew changes were coming.  The moon told her so.  Her eyes said it was true.  She felt a hunger developing.

Gina shook her head and let the thoughts go.  She didn’t need to tie up her entire day in thought, though she often did regardless of protest.

You know, you have the brain like flapping birds, grandma Lil once said, You flap so much, but you still have to obey the wind. 

Gina rebelled at times, she knew.  It was normal for her age group, not that elders were disrespected.

A whisper came from a tree, as Gina moved towards the forest.  In front of her were two paths marked with stone.  She moved nearer, and the tree swayed with intensity.  The leaves almost covered the voice, but not quite.

She moved closer and closer to the path, which wasn’t wise.  As soon as she passed the sacred beginning, the path changed directions.  The trees moved.  She knew she was far from the village now.

Gina loved the forest, even when it deceived her.  The forest was funny like that.  It would put the traveler on the strangest paths.  If you were in agreement with the trees, they would take you home. Otherwise, you might be trapped for days, months, years.  And Gina would sure get a hit with the stick, or several lashes.

Grandmother Lil hadn’t seen her slip into the forest.  She assumed Gina was playing, fishing or watching the boys again. 

Gina wanted more than what the village had to offer. She’d snuck out a few times and nothing happened to her.  She was doing it again.

She knew the forest could be dangerous.  She’d been told many tales by the elders about witches and wizards.  Then there was the end of the world itself.  The villagers knew there were two, giant beasts standing guard.  They let the souls in, but they could never come out the same.  Where the end of the world went to, nobody knew.  All they knew was that it went down a long path to the underworld. 

The Creator knows, her grandmother had said.  "He knows each and every name of each and every being ever to be brought in this world and out of it as well.  The souls went to him and then into their new homes, new bodies.

The idea of reincarnation scared her, made her nervous.  She knew nothing but her body.  It took years of magic and study to find where one had been.  Sometimes, the witch doctor would rattle off a life of the villagers’. 

You were a bird, the old man told Gina.  She’d knelt to the ground to show respect and touched her head on the ground. 

You need to learn to fly again, the cracked body of the man spoke.  Gina wouldn’t look in his eyes.  From them, the magic of the forest might intoxicate and destroy Gina’s world.

Fly again? The words came up to Gina again, and she closed her eyes, letting the memory do its twists and turns around her brain.

A noise shook a tree. 

Hussshhhhhh, it spoke to her.  She dropped to the ground and hid in a bush.  She’d heard it, too.

In front of her, there was a man and a boy.  They were dressed in metals and net, which glittered under light.  Gina pulled her fizzy, white hair back, as to not draw attention to herself.

We’ve been walking for days, and we haven’t seen the cave.  You said the forest would agree if you spoke the words.

It should have.  I don’t know where it is. We’d best continue walking, son.

We’re lost, the boy said.  He let out a heavy sigh.  A harsh wind blew at their metal, and it clinked a few times, alerting small animals to hide. 

Gina guessed the boy was around ten.  He had the softness of childhood on his face, but Gina couldn’t see much over his suit, thin he might have been.  Gina didn’t let it bother her.  Curiosity crawled in her veins.

The thing that did bother her was this meeting.  They were looking for the cave?  Nobody did that.  Nobody wanted to fight the beasts.  These two were simpletons if they thought they could win against such strong magic.  They might be diluted in the head.

The boy and the man were reaching towards Gina’s hiding spot.  Gina put her hands together and said a prayer to the trees.  They moved their leaves, and the path behind her opened up.  Quickly, Gina ran down the path.

Hey, hey? Who is there? Gina didn’t turn around and look back.  She let the fire roll across her body and give her speed.  She heard the clanging of metal for a moment.  Then, all was still.  The trees concealed her. 

What is going on? Gina asked.  The trees didn’t give her an answer.  She went past the sacred stones and back into the village.  She grabbed some wild fruit on her way, tricking her grandma.  She didn’t like to do that to the old woman, but she also couldn’t quench her curiosity about the world. 

Gina brought the fruit to the hut.  Grandmother Lil was grinding the meat.  Gina had gone fishing a few days before.  They usually had plenty.  The forest never failed to provide for them, and the village was thankful.

The aroma of fish taunted Gina’s nose.  She wanted to grab it and devour it raw. She knew about parasites, but her tongue did not.  They knew only the sweet flavor of life. 

Grandmother Lil’s sweat fell down her face.  The forest was usually hot and humid.  It wore on the older people, made them faint or need naps. 

Would you like some help? Gina offered.

No child, grandmother Lil pulled her grass shirt tighter and higher.  It had fallen to her hips.  Her body was still scarred from the baby.  She’d only had the one, Gina’s mother, but it had stolen the youth away from her, made her into an object of love instead of vanity.

Gina turned around and heard a dog break the silence of the afternoon.  It belonged to Huni, the chief’s son.  He looked in Gina’s direction then away.

Hush, up, or I’ll turn you to meat, Gina heard him say.  The dog obeyed with a slight growl. 

Huni had tight muscles that stretched his entire body.  He was a year older than Gina, but she secretly harbored a crush for him.  It was part of the hunger she had begun to feel for men.  She wanted to talk to her grandmother about it, but she didn’t know how to.  Would grandma Lil understand?

That’s a silly question, she reasoned.  Of course, grandmother had been with a man.  That’s how they made a baby.  Still, this wasn’t a leader of discussion.

What would a man be like? She asked herself. She could hear couples with their mates in the huts.  She’d never seen them, however.  Even with the soft moans, there was still the chain of personal knowledge. 

Love? That’s what her grandmother had said when Gina asked and that was the end of it. 

Gina sighed.  Already, the day was filled with thoughts.  Gina wished she could turn her mind off for a minute and exist, kind of like a stone.  She closed her eyes and listened to the village without adding anymore thought to it. 

Gina, Demn, the neighbor boy came up, Do you want to play sticks with us?

Demn was a nice child.  He was quite a bit younger, and he had all the desires of youth.  He was constantly in trouble for climbing on the trees.  He would stay in them for hours.  The trees didn’t mind, as they had been young once as well.

That’s for children, Gina corrected him.  She’d garnered some authority after she’d first wrapped her breasts.

Oh come, on!

I have work to do, Gina replied.  She pointed towards the river.  It was a five minute walk.  Luckily, it was controlled by the magic of the world and never flooded the village.  The fish within it were full of life.  They would jump out of the water at times.  And, sometimes, they would flip into the mouth of a hungry bird. 

That’s the way of nature, never let your guard down, Gina reminded herself.  She’d been taught that as a little girl.  Still, she lacked the fear adults learned of, still coated in youth and pride.  She wondered about danger, but it only called to her. 

Gina couldn’t help but think about the two people in the forest. They’d been so out of place and time.  Who wore fish like them, with scales?  She was shocked for a moment.  She realized she was watching the boys play sticks, and she hadn’t taken her glare off of them.  She felt like a statue on the edge of something greater.

But should she go back into the forest? She asked herself.  She knew she would.  What had they’d said? She questioned her memory.  They were after the end of the world, and they had enough fire in their veins to think they could combat such fierce creatures.  Their voices were coated with a thick accent.  Did they speak another tongue? Gina wanted to know.

Carefully, she backed up from the young boys and girls and their games.  She went back to the forest’s edge, next to the stones, and she looked at the path ahead.  It always looked the same, but one couldn’t ever be too sure of where they were.  The paths slithered like jungle snakes.  Several villagers had gotten lost in them and died.  The trees didn’t care for them.

The heart of a tree stretched towards the heavens.  They were closer to the stars than to humanity.

Should I? Gina asked.  As she did, she took a foot forward, her skin darker than the mud underneath.  The trees waved in the breeze.  Upon looking back, she saw the stones disappear.  Fear let go, and she started to run. Her legs burned as they beat the ground again and again.  She knew she couldn’t keep her breath steady forever.

Eventually, Gina slowed down.  Sweat wept down her cheeks and her back.  The forest’s heat seemed to be especially hot that day. 

Gina looked at the sun for a second, just to get a position.  The bright light struck her eyes, and she had to look away.  The rays fell all around her, and she moved on.  The paths shifted behind her.  She hoped she was safe with the trees.  Her body felt the slight wind and reaching of arms. 

Hello? She attempted to contact the