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The Lost Rivers of Sherwood Reach - Prologue
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The Lost Rivers of Sherwood Reach - Prologue |
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Poet deVine
Administrator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-05-26
Posts 22612Hurricane Alley |
Deena reached the end of the ramp and looked back at the ship. Liftoff for the flight crew was in 1 hour. They would circle the area for thirty minutes and then return to base in the city. Deena and her crew of explorers would be on their own for a month. Their goal? To find the lost rivers of Sherwood Reach. The cities were without water. If it rained, which it did every 45 days or so, they would be able to collect enough water to drink for a few days. The gardens survived on what little rain they got – most gardens were arid land gardens. Cactus was a staple in their diets. Deena had heard stories from her grandparents of a tribe of people deep in the wooded areas of Sherwood Reach that had rivers of flowing water. Just as they had heard about from their grandparents. And now, it was Deena’s job to find out if the legend of the lost rivers was true. They had exhausted all their resources for space travel and cloud manipulation and still there wasn’t enough fresh water to sustain the people. The oceans, long dried, were now just deep chasms separating the continents. Digging teams worked feverishly night and day to plumb the ocean floor in search of underground water. The government, what little there was, declared that if water wasn’t found soon, thousands more humans would die in the next few months. Summer was coming. That meant death. Last year, almost 750,000 people died from dehydration. Mostly the old or the very young. Five years ago, another team of explorers tried to breach the dense forest. One man survived. He walked out of the forest after 46 days, his hearing gone, his tongue cut out and his mind lost to the horrors he had seen. And now, Deena and her team stood in a circle ready to move forward. Theo – the youngest member of the team. A body builder turned soldier who was left with no family two summers ago when his wife and only child died of dehydration. His wife had been skimping on her water supply to make sure the baby and he had enough. Theo drank a lot after working out and he never thought his wife would sacrifice her own health for him. But he learned about the depth of her love as he stood outside the crematorium waiting to receive her ashes. Their baby girl died three weeks later. Cameron – street fighter and troublemaker. He claimed he killed people and drank their blood when he was thirsty. He dressed in black and his long black stringy hair smelled like it hadn’t been washed in years. He became a soldier when a judge told him to choose. Death or service. Cameron was slightly stupid, but he wasn’t a fool. Marni – sixteenth generation Army. Every relative joined when they were old enough. She had six brothers and two sisters. All soldiers. It was her way of life. She knew nothing but how to follow orders. She ate like a man, drank like a man and could usually out fight any man. She kept her auburn hair cut short so bugs wouldn’t grow in it. Kelly – a scientist soldier by chance. No one would listen to her stories of water in the Reach until she became a soldier and talked her way onto this team. Her father and mother were writers and in her free time, Kelly wrote lyrical poems about past civilizations. Jared – Marni’s cousin. They looked like twins with their short auburn hair. Jared’s soldiering days were numbered as he had been diagnosed with cancer two years previously. He vowed to die so that others in his family would live. He sought out Kelly and with his family’s help, he got the government to try one last time to find water. Deena – older than the others, she was a fifth generation soldier. She wanted to be a dancer but there was no theater left. She loved old history and volunteered to head the expedition into Sherwood Reach as she had read many stories about how the earth had once been 75% water. It was something she couldn’t fathom. The most water she had ever seen in one place was in the tub outside her grandmother’s house – collected for 3 months and lovingly stirred to keep it fresh. There must have been 10 gallons of it! “Let’s get base set up.” Deena said to her crew. Immediately the six soldiers set up camp, stowing their gear in small tents that would serve as the base camp for the operation. The transport ship lifted off just as they finished and the crew stood at attention until it was out of visual range. For all they knew. That was the last they would ever see of their world again. |
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| © Copyright 2004 Poet deVine - All Rights Reserved | |||
Local Parasite
since 2001-11-05
Posts 2527Transylconia, Winnipeg |
I just love this kind of dystopian setting, city imagery is wonderful... the scene is lovely and I can't praise you enough for it, although I do think we could have been more subtly introduced to the characters. I look forward to reading more of this series! Brian |
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Endlessecho Member
since 2003-09-05
Posts 398I live within myself |
This is interesting. I like the idea you have here. You can really build on this. The characters seem pretty diverse. It'll be interesting to see where this goes. I look forward to reading more.  |
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Sadelite Member Elite
since 2003-10-11
Posts 2519 |
I was thinking in the same lines. It will be interesting to see where you go from here. Sadelite |
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WildPoet Member
since 2003-11-10
Posts 205California |
This would be a great serial like the "Death Lands" series.I'm not wondering where it is going. I'm waiting for you to take me there. |
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WildPoet Member
since 2003-11-10
Posts 205California |
Hey! don't leave me hanging here! I need more story! |
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Mysteria
since 2001-03-07
Posts 18328British Columbia, Canada |
And then? Today I'm only moving clouds, tomorrow I'll try mountains. |
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Poet deVine
Administrator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-05-26
Posts 22612Hurricane Alley |
thank you all...I am working on it now!  Hope to have the next installment this week. |
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Jeffrey Carter
since 2000-04-08
Posts 2367State of constant confusion! |
yea, and then? |
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