Free Deserted by L.M. McCleary Page A

coal?”
               
“We could head back to the mine…” the younger boy said as he stared quietly at
the floor.
               
“And do what?” The eldest replied sharply, turning around to look at the other
with balled fists, “you saw it; it’s all caved in! What does he expect us to do
with that? He’s just going to have to accept that there’s nothing out here.”
               
“Jack…you can’t just give up. He needs us to do this…” The younger boy held
fiercely onto his clothing as he flinched at the other’s words.
               
“And what does he expect us to do? Spend days digging through the mess just in
case there’s coal littering the floor? We’re not miners; I have no idea what
I’m looking for! Do you?”
               
The younger boy shook his head. “But your father…”
                “To hell with my father!” Jack yelled, his voice
echoing throughout the car as he turned and left.
                “But what about the supplies?” The small boy called
after his companion but Jack did not reply. The shy boy bent down to some
crates and opened his bag. “Here you go, little travelers.
It’s not healthy but it’ll get you through.” The child spoke to the crate
before him in the same way a kid would speak to a beloved pet. He removed some
things from his bag and quickly stood up. “Jack!” He called as he charged into
the wasteland after his friend.
               
I inched my way out of my hiding space, straining to hear the two boys but
heard nothing; even the wind had calmed. Just who were they? I wondered if I
should have introduced myself as I creeped my way towards the front of the boxcar.
With what I’ve experienced so far in the desert, though…I can’t imagine any
other wanderers being the friendly type. Glancing around for any signs of the
two kids, I checked the crates the young boy was fiddling with and was
surprised to see food inside; a few bags of chips and a couple of sealed,
precooked containers of flavoured noodles. There were even a few cans of
carbonated soft drinks and bottles of water. I giggled at the sight and lifted
the crate, not even caring that I hadn’t brought my backpack with me. I was so
happy to finally see some food but also confused; who would leave this
behind…and why? Soft drinks themselves were pretty scarce…who would have access
to this and then leave it behind? It would be enough to get me through the next
few days although I still worried about Ponika …finding
a meal for him in the wasteland was harder than I had anticipated.
    I
struggled back down the mesa with the heavy crates, wondering why I even
brought Ponika along with me. I clearly was not
prepared for the wasteland and I’ve been risking his life since we first left.
He doesn’t deserve that…he would have been safe and happy at home. Maybe I
really shouldn’t have left…
               
I returned to Ponika with my crate of goods, the sun
shining brightly in the sky now. My horse was still sleeping in the nook we had
found and I smiled at him; he was great company to have. I cuddled up next to
him and as I prepared to eat Ponika shifted in his
sleep and slowly came to.
               
“Look what I found, Ponika .” I showed him the crate
of goods and he sniffed at it while I transferred the contents to my backpack.
“It’s no home cooked meal but it’ll do.”
    I left
out a small bag of noodles and a bottle of water, ready to enjoy my breakfast
for the first time in ages. Unwrapping the goods
carefully, I took a few bites of noodles using the small plastic fork that was
attached to its side. They were stale, but they tasted like heaven. With a
mouthful of food, I glanced at my horse.
     “What
about you, Ponika ? Are you hungry?” He merely looked
at me with dull eyes before turning his head back to the wind. I nuzzled into
him. “Alright, here you go.” I took