Nature Rules - 2022 WATTY'S SHORTLIST

Forecasting Trouble

The next morning, a raised voice here, a raised voice there wakes me up from deep sleep. Mom and Dad are arguing. I pull my blankets up to cover my ears and drown out the sounds of the fighting... and my snoring siblings. I'm awake for good when Mom comes into our room with a lamp blaring full light.

"Wakey, wakey," she says with a smile.

Mom's a little too cheerful. After a fight with Dad, she's usually quiet.

"Your Dad and I talked last night and we're going to leave for the census tomorrow."

"Us, too?" Elody asks.

"All of us," says Mom. "Naia – up the mountain for water," says Mom, tapping my leg with her toe. "Crinae and Elody – to the vegetable plot with me."

"Dad still hurt?" asks Crinae.

"Tired. We'll let him catch up on his rest. You have two minutes to get dressed."

Mom leaves the lamp with us and I climb out of my deep pile of blankets. I comb my fingers through my hair, trying to straighten the wildness, and pull out a clump. (Not what I was trying to do.) I climb over Crinae to get to the garbage can and see something on the cave wall: another spider?

Picking up the lamp, I lean in for a closer look. It's not a bug. No. Something green is tenderly hanging onto the rock. Its jade leaves are grabbing the grey stone as if it's afraid to let go.

"Mom!" I yell down the hallway.

"Don't shout!" she shouts back. "What?"

"If I knew that I wouldn't have called you!"

With quick footsteps Mom enters the room.

"What?" she says.

"Look at what I found," I say, pointing to the plant.

Mom's eyes widen as she brings her hands up to her face.

"How did that get in here?" she asks.

"What is it?" asks Elody.

"It's a vine," exclaims Mom.

"It's mine," says Crinae, kneeling by it. "Hands off, Naia."

"How did you get that and how are you getting it to grow?" asks Mom, staring at the green foreign object.

"Am I going to get into trouble?" she asks.

"If you had done this outside of our home," says Mom, "yes. Since it was in your bedroom, I can't get mad at you. We have to be careful though."

"I found it. The last time we went to the field. Naia told me to show Dad but I forgot. I put it near my bed and whenever I touched it – it would kind of reach up and hang off the wall."

"Show me what you do," says Mom, patting her on the head.

Crinae places her hand gently over the shoot and a soft yellow light shines from her palm. The plant straightens ever so slightly and then unfurls a new green leaf under the strong beam of light that Crinae's emitting. She cups her hand to stop the flow of energy.

"Well, well, Crinae," exhales our mother. "You're certainly your father's daughter. This also means I don't want you going to the garden today. Nor Elody. You two stay here. I don't want you touching anything and helping it grow in front of other settlers until you get some basic lessons. Naia – you get going."

"If they don't have to go to the garden – I shouldn't have to go get water!" I say. "That's not fair."

"Life isn't fair," says Mom. "I will find something for your sisters to do. Don't worry."