One Shot Collection

The Raggerock

It is always the most dangerous part of the journey home. Every day on the rail cart, we pass through an old canion. Its grey craggy walls dotted with wind swept plants and large man made circular holes. Old entries to long forgotten mines. Well, forgotten by most, as are their inhabitants. Growing up in the city, they had always been the goolish monsters that were slain. Fairy tales, too distant to take seriously.

But they are real. Since moving out to the country to monitor the mercury levels in the soil, the monsters I had dismissed have become a part of everyday life. Every morning a farmer runs into town with tales of a stolen cow or child. The outlanders live in fear of them. The Raggerocks.

In translation it simply means 'the beasts before.' When our ancestors settled on this planet, they found that it was already inhabited. A race of grey skinned, multi armed humanoids with mandible mouths that had a taste for human flesh. Standing at 8 feet tall when on their hind limbs, they were formidable predators. However, our ancestors drove them to the most remote and inhospitable places on the planet. Now the fortunate city folk believe that the danger is gone. Now I know differently.

I can see movement in the entrance of one of the mine shafts. A grey arm flashing into sight. I hold my breath. These wooden carts are not Ragger-proof. People have been snatched many times from them. Luckily, the beasts seem docile today. You often only see a glimpse, a movement in the shadows. It's rare to see one out in the open. At least in the daytime. By nature, they are night walkers, as most nightmares are.

If only the government would listen to how many there still are. Sadly, for the farmers, the senators prefer to believe they only belong in the stories they tell their children.

I breathe a sigh of relief as the canyon's walls open up to usher us into the safety of the open plains. At least for another day the Raggerocks are mostly reserved to nightmare rather than reality.

(Story prompt- what do you think? Do the Raggerock deserve to be exterminated or have their planet returned to them? Can they be bargained with or must the humans fight to survive in their new home?)