Rowan Nightshade's Short Stories

The Absence of Cha-Ching

My name is Tara Daniels, and I’m an artist. I dance, sing, play music, and draw. I don’t really act, but I can when I want to, like when I’m lying about something. I’m very good at it then.  My grades are good, always have been.

Me and my family live in a wilderness community the we call the Haven, in a huge shakto. The roof rises up and buries itself into the leaves of the trees, the pantry, kitchen, dining room, and other necessity rooms are up high, where no animal could get them, and other rooms are on the forest floor, and underground. 

I have a mom and dad, who are actually pretty cool and I love them a lot. I have an older sister, a younger sister, and a younger brother. Their names are Alice, Heather, and Leo, and  I wouldn’t trade anything for them. Our normal family bond is stronger than most, and I like it that way. So do they.

Alice has really dark brown hair, Leo has strawberry blond, and Heather’s and mine are a lighter brown and reddish. Alice and I have brown eyes, and Leo and Heather’s eyes are stormy, blue/gray.  We all love the wilderness, and would probably survive if the end of the world happened.

And it did, in a way. Our world ended. So I recorded our story, so people would remember.

It contains all our hard times, recorded into this old fashioned recording device, something that my grandpa would have used. But I managed to make it work.

Our life was ruined because of one thing.

No money.

Not what you were thinking? That we are just some poor people who have no money, and can barely survive because of it? Well, you are totally wrong. We not the only people without money.

The whole USA is moneyless.

Music drifted out into the night. The moon was low in the sky, but shined brightly for the dancers in the clearing.

I watched my friends in amusement, tree bark pressing indications in my back, my arms folded, using my poker face, though a slight smile kept pulling at the corners of my mouth.

They were twirling around each other, honestly having a good time. We were listening to Feel Again, by OneRepublic, which was blasting quite loudly from the iPod my friend Ezra managed to bring back to life. Something about a solar charger.

MT and Oliver were surpassing their normal weirdness by doing the chicken dance. MT's blond, curly hair bouncing, and Oliver's eyes were bugging out a bit because of the exercise. My girlfriends were sorta isolated, away from the boys, but were still dancing. I smiled when I saw my best friend, Sky, doing the Sprinkler.

Straightening, I whistled quietly. My dog, Mira, melted out of the shadows, and stood by my feet. Stroking her, I gestured the command 'heel' and walked over to my friends, Mira walking on the left side of me. Putting my hand firmly on Sky's shoulder, I halted her Duck Dance, (not to be confused with the Chicken Dance) and she turned to me with a huge smile on her face.

"This is the most fun I've had in forever!" she yelled over the blaring music. I smiled and nodded back at her, and she turned back to dancing. Sky's birthday was today, and I planned this 'party' for her. Laughing a bit, I excited the 'dance floor' and made my way to a small silhouette tending the fire.

"Hey Heather." I said, settling down on the ground next to my sister, Mira laying down beside me.

"Hey Tara." she responded, poking at the fire with a stick, then petting Mira fondly.

"Why aren't you dancing?"

"I got cold." she snorted. "Adam doesn't even know how to set up the logs right. So, of course I had to fix it."