Where The Earth Meets The Sky

Prologue

  Calix rested his head against an aged willow trunk, leaves resting gracefully atop his mass of curls. He popped a lemon tart between his lips, sucking on it through his teeth. The sour tang filled his mouth, the candy scraped the inside of his cheeks. His lips puckered, but it was only for an instant.

  His hands skimmed the earth beneath him, dirt staining his callused hands. Grass bent and twisted at his touch, leaves churned. Calix, felt like those were the only things in his life that he could manipulate or control. He felt that he could only control the little things, the things that didn’t matter. His heart was heavy with that thought as he stood, wiping his hands against his tattered pants. 

  Calix lived in a time where civilization was no more. Everyone fended for themselves if they fancied their lives. Calix lived with his mother, father, and two brothers. Girls were a rare thing those days. If a couple was lucky enough to be blessed with a baby girl, she would be treated like a gem, polished and waxed until she shined.

  There was only one girl in Calix’s unit. Her name was Liana. She had amber eyes, and long light hair that floated in wispy curls around her waist. Her skin was sun kissed and glowed like the sun itself.

  Calix trudged through the muddy path back to his families shack, taking the shortest route. He slipped a couple of times, but his feet kept him steadfast. Calix gazed up, seeing the sun fall slowly, almost painfully, down past the limits of the Earth. His heart sank with it. But he knew, just like he knew at that moment his Papa was probably threating his brothers with his leather belt, and just like he also knew that his Mama was probably huddled over the wood stove, trying her hardest to stay strong, he knew the sun would come back tomorrow, just like it always did. It would come back to the place where the earth meets the sky.