Building from scratch is never an easy task. Whether it is a science project, a car, a house, a relationship or simply a life together. It is tough, it requires perseverance, strong will and a support system. Jim & Ellie had only each other. A ride of a lifetime became the game-changer for their lives.
“We can get through this”, Jim kept repeating to himself. It takes some repetitiveness to make yourself sure of a decision too, right?
Ellie sobbed. She had her whole life ahead of her. Change is not something many people enjoy. She was one of them. To adapt: this would be her first task. Adapt to this new world. Adapt to no people around. Adapt to starting all over again. Brick by brick, muscle by muscle.
“I think the first thing we need to do, is find a way to grow food. Do we still have all our compost and seed bags?”, chimed Jim. This was an opportunity for him. A gateway for him. He has loved her for a long time now. It is time to act, to prove and to show her that he is worthy of her. That he will take care of her.
“I think so. I was composting a small amount from what we had in store. Our seed bags should be on the far end. It’s going to be difficult to get there.”
“Don’t think we have another choice, here, love”, comes the dry response. “Let’s go. Time to buck up. It’s you and me now.” And so they went, slowly and carefully, through the rubble. Making sure they don’t fall into a crevice, or worse, into a trench caused by the asteroids.
“I think we should make a short checklist, for what all we need to secure before we get started. It could be a few weeks, even months, till we are rescued.”
“All right, let’s see. Food to grow, take stock of the fresh water we have left. Gather our clothing, and some journals. We definitely should document our days.”, she chimed. She was finally getting the drift of how fun this could be. Intimidating, yes. But fun too. “Oh, also we need to find a way to take photographs, or something of the sort”.
“Right you are, we will find a way”, responded Jim chirpily. They could do nothing but find a way to keep each other happy, content and in some way, stable. Neither could lose it. A few hours later, and a ton of rubble past, they reached the other end of their setup. Rummaging through everything, Ellie and Jim found a lot of things. After all, this was going to be a long stay for the group. The food and supplies were bolstered in a large trunk for safekeeping. A short list of everything that they scavenged
- Shoots to grow potatoes
- Tomato seeds, these could grow in just a matter of days
- A stock of freshly brought in bread
- Jams & preserves, butters and some frozen cheeses
- A camera and films – lucky!
These took the cake for their findings. Among papers, documents, instruments and tools, these were their gem findings; to treasure and use judiciously. Oh, what a treat. They began clearing the surroundings – removed the rubble. Scavenged some more compost, and whatever farmable mud they could find. The rest was packed neatly in bags to keep aside. No garbage disposal methods meant keeping aside for the moment.
The started one by one. Fixing the setup, arranging a bed in the middle of it. What was for 6 people, would now only be shared by 2. So, the rest of the bedding was taken up to create safe spaces and a greenhouse. Wood dismantled and kept safely to create a fire if the need ever arose. The greenhouse was the next space on the list. Fine-tune it, create a sort of irrigation for longer periods. They used their equipment to check if there was any natural waterflow below the grounds. Found some!
It took a day for this. To create the space. To set up a system, for sustenance. They created the automatic irrigation system, planted the tomatoes in one corner, and dug up spots for the potato shoots. A sandwich or two for the meals, and they were done by the end of the day. Now it was only time to get some shut-eye. Today’s problems were enough for today. Tomorrow was for new problems, new adventures, new discoveries.
It was going to be a long couple of weeks. Wait for food to grow, patiently. Wait for help to arrive. Little did they know, no help was arriving. They were on their own, for a while.
Back home, Callie was furious. Every passing day, was a stress on Robert, who did not make enough of an effort to find Jim and Ellie. Landon could do nothing but hope for things to get easy on them. Higher in the chain of command, Barn was busy finding a way to send a rescue for them; they were the youngest. He did grumble at their banter, but his days were never complete without it. He missed it every day.
It has been a month now. A rescue mission was halfway through being set up. Jim and Ellie, on Cyphon, their new home, were busy watching their lovely tomatoes and potatoes growing. Embracing each other, learning how to adapt and give into their affection for each other.
“It is finally looking easier for us. It may just be a nice thing to be here. Me and you, just us two”, said dreamy Ellie, while they stood atop a little hill, they had taken a trek to.
Life was hard for them at first, but once you adapt, you reach a level of comfort that you don’t want to shift from. This was their comfort. Two people, an unknown land, that felt just like home in a few weeks.
On the homeland, Barn called for a meeting with Callie, Landon and Robert. It was late in the night, and his home only offered whiskey and some nick-nacks. They finished dinner and rushed to his home. They felt tension, worry, concern, and a suspiciousness that wouldn’t leave their minds.
“Come on in. I have good news!”, he chimed when they reached his door. They huddled in. The night felt bleak. It had already been a month. The guilt ate into their souls. Every night was a session of wonder. How their friends are doing? Those two kids that were the life of the party for every discussion, every trial and every Sunday barbecue. How could they leave them behind?
“It’s time. The ship is almost ready. We can get them back, safe and sound. A chute will deploy from the ship, to bring them towards the unit without having to land.”, explained Barn. A sigh of relief, weak smiles and a few tears later, they embraced each other and drank until the night ended.
Happiness can be different things for different people. We may think that without anyone around, we are calm, at peace and happy. But sometimes, loneliness tends to find its way in, and we crave a crowd. Jim and Ellie were yet to learn of this concept; while the others, who knew better, were finding a way to get them out of their mess, before things became difficult!
Written By Anisha Masand
Part 4 of the story on 5th Dec ’20.
Week 48, November ’20
