C A S E U LT R A
THE QUIET WARS SAGA
ISSUE
10
ith great effort Sandra Davenport squeezed her fingers ever so slightly and lifted her faded plastic cup. It was empty and she was thirsty but the kitchen was too far away. She strained to turn her neck and see if she could spot her daughter Lucy somewhere in the room but she wasn’t around. For a moment Sandra considered forcing herself up out of her lazy boy chair but quickly dismissed the idea. Instead she called out to her daughter.
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“Lucy!! Come here, I’m thirsty!!” she yelled. The little girl peeked timidly from around the corner of the hallway. Sandra spotted her. She was wearing the same purple dress she wore yesterday and her hair was knotty. Traces of pink cake frosting were around her mouth and her mother noticed. “You greedy little brat! I told you not to eat any more of that left over birthday cake. The next time I catch you eating sweets without my permission I’m going to teach you a lesson about disobeying me! Now get
me some more soda — my cup is empty!” Lucy approached her mother like she was trying to get cheese from a mousetrap. She grabbed her cup and hurried to the kitchen. While she had the refrigerator door open she slowly dipped her finger into the side of the cake and savored the sugary taste. After her mother’s cup was filled to the brim with sweet, black, bubbly soda she made sure not to forget her favorite twisty straw. By the time she placed the drink within reach of her mother’s hand she could see she was lost once again — the television had her. The bright light and changing colors glaring from the 60 inch screen in front of Sandra comforted her. It had been like that for as long as she could remember. The television was always on. She even had one in the bathroom so she didn’t have to miss a moment of programming. Her eyes were glued to the screen no matter what commercials played, who was talking or what was being said. She loved it all. So when her screen went black… she panicked.
“LUCY!!!” she shouted. The little girl came running as fast as she could. She never heard her mom this way. “What is it mom?” “The TV isn’t working. I’ve been clicking on every channel and they’re all black. I don’t know what to do!! Please, help me!! Run to the neighbors and see if their TVs are working — go now!!” Lucy had never met her neighbors before. She wasn’t sure how to talk to them or if they might be dangerous but she put her shoes on and reached for the door. The hinges creaked terribly and sunlight shot into the house like an ocean of golden water. She made her way to the edge of their weed filled lawn and looked down both sides of the street. She saw people. It was the first time Lucy had seen so many of them. They rubbed their eyes and squinted at one another. They looked up at the sun and felt the wind gently on their bodies. Many struck up conversations and the
sounds of words echoed everywhere. Some even started to clean and organize the trash and debris. One man picked up a hammer and fixed his fence. Another man tore his down. Everyone was busy. Lucy spotted her neighbors. They were a family with a little girl her same age. She was holding a Barbie doll and smiled at Lucy. She smiled back and slowly lifted her hand and waved. Suddenly a loud creak traveled through the air and hit Lucy’s ears. She turned to see what it was. It struck her dumb. Sandra Davenport felt like Neil Armstrong when he took that first step on the moon. Her knees were shaky and she could barely see through her squinting eyes but an uncontrollable smile was forming across her face. She lifted her hands to her cheeks and felt her smile widening. “I can’t control it!” she laughed. “I feel good! What’s happening?!” Lucy walked up to her mother and said, “Life.”
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