Page 2 of Warrior
Like me, they gave the miners one pair of boots and two sets of clothing when entering the mine. While I received a long-sleeved thin shift, they got jumpsuits made from the same cheap fabric. On my first day, although it wasn’t an assigned task, I made mending a priority. At least, as much mending as I could do with a needle fashioned from a kitchen utensil and a thread pulled from one of my blankets.
The gratitude I received for simply mending a rip brought me to tears.
A lot brought me to tears.
I’d been on mission trips to some of the poorest, most war-torn countries on earth, but I couldn’t believe how frail and haunted these children seemed compared to those I met before. Tiny alien faces told the same story of horror and grief. It a mask of suffering no child should ever have to wear.
Gavin always said God worked in mysterious ways. Perhaps that’s why I landed here. Maybe it was some master plan to get me to these children, so I could help them—rescue them.
Now all I had to do was figure out how.
Beside me, the small furry alien boy grunted, a sound that reminded me of chubby puppies. He was short and round,covered in soft brownish gray fur that tickled my arm when he leaned against me. He seemed younger than the others but carried himself with such confidence and maturity that I wondered if he might not be the eldest, especially in how he cared for the others. I called him Ewok because he reminded me of the small furry aliens in the Star Wars movies, plus he didn’t remember his name.
A lot of the children didn't remember their name.
Ewok was my first friend. He was one of the few who had a translator implant. While my implant made it possible for me to understand each child, those without an implant couldn’t understand me, which made communication difficult. Although it was surprising how universally understood the signal for dinnertime.
“Do you think it’s deep enough,kida?”
I glanced at the hole, my eyes growing hot.
A few days before I arrived, an accident occurred in one of the tunnels. A cave-in resulting in only minor injuries—save one child the guards took away to the medical unit to heal. The children thought their friend was resting and recovering until Ewok found him yesterday afternoon in a hidden cavern. The guards lied. They lied and dragged this tiny, gray alien child away to suffer and die alone. I didn’t usually curse but… bastards!
I swallowed hard before facing Ewok. “I think so.”
His eyes were deep brown, without irises, and just a white slash of a pupil in the middle. A flash of something that looked like determination crossed his features, and he issued a curt nod before reaching for the blanket wrapped body resting at our feet.
The weight was slight, and we gently placed the alien child into his final resting place. Regret, sorrow, and a wave of anger coursed through me as I gazed down at the figure.
"Do your people have funerals?" Even though I'd whispered the words, my voice sounded like a roar in the silence. When Ewok’s eyes clouded in confusion, I explained. “It’s a ceremony to say goodbye to someone that died.”
The shake of his head turned his whole body since his neck was almost nonexistent. “I don’t remember exactly. I was very young when they took me. I don’t remember much of my home world.”
Something tugged at my heart, and I gripped his hand between my own.
My husband officiated hundreds of funerals. I used to tease him that his funerals were better than his weddings, but it was true. Gavin had a way of calling sunshine on even the dreariest of days.
“What was his name?” I bit back a sob, praying this wasn’t one of the poor souls simply calledslaveby the guards.
“Akkatt.” Ewok’s voice was thick, and he scrubbed his round back nose with his hand. "We called him Akkatt.”
The air in the cave was stale and thick. Taking as deep a breath as possible, I clutched Ewok's tiny hand and silently prayed that Gavin's spirit could find me beneath this alien moon.
“Akkatt. We are angry at the events that led us here today. How do you make sense of the senseless? How do we find meaning in what you endured or how you died without falling into despair? All I can think of is that it is part of some greater plan. Your death, however unnecessary and sad, serves a purpose to help others. I wish I had known you, but even having never met you, I know you were a brave boy that helped others. I hope wherever your spirit resides is wonderful. You’re not a slave any longer, Akkatt. You’re free now. Godspeed.” I kept my remarks omnist. I was on an alien planet, after all.
Ewok issued a loud sniffle. “That was nice. Thank you,” he muttered.
The rest of the tasks we completed in reverent silence—climbing from the hole and picking up our shovels. My heart stuttered at eachthunkof dirt separating Akkatt from the land of the living. I tried to keep my attention away from similar small mounds adorning the ground like heinous jewels.
“I don’t want to tell the others. It will only scare them. They think the guards took Akkatt to be healed.” Ewok muttered as we gathered our tools and canteen of water.
"You're brave, Ewok. The way you take care of the others is wonderful.” I rubbed the top of his head, noticing the low purring rumble from deep in his chest. One small hand gripped my forearm tightly, ensuring I didn't stumble in the low-lit tunnel.
“I liked the words you said,kida.” His dark button eyes narrowed, and I noticed the slightest twitch to his left ear. “Are you a speaker on your home world?”
“No,” I chuckled. The idea of standing before a large crowd gave me hives. “My husband was a minister. He spoke at a lot of funerals.”
“Min-is-tur?” The way Ewok said the word made me wonder if it didn’t translate. He pronounced it more likeminotaur.
