is Matthew.”
“Well we’re all glad you’re here, follow me,” Nathan smiled.
Nathan’s sandy blonde hair rested upon his shoulders. A thick wavy beard came to a point off the end of his chin, and his piercing blue eyes smiled comfortingly towards Matthew and Catherine.
Surrounding the fire was a carpet of mud, and piles of wood were scattered around. Five circular shelters surrounded the camp fire in a horseshoe shape, and each one appeared to be hand made out of hardened mud. Individual wooden doors and small gaps had been created to allow some light in. Broken tree branches entwined together sat on top of the mud huts, acting as roofs. Raindrops dripped down from the roofs and formed puddles, which ran around the huts like moats.
High upon the perimeter wall, which encapsulated the camp, sat three human figures. All three were armed with bows and flaming arrows, apparently guarding the ‘forgotten.’
“There are ten of us here now,” Nathan commented in a matter of fact manner. Nathan continued by rhyming their names off, “Andrew, Claire, Jasmine, and not forgetting our most recent, Thomas and Isabella...”
“Wait, who?” Catherine asked interrupting Nathan.
Nathan slowly repeated, “Thomas and Isabella. They arrived about-”
“Two weeks ago,” Catherine said quickly finishing Nathan’s sentence.
Catherine stared into the fire. She watched the flames dancing to the tune of the wood crackling. Her legs turned to jelly causing her to fall down onto her knees. Placing her head into her hands, Catherine wept.
Shrugging his shoulders, Matthew turned to a bewildered Nathan.
“How do you know that?” Nathan asked Catherine calmly kneeling down next to her.
“Because, I know them,” Catherine sobbed.
Nathan stood up, scratching his overgrown beard he turned and walked towards the muddy shelters.
“Please,” Matthew spoke grabbing Nathan’s arm, “please tell us what this place is and how we can get home?”
Turning back to face Matthew, Nathan’s eyes softened, placing his hand upon Matthew’s shoulders he said, “I will, I promise, but first I have to tell the others you’re here.”
With that, Nathan walked off into the mud huts reassuring the others that it was safe to come out. One by one the camper’s emerged, reluctantly at first, but eventually they made their way towards the two new arrivals.
Nathan looked up towards the three soldiers and shouted, “Olli! Claude! Reuben! Come down and meet our latest recruits!”
Upon hearing Nathan’s orders, the three soldiers’ gave him the thumbs up in unison. Dipping their flaming arrows into buckets of water, they began making their way down towards the centre of the camp.
Matthew helped Catherine up from the dirt. She had just about managed to stop herself from crying, when out of the first mud hut two small children charged towards her.
“Cathy! Cathy is that you?”
“Cathy! Cathy!”
Immediately Catherine recognised those tiny voices. Opening her arms wide she called back, “Thomas, Isabella!”
Rushing into Catherine’s open arms, Isabella and Thomas giggled with glee. Catherine’s eyes filled with tears of joy.
“It’s so good to see you both, how did you end up here?” Catherine asked pulling herself away from their warm hug.
“Come and sit next to the fire,” Isabella said holding Catherine’s hand. Pulling her closer to the roaring fire, Matthew followed. Catherine and Matthew sat down on a couple of tree stumps which circled the fire.
“Well everyone, this is Matthew and Catherine,” Nathan introduced them and a bunch of strangers smiled sympathetically towards them.
“Hi,” they said in return, shyly waving their hands.
Nathan asked every one to take to their stumps, “Ok, so you already know Isabella and Thomas.”
“Get off Nath Nath,” Isabella chuckled as Nathan squeezed her chubby rosy red cheeks. Isabella had beautiful golden curls which flopped wildly around her face and as her big
Skye Malone, Megan Joel Peterson