What am I

I put my mouth to his ear and whisper "I know", we hold each other in silence, I feel his old heart beat which gives me a little piece of solace. I knew he knew what I was thinking and I know he knew that I knew what he was thinking, we look at each other. "WHY" he says, I say, we both say, "I tried to warn everyone, I tried" he stops speaking and breaks down. I’ve never seen him like this but what had just happened would reduce any soul to this sadness.

I step back from my grandfather to have a proper look at the ravaged village, then the strangest thing hits me. All the bodies are gone from the red sea of death that floods our village, I just couldn’t figure out why, why take the bodies, I walk to the edge of the sea, slipping on blood with every step.

As I stand at the waters edge I see boats in the distance, I know those bastards have my murdered family on board. My eyes welt up and tears start to flow from my cheek. I look down and watch a tear splash into the icy ocean, my sorrow mixes with blood and sea water and floats out to sea. I hope it’s carried all round the world to warn people about these mindless morons.

The guilt that has been niggling me is winning the battle of my own wits, I try to push it to the back of my mind, but that sickly feeling just won’t go. I’m a coward, why didn’t I do something I ask myself a million times, times, times, times. My grandfathers shout rescues me a second time, "come here son" I walk towards him. "We’ve got to find others who are alive and start planning for a new future" he tells me with a pinch of optimism. I agree because it’s the only thing left to keep us going, keep us alive, some sort of purpose.

We searched the huge coastline for a couple of days, finding a handful of survivors who had fled the village and hid, these were the ones who had had the luck my grandfather talked about at his village meetings, but I just couldn’t consider myself lucky. I wish I had joined my family.

Another day passes and we reckon we’ve just about found everyone. everyone gathers round my grandfather as he is going to talk to us. He tells everyone about starting again, rebuilding the village, having a community once again and lots of other old fox’s words of consolidation. he’s good at getting people in high spirits and I know he will succeed.

I walk away as he continues his speech, I walk in sadness along the coastline, every gust of wind stirring memories of my family, I hear all their voices clearly in my head, I remember so many good times and can’t believe I’m actually smiling.

I notice a girl walking in my direction further up the coastline. As she got closer her face came into focus, she was beautiful, with her sparkling blue eyes and her radiant smile I was instantly hit by her charm, we talked for hours and I think I’m falling in love.

Well that was five years ago, we rebuilt the village, we were a community once again and sadly my grandfather passed away about four years ago, I miss him lots and since his death I have taken over his mantle. the happiness I have now, well I did fall in love and married the most beautiful seal you have ever seen and she is expecting our first cub.

So life still goes on here, our village has most seals of our land. I still have nightmares and flashbacks of the horrors I survived, but after all these years something still puzzles me. WHY did the humans kill us? And WHY did they take all the dead bodies with them?