Beyond the cracked sidewalk, and the telephone pole with layers of flyers in a rainbow of colors, and the patch of dry brown grass there stood a ten-foot high concrete block wall, caked with dozens of coats of paint. There was a small shrine at the foot of it, with burnt out candles and dead flowers and a few soggy teddy bears. One word of graffiti filled the wall, red letters on a gold background: Rejoice!
The kid thought it odd to see the teddy bears lying next to the other items but in his world, nothing is truly odd any more. Little Jimmy was known as 'the kid' by the others and he did not mind. He thought the moniker was appropriate for his small stature and being nearly twenty five years old he liked looking young again.
He studied the dead flowers and the two teddy bears and thought of his family that had left the zone when he was a child. What the kid did not understand was the burned out candles. He had not seen candles for so long that he debated if he dared take them as he could use the wax. He left them alone.
Jimmy tried to read the many colorful flyers that were hanging on the telephone pole but he could only make out a few faded letters and words that did not really make much sense to him. He did manage to read most of one faded yellow flyer. It was a plea in search of a lost dog named Sally. The kid remembered when dogs were pets and people took care of them and loved them. They were thought of as family members. Then Jimmy looked at the wall again.
“Rejoice?” Jimmy said aloud as he looked at the word that filled such a large area of the wall. “Maybe someone wrote that after the riots ended.” Jimmy was talking out loud as if someone was listening. The kid thought he might be losing his mind. Then he laughed out loud. The kid felt good when he could laugh at himself. It took the reality of the world away and placed it in perspective. He said, “No silly, you’re not going crazy, the world is.” Then he laughed harder and began to see the meaning of the small makeshift shrine that he came upon and for a brief moment, the kid felt sadness.
After examining the little shrine that the kid discovered, he continued his journey through the empty streets of the zone. The kid walked past abandoned homes and burned out shops that lined the dirty trash filled streets. Once in a while the kid would hear strange animal sounds that would come from the shadows of the dilapidated homes. The kid thought of the little yellow sign he saw with the name of the lost dog. He thought of who may have placed the sign on the pole and thought of the sadness that they may have felt in the search for their pet. He thought of the many years that have passed and wondered if the little dog was ever found.
Seeing the many burned out shops in the zone showed signs of the riots that took place years before. The broken glass from the many windows of the shops and homes lined the dusty streets and sidewalks. Jimmy remembered what his father would tell him while the people rioted just blocks away from the safety of his home. His father would show him where to hide and what to do if the rioting made it to their house. His father told him that the rioters were trying to stop the fire wars and how the government would not listen. The people were angry but did not know how to end the wars but to riot.
When the first stone came crashing through a window at Jimmy’s home, his father gathered the family and fled from the danger zone leaving the then teenage Jimmy behind. Jimmy thought he could catch up to his family after setting traps in the house but when night fell that first night, it was too late. In the morning the rioters had begun burning all the homes and shops so the only thing that the kid could do was hide. After a short time, the kid found a few of his old friends hiding as well and they decided to band together. After a few weeks they separated which has left Jimmy on his own now since he was fifteen years old.
Being on his own Jimmy learned how to hunt and scavenge in the wilderness. He learned how to craft his tools and learned which of the burned shops would still have supplies he needed. The kid also learned how to hide from the fire gangs that hunted and tortured the ones who had more. He was nearly attacked a few times but the kid also learned how to play dead and how to appear diseased to keep the gangs from getting to him. Jimmy only had a machete as his weapon to fend of any problems he might come across. Then there were still the strange animal sounds that came from the hidden recesses of the abandoned homes.
Today as the kid walked among a forest of scorched trees, he saw strange footprints on the ground. They were slightly smaller than his own feet and were not human. He thought maybe the footprints were that of a dog or some larger animal. Although the kid had never seen a dog, he had an idea of what they looked like and he was not afraid. After following the set of footprints to the entrance of a burned warehouse, the kid decided that it was safer not to enter and explore the dark building. Jimmy shrugged his shoulders and walked on.
Farther down the street and far from the old warehouse, Jimmy heard another sound. This time the sound he heard was soft and not alarming like all the other sounds that he has heard over the years. The kid looked toward a small wood frame house that had been torn apart by a storm or from the wars and saw that the house was more open and seemed safer than most abandoned homes he’d seen. He heard the sound again. He knew that it had to be an animal, but what type he did not know. And he was not afraid. He approached the open front door.
The kid stopped short of entering the small house at the open front door. He could smell the musty odor of dust and neglect that emanated from the interior of the home. A vision of the family that may have once lived here came to his mind. A young family perhaps with small children. He smiled. Jimmy closed his eyes and stepped inside. He felt as if he was just invited in by what he did not know. From somewhere in the shadows came the soft sound again. This time he felt sad for whatever animal was making the sound. He knew it had to be an animal because he felt no human could make the same sound.
The kid spoke cautiously. “Hello? I will not harm you. Please come out. Hello?” There was no reply but the kid did hear what he thought was a deep sigh or a heavy release of breath. He slowly walked into one of the big rooms past what may have been a closet. Just out of view it moved. Slowly so as not to attract attention to himself. She was small, nearly two meters in length. She had no legs that could be called legs but she did have a slender tail. Her small body was the color of a winter sky, shadow gray. She had a warm glow about her round face with deep set eyes of blue. There was no fur on her body, only smooth soft skin.
“Hello? Will you come out? I have food if you’re hungry. Hello?” the kid called out once more. He could not see into a small nook for it was dark, but he sensed that someone, or something was hiding there. He took a tentative step toward the small area hidden in shadow. Then he heard the sound. At first it was a soft whisper then raised in intensity that hurt young Jimmy’s ears.
“Hmmmmm, hmmmmmm,hmmmmmm hmm click”. Came the sound from her hiding place. It was her way of sounding a warning alarm. She knew that the kid could not understand her. She decided to risk exposing herself to this human. Slowly, she slid out of her shadow to confront her intruder. What she sensed deep inside her soul came across as benevolent and kind. Her ancient genes gave her the gift to know friend from for. Her species could feel the deep emotions in nearly every creature they met.
The kid stood there in silence as he watched the creature exit its hiding spot. Jimmy smiled as he looked upon the face of the creature. Never before has he felt so relaxed. As soon as their eyes met, Jimmy felt a peace of mind pour over him. He felt as if he was looking into the eyes of a dear friend. He slowly knelt down to get a closer look. He watched as the creature slid closer to him without moving its gaze from Jimmy’s face. As the creature moved closer, it kept repeating the same humming sound which penetrated Jimmy’s mind.
“Well hello. My name is Jimmy.” He spoke with a calming voice. Slowly he reached out his hand towards the creature’s body as if to pet it. The creature stopped then slowly moved back. Jimmy returned his hand to his side. Jimmy saw what appeared to be a smile on the creature’s face. Jimmy felt a sense of trust. Then he felt something totally strange. At first it was a feeling. Then it felt as if his mind was getting colder. Then he heard it. “I am Rabow, I will not harm you. Please come out”. Apart from the name, it was Jimmy’s words he spoke before. Looking into the creature’s eyes he knew that it must have been the creature that spoke to his mind. He watched its mouth but saw no movement. He did hear the humming once more at the same time he heard the words in his mind. He looked at the eyes again, “Ra bow, okay, that’s your name. Hello Ra bow”.
“I will call you Rainbow if that is okay with you. Because of your eyes, they remind me of a rainbow.” Rainbow moved her head as if to nod approval. And her small mouth formed what the kid took as a smile. Rainbow slowly slid closer to the kid. She hummed a long sonet of her language to Jimmy’s mind. He learned that she was one of the last of the 'Old Ones'. The ones who were marooned on Earth after the last Mars probe returned at the end of the twentieth century. Her and others of her species were mistakenly picked up when the probe returned to Earth with soil samples. They were microscopic spores then. She explained that Earth’s atmosphere advanced her species. She learned about humans. Her and the two others that are left learned how to communicate through telepathy.
As Jimmy learned about her and her species, he grew hungry. “Are you hungry? I know where I can get us food and water. Would you let me carry you?” Rainbow thought that this human could be trusted. She told him that she was indeed hungry and thirsty and she would love to ride in his arms. Jimmy reached down and cradled her slender body in his arms and carried her to an abandoned café down the street and found a moldy pizza and an old hubcap he could use for water. Jimmy remembered that he had a bottle of water he could give her. Then carefully they made their way back to the house and entered the small garage.
When the ride ended, she was lifted again. The kid slid her body onto a soft pile of clothing among the boxes in the garage. He pulled an old coat over the top, creating a cave that emanated the sweetness of old ladies who frequently powdered themselves—a light rose motif that played ironically well in the deep recesses of Rainbow’s ancestral brain. The pizza kid lifted her head to help her lap water from a hubcap. He broke bits of pepperoni and crust into bite-sized pieces and left them where her tongue could reach them. Much later, she heard him practicing his orations like songs. Like monks chanting in the distance, they were a comfort.
After he left Rainbow, he went into an adjoining room to look for anything to help in their survival. As he was looking, he began to sing softly some old song he once heard when radios were still working. He made sure that his singing was not loud. He did not wish to wake his new friend. Still, the kid was thinking of what kind of animal he should call her. He did not want to call her a fish or a worm or even a snake. Although her body made her appear to be snakelike. In any case, he was becoming fond of his new friend.
Among the flotsam and junk that was piled in a few of the rooms of the old home Jimmy came across an old metal box with a shiny latch that kept the lid closed. He set the box on a wooden bench and opened it. Inside was an assortment of various pieces of scrap metal and screws. Mixed in with the junk the kid could see another shiny length of metal. He moved some of the scrap aside and the length of metal was a very sharp knife. He knew that he could use a good knife. The one he kept sharpening over the years was now too thin to do him any good. The one he just found was perfect for hunting. The kid slid the knife inside his belt.
Moving into another room which turned out to be a small kitchen the kid found a faded plastic bottle filled with water. He opened the cap and took a tentative sniff. The water smelled good and clean. Jimmy placed the bottle in his bag and kept looking. After about an hour the kid ended up with a good collection of small rusty cans of potted meat and a few pieces of clothing. On top of one pile of old rags he found a small flute. The kid thought that perhaps it could have been a childs toy flute. He would give it to Rainbow.
Jimmy began to hear soft humming coming from the back of the house in the direction of the old garage. He thought maybe Rainbow was waking. Picking up his bag of treasures the kid made his way back to the garage where Rainbow was beginning to stir. Placing the bag on the floor in front of Rainbow the kid smiled and looked at Rainbow and smiled. “I’ve found some good things for us Rainbow. And I have found something for you as well. Look. It’s called a flute. It makes music.” Jimmy said. Rainbow moved her head from side to side looking at the things that fell out of the bag that Jimmy placed in front of her. She formed a smile and looked up at the kid. “It all looks so interesting. How does a floot work?” Rainbows thoughts ran into the kid’s mind.
“I’ll show you Rainbow.” Jimmy said as he picked up the flute. Jimmy wiped the flute down with the cleanest rag he could find and brought it up to his lips. After taking in a breath, he began to softly blow on the mouthpiece. Out of the end of the flute came a few soft notes and a few long chords. While Jimmy made the flute sing, he could see that Rainbow was smiling again. Jimmy felt good again after being alone for so many years. His mind was being greeted by feelings of happiness and he thought that Rainbow was giving him this feeling. He was right. Rainbow shared her thoughts with the kid. “Thank you for that sound. Is this floot something important to humans? I have never heard anything like it before. It calms my soul.” Jimmy listened to her talk to his mind and all the while he felt needed by this creature. The kid knelt down and hugged Rainbow. He hesitated then softly kissed her on top of her head. He felt her move away a bit as he kissed her. He told her why. “Sorry Rainbow. I should have told you that when someone kisses you gently, it means that you are liked and comforted. I hope I did not scare you.”
“Not at all. I was just not expecting such a comfort from a human. Over the years our species has not trusted humans very much.