This All Happened

1 Commands

It was dark when we woke up. We were young men, snatched from our beds in the dead of night and hours later we found ourselves being held in a large metal crate. A cart from a train meant to carry bails of hay or some raw material. Of the shadows we could make out 20 or 30 young men, and an equal number of sacks, filled with something, yet still.

The train clattered incessantly into the night and some of the young men spent their time listening to the rails hum and clang, trying to map out their secrets. We all grasped at some understanding of where we were headed, for how long, and at what costs would we be returned home.

The train rumbled to a stop, the door slid open with a loud screech.

There is a stirring among the young men, the shadows glance nervously amongst themselves. Then the lights shine bright and gruff voices command that we take our sacks and move out into the night. We are forced to run, carrying our heavy sacks on our backs or over our shoulders.

Some of the young men can barely heave the weight of the sack. A few of them are beaten and then shot to death for their weakness.

The luckier ones scurry into the forest under the starry night- their only source of light, besides the lanterns of the hunters that give out horrible commands and insults.

I run, carrying my sack, it wears on me. I consider dropping it and leaving it. But what if I am shot? What if I am shot for dropping the sack?

I run until I find a tree suitable for climbing. I bind the sack around my hand at its bunched mouth and make my climb with one arm, withholding the sack’s full weight and pressing upward against gravity and exhaustion. I pulled my weight and that of the sack into the branches of my tree. I am safe for the moment.

I open my sack, and I find inside: a child. A little girl, snotty nosed, sniveling and crying many relentless tears. “Stop that. You’ll kill us.” The little girl clamps her mouth shut one good time and falls silent.

“Good.” I whisper, staring up at the sky.

I want to rest here in the security of the branches, but I can only hope I will not be discovered by our pursuers. What did they whisper to me on the train?

Follow the lights.

No, run from the lights.

Stick to the trees, stay quiet.

Once in the trees, follow the lights.

Allies await in the lights.

Run from the commands.

Do not obey.

No, obey the commands, or you will die.

Abandon the sack first chance you get.

No, beat your sack so it stays still and quiet.

Follow the river.

No, follow the railroad tracks.

Follow the stars.

Follow the sun.

It was all so confusing. I felt beaten. I felt dominated. In the still of the night I listened: footsteps running, heavy panting, some crying children. Gun shots. I closed the sack on the quiet, crying girl and dropped her to the earth. She did not cry when she hit the ground, did not move.

“That’s it.” I jumped down to the earth, whispered, “Play dead, and we’ll live.” I hoisted up the sack and slung it over my shoulders. I ran. “I’ll keep us alive.”