It has been a decade since the civil war first began. The war has been raging between the two tribes of our village, Eirene and Filos. The Eirene tribe wears orange cloaks and used to have a lively community. I am from the Filos tribe in blue cloaks who valued harmony in the past. Of course, there hasn’t been harmony in recent years but I do remember it as a child. My Filos family has been getting by this past decade, but it’s not the same as before the conflict.
I remember I used to be able to go to an Eirene folk’s house and ask for some tomatoes from their garden. I would trade it for sugar, then stay to play for a while. I shudder thinking about doing that today. Sometimes I see the face of someone I used to know, a mother or father, or one of their children I used to play with. But it’s always the same thing, averted gazes or hostility.
Shortly after the civil war started, some members of both tribes became corrupted. They joined forces and created a small yet powerful society called Agrios. They began to destroy both Eirene and Filos supplies. The Agrios live on the outskirts of the village, hiding in the surrounding mountains. They wore dark cloaks and over time their skin became sallow, their stature hunched over, and their eyes red. Our village never knew when they would strike, and there were many casualties. People from both tribes have gone missing, never to be seen again.
As usual, I am with my dog Asher who has favored me ever since I found him in the forest so undernourished. I took him home with me and nursed him back to health. Since then he follows me wherever I go, staying close to my heels. He’s small yet easy to spot with his snow-white, curly fur. I once read somewhere that Asher means happy, and I know that name suits him.
It’s a special day for my family. This morning, we have to go into the Filos market since my mother is having guests tonight. A rare occurrence, and one that vegetables from our garden and meat from our chickens won’t quite cover. This morning she seemed so excited to be having guests over, her cheeks rosy for the first time in years. She sent me to the market with a list.
When I get there I say hello to the Filos cashier and he recognizes me. I realize that most of the shelves are bare. A layer of dust covers what’s left on the shelves, and I note that they marked up the prices due to a shortage of provisions. After searching the shelves, I am only able to find about half of what my mother sent me to get.
Asher begins barking and his tail becomes rigid. He bares his teeth. A second later the Agrios kick down the front door to the market. I recognize their reddened eyes and emaciated bodies. The Agrios strike the cashier down and everyone falls to the ground to seek shelter. I shield my brave Asher and collapse, then we begin crawling on our stomachs to the back of the market. Villagers shriek, glass shatters everywhere, and food splatters the floor. It all happens so fast, but somehow my mind is clear as I inch to the back of the market. I hear a loud bang and more screams.
I notice a dark cloak and freeze as an Agrios catches my eye. He lurches toward me and I jump up and sprint to the back door. But I find the door bolted in chains. The Agrios must’ve locked us in the market before the raid. Jumping to my feet and running full speed, I slam my body into the door. It’s no use, and I’m knocked over and my head hits the concrete. I’m dazed but realize I need to get up to save our lives.
Luckily, I find cinder blocks that the market owners use to hold the door open on sunny days. I grab one and spin full circle for momentum. Just as the Agrios reaches us I smash it across his head, and he hits the ground with a crack. He lies there with a mangled skull and a gurgling noise in his throat. My eyes widen as sickly tar sputters from his mouth. The other Agrios see what happened and they charge toward us. I hardly have enough time to break the glass with the other cinder block to escape before they reach us.
Asher and I crawl through the glass and break into a run from the market. I know it’s over. Agrios have become even more powerful, and we have to leave this village we grew up in. Asher and I have to leave our family and don’t have time to say goodbye. We sprint through the village and I catch my very last glance at the small cabins we live in. Without a second thought, we flee into the forest. We reach a point deeper in the forest than I have been brave enough to venture into. But I know the Agrios are behind us, and we can’t stop no matter how tired we become.
Watching over my shoulder, I trip over a log and hit the ground. I’ve twisted my ankle and am winded from running for so long. But Asher won’t let me stay down. Growling, his teeth grip the leg of my pants and his head thrashes as he wills me to get up. I can hear the Agrios gaining on us, and this gives me a second adrenaline rush. We’re back up and running, and I can’t feel my ankle anymore. We’re creating more distance between us and the Agrios.
I don’t know how, but we’ve managed to run all afternoon and it’s getting dark. The moon is shining between the trees. Without warning, I hit the ground a second time. Not because I’ve tripped again, but because I’ve run into something and am sent reeling backward. There is a boundary on the outskirts of the forest. It’s a force field so high, I could never scale it. I run alongside the boundary and realize it surrounds our village, keeping us in. I can’t seem to tell where it begins or where it ends.
I’m frantic now because I know the Agrios are still chasing us. I keep searching alongside the boundary to find a way through. I hear Asher barking, and as I run back to him, I see him digging at a pile of leaves and sticks. Trusting that he found something, I dig with him to brush away the pile of debris.
That’s when I touch the splintered wood of a door knob. Underneath the debris, I find a small door that’s low to the ground on this boundary. I open it but there is barely enough room to fit through. Despite the size of the door I crouch down and hold it open, and Asher runs through to the other side. I pull myself in after him and wedge myself to the other side of the boundary.
Still on my knees, I look up at my surroundings and can’t believe what I see next. It’s a tunnel on a long upward slope that reaches into the sky. The tunnel stretches so far up, I can’t see where it ends. I know we can’t stop moving so I stand up and command Asher to follow me. We begin to climb the rocky soil of the tunnel hill. Asher and I help each other. When one of us loses our footing or trips on a root the other grabs on, Asher gripping my sleeve cuff with his teeth. We climb for what seems like hours until we reach a plateau in the tunnel. Using all my strength, I lift Asher onto the plateau and hoist myself up.
I stand gaping as I take in my surroundings on this plateau. I’ve never seen a lake with such clear blue water before. Asher and I walk over to the lake to take a drink. When I peer into the water, I lose my breath when I see what’s swimming in the lake. Birds are swimming in the water, propelling themselves forward with their wings. The birds are giant, so enormous they could carry me on their back. I watch them glide through the clearest water I’ve ever seen, then kneel forward to take a drink. The water makes me feel rejuvenated, and the throbbing pain in my ankle disappears. Asher drinks along with me.
Still bent over the lake I peer up at the vivid blue sky and nearly fall in from what I see next. Fish are swimming in the sky, playing tag amongst the clouds. As enormous as the birds, the fish are using their fins to swim through the air. They are generating a cool breeze as their fins swish back and forth. I stand up to let the breeze cool me down, lifting my arms and twirling around. I stop to catch my breath after this spontaneous dance.
That’s when a tiny hand squeezes my own. I look down and recognize Asher’s eyes. I’m astonished to see that he’s no longer a dog, but is now a little boy. The water has transformed Asher from a small dog to his human form. He smiles up at me, standing about three feet tall, with chubby cheeks and some baby teeth missing. I notice the striking difference between his white hair and bright brown eyes.
I know we can’t stay any longer. The Agrios must still be following us, so we carry forward to the other side of the plateau. Past this plateau is another hill on this long tunnel. We ascend, but this time it’s even more difficult to climb. Asher and I grab onto roots to stabilize ourselves and use the rocks to step on. We climb a few feet but slip down another foot or two with this loose soil. It’s tiring, but I know we can’t stop. I find myself slowing down for Asher and helping him in any way I can. He’s trying his best, but he’s a small child.
I am relieved when I see that we’ve reached another plateau. But as we climb over the top of the hill, I’m shaken by what I see on this plateau. There are hundreds of pine trees so tall, I can only stare. The pine trees reach past the clouds, and their sharp aroma surrounds us. These trees are so wide, I have to run a distance to get around one. Asher clings onto me; he’s scared of how giant these trees are, and I have to admit I am too. We walk through this thick forest of pine trees when I hear their deep, velvety voices.
“Find the sky that has no beginning and no end. Search for the sky that will carry you on forever in its gentle wind, the sky that has existed for as long as time. The true heart will strengthen as you depart.”
I see the pine tree’s sleepy eyes opening, awake after a long slumber. I watch their mouths moving with their words, and I am staring into an eye bigger than myself. The pine trees fix their gaze on us as we move through the forest. Asher cries out in fear and tugs on my hand. We continue forward, reaching the end of the plateau. Once we do, we find yet another hill in this mysterious tunnel.
We begin to climb up the next hill. I have to carry Asher a little more this time as we continue with our journey. After climbing up this hill of soil and rocks, I am relieved yet astonished when we reach the next plateau. When we lift ourselves over the hillside, we land on a soft pile of snow.
On this plateau is a blizzard with snow falling in heaps. We can hardly see ahead of us and the wind is unforgiving. Despite the blizzard, the wind is warm. The snow is warm too but it doesn’t melt. Through the cloudy sky, I feel the hot sun on my skin. I have to hold onto Asher to make sure I don’t lose him in the snow.
A strong gust of wind hits us and knocks Asher down. He lies in the snow, his small body exhausted from our journey. Snow begins to cover Asher’s delicate features and closed eyes. I have to brush away the snow that’s piling onto him and pick him up in my arms so we can move forward. I know the Agrios must be close by. My legs are shaking from exertion, but I barrel forward with Asher through the snow that’s past my knees. We finally reach the other side of this plateau, to the next hill.
This next part of the hill is so steep, my feet slide on the mud. Asher’s tiny head is nodding in my arms and his eyelids are heavy. I swing him onto my back and he wraps his arms around my shoulders. This is the steepest hill so far. As I start to make progress, I lose my footing and slide back down to the bottom. Asher lands in a thud next to me and begins to sob, his shoulders heaving.
I’m tempted to lay there and let the snow bury me as I fall asleep. I begin to let the exhaustion overtake me. That’s when I remember the message from the pine trees. I don’t know why, but we have to make it to the top of this tunnel. I will myself up, lift Asher onto my back again, and start the climb up the hill.
I realize we’ve reached the end of the tunnel. At the top of the hill, there is a door, small and wooden like the one from the bottom of the tunnel. With some trepidation, I turn the door knob. I wake Asher up and we squeeze through the door and find ourselves on a platform in the sky.
The tunnel has led us into the sky, on a platform with clouds surrounding us. Asher becomes more alert, rubbing his eyes and gazing around in awe. I look up startled and recognize a familiar face from my childhood. It’s an Eirene woman who went missing! My heart falls out of my chest and the blood rushes into my face. The Eirene woman holds her hands up in solidarity. A Filos man walks up next to her and I recognize him as someone who also went missing. I’m so overwhelmed from the first time I’ve seen Eirene and Filos together in a decade, I have to catch my breath.
“You have found the Tunnel of Refuge,” the Eirene woman whispers. “Come with us. We have to disguise you. Everyone who escapes has to change their appearance and identity. If the Agrios find us, they will corrupt our souls and make us one of them.”
That’s when I realize that all the people on this platform in the sky are refugees like Asher and me. Like us, they have escaped the boundaries of our war-stricken village. Taking Asher’s hand, we follow them and observe in the corners of the platform are Eirene and Filos folk together. Here on this platform in the sky, there is no war. They tiptoe, speaking in hushed voices. It’s as if they’ve grown accustomed to being invisible. For if they make themselves known, Agrios will find them.
The Eirene woman sits me on the ground and begins to shear off my hair. I see my whispy hair falling to the floor, and feel the pangs of my old identity escaping me. I will have to forget everything I’ve ever known about myself. The reality that Asher and I will never see our family again begins to sink in.
We hear a crash followed by screams and everyone jumps up. I see familiar bloodshot red eyes on faces with transparent skin, revealing veins and bones. I recognize their dark cloaks hanging off their wasted bodies. Agrios have found us, and they won’t show us mercy. I jump up and straighten my back, ready to fight. But Asher cries out and I realize protecting him must come before fighting. If they catch us our minds, bodies, and souls will become depraved and we will never see the light again.
Instinctively, I hoist Asher onto my back and we flee. The refugees draw their swords from their cloaks and charge forward with a battle cry. The refugees fight like they’ve been training for this raid, always on their guard. The battle is vehement and the Agrios bleed thick, sticky tar. They make the most atrocious sound that rings through my ears.
While the battle rages on, I stop running and watch in horror as an Agrios captures a refugee. The Agrios forces him to his knees, restraining the man’s arms and putting him in a chokehold. I can’t look away as they struggle for power. But the man freezes as the Agrios locks eyes with him chants in a deep voice, hypnotizing him. The Agrios places his hand on the man’s chest, extracting his soul with a strong grip on his heart. Once the Agrios finally lets go, the demoralized man raises his sword and turns on the other refugees.
I watch in dread as Agrios seize more refugees. They hypnotize them with their intense gaze, peculiar chants, and grips on their chests. Once released, the refugees turn their swords on those they once knew. The Agrios multiply and we are soon outnumbered.
“We must retreat. We have to jump,” I hear a Filos man command. The remaining refugees turn away from the battle and run towards the Filos man. He leads the refugees away from the Agrios, and I hold Asher close as we follow.
We all charge across the platform until we reach the edge. I look over the edge of the platform and see the neverending blue sky. When I glance back, I see couples weeping and hugging each other one last time. They jump off the edge of the platform and fall through the soft clouds. I see mothers kissing their children’s heads then cradling them and jumping off the platform. I let Asher off my back and peer over the edge again to try and comprehend the vastness of the sky. But there is no time.
If we jump with the refugees, we will fall into the sky for eternity. The sky has no beginning and no end. The sky will carry us on forever in its gentle wind for as long as time itself. Our true hearts will strengthen as we depart.
If we stay the Agrios will spread their corruption onto us, and we will become one of them. I kneel to Asher’s level and gaze into the sweet-tempered eyes of my little boy who has been my best friend since we met. I hug him close and feel his hot tears mix with mine as he melts to the floor. I wish this moment could last forever, but I know what we have to do. We pull back and I brush a lock of his curly hair behind his ears and touch the tip of his button nose. Asher smiles through his tears.
Simultaneously we both stand and face the edge of the platform in the sky. We glance back at the Agrois gaining speed behind us then we look forward toward the sky again. We join hands.
We jump.