Chasing Sky

© Tom J Vowler 2005

‘Read me the paper again, Dan. Go on, once more today.'

Dan pretended not to hear; Mag was becoming obsessive. To be fair, it was the cadence of the words she craved, not the meaning found in them. She needed contact with the old world, and as far as they knew, this could be the only remaining record that referred to it.

‘Please, Dan. I'll not ask again.'

He searched the faces of the others for unlikely signs of benevolence, but not seeing the sky for ten months gnawed at your good will. In the beginning, after the worst, they had all needed each other, so individual concerns were suppressed for the communal good. Despite the devastation, the need to survive engendered systems. Natural leaders started to lead, a hierarchy emerged. Hell, they were still civilised back then. An evolving community, starting from scratch; the human spirit, Dan supposed.

‘Just read till I fall asleep.'

Dan slid his frostbitten hand down the inside of his rucksack, feeling for the paper. His skin had just enough residual feeling to sense the rat he'd hidden there yesterday, to be eaten when he and Mag were alone. He pulled out the year-old edition of The Times , careful not to tear it further. They should look after it better; preserve it somehow. It had yellowed and frayed, and wouldn't last much longer unless Mag found some other form of nostalgia. They'd already voted seven times this month on whether or not to use it as fuel – the majority to retain it, slimming each time. He thought of letting Mag keep it, but had grown to like his role of storyteller.

He cleared his throat and shuffled his backside toward the fire. Mag pulled a rotting blanket up to her smile, as Dan judged a volume that wouldn't annoy the others.

‘The government of …'

‘Start with the headline, Dan. Do it properly.'

Dan sighed. ‘ Britain to be invaded in days .' His mock solemnity brought squeals of delight from the audience of one.

‘The government of the People's Republic of China has threatened the gravest of scenarios if Britain fails to disarm its long-range weapons systems. The head of the Communist Party, Zhan Xugang …' Dan was unsure his pronunciation was correct, having never much followed world events. ‘… has reiterated his country's belligerent actions would be justified in the light of Britain's colonial past, stressing it is just a matter of time before such global conquests are pursued again. As the Chinese army amasses on the coasts of France, Germany and Ireland, all hopes of diplomacy appear to have faded, with many members of the cabinet privately urging the Prime Minister to concede to the demands .'

Recognising the familiar monologue, one of the others launched some furniture in to the fire. An orange ember shot from a hole in the side of the steel drum, settling on Dan's jeans, before expiring. He stole a look at Mag's eyes. Still open. He lowered his voice further.

‘Meanwhile in China, the debate continues about the legality of invading Britain, with many academics questioning the ethics of such pre-emptive military action. Zhan Xugang, while allowing such debate, argues that removing the Prime Minister from power should be seen as morally desirable, whether Britain disarms or not. Chinese media have for weeks concentrated on what it calls Britain's human rights abuses, claiming that no country is safe in the 2050s.

‘Countries around the world have condemned the language of the Chinese leader, but so far none has pledged military assistance. All diplomatic links with countries allowing Chinese troops to base inside their borders have been severed.'