SandScript 2023 [Digital Exclusive]

the first row of doors. A steam engine whistle grew shrill as the oxygen filter worked overtime.
Three minutes turned to two as the sun expanded.
Solar Bunker 14Q- 2:34
The Bunker’s family sat together, huddling in the corner. They passed the water canteen
around, each taking a sip. Together, they had twenty-two. Most were the younger generation
orphans of those lost in transition, or the stragglers. As the last established bunker, they began
to adopt names and titles according to family members as a way to keep the peace.
Brother Tracy smiled as Simon spread his arms wide. His eyes sparkled as he told of a world far
away, full of life, dangerous and beautiful.
“And then… boom, bang! Thunder smashed into the ground as she ran across the plains. Pow!
Another went by her, just missing by a few feet. Jabella rushed from the tall grass with her
people as the lightning seemed to follow her. The great mawbeast ran behind, his big teeth
gnashing as he could taste their sweet flesh. They ran onwards, but Jabella tripped over a rock
at the edge of the forest–”
A child’s voice called out in excitement. “What next? What happened?”
“Do you really want to know?” He looked around, making sure all the people were watching
with bated breath. The young ones froze, too afraid to blink. “Well, together they knocked the
mawbeast over with a mighty shove and carried her up the trees. They climbed and climbed
for many days until they saw the stars, usually hidden by the green leaves. For the first time
since their people lived there, they were able to see what was above.”
Uncle Darren laughed, clapping him on the back. “They climbed the tall trees in the Great
Forest trying to see the world they had never known fully. This little girl, a small child, had
brought them back to their ancestor’s homeland by accident, and in the end, she was saved.”
Aunt Hanna spoke up, somber. “Was her sacrifice worth it?”
The kids turned to look at her. Hanna was almost always sitting in the back when they first
settled, but once they made it a point to tell stories every day during the hottest time of day,
she grew curious. Hanna appeared too young to belong with the adults, but too old to be with
the children who were taken to the Bunker.
“Do you think it was worth it in the end, Simon?”
He nodded. “Maybe for some, it was a waste, but I’d like to think they grew better because of
it, even if it was in the smallest of ways. They grew in the most desperate times. Together. What
do you think, Hanna? Is it worth it?”
146