Going Home: The Finale
To Begin Again
Welcome to my little corner of the internet! I’m so glad you’re here. Below you’ll find the eleventh and final chapter of my fantasy short story Going Home. It’s about a young girl named Nani who gets tangled up in fate, tradition, and a giant hole in the ground that leads… somewhere else.
At the end of this post (and most of my other ones), you’ll find a song I picked out that I feel matches the mood of this chapter. I encourage you to give it a listen!
New to the story? Start at part 1:
It was nighttime, but she had no problem seeing.
Nani felt as though her eyes had never truly worked before, like a veil has been lifted. Moonlight reflected off innumerable grains of brilliant white sand. Each grain was so distinct as she looked at them. She got the sense that each one could tell her a story as old as the world itself.
Key flew low to the ground, slowing slightly. The world reoriented itself as they were now flying parallel to the ground instead of downward. Nani felt a brief wave of dizziness. She closed her eyes, enjoying the cool night’s breeze, and the feeling soon passed. The crane continued to slow down, then came to a full stop and landed on the sand. Nani hopped off and knelt.
She scooped up a handful of sand, then let it fall through her fingers. It was cool to the touch, and seemed to whisper playfully as the grains rubbed against each other on their way down. Tall palm trees surrounded them, swaying gracefully in the wind. Their movement had a subtle rhythm, as though they danced to music too soft for Nani to hear. She felt differently than she had upon first waking in the hole. The non-feeling had been replaced by something else. Rejuvenated didn’t quite capture it, but tiredness seemed a distant memory.
She felt good. A pure goodness, unadulterated by cares of the future or regrets from the past. There was a lightness to her steps; a simple sense of being home. “Is this heaven?” she asked. “Am I… dead?”
“In some ways you are more alive than ever before,” Key answered. His voice was soft and strained. Nani ran over to him. She had nearly forgotten the damage he had suffered.
“Key! We have to get you some help!” The crane shook its head.
“No,” he said. “There is nothing you can do for me now. This is what must happen.” As she watched, he began to fade, becoming translucent.
“But I don’t know what to do next,” she protested. “Please don’t leave me!”
“This story is coming to an end, but a new one is about to begin. It is yours alone to discover.”
“So everything I was told, about N’Uata… and my ancestors, it was all… true?” she asked. Key laughed, but the sound came from far away.
“You sound surprised,” he said. “All stories have some small measure of truth to them, young one. The ones that persist have more. Now go, for my time here is done. Yours is just beginning.”
“Thank you. I couldn’t have made it here on my own,” Nani said sincerely.
“To acknowledge weakness is the essence of strength,” he responded. Then he faded into the darkness, and Nani found herself alone.
She walked aimlessly for a time, not sure which direction to head. Already her memories of recent events were becoming hazy, as though she had heard about them from someone else. Now that Key was gone, she was alone for the first time in a long while. She looked up, thinking of her parents.
It was then that she noticed the stars.
Millions of them dotted the sky, each one twinkling, as though winking at her with some secret they shared with each other. She had never seen them so bright. It felt as though she should be able to reach up and grab them.
“I’m not really alone, am I?” she said.
“Never,” said a female voice behind her. Nani jumped, startled. A girl stood before her, slightly older. How had she moved so silently? Her hair and skin were similar to Nani’s, but she wore a warrior’s outfit. Leather armor was strapped to her chest, and a white feather was painted upon it. She looked strangely familiar.
“You frightened me,” Nani said. “Do I know you?” She spoke again before the newcomer had a chance to respond. “Wait… Junia?” The other girl nodded confidently.
“Welcome home, sister,” she said. Yes, this was definitely Junia. She had been last year’s Chosen. Nani hadn’t known her personally, but everyone knew who the Chosen was. She had matured, in presence if not physically, far more than could have been expected in a year, though. Her dark eyes were serious, and she moved with a dangerous grace, as though she could have a knife at your throat in an instant. “You have questions, no doubt,” she said, then smiled. It made her look a bit younger, and set Nani at ease. Nani nodded.
“What happens next?” she asked.
“Tonight, we rest, and celebrate your arrival. I will take you to our stronghold, where the rest of our sisters wait, and show you the wonders of Heaven. Ki’kiri knows you deserve some rest.” Her face grew serious, and she stared directly into Nani’s eyes. “But we dare not stay still for long, for our enemies do not sleep. They grow stronger and bolder each day, and another battle looms on the horizon.” A small smile creased her face. She walked up to Nani and put a hand on her shoulder. “I am not worried however, for we have grown stronger now, too.”
“So I’m not done fighting?” Nani asked.
“No, sister,” Junia answered. “Only now are you able to truly begin fighting. We have passed through the fire; now we are the flame.” She held up her left hand, and a small but intense blaze sparked into existence above it. Nani tried to do the same. She felt a distant heat, just beyond her grasp. Her hand dropped after a few moments. Instead of frustration, she felt a sense of wonder and determination.
“I will learn that,” she said.
Junia nodded. “Come. I will show you this and so much more.”
Nani let herself be led away by her strange new companion. She was still bursting with questions, but felt confident that the answers would come with time. She breathed in the cool night air, content in the knowledge that she was where she was supposed to be. It was enough for today. It would be enough for forever.
Suggested music for Part 11: Waiting for the End by Linkin Park
Whew! Another one in the books. Want to learn a bit more about why I wrote Going Home? There’s a post for that:
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