1 - A GIRL IS COMING

The crow saw the car moving into the dark road. It was a long time since a human being took that road to that lost city. From the top of the tree, he saw it was a girl. Alone.

He needed to tell the woman about it. If he kept her informed she would not touch their kind. That was the deal they had since she settled home in that cave and city.

He flew a bit on top of the car, to be sure she was going to keep driving that way. Once he was secure about it, he went direct to the place they met years and years ago.

"A girl is coming to the town. Be prepared, " he said to the woman.

"Thank you, crow," the woman replied.

He flew again to the tree, outside that city. He never liked that place and he never felt safe there, even if they had that deal. On his way back, he saw the girl's car moving towards her death. The crow cawed and went back to his tree. It was done.

***

"Mommy, I'm hungry", the kid said in that huge and dark cave. The other kids looked at him with fear and hope in their eyes.

They were hungry too. Everyone there was. They couldn't even remember the last time they had some new visitor in the city. The world was changing and people didn't like to go to small cities anymore. The fun was in the big ones, full of other stuff to do. Being in nature was not fun anymore.

And they were hungry.

"I know, kid, but a girl is coming. Some little bird told me a woman is driving in this direction."

A huge spark showed up in all kids' faces. Food. Finally proper food. Eating animals was ok to keep their body on track, but those kinds of food didn't take the hungry feeling they had.

They were trapped in that land without even knowing what they were. They only knew they should save the earth one day. At least it was what their mom said to them. They were special and they should keep it in mind because the special day was going to come one day or another.

But they were …. hungry.

The kid who complained looked up at the cave. There were bats there. And he was hungry. His stomach rumbled and all the kids looked at him again.

And all their stomachs rumbled all together, like if they were all connected as one big thing.

"Can we eat them, mommy?"

"No, they are full of diseases. You should eat only the ones I told you about. The others are not safe?"

"And how do you know that? You can't leave this place. You are stuck there … "

The kid stopped talking. His eyes opened wide. His mouth closed and he didn't move anymore. She was showing him how the world would be if they didn't save it. She was showing him, again and again, as she always does when one of them loses their true focus. And it always works, because the end … the end was going to be dark. And full of nothing.

"Sorry, mom," the kid said, walking out from the cave.

"Go, everyone, she is near us. We need to be prepared to get her."

As she ordered, they left. The cave was empty again, full of darkness and silence. Only her and the bats.

But she was coming, and hopefully, the beginning of the end would be as near as it never were before.