The Other Side: Chapter One

Chapter 1

"Darcey! It's lunch time!!!"

I looked up from by book and found Harriet's scowling face inches from mine. "Didn't you hear the bell? We have to go outside NOW, or else Mr. Cruamm will blow!"

I stowed my book in my desk and quickly left the classroom, Harriet in tow. She was still scolding by the time I had gotten my lunch and was just calming down when I sat on the bench outside the classroom.

"So," she asked, "Have you got an apple for the poor?"

Laughing, I passed her an apple from my lunch box, and Harriet munched contentedly. It was our ritual. At interval she would 'lend' me a bannana, and in turn I would pay her with an apple.

After the core was in the rubbish, Harriet turned to her own lunchbox and we began to gossip. Like many other students at Castale Intermediate, we were buzzing from the sudden killing of a Xryn (say Zai-rin) Island occupant, but then Police here in Capotil Island knew a murder was going to take place. The only problem was that they couldn't stop the death - Xyrn is its own country with its own laws.

"Apparently, " Harriet said seriously, "My Granddad lives on Xyrn."

"Really?" I asked, intruiged.

"Yeah," she nodded, "He was about 50, with four kids, a wife and a business. Then he just... converted."

"He converted from Christianity to Xyrolant (Zai-rolant)?" I repeated.

"Exactly! It's so weird!" Harriet was suddenly quiet. "Mum never told me about her Dad because... it brought shame to us. We are so strictly Catholic that when that happened we made out he had died."

"Is he still alive?" I wondered aloud.

"Yes," Harriet answered, "I did some ressearch and there was the names of Xyrn residents! So I looked him up, and he's still alive."

I was amazed. Harriet, my best friend, is related to a Xyrn! We talked about this some more, until the bell went for afternoon lessons. We stood and began walking to class, lunchboxes in hand.

"Can I tell my Mum?" I asked.

"Yes," she answered, "Just don't make a big deal out of it. I mean, heaps of people live on Xyrn. Maybe even some of your relatives."

"I doubt that!" I laughed, "We don't care about religon. If someone decides to become a Xyrn, we won't mind."

"But what if they sinned, or wanted to leave?" she asked.

I kept quiet. If you sinned in Xyrn, you had to suffer torture at your own hand. And if you didn't want to be a Xyrn any longer... you had to kill yourself.

Reviews

[Hans von Lieven]

An intriguing start to a story. A couple of minor glitches:

We are so strictly Catholic that when that happened we hade out he had died." (made out he had died) "My Granddad lived on Xyrn." (you say later he still lives there so the word should be lives, not lived) If you sinned in Xyrn, you had to torture at your own hand. If you wanted to back out... you killed yourself.(This passage is confusing Perhaps something like: If you sinned in Xyrn, you had to suffer torture by your own hand. If you wanted to back out... you were forced to kill yourself)

Otherwise well done I am looking forward to more

Hans von Lieven