Follow The Sunrise

Africa: When Amare returns home from a hard day of labor, he sees two men in black suits at his doorway. He's Ma also stands with them. They all appeared to be in deep conversation until they saw him.

The blazing hot sun shone on Amare as sweat poured down his back. The canteen on his back seemed to get heavier and heavier as he trudged his way along. Sand dunes towered over Amare as he started to stagger towards the African village. He heard the village church bell ring as made his way into the village. Looking back at the desert Amare shivered hoping to never walk it again. Amare dashed through the dry sandy street, making his way towards his hut. The hut stood a few feet tall with an elegant wooden doorway that was a rare sight to behold. Smooth clay walls with a hole for a window made the hut seem like a mansion. Ma stood in the doorway with two men wearing a black and white suit. Amare dropped the canteen as he stood in awe of the dashing men. The man with a grizzly beard gazed down upon him speaking in a language he had never heard of. The second man spoke softly in Amare’s language.

“He asks how old you are.”

“I’ve just turned 12, sir.” responds Amare

The translator shifts to the bearded man. The translator smiles at Amare with kind eyes, then speaks to Ma in a hush, hush tone.

Ma beams at Amare announcing “This man wants to help you find a better life because he has noticed how strong and smart you are.”

Amare grins while nodding towards the men.

“Tomorrow” replies the translator “Tomorrow, he says you must be ready if you wish to go and have a better life.”

“Ja” replies Amare, looking sheepishly at Ma.

The strangers stroll towards the piece of coloured metal with four wheels. Ma and Amare back up slowly towards the hut. Amare glows as he thinks tomorrow could never come soon enough.

***

Awaking to the chirping of the birds, Amare stretches and heads outside. He pours the cool clear water into the cup, to bring to Ma. Ma stirs from her sleep, when Amare brings her the cup. Amare whispers in her ear, telling her it was time. Without anything to pack, but the clothes on his back. Amare traveled light. He snatched up the cup, and pulled Ma into a tight hug. Tears poured out of Ma’s eyes, telling Amare he would be in a better place. In the distance Amae spots the metal wagon, pushing out of the sunrise towards the hut. Turning to Ma for one last goodbye, Amare struts off towards the men outlined by the beautiful sunrise.

Amare was engrossed with the town ahead of him. It’s new and shiny brick buildings seem to mesmerize him as they pull up towards a station. The driver opened the door for Amare to climb out. He motioned to Amare to follow him towards the big train cars. Amare quickly protests

claiming that they must be in the wrong place. The husky man stares him down, grabs him and before Amare knows it his eyelids grow heavy and his head hits the floor.

Waking up to an unpleasant smell, Amare quickly glances at his surroundings. A cart that seemed to jump side to side, with wooden barn walls, surrounded him. Gruffly looking men peered down at him. Amare quickly jumped back in alarm. A short wavy black haired man glared at him before the cart tilted to the side and the man smashed against the side leaving a smear of blood on the cart wall.

The cart door slammed open, a burst of light shone in Amare’s eyes. Two blurred people stood in the doorway. Amare went closer to touch the beautiful light he hadn’t seen in days. As he got closer his steps got heavier and heavier. A wave of nausea swept over him as he hadn’t eaten in days. Amare’s throat kept burning and burning as he vomited. He squinted at the two people who glared at him with deceitful eyes. Amare finally stopped vomiting but his head started to thump. The two people laughed, as they dragged Amare out of the cart, tossing him onto the hard ground making him crumple underneath the impact. Amare stared up at them with hurtful eyes. He couldn’t understand what he had done to deserve this. Tears fill his eyes as he thought of Ma lying safely in the hut. A woman picked Amare up from the ground. She shoved him towards a crowd while pinning his arm behind pointed at his back.

The crowd made a path for Amare and the woman, while they pushed towards the platform. A small black platform stood in front of the crowd with three young children and 7 adults standing in a straight line with shackles chained to their wrists and ankles. Amare was shoved in the line of people and shackles were placed on him. He struggled to get loose from the chains, but no matter how hard he tried the shackles held tightly.

Amare inspected his clothes which had become dusty and dirty. A bell rung and the crowd of people jumped up towards them. The strangers clustered around him, pulling his skin and pinching his limbs. Some even looked at his muscle and asked him how much weight he could carry. Amare merely asking “Ja”’ as he had no idea what the strangers had asked. A man wearing a stylish suit and carrying a jeweled cane stood in front of Amare pointing at him. The woman who brought him in scurried towards the man, whispering “5,000”. Amare did not know what the woman had said but he knew it couldn’t be good. The man gave her a pile of green papers and strolled to Amare. He took Amare by the elbow and pulled him towards another strange looking cart on wheels. Amare was shoved upwards into a seat and his shackles were sewed to the side of the cart.

Amare hung his head and thought of the events that had brought him to this place. He believed that his life was going to change just like the beautiful sunrise. Instead it appeared that his life was destined to go into the darkness just like the horizon after the sunset. He just hoped that his dreams of the sunrise would get him through another day.

Author's Note

What do you think? Would like suggestion as I might turn this Short Story into a book.