Echo's Journey

Echo’s Journey

 1. An Outsider

Echo sat listening to birdsong right at the bottom of the valley, in the old place where stonemasons used to come and chip blocks out of the dark basalt. She could see the deep wheel-tracks where mules had pulled carts laden with the stone, taking them up to the village that spread out across the terraced farming land. The tortured cliffs here towered over her and she was in shadow, though the sun was bright that morning. The other children would all be playing out on the grassy fields. She wasn’t like the other children. They all had brown, sun-touched faces and pale hair that reminded her of the straw they gave to the steadily-diminishing herd of sheep. The only thing that was pale about her was her skin – white as the clouds in the sky, so they said. But her hair wasn’t like straw and neither was it cut short like the other village youths. She wore it long and dark, sleek despite the wind. It came to roughly waist length and the tresses served to hide the points of her ears – just another sign that she was different. A beautiful outsider. Ogled at sometimes, but never liked. But do I even want to be liked? She asked herself.

She was the only girl in the valley who couldn’t name her real parents. Her adopted family steadfastly refused to tell her anything about who she was or how she’d arrived in the valley. Though once she’d screamed at the top of her lungs and her foster father Mark’s eyes had flickered towards the top of the valley, where the murderous cliffs and crags obscured the passage of the tiny path winding up from the highest terrace. She remembered the instant now, oddly. Maybe it was the screaming of the kestrel floating on the winds high above her, reminding her of the way her own piercing, frustrated shriek had echoed across the valley. Often she wondered if that was where her name came from – if it was her real name. Mark had promised her it was, as had her mother. But she had no way of knowing if they’d lied or not. Echo felt like her name… then again, so did Raven. And she certainly didn’t like to think about her.

The gang of village children came sauntering down the path towards her, laughing and talking too loudly for her well-developed sense of hearing. Echo could hear a dragonfly flapping its wings when she concentrated. Now she had to close down the part of her mind that let her discern small sounds so well. She looked up at the approaching youths. They were of various ages, some having more than her own sixteen summers. But they’re all so… immature. So foolish. Even the older ones spent their time playing stupid games with the younger ones. None of them could read or write – not even their own names. They were obsessed with animals and plants, smelled so strongly of the outside. The only animals Echo liked were the birds, especially birds of prey like the kestrel. She could have called it down if the others hadn’t been making so much noise. She would have loved to preen the bird’s dark plumage with her fingers, feeling the softness of the feathers and the power in its talons as they grasped her wrist.

She pulled deeper into the shade of the cliff, wrapping her slender arms around her knees and staying silent, hoping they wouldn’t see her. Sometimes she could coax herself into talking to them for a while, but sooner or later the differences between them would start to tell. And she couldn’t do with getting upset or angry – there was Raven to be avoided at all costs.''Maybe I should just run away... but there's no place else to go.''

“Oh! Gods above… Echo, I didn’t see you there!” One of the girls laughed. ''Stupid. If you didn’t see me, how have you noticed me now?'' “You’re always hiding in the shadows.” She stopped and sat on a boulder while the rest of the group carried on. A few stragglers detached to come and muck around in the quarry.

“Some of the young ones don’t even know if you’re a girl or a boy.” Davin was one of the crueller boys and he walked up now with malice in his eyes. “I’m not even sure myself.”

“Can’t tell the difference, Davin? I’d watch out next time you take a girl for a tumble in the hay… you could get the shock of your life.” The girl retorted.

“At least I’d care enough to run away.” He sneered. “But you, Hanna? You’d just tumble merrily along, wouldn’t you?”

“And? It’s boring enough ‘round here. I’d take a girl to the hay barn sooner than you!” Hanna stuck out her tongue at him in a manner that made her seem much younger than her seventeen years.

“What about you, Echo?” Davin turned to face her. The girl tried to relax, though she knew what was coming. Second time this week… can’t he just leave me alone? “I bet you’re not too fond of what a boy has to offer, are you?”

“Oh, shut up, you sick little arse.” One of the older lads shouted. Greg was alright, really. He couldn’t be close friends with Echo, but he did his best to keep the other youths in line and they respected each other. In many ways he was the most mature of the group. Although he did still have his own annoying tendencies. “Leave our little princess alone.” Why does he always have to call me that?

“Echo, are you going to come to the lake with us?” One of the younger lads asked. Chad, his name was, and by all accounts he seemed quite taken with her. ''There’s something I could do without. A sweet little fourteen year old following me around.''

“I don’t think so, Chad.” She said softly, so as not to upset him.

“But why not? It’s all sunny and nice.” He complained, too young and simple to notice the signs.

“Because… I’d just rather stay here.”

“Well, can’t I stay here too?” He asked. Echo looked helplessly at Greg, hoping he’d do something. He caught sight of the pleading in her black-as-night eyes and rolled his own as if to say ‘oh, all right…’

“No, Chad, your folks said you had to stay with us. After what happened with that beehive last month, you remember?” Greg looked meaningfully at the younger lad. Chad shivered and rubbed his arms at the memory.

“Hey, can we go already?” One of the others yelled, tossing a stone at the side of the quarry. It clacked dully. ''Great. They come down here and mess up the only place in the village that I call my own.''

“You sure you won’t come with us, Echo?” Hanna asked. “I’d love to swim with you. Remember when we were younger and you used to dance all the time? I’m sure you’d be just as good a swimmer as you are a dancer.”

“No, it’s alright. Really.” Echo said, gifting her a rare smile.

“Huh, she just doesn’t want to get naked with us – too high and mighty.” Davin threw another stone, knocking down a little cairn Echo had spent the past hour building.

A girl moved away from the main group, walking back to where the others were sat around Echo. In many ways the newcomer was the exact opposite of the dark, mysterious girl. Her long blonde hair flowed over her shoulders, bright against her creamy cotton tunic. She had shockingly blue eyes, a mischievous smile and a bubbling laugh. Her walk was confident, slender legs giving her an elegant gait that set her hips swaying. Greg’s jaw hadn’t dropped, but it might as well have done. All thoughts of the outsider were pushed out of his mind.

“What’s keeping you, darling?” She flashed a stunning smile at the group, which faded briefly as it passed over Echo and then returned when she fixed it on the slightly bedazzled young man.

“Uh, nothing, Shani, we were just talking…” He leapt up and began walking away with her. The others followed shortly after, with Chad looking back regretfully. Davin looked like he was about to loiter, but Echo chucked a rock at his feet and glared at him until he ran away. Good riddance. She told herself. Only when everyone was out of earshot did she whisper “Bye...”.