Migration

The sun beat down on the baked ground as they walked on the small paved road. It was hot. Hotter than they had felt in a long, long time. The days were longer and the heat was unbearable. Sean remembered a time when his grandfather told him stories of a cold season. Now it was hot and wet. The tropical weather was rain forest weather. He hacked at the vines that clung to everything around him.

The time was late afternoon. He was trekking with his small family through the once-great city which had stood on the banks of the river which passed through it. Now it was in a ruins and he stopped to stare at the growth which had overtaken the city. Already the signs of the city were disappearing.... roads were overtaken by mud and filth and the city had become a vast jungle. Something screamed from the top of the vines and he gave a silent signal to his family to keep quiet.

The small rooklets were hungry. They were everywhere. They would kill all of the travellers if they managed to spot them. The travellers froze in place, waiting for the rooklets to disappear. In a while it was clear again. They were trekking North, where it was cooler. This season, they would carry out their annual migration. Follow the old paths and find food and shelter from the Sun. Next season, they would come south again. It was the endless migratory cycle to survive. They followed the food.

Night time was to their advantage. The cooler weather was wonderful for travelling, except they had to keep an eye out for the numerous predators - mostly insects who preyed on humans. They were impossible to stop if they were able to isolate them. At night, they would burn torches to ward off the hungry insects. It was the only thing which stopped them.

Sean and his family camped out in the ruined city in the day and some of them slept. His wife took the time to rest her weary feet and his children were made to sleep while he kept guard. When his wife woke, he would take the time to sleep and get some rest himself.

Finally it was dusk and they broke camp to trek north. Exiting the city, they crossed a signpost which said "Welcome to Montreal".... they did not look back, none of them could read.