Chapter 5

I hadn't been to the town for one hundred and fifty years it had changed greatly. Where once a dirt road ran through the only major street in town now lay a cobblestone road, branching off into a host of side streets. Each street itself paved with cobblestones, and lined with houses. Each house had a small modest yard lined with a small wooden fence. Each yard had a tiny garden, filled with plants. Everything about this town changed, save for one thing. Each Garden had at least one bush of blood red roses.

When I had fist came to this town the road was packed dirt and there were maybe ten homes. Small wooden affairs with tiny windows filled with clouded glass. Under those windows laid sparse gardens populated by beautiful bushes of roses. The reddest roses anyone could ever hope to see, even in the drought the roses grew. I spoke to no person that night as I sat in the small inn, watching motes of dust swirl by. The people were starving, most of them hadn't eaten in weeks. But they persisted just like the roses. I did not eat nor drink that night and I retired to bed earlier than I normally would have, which was still far later than most people would consider late.

That night the ground shook with the roar of a thousand prides of a thousand lions. I woke lmost instantly, and bore myself downstairs and outside. The entirety of teh townsfolk were standing in the middle of the dusty road watching their homes crash to the ground. The air was thick with heat and the ground shook taking everyone to their knees. It seemed as if the very ground were in teh midst of a thunderous death spasm. One old man whispered, "the planet is dying."

I shook my head and told those around that the drought was only relegated to this region. North of the town fields still grew and their very capital city stood verdant and full of life. It seemed that my words gave the townspeople heart. As the final beam fell, and the grond shook for the final time, the people rose and one by one they each went to the wreckage of their homes. Amid teh dust and debrii each townsfolk found a rose. Unharmed and in full bloom, a rose for each person and one even it seemed for me.

Not one person wept, nor did they seem to be lost, as they all huddled together I asked the town elder, "what will you do now?"

He responded, "we will perservere as the roses have."

As I stood on the steps of the inn, now twice it's size and greatly populated I smiled as I stepped in, patting the small rose I had clipped to my bag. It had shrunk but it still remained it's deep red color from one hundred and fifty years before.