(Excerpt from “The Dam”)
After a treacherous and difficult toil which seemed to have lasted an aeon and more, the magnificent structure was close to completion.
Brian peered over the precipitous edge, down into the gaping chasm beneath. The gradual sloping cascade allowed for the steep incline to trail off from the distance below. It was a sight to behold and a testament to the work that went into its construction. Three lives lost in total, though many more to be spared if all went to plan. He shifted his gaze to the left and saw a miniature formation of scaffolding beams. From up there, it resembled nothing but a vague smear against the concrete wall. Squinting through the shimmering heat radiating off the surface, Brian spotted several small dots crawling along the edges.
”Are there people still down there?” Annie asked, tugging at the loose trouser leg of her towering father. ”Only a few, darling. Just tending to the final bits and pieces of her. She’ll be finished within a fortnight.” His deep brown eyes looked down towards the tiny figure standing beside him. It seemed like yesterday she had only just laid her fragile head down upon her cradle’s pillow, unaware of the laborious humanitarian efforts beginning on the outside. The protective shroud of a daily peaceful slumber and blissful ignorance were all that she needed. Though time saw fit to change all that. How he wished his little princess could have remained tucked up in that same bubble of contentment. Just for a while longer, anyways. Until the danger passed.
The sun beat down on the earth like the fires of hell itself had manifested above them. Then, a disturbance from somewhere behind him, broke the calming silence to two. He craned his neck around to see Jim strutting toward him, acting his usual edgy self.
”Brian! We’ve run the checks.” He barked. Annie watched him with round, inquisitive eyes. ”The reinforced steel shell is practically impenetrable. The only way up here now is through the valley.” He shook his head whilst gesturing at the huge drop a few feet away. ”And they’re looking at a mighty long climb. Enough time to prepare the men and open the flood gates.”
”What about the spotlights?” Brian said, wiping away a bead of sweat from his temple. ”That’s what I wanna know.” Jim cleared his throat before continuing. ”Sure thing. We’ve tested them on the hour and around the clock from last week. Those things will blind a parakeet in the clouds. No worries there.”
Brian eased up, his tensions put on hold for now. Nodding to himself, he stared out into the vast mountain range before him. It would have made the perfect postcard snapshot had a camera been to hand. The rock faces of “Jonah” and “Patrice” ran parallel to each other, stretching far out only to converge with the barren exterior of two other mountainous colossuses. He knew this was the perfect spot they had chosen to hold their last defence. He held his palm out along his brow, focusing in on the lone entrance to their fortified epic lair being a mere sliver of light near the meeting point of “Bison” and “Andrea”. Barely visible to the naked eye from the top of the dam, it spanned several miles of dessert land apart, from each mountain’s base.
”That’s good.” Brain called out, not turning back around. ”Make sure you got all four men on rotation duty. One slip up is all we need to be in some serious trouble. We don’t want someone sleeping on the job. There are thousands of lives at stake here. Is that clear?”
”Absolutely.” An affirmed answer responded. ”Our lookout points are all taken care off. Even covering the South East vicinity, although that’s more for completions sake than anything else.” The tone in his voice indicated a certain sense of pride at his choice of decision making.
”Good job, Jim.” Brain answered, with a renewed upbeatness. ”You’ve outdone yourself. We owe you big time when this nightmare eventually comes to an end. You’re dismissed.”
“Thank you, Brian.” And not a moment sooner, he heard the clacking of his shoes fade away from over his shoulder as Jim returned to his quarters.
”Will we make it, papa?” Annie piped up after a short pause. ”I don’t want to go through that again.” He bend down and lifted her onto one of his broad, muscular shoulders. She gave a faint yelp as he did so. ”You see all this land below?” He proceeded. ”This is where it’ll start over for us. We’ll build our main city right here and spread out far and wide as time heals the hurt of before. Things will go back to how they once were. You’ll see a world that you never knew existed. It’ll be better than you can ever imagine.”
Brian reached out and brushed a lock of hair out of her glistening eyes. He knew she could see it too, even though her young mind had to conjure up most of the idyllic scene by filling in the gaps. It was a reality she was yet to experience, but one of hope and anticipation.
”Don’t worry, my little darling.” He whispered up into the air. ”When they come back, this time we’ll be ready for them.”
