Straight North

Cameron climbed the metal ladder and dared not look down. Inky blackness greeted one's downward glance; her grueling climb commencing in a nether region carved out by ancestors anticipating a catastrophic doomsday event. The location, built under the city's underground channels and waterworks, was kept secret from most of the outside world. The shelter served as a sanctuary for only a few family and close friends, a sanctum for surviving the nuclear war precipitated by a global feud over crude oil. For years, the threat of worldwide annihilation prompted Cameron's family to stockpile food and water, storing all the necessities in the underground refuge for such a time as this. For months, her clan hunkered down waiting for radiation levels to diminish. It had been a year since a member of Cameron's tribe made the exhausting vertical climb to check the Geiger Counter's reading. Mounted on the underside of a manhole cover, the device actively monitored radiation levels in the outside world.

"Almost there," Cameron muttered as her legs and arms trembled from the exertion of the climb. Clutching the top rung, she grabbed a flashlight from her tool belt and illuminated the counter's display. A small gasp escaped her lips. Radiation levels had dropped substantially since the last check. In fact, modern microwaves transmitted the same amounts when warming food. "Might as well check it out," she whispered.

Cameron pushed on the manhole cover, forcing it to one side. She pushed away the brush and undergrowth and stared at the blue sky. She squinted as her eyes grew accustomed to the welcomed stranger hanging in the heavens. The sun's rays beat down with summer's intensity; Cameron closed her eyes reveling in the warmth.

Cameron opened her eyes, squinting into the blinding light of daytime. She noticed wisps of smoke drifting lazily into the sky on the horizon. "Another survivor..." thought Cameron. Without delay, Cameron set her eyes on the smoke and determined to discover its origin and its owner.

__________

Millie tossed another log on the smoldering fire, hoping to ward off predators and send a signal to any other survivors of the Great War. She had emerged from an underground bunker, and saw no other sign of humanity. Her parents surfaced weeks earlier and after returning from the scouting trip soon fell ill with radiation poisoning. They both perished a few days apart, leaving Millie to fend for herself. She remained underground until the food supply ran low. Utilizing a periscope system, Millie noted the presence of wildlife and a few birds darting here and there. Believing the atmosphere to be safe, she ventured out. She munched on a handful of granola while waiting for someone to notice her campfire. A twig snapped, and Millie whirled around to see a young lady close to her age. She jumped to her feet and scrambled to greet her with an enormous embrace. Tears streamed down her face as she muttered, "Thank God I'm not alone..."

Cameron held Millie as she wept. "My name's Cameron," she whispered.

Millie pulled away and managed to introduce herself between snuffles, then asked, "Are there others still alive?"

"Yes, several of my family and friends survived. They're still underground waiting for me to report back. In fact, they're probably worried sick...Do you have anyone else?"

Millie shook her head. "My parents died a few weeks ago...I'm on my own."

"Not anymore," Cameron encouraged. "You're coming with me."

Millie brushed off her jeans and stooped to tie her shoes. "How far?"

"Maybe a couple of miles...no more. We need to get going before it gets dark."

Night rapidly closed in as Cameron struggled to gather her bearings. There was no plume of smoke to lead her home. Nothing looked familiar. The landscape, once familiar stomping grounds, now sat as a desolate wasteland, ravaged by rockets and enemy fire. Clouds rolled in obscuring the North Star. Cameron made small talk concealing the growing fear bubbling inside. After an hour of wandering, Cameron shared her plight, "I'm afraid we're lost."

Millie reached behind her neck and unclasped her necklace. She handed the heart-shaped locket to Cameron. Cameron pointed her flashlight at the locket and read the engraved words, Keep Your Straight North, Love Mom and Dad. "It's beautiful. What does it mean?"

Millie paused for a moment, her lips quivering. "Mom and Dad always told me to keep my straight north. It meant that I had been taught right from wrong...I had a moral compass...and that I should always make decisions based upon truth. To them, straight north represented going in the right direction."

The sounds of night stirred around them. An owl hooted close by; a small night creature skittered through the leaves under a prickly bush; thunder rumbled in the distance. "That's beautiful," Cameron responded, choking back tears. "If only I could find our straight north now..."

"You can," Millie encouraged. "Open it."

Cameron gently opened the latch. Expecting a picture, she found something much more helpful. A wobbling needle met her eyes. Cameron gulped back tears. "You have a compass?"

Millie smiled. "Yes! My parents really wanted me to know my straight north."

Cameron watched as the needed whirled and spun, locking in on North. Half an hour later Cameron pulled open the manhole and said, "After you."

Millie smiled. "I'm thankful for straight north."

"Me too," Cameron nodded. "Welcome home."