Heart is the Key

They had been walking for what seemed like weeks. It had only been two days since the disastrous events that had rocked the world and taken almost everything from Cici. All that was left was Emily and the last words her father had spoken before he succumbed to his injuries. “You must go to your childhood fort, behind it there is a path that leads up the mountain.” He started “The mountain path will take you three days to hike.” He continued “After about three days you will come to the lake of red stones.” He said gasping for air “Behind the waterfall is a door made of rock, it will lead you home.” He said as his breath slowed. “How do we open the door?” Cici urged. “heart is the key.” He managed before drawing his last breath. “DAD, HOLD ON, NO, DAD PLEASE.” The scene just kept playing in her head over and over. The explosion, finding her dad, his death. It was on a loop in her mind.

“We need to make camp.” Emily’s voice pulled Cici back into reality. She was so glad that Emily had been with her and had not been injured by the explosion. It was just supposed to a BBQ at her dad’s house so her could meet Emily. Cici and Emily had been together for just over a year. They met at school and had fallen for each other almost immediately. They were done the second day of their journey up the mountain. They had scrounged up some food items from the ruins of her parent’s house before they left. Tonight, dinner was ravioli. Cici was hoping that they would find the lake before night fall tomorrow. She suspected that they would because they had only taken breaks to go to the bathroom and to eat.

According to Cici’s watch it was just after 2pm when the trees on the path started thinning. After another couple of minutes of walking they were standing at the edge of the lake of red stones. It was hard to admire the beauty of it with all of the tragedy that they had just been through, but it was breath taking. Across the lake was the waterfall that her father had spoken of. Emily and Cici made their way around the lake and behind the waterfall. It did not look like there was a door, it just looked like the rock had collapsed into the space like you would see in a movie. “What did he mean heart is the key?” Cici thought out loud. “Let’s look around and see if we can find anything that looks like a heart.” Emily said in response to her Cici’s thought. The two of them looked in every nook and cranny. “Look at this.” Emily said with curiosity in her voice. Cici went over to take a look. In the side of the rock there was a heart shaped piece of rock missing from the wall. “hmm let’s look for something, possibly a rock, that is shaped like a heart.” Cici said turning to look. As Cici was bent over looking in the rocks Emily gasped. “Cici your locket!” she almost shouted. Cici’s heart shaped locket had fallen out of her shirt while she was searching the ground.

Cici walked up and inserted the locket into the rock. The ground started to rumble as the wall started to open. Cici and Emily just stood in the doorway with their mouths open. Behind the door was an oasis. It was the most beautiful area they had even seen. They were snapped out of it by the fact that Cici’s locket fallen out of the wall and the door started to close. Cici grabbed her locket and Emily’s hand as she ran through the door. “Cici, Cici, OH MY GOD, is it you?” Cici knew that voice and the shock she felt when her mother came into view was written all over her face. “MOM.” She shouted as she ran to her. “How, dad, he said, I thought you were dead.” she added. “It had to be that way honey, I’m sorry we had to lie to you, where is your father?” he mother inquired. “He um…..” she could see the hurt in her mother’s face at the realization at what had happened to him. “When things calm down we will send the warriors out to bring him home.”

“Welcome to Wokwis.” Barbara said motioning to the oasis. Cici’s mom took her and Emily around Wokwis to show them the hidden world. “I was born here.” Her mother said out of the blue. “So were you.” She added. Cici just stared at her. Why didn’t she know about it before? Why did they live outside of this place? Why did her dad lie about it? “Honey I know you have many questions, I will explain everything over dinner.” Her mother said putting a hand on her shoulder and leading her toward the house. “This is our home.” She said motioning to a little cottage.

They all worked together to prepare a delicious meal. When they were finally settled into their seats her mother started her story. “There has always been a legend among our people that predicted the fall of society.” She began. “It was told that if the world continued on the path it was on it would see the rise of a single ruler that would over take, destroy and control.” She continued. “When Apo took over the government, we knew what was about to happen, that is when I disappeared and came back home to help prepare for our return.” She looked down at the table for a moment and then back at CIci. “When the bombs started to drop all over the world, I knew that the take over was in progress.” She explained. “I was terrified that you and your father would not make it back.” She added her voice trailing off. “The explosions were all over the world?” Cici questioned in shock. “Yes, they devastated every major city in the world.” She answered. “Most of the people in charge in every country around the world were killed, including the president, look.” Her mother said turning on the television. There were fires all over the place, devastation all over the place, people crying and covered in debris trying to dig loved ones out. At the top right of the screen a smaller screen would flash between him and his army, which was stationed in multiple places around the world. The words underneath him read; Apo claims rule of the entire world, threatens violence with army if non-compliant.

“Oh my god, we had no idea, we just blindly followed dad’s instruction.” Cici said in an almost whisper. “It’s a good thing you did, I hate the thought of what might have happened to you.” Her mother said. “What do we do now.” Emily chimed in. “We are preparing for a war.” Cici’s mother Barbara answered. “There are hidden colonies all over the world just like this one.” she added. “The prophecy for told the fall of the great dictator in one year’s time.” “When the time comes, we will be ready and Apo better be ready because our people are going to unleash hell and take back the world.” She added