You First Then The World - Part One

The word count, including this line, is 1931.

"You First Then The World"
Part One

     Klarotta was in the tallest tree on her island. From that tree she could see four beaches. But there was are a lot more beaches on her island. There were two other trees on her island that weren't as tall as the one she was in. And she used them to check out the other beaches on her island.

     She spent half her days in one tree or another. Klarotta uses the tallest tree most of the time for two reasons. One of those reasons was one of those beaches was the one her parents kept the Family Floater. They used the other three beaches too. But not as much as that one. The other reason was because she set up her tree house there to protect her from any dangers that might be on her island.

     Her parents set up a Tent House just beyond the trees at the beach they used most often to go to and from that island. And they did do that several times a year. It was usually at least once a month. Klarotta never went with them when they left the island. But only one of them left. The other one stayed behind to watch after her. And that was usually her mother. Unless it was to get food and supplies. Then it was her mother who left.

     Klarotta did get off the island a few times once she was old enough to walk. But only for short trips out on the Family Floater. Her parents didn't like to spend too much time on the water because they were afraid she would fall into the water - and die. The oceans on the planet of Porvola are deadly. She never heard why they were deadly. All she was told was that if she ever touched the water she would get hurt. They didn't even want her to play near the water while on the beaches. And they watched her very closely whenever she did play on one of the beaches. Which means she wasn't allowed to play on one of the beaches very much. She wasn't allowed to play too much at all.

     She still can't believe her parent left her there all alone seven months ago. The way they treated her there's no way they would have left her behind on their own. But it sure looks like they have. Klarotta woke up one day and they were both gone - and so was the Family Floater. At first she thought they just left the island together even though they had never did that before. But after two week, also never did before, she realized they weren't ever coming back. But why? She has had a lot of time to think about that over the last seven months.

     The Tent House had been used by Klarotta a lot. But she also used the Tree House too. In fact she used the Tree House most of the time. Not only did she sleep there but she could keep her eyes on the beaches too. Even when she was asleep she would had seen her parents if they had of returned. She didn't know how she would do it. But she would had done it.

     Klarotta spent about half of her day in one of the three observation trees. And the tallest one most of all. She was in it the day she finally saw a Floater land at the beach her that parents usually used.

     "I can't see if it's my parents or not." Said Klarotta.

     The Tree House was a mess. And now she was mad at herself for not keeping it neat. There was a Long Eye there somewhere she could use to see who had come to her island. Klarotta had started making an even bigger mess trying to find it.

     "There is only one way for me to know who has come to my island." Klarotta said.

*******

     The Floater that came to her island wasn't the Family Floater. And it wasn't her parents that came off of it. It was a couple. But they were a lot younger than her parents. At first Klarotta stayed just within the trees - and watched the newcomers to her island. She wanted to know who they were before she approached them.

     Klarotta watched them for several hours. But didn't learn too much about them. All they really did was move things off their Floater. Were they planning on living on her island? It sure looks that way to her. What was she going to do to stop them? If she could stop them. After all she was only nine.

     After thinking about that for a while, and watching them as they finished taking things off their Floater, Klarotta had made her decision on what she was going to do about those invaders. "There is only one thing I can do. I have to confront them. And tell them to leave my island," thought Klarotta.

     "What am I going to do if they refuse to leave my island?" Said Klarotta. Then she said, "There is only one way to find that out too."

     Klarotta left her trees and walks right up to them - and said, "This is my island. And I don't want you here. If you don't leave now you will regret it."

     Both of them were shocked. Not at what she was saying. But because she was there. They even commented on that amongst themselves for a few seconds. Only Klarotta couldn't hear them. The still unknown couple talked so low among themselves they probably had trouble hearing each other.

     Finally it's the female who spoke first. "Who are you?"

     "My name is Klarotta. And this is my island."

     This time it's the male who spoke. He said, "Your Island?"

     "That's right. This is my island. And I want you off of it now."

     "My name is Deinal. And this is my lover Rorta."

     "I don't understand what's going on here," said Rorta. "What do you mean 'my island'?"

     Klarotta had to think about that for a minute. Then she said "I have lived all of my life. That's why I call it my island. And I want you off of it now."

     "Your whole life! How old are you?"

     "I'm nine. So what. It doesn't matter how old I am. This is my island and I want you to leave - now."

     Once again they were both shocked at what Klarotta just told them. Each one of them tried to ask the obvious question. But they kept interrupting each other or said it at the same time or almost said it at the same time several times before Deinal finally asked "Where are your parents."

     At first Klarotta thought about lying about where her parents were. But she had been thinking about that just after she confronted them. And she decided since she had being calling her island her island lying would be pretty stupid. So she decided to tell them the truth.

     "I don't know where my parents are. They and the Family Floater left seven months ago. And I haven't seen them since."

     Once again Deinal and Rorta are shocked. And once again they start talking to each other softly. But this time Klarotta could hear them. Only she couldn't understand what they were saying. So she asked them, "What are you saying?"

     "If we wanted you to know what we were talking about we would have continued talking to you in Basic Porvola. But if you insist we were talking about what you just told us about your parents. How could they have done that a child?"

     Klarotta didn't think that's what they were really talking about with each other - for a couple of reasons. One reason was because they were willing to tell her so easily what they were talking about after trying to cover it up. And the second reason was she knows some Advanced Porvola. Not a lot. But her parents liked to talk that way sometimes too. And she picked up on a few words.

     "I don't believe you. That's another reason why I want you off my island right now," said Klarotta.

     "Why do you want us to leave so badly? Being all alone I would think you wanted us to stay," Rorta said.

     "There are only two things I want. One is for my parents to return. And two if they don't return I want to get off of this island," said Klarotta.

     "We can't help you with your parents. Because we don't know what happened to them. But we can help you with the island if you let us stay here," said Deinal.

     "I don't want to live here if my parents aren't here. The only reason I have lived here this long is because my parents lived here," said Klarotta.

     Once again Deinal and Rorta start talking to each other in Advanced Porvola. When they turn back toward Klarotta Rorta said, "We don't understand why you feel like that after your parents left you here alone."

     Klarotta didn't have to think about that answer. "I don't think they left me on their own. What happened to them, or the Family Floater, I don't know. But they wouldn't leave her there all alone."

     "We can talk about this tomorrow. It's getting dark. And we still need to find a place to sleep tonight. We could sleep on our Floater. But we have been sleeping on it for the last three months." Said Rorta.

     "You don't have to worry about a place to sleep." Klarotta said. Then she pointed toward where the Tent House was. "There is a Tent House not too far from here. You can sleep there tonight - if you promise to leave in the morning." As soon as she said that Klarotta knew she made a big mistake.

*******

     Deinal and Rorta hadn't eaten since the midday meal. Neither had Klarotta. So they had an after dark meal together. And Klarotta had to admit Rorta was a very good Food Fixer. It made her think about changing her mind about letting them stay on her island. But she only had that thought for a few seconds. Klarotta still wanted them gone as soon as possible.

     After the meal Deinal and Rorta went for a walk. They really wanted to talk away from Klarotta. And once again they did it in Advanced Porvola. Deinal and Rorta thought they were far enough away so Klarotta couldn't hear them. But they were wrong. Klarotta couldn't hear it too good but she did hear, and knew, six words that made her start thinking again. Those words were parents, killed, child, island, not and Floater.

     Could they had been lying when they said they didn't know what happened to her parents? Why did they say that? Klarotta didn't even think of that until now. But they did say that. Did they kill her parents? Maybe they took the Family Floater and made it look like they left the island?

     Klarotta didn't sleep in the Tent House that night. She slept in her Tree House. When she woke up the next morning she went directly to the small opening in the wall. The one that overlooked the beach where the visiting Floater was. A Floater that was still there. This seems to have made Klarotta very happy. There was a very big smile on her face. But Why?

The End?