by A.J. Carron

Created on: July 18, 2011

The air was refreshing and still, and as Casey lay on the greenest grass he'd ever seen, his heart chirped along with the song of every little bird that flew through the warm, blue sky.Their wondrous sound, along with the soothing rays of the sun on his face, made him feel like he was at peace. In heaven, almost.

He'd never felt like this before. Then again, he'd never really heard birdsong or experienced the dizzying effects of clean air before. It was a new experience and he was terrifically glad that he'd dismissed his friends' advice.

Everyone had grown up under the protective umbrella of the township and had been taught that to leave its nurturing breast for the terror of the forbidden lands outside, meant only a cruel and painful death!

Whenever Casey had questioned the warnings, though, the town Elders had instantly reprimanded him and had never clearly explained the dangers.

"That's been the rule for centuries," they'd always hiss, "and it is that rule which keeps every single human here safe, and happy. There's nothing beyond the edge of town for us anymore, so don't question the rule."

Casey had accepted that something awful had happened to the world long before he was born, but in his adolescent mind he hadn't accepted that things would never return to normal.

He'd been sick of being confined to the town, and after reading about the way the world outside used to be - with luscious forests, meandering rivers, fascinating creatures and acres of swaying green grass - he'd made up his mind to go see for himself if there truly wasn't any of that wonderful world left out there.

"They lied to us," he commented, as he ran his fingers through the soft grass. "They lied to us because they wanted to keep all this beauty and peace for themselves."

Then, just as Casey sat up and thought about climbing some nearby trees, he felt something vibrate under his bum and legs.

Before he could even stand to investigate, the ground beneath him crumbled away and swallowed him up.

From that day forth, the Elders preached about Casey - the heedless boy who lost his life at the edge of town.

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