I Don't Know

• Isadora Pan, Grade 8
• Short Story
• 2021

Tears fell from their eyes, dropping onto the barren dirt. The fires burned ahead, smoke wafting through the air. Ashes danced as the flames licked the wood of the burning houses where a city once stood. "Where are we to go? Our home is lost, and no we have nowhere to go," the people wondered. They asked the wise elder, but he only responded, "I don’t know."
They trudged through the fields of dirt, their exhausted legs taking them to faraway places. They were just wandering around since there was nowhere else to go. The people starved, but eventually, they found a small stream and some food which they could eat. But this was no place to call home. So, they asked the wise elder, "Where are we to go? Supplies here are minimal, and if we settled they are bound to run out." Once again, he only responded, "I don’t know."
The people camped near the stream, but the night had a deadly chill, and their sleep was disturbed by the cold. This was no place to stop, so they continued their move the next morning. The people continued to wander through the fields, their bare feet now sore of walking. "Where are we to go? The night and day is harsh, and our feet cannot handle the rough, burning ground," they asked the wise elder. He replied, "I don’t know."
One day, they came across a group of bandits blocking their path. The bandits demanded that they give them all their belongings, or they pay the price. The people were helpless and had nothing to offer. The bandits ruthlessly slaughtered some of their people in rage, chasing them and using their deadly knives to kill whoever they could catch. The people ran away, and the remaining grieved for the people they lost. They were not safe. So, the people asked the wise elder, "Where are we to go? We cannot stay where the bandits dwell and where the blood of our loved ones has stained the earth." The wise elder simply answered, once again, "I don't know."
The remaining group met a town nearby. The townspeople greeted them with kindness and hospitality. They gave them food and water, homes to sleep in, new clothes instead of the old, dirt speckled rags the people had been wearing for long, excruciating months. The townspeople allowed them to stay and join their small community. The people were so grateful, and they accepted. Years progressed, and the small town expanded into a powerful empire. The wise elder smiled. He knew that his people would need to sort things out for themselves. They did not require the help of himself, they just needed to find their own place and solve their own problems. And now, they were happy.
Never did anyone ask him where to go. Never did they complain about the conditions and the situation they were in. And neither did he answer them, "I don’t know" ever again.