No Sign Of Birds - Part 1

• Martin Scaria, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2022

It was 2067, Rio de Janeiro. People were building a vast amount of factories. The homes would usually endure a humid day and a freezing night. Everyday, conditions grew worse. Carbon emission percentage grew, and people died. Some people fled to other countries in search of a better life there. The Positalese had wars there constantly, now, after it conquered Thaddus in 2026. Rio de Janeiro had now turned into a no-go zone.

Carlos was a beggar in Rio de Janeiro who only wanted one thing - his mother to be happy. Carlos’ father had lost his job a few months ago. He would gather food and give it all to his mother, who was soon going to give birth. Every night, Carlos would put one ear against his mother’s belly and whisper a short song to him.
‘I can’t wait,
For you to come,
I can’t wait,
For you to come,
I can’t wait,
For you to walk,
I can’t wait,
For you to walk.’

He did this every night, and he could tell the baby was cooing inside as the Brazilian Army got everything ready for the next war expected to come soon.


Chapter 2
‘Let’s fight!’, told a poster calling you to enrol in the army. Carlos’ mum didn’t want her husband to be a soldier, but now that Carlos’ father had lost his job, there was no choice. Carlos’ father had enrolled in the army. First they were sent to the Amazon for training. Each person was given a rifle and had to shoot targets while enduring the pain of the rainforest. Carlos’ father trained so hard, using all of his spare time to practice throwing darts at moving targets, that the General was incredibly impressed! ‘Paulo, excelente! You have been recruited!’

When Carlos’ mother, Maria, heard this, she immediately burst into tears, both of joy, and of sadness. Joy because, well, her husband had become a recruit in the army, but sadness, because there was a chance that Paulo might die, and there would only be Carlos and Maria to take care of their upcoming baby. Carlos went to Christ the Redeemer, and prayed for his family. He prayed that his father would be safe, and for his mother, and for her upcoming baby.

On August the 26th 2067, Francine was born. They rushed to Santa Mariã, a maternity hospital there. It was near Christ the Redeemer, where Carlos had prayed. After a few hours of waiting outside, the baby was born. The baby had one lock of brown hair sprouting up and looked so cute.
Francine became great friends with Carlos. They played together, walked on the beach together, and looked at stars in the night. They led a good life, even if they were beggars.
Francine and Carlos would go to Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) and pray there. They started with The Sign of the Cross and worked their way through to end with a St. Joseph’s Prayer. They had done all this while in the meantime Earth was dying…