QUEEN OF THE HILL

“I won’t let anyone hurt you, and I will never leave you.” She whispered.

***

It had been raining cats and dogs around the country for months. Cities and islands located near water-bodies – which constituted half of the country – were all suffering from severe flooding. The rain wasn’t completely responsible for the flooding, it had merely exacerbated something scientists had been predicting for years – the ocean levels were rising, and if nothing was done, they would overflow and wreak unspeakable havoc on anything in their way.

It started very slowly. At first the rain fell sporadically, raising the water-level gradually, but all of a sudden, it began to fall consistently till it became a permanent fixture of the daily lives of the residents of the island. As the ocean swelled, the people tried to maintain their cool. Local radio and TV stations – run by capitalists who couldn’t be bothered with whatever the scientists had to say about the climate – told the people there was nothing to worry about, the rain would eventually blow over. The Mayor of the island also went live on-air to dismiss the recommendations by scientists that cities close to water-bodies begin to evacuate their citizens. He said the rain was a blessing. He said it would refill the ocean and make it more habitable for fish so that the people could get their fishing-trawling businesses back on track and give a further boost to the local economy. He said he could smell the wealth returning to the island. None of his predictions came true. If the rain was indeed a blessing, the people had had enough. They didn’t want any more blessings.

Donna watched the ocean’s gradual advance towards her home. She lived in a cottage by the hill, so she had a panoramic view of the ocean. The bridge leading to the mainland and the beach-side hotels that housed tourists were the first to go under. She was awakened one morning by screams and cries, and when she stared out the window, she was shocked to find that a quarter of the island had been immersed in water overnight. Residents tried to gather whatever they could. A few were lucky enough to escape with their most prized possessions, but the majority could only watch as the ocean swallowed everything they had worked for years to acquire.

Donna tried to make sense of it all, so she kept up-to-date with the occurrences around the country through her TV. The news was shocking, scientists predicted that the flood was likely to become a permanent fixture of life in the country, half of the country could remain under water permanently. They were past the tipping point and there could be no going back – nature was fighting back, they said, and it wanted a permanent win.

***

A few days later, she was awoken by screams again. She rushed to her window once more and looked out into the starry night and was shocked at what she saw. The ocean, which had been a safe distance away from the hill before she went to bed, had suddenly burst forth and was just inches away from her home.

She was still contemplating what to do when she felt a wetness on her feet, and when she looked down, she realized that the room she’d shared with Don for many years had been breached. While she moved her legs around in the water, trying to make sense of everything happening around her, she recalled the beautiful memories she and Don had made on the island. She recalled the strolls through the island when she first moved in and the stares they both attracted; she remembered how residents of the island had quickly warmed up to her and Don; she remembered the nights they’d spent, staring out the window at the picturesque sunset; she remembered all this and more. They had made many beautiful memories, she could only hope that they would not be soured by the gluttonous ocean.

***

They fled just before the water rose to the level of their knees. She managed to pack as much as she could, but she was sure it wouldn’t be enough. Unlike her, Don didn’t need anything. He had proven over the years to be very adept at adapting to circumstances. No matter where he found himself, he would do just fine. He was a constant source of inspiration for her.

As the newly displaced group climbed up the hill towards the camp built by other displaced residents, the ocean continued to advance till the cottage was fully submerged. It was as Donna stared down at the ocean that she came to fully grasp what the scientists meant by “nature is fighting back.” The ocean seemed to be exacting revenge on the residents of the island for all they’d done to it over the years. Like a very cunning wild animal, its plan was to consume their homes and their property first, while it set them up for a mass slaughter atop the hill.

“There’s no space here, we’re full! You guys need to stay back!” an elderly man shouted at the newcomers, stopping them in their tracks.

“Yes!” a haggard woman chipped-in. “There’s not enough space on the hill for all of us. We are going to have to sacrifice some people.” She joined the elderly man as he approached the newcomers. She cast glances back at the others, hoping to get their support. The support came in the form of nods.

“We’ve lost everything we cherished, we’re not going to give up our lives as easily!” an obese man said, shaking visibly as he struggled to hold back tears. “If the rain continues, some of us must die! It’s a reality we must face. We were here first, so the latecomers should be the first to go!”

“Yeah!!” the others chanted in agreement.

“But that’s unfair!” Donna said in protest. “We’re all members of this community. We are a family! This is not how you treat family!”

“You shut your mouth, little girlie!” the elderly man retorted. He pointed the stick in his hand at Donna as a warning. “You have been in this community for less than a year. One year doesn’t make you family. The only family I know are myself and my kids, and my kids aren’t here. So I don’t know what family you’re referring to.” He spat in her direction.

“We’re coming up!” Donna announced suddenly and she led the charge up the hill. A group of senior citizens joined the elderly man as he attacked.

The haggard woman charged directly in the direction of Donna and Don. She had a score to settle and this was the opportunity she had been waiting for. When she was close enough, she made to grab Donna’s hair but Donna moved away just in time. 

“Stupid little slut! Those little shorts you parade about the island in caused me many problems with my husband! There’s no way I’m letting you get up this hill. It ends here for you!”

While she busied herself with her speech, Donna plotted her attack. She decided to be direct, so she punched the woman square in the face, shattering her nose and bloodying the hands that cupped them soon after Donna withdrew her fist. As the haggard woman crashed on the ground, she searched for Don.

The elderly man had been waving his stick in Don’s direction, but Don was too swift for the septuagenarian. His inability to best his opponent caused the elderly man to boil on the inside, gone were the days when he was physically fit. In his younger days, while in the army, he would have finished Don off in seconds. 

He decided upon a cunning move, if he didn’t have physical strength, he would defeat his opponent with mental agility. He pretended to move to the right and just as Don was reacting to his move, he jumped and made to punch Don in the face. Don backed away just in time, so he missed, but his woes didn’t end there. Upon landing, he lost his footing, fell, and rolled down the hill.

Reunited, Donna and Don made their way up the hill. Donna led the way, she cleared a path and delivered punches to those who attacked as she waded through the crowd of people pushing the newcomers with all their might. Don focused on defending the rear and further disorienting those who Donna had punched by clawing at them.

They made quick time. The advantage they had on their side was youth, and they exploited it for all it was worth. Within a few minutes, bruised and battered, they made it past their attackers. 

The crowd thinned out when they got to the rear, there were a few groups of people scattered here and there, and while they seemed to pay no attention to the duo, Donna was still worried. The groups were made up of the younger segment of the population, Donna didn’t know what kind of reception she and Don would receive from them. She wasn’t the most beloved resident of the city.

Just as she expected, some groups started to gather around when they realized she was the person who made it through. The new group that formed was entirely made up of women. They formed a semi-circle around Donna and Don, blocking the way to the peak of the hill.

“Look what we have here.” Jenna said with a smirk. She’d assumed leadership of the new group as soon as it formed. She was the most aggrieved member of the group, so it was only natural.

“Look who came running up the hill for protection, girls.” She turned to the other girls, a majority of who had their hands folded in-front of them while they glared at Donna.

“Jenna…”

“You don’t speak my name!” Jenna barked. “Not after everything you’ve done to me, you get that?!”

She nodded, and with her head lowered, she said, “Please, I don’t want any more problems with anyone. We are all in a precarious situation, our focus now should be on survival. Whatever problems we have with each other can wait till we’re safe and sound.”

“You should have thought of friendliness a long time ago and put it to use.” One of the girls said. Donna recognized her, her friends call her Gwen. “It’s too late for friendliness. The grim reaper may be near, and I must exact revenge before he comes calling.”

Jenna nodded in agreement, then she slowly descended towards Donna and Don. “Karma, as you know, doesn’t let anyone go scot-free. Karma will always come calling, and you know what the problem is with karma?” she paused long enough for Donna to know it wasn’t a rhetorical question. Donna kept her head lowered as she shook it in reply to Jenna’s question. While she kept her head lowered in deference – hoping that would encourage the girls to be merciful towards her, she kept her eyes locked on Jenna’s legs so she would notice any sudden movements. “The problem with karma is that it shows up at the exact moment when we least expect and desire its presence. And that’s what’s happening here. Karma is here for you.”

“Please, I’ll do anything you ask. Just suspend this till we’re all safe and sound.”

Jenna chuckled. She decided to use Donna’s proposal to set up the stage for justice to be served, “You can start by putting your bird in its cage.”

“I’ve always hated that stupid falcon! Who keeps a falcon as a pet, anyway?!” one of the girls snapped, passionately. “Put it in its cage!” she commanded as loudly as she could.

Donna rarely kept Don in his cage, she only took it with her because she thought it might come in handy. She had no intention of locking him up, not with the situation they had found themselves in. Don lifted himself off her shoulder and landed on her outstretched arm, then he turned to her for instructions.

“I love you, Don. And I know you love me too. You have stuck with me through thick and thin, you have always been my only true love.” She said. “I won’t let anyone hurt you, and I will never leave you.” She whispered. “And I know you will do the same.” She whistled, giving him his final instructions, and then she threw him up in the air. Don screeched as he rose a few meters above ground and began to circle above the girls.

The girls had set the stage for a life-or-death version of the “King of the Hill” game because they believed they held all the cards. Donna was alone and that gave them confidence that they would be victorious. The problem with their assessment was that they had always kept their distance, so they barely knew her. They had no idea what she was capable of. All they knew were the stories flying around island about her “extracurricular” activities.

When the sun finally appeared on the horizon in less than an hour, Donna was confident that she would be the Queen of the Hill, only nature had the power to dethrone her.