People ran all around her. Shouting and cries of desperation rang through the deafening panic. The air, that was once balmy and still, trashed against Juniperâs face. It was only a matter of time before she herself would be swallowed by the horror that had taken her parents.
Though she was the heart of the action, Juniper heard nothing. She had once read that history repeated itself, she just didnât know it would happen so soon. Shrinking, Juniper searched for something to stabilize her. She looked down at her boots, and then she was gone.
Juniper owned a pair of classic red Converse. They were two and a half sizes too big and the laces wrapped around her skinny ankles like ribbons on a package. They we a gift from her parents for her eighth birthday, but the sneakers didnât actually fit until she was ten. Juni had never cared that they didnât fit though; there was something magical about their red canvas and the way that they said âAll Starâ on them.
âMom,â she would start innocently, as if she hadnât asked the same question every morning, âWhy do the shoes say âAll Star?ââ Juniâs blue eyes would grow wide with anticipation. Her mother was a woman of few words and Juniper ravished every kind word that left her mouth. A smile crept up on her motherâs face before she wiped her hands on the dirty kitchen towel. âBecause my baby,â she said in that sultry voice of hers, âBecause my baby is a star.â Juniperâs mother would then look over at her devoted husband and send him a wink or a smile, âand only stars get to wear the All Star shoes.â
Below her was a pair of red Converse, double knotted around the ankles. In front of her was a danger approaching at an unbelievable speed. Her mother and father were down the road, unaware of the dust storm that would eclipse them in less than thirty seconds.
âNo, no, no,â she mumbled helplessly, unable to muster the strength to shout. A beat of bravery, or perhaps stupidity, burst through her. Juniper started to run toward them. It wasnât until someone grabbed her, did she realize she hadnât moved at all.
âJuniper, move!â said the man, but she didnât know him. How did he know her?
âWait, no!â she rebutted firmly. Her prowess grew as her panic mounted. Then she realized she was being dragged in the opposite direction. âStop!â she shouting, now physically trying to get away from him.
âWe have to move, or we die!â the man shouted back at her, taking her to the nearest shelter. In sheer hysteria Juniper realized that she would never see her mother and father again. âMy parents! Please!â is all she could scream before have the door shut in front of her.
It was mid afternoon when it happened. Juniper had been released from school and she met her parents at the community woodpile like she always did. From there she would follow them down to the field and do her school work on a bail of hay while they finished up a hard days work. Her parents ran the stable, a plentiful business that would only last for three more years without their care, all of which the proceeds would go straight into Dust.
Her mother and father walked a couple of paces in front of her, hand in hand, and enjoying each otherâs company. They always shared secrets, whispering and blushing and laughing in their privacy. Juniper never understood this, but one day she hoped that she would. Usually the spritely girl was right next to them, but a shiny coin had caught her eye. There in the middle of the road was a real life quarter! This was miraculous to Juniper, the use of the old American currency was just a blotted out memory in the town Dust. People traded goods and services; money was of no use to them. Finding a coin was like finding a piece of golden treasure to a child.
Yet, there it was, a 2005-quarter. Astonished, Juniper took an extra long look at its serrated edges before turning back to her parents. Her mother and father were now down the road, and just beyond them was the dust storm that would change her entire life.
With a rush of emotion, Juniperâs pity and terror turned into anger. If this man hadnât stopped her she might have been able to do something! He still had a firm grasp on her as she wriggled forward, trying to escape the tool shed they were inside. âIâm not,â Juniper struggled, âSupposed to talk,â she tried a different direction, âto strangers.â Desperate, Juniper took to violence. âNow, let go of me!â she bellowed, before landing a good loud smack across his face.
Then it was over. In front of her was Robin. Her shoes were boots again, and they were inside of a dank shack just small enough to make two people uncomfortable. The thundering noise of wind swooshed over the tiny window, and sand plastered out the sunlight. They were in darkness now. It was only then that Juniper began to cry.