Water dribbled across the yard, slowly slopping across the gardens and flooding out through the mulch and landscaping. When it hit the large flat concrete surfaces it traveled more easily— less organically— and faster too.
It was at the sidewalks, Rose Kingsford thought, that we shall put in our boats. The sidewalks, she hoped, would carry her ship, the supply barges that followed it, and her people outside the walled confines of the yard and beyond. What lie behind she couldn’t know, but she alone had decided it was time to move her people, and she alone would make the choices that would either lead to their doom or salvation.
She had, of course, every reason to believe that beyond the walls and fences there were places where her tribe could flourish. She’d been shown those places by an anicent mystic— the same one who had delivered the proficy of distruction that woud befall the yard.
She allowed herslef a rare smile as she watched the water dribble out of the grassed areas and into the concrete sidwalks where it gained speed and purpose. This was going to be a hell of a ride. While in the grasses, the onslaughts of water were crushing, slow moving death and entrapment, on the sidewalks, the waters unstoppable power would be their ally. And, she chuckled, it might even be a little fun.
She decided to head back to the vilalge to tell her advisory council what she’d decided. The sidewalks would be their savior, and barring any nasty surprises beyond the gate, she was certain that her people could find a new yard to call their own. One free of th e plauge of the unending waters. One free of the infestations of insects. One free of random shifts and changes of the great mountains. But most importantly, one free of the great devil who’s shit clung to her asshairs.