Ba'kir's Journal
~Fan Fiction~
I am Ba'kir. I am a guildsman of the Guild of Caterers now. I work on Tigano in the farming regions. Ever since the quakes in D'ni I haven't been able to bury myself indoors. It's the wide open spaces for me now.
In old D'ni I wasn't attached to any guild. I got work as I could, a situation I shared with most of my friends and family. We were pretty happy, none the less. We had work. We had plenty of food and good, though hardly spacious, living quarters. We'd take a holiday now and then in one of the Common Ages, if the mood struck us. All in all, I'd say we were fairly content.
The evening the Destruction started we were having a late picnic on the roof of Ador's house. Or, rather, on the roof of the building where Ador's apartment was. The house itself was owned by another, but that didn't stop us from enjoying the view as we celebrated the naming day of Ador's first born.
Just then I was feeling rather flush, as I'd gotten a steady job with Ga'nerin the Merchant, and he paid well and on time. I'd treated the party to some special filled cakes made in a bakery in the Guild district. I'd had one at work one day, and thought they were the best! So I'd made the trip to the caterer's district and brought some back for the party. They were a very festive addition to the celebration, and, what with the wine, and the steamed dumplings, and the baked meat rolls, and the fruits and greens, we were having ourselves quite a time.
Ador's little sister was there, Tara, who has become my wife. Between the wine, the food, and her shy smiles, I was feeling no pain at all, until the explosion. I remember I'd leaned back in my chair, balancing on the two back legs. The sound and the shock of the explosion knocked me silly! I hit the roof so hard, I wore the bruises for weeks afterward! There wasn't any time then to be embarrassed or to even think about the pain. We were on the roof, you see, and had a perfect vantage point to see the great crack open in the wall and that mucky gas come pouring through.
I don't know how long we gaped at it before we gathered ourselves together and took stock. The gas worried us the most at that moment, as it seemed to be headed our way. We all agreed we didn't want to be around to breathe it. Some suggested we retreat to the cellars and seal ourselves in until they'd cleared the air.
It was when the second quake hit, I think, that people panicked and mobbed the Common Library, and we all agreed that perhaps it would be better for us to sit this one out somewhere else, too.
The neighborhood began to take damage then. Another quake struck as we were on the stairs. As we tumbled out into the street, the building up at the corner collapsed into it, blocking our way. The few who were left there on our side of the blockage ran off the other way, desperate to get around the fallen buildings.
I had Tara by the hand, and Ador, his wife and child, were huddled with us against the front of the building. Soam and Garim, Hator and Kendal seemed to have disappeared, and I never found out what happened to them or anyone else from the building. I told Ador we'd go to Master Ga'nerin's home, as he had a private Age, and would never turn us away at a time like this. I was sure we could wait in Tigano until the trouble was over.
The way to Ga'nerin's wasn't blocked at all, and wasn't in the direction of the Common Library, so we hadn't too terrible a time getting there. The office manager recognized me and waved us all through. I led the way to the book chamber. The line here wasn't long. Most of the staff had already linked, though some had gone off to get their families.
I made Ador and his family link to Tigano without me. I told them I'd better stay and help out a little. I owed it to Master Ga'nerin to do my best. I took my place there beside Ezen, the guard who was on duty that night.
Things were pretty bad outside. The office manager told me to go down to the street and see if there were any stragglers out there. If so, to send them up. That kind thought saved dozens of lives. There were many who had been injured in the quakes, whose progress toward the Library was too slow, or who couldn't get past the fallen buildings. Many had gone back for relatives and so on. I waved them inside and called up to the manager, who stood at the top of the stairs and sent them on to the book room.
I was headed back up the street towards Ga'nerin's with an old man in tow, more carrying him than not, rushing him along with my adrenaline running pretty high, when I noticed how close that nasty cloud was, and noticed, too, how silent things seemed in its wake.
There was no one in sight on the street, so I went back inside, closing the door against the gas. I bolted up the stairs, hauling the poor old man with me in too hardy a fashion, I'm sure. I yelled at the manager, as I came towards him, how close the gas was and how deadly it looked.
There was really no way to keep it out, though I grabbed up a small rug and once I'd closed the book room door behind us, I jammed the little rug under the edge to give us a few seconds more.
A second, and the old man had linked. Ezen and I made the manager link next. Then, alone in the room, Ezen grinned at me. He said, "I'm on duty you woolly-headed idiot! Link so I can." He yanked my arm and slammed my hand into the panel of the nearest book. As it pulled me in, the next quake struck. Something hit me, and I linked through to Tigano in a cloud of fine dust.
I was there on the floor, groaning and filthy, when I came to my senses, looking up into the face of my sweet Tara. She'd stayed there waiting for me to link, though the others had been moved on to make room. I looked around for Ezen. Waited for him. The room was dead silent, except for Tara's crying. Mr. Filps was there and got me some medical attention. When I was strong enough, he took me out to see Master Ga'nerin and tell him what I'd seen.
They found places for all of us to stay, and later on, when it looked like it would be a while before we returned, they found us work and more permanent homes. Later still, when it was decided that we could never return to D'ni, I took up farming for the Guild of Caterers on Tigano. Tara and I married a while after that. Poor Ador changed his son's name and his naming day!
I still have nightmares. Most of us do. Mine are often haunted by Ezen's laugh and the rough touch of his hand on my arm. I wake feeling the roof is caving in on me. I just get up and walk outside. I stare up at the stars and spend the rest of the night on the bench in the garden. It's the first place Tara looks when she wakes and I'm gone.
My child, and so many others, have been born here on Tigano. It's so strange to think that they will never know D'ni at all. We'll tell them, of course, but it isn't the same. This is their home and they'll long for no other.
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