Maea
And I hope that you don't suffer
But take the pain
But take the pain
She nodded, but followed Lena to drop off the supplies anyway. It was not far and the woman was right, it did feel better to have something at hand to do, even if it was only lifting and carrying. It was hard to look at all the destruction. Harder to see the ravaged faces of the Torchers as they dug through the remnants of their homes, hauling out what could be salvaged. In some of them, frenzied digging for survivors - or the deceased - continued, and it was heart wrenching to know that they needed help. All of them did. And yet, she could only be in so many places at once.
Heaving the supplies in place on top of a pile of stacked boxes, Maea dusted off her hands and waited for her companion to join her before heading back. It was a relief to soon be headed towards the foreman for something to do. It wasn't difficult; hands were needed everywhere, and a simple mention that they weren't very experienced builders was all the man needed.
Armed with a hammer and a bucket of nails, Maea was pointed to a newly raised wall that needed a facade, while Lena was offered the choice between joining in the task, or sealing the finished wall with paint against the elements.
With her hands occupied and a task to immerse herself in, Maea settled into a rhythm of hammering and fitting planks that could have been peaceful at any other occasion. And while she was normally content to be silent... that only let her hear the shouts and cries all the clearer. They grated on her, sending chills down the spine, nagging at a black conscience that whispered how easily this could have been another building, where fire once licked the walls and innocent people nearly lost their lives. Every nail in the wall should have eased the burden of guilt. Instead, Maea just felt worse.
"Are you doing okay?" she asked instead, turning to Lena to see how she was getting on. "It's tempting to just work until we drop, isn't it... Not that it'll help anyone if we do."
Heaving the supplies in place on top of a pile of stacked boxes, Maea dusted off her hands and waited for her companion to join her before heading back. It was a relief to soon be headed towards the foreman for something to do. It wasn't difficult; hands were needed everywhere, and a simple mention that they weren't very experienced builders was all the man needed.
Armed with a hammer and a bucket of nails, Maea was pointed to a newly raised wall that needed a facade, while Lena was offered the choice between joining in the task, or sealing the finished wall with paint against the elements.
With her hands occupied and a task to immerse herself in, Maea settled into a rhythm of hammering and fitting planks that could have been peaceful at any other occasion. And while she was normally content to be silent... that only let her hear the shouts and cries all the clearer. They grated on her, sending chills down the spine, nagging at a black conscience that whispered how easily this could have been another building, where fire once licked the walls and innocent people nearly lost their lives. Every nail in the wall should have eased the burden of guilt. Instead, Maea just felt worse.
"Are you doing okay?" she asked instead, turning to Lena to see how she was getting on. "It's tempting to just work until we drop, isn't it... Not that it'll help anyone if we do."
Hope if everybody runs
You choose to stay
You choose to stay
