NarniaGirl12
New member
This story is entirely and completely (mostly) fan-fiction. All of these people and events are not true and are from my imagination and Jeanne DuPrau’s imagination only. No part of it is/was/will be true nor was it written by a published author (except for the very beginning). It is for mine and other fan’s enjoyment. Also, I must give credit to the author of the book, Jeanne DuPrau, for sparking an idea in my mind to write a fan fiction about what was never told in the book or in the movie. It would help you better understand what I’ve written here if you’ve actually read the published book by Jeanne DuPrau or seen the movie (based on the book) by someone whose name escapes me at the moment. If you don’t understand something, don’t be afraid to ask, for you shall be answered. With that being said—hope you enjoy!
"It's Ember," Lina whispered.
They could see the tiny bright streets crossing each other, and the squares, little chips of light, and the dark tops of buildings. Just beyond the edges was the immense darkness.
"Oh, our city, Doon. Our city is at the bottom of a hole!" She gazed down through the gulf, and all of what she had believed about the world began to break apart. "We were underground," she said. "Not just the Pipeworks. Everything!" She could hardly make sense of what she was saying.
Doon crouched on his hands and knees, looking over the edge. He squinted, trying to see minute specks that might be people. "What's happening down there?"
"Could they hear us if we shouted?"
"I don't think so. We're too far up."
"Maybe if they looked into the sky they'd see our candle," said Lina. "But no, I guess they wouldn't. The streetlamps would bee too bright."
"Somehow, we have to get word to them," said Doon, and that's when the idea came to Lina.
"Our message!" she cried. "We could send our message!"
And they did. From her pocket, Lina took the message that Doon had written, the one that was supposed to have gone to Clary, explaining everything. In small writing, they squeezed in this note at the top:
Dear People of Ember,
We came down the river from the Pipeworks and found the way to another place. It is green here and very big. Light comes from the sky. You must follow the instructions in this message and come on the river. Bring food with you. Come as quickly as you can.
~Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow
They wrapped the message in Doon's shirt and put a rock inside it. Then they stood in a row at the edge of the chasm, Doon in the middle holding Poppy's hand and Lina's. Lina took aim at the heart of the city, far beneath her feet. With all her strength, she cast the message into the darkness, and they watched as it plunged down and down.
"When do you expect they'll be coming?" Lina asked, once again facing Doon.
"As soon as they can. We should stay in this area for at least a day or so, and if they don't come, then..."
"Then what?" Lina asked fearfully, glancing at Poppy, who was skipping off in another direction. She scrambled after her sister and grasped her hand.
"We should try to find other civilizations, I think."
"You don't think there are actually other people out there?" A look of horror came over Lina's face. "Like...rabid people? People gone absolutely crazy with hunger? ...Cannibals?"
Doon grimaced and shook his head. “There might be, but I don't think we'll run into any of them," he said, for their sake.
Poppy began jumping up and down. "Wanna run wanna run wanna run!" she shrieked, tugging on Lina's hand.
"Not now, Poppy." Lina shushed her sister. "Me and Doon are trying to talk. We can have fun later."
Poppy started to whine and writhe, and Doon knelt down next to her face. "Hey Poppy," he cooed, "Lina doesn't know anything about fun. We're going to have some fun. We're going to play some tag. Ready? Set? Tag! You're it!" He tapped Poppy on the shoulder and took off running. Poppy tore out of Lina's grasp and dashed after Doon, giggling with delight. Lina crossed her arms over her chest and watched the two of them chase each other around; worried that Poppy would trip over lumps in the earth. After a couple moments she joined in, and she got tagged by Poppy, so she began running after Doon. She was faster than him and soon tagged him, and he gave up and they all fell in a tangled heap on the ground.
When Lina caught her breath, she stood up, brushing herself off. "Well that was fun, wasn't it?"
Doon was still sitting on the ground. He didn't answer. He was looking at Poppy, who was curled into a ball with her face out of sight. Doon pushed Poppy's hair out of her face and saw that her eyes were squeezed shut and her face was a slight green color.
"Lina, she doesn't look too good," Doon said, concerned. Lina knelt down once again and took her sister up in her arms.
"Poppy, what's wrong?" Lina whispered in her sister's ear. "What's the matter? Don’t you feel good?"
Poppy shook her tiny head and burst into a fit of coughing. Lina cuddled her and whispered the Voices in her ear, rocking her back and forth. Poppy soon fell asleep, and Lina set her down in the tall grass and covered her with her red Messenger's jacket. Then she looked up at Doon.
"Do you think she'll get better soon?" Lina asked.
Doon shrugged. "How should I know? I'm no doctor. Maybe some rest will do her good. In the meantime, we should wait for the other citizens of Ember to arrive."
Lina nodded somberly, staring at her sister's peaceful face. Then she looked at the big ball of light in the sky, and saw that it was in a different spot than it had been when it appeared. It was getting lower in the other direction. She wondered if it would disappear again, and the whole place would once again be dark. It seemed like the cycle in Ember, when, during daytime, the lights would be on all day, but then at night, the lights would turn off from nine at night to six in the morning. But this ball of light didn't have a generator controlling it. This ball of light seemed to control itself.
The sky began turning crimson, and the big ball of light sank lower behind the horizon. About half of it was still showing.
"It's going to get dark again." Doon said what she was thinking. Lina didn't answer, just sighed.
I miss by bed in Ember, Lina thought. I miss my bed, I miss my house, I miss my closet, I miss the yarn shop. I miss Mrs. Murdo, I miss Lizzie, but most of all I miss Granny. Oh Granny, if only you could see me now. What if she can see me now? Lina imagined that Granny was watching her from somewhere, smiling down on her, proud of her. She smiled with that warm information. Oh Granny, if only you knew how much I miss you. Oh yeah, and, thanks for the help, Granny. Without you I wouldn't be here.
With that thought she looked back up at the sky, which was pitch black by then, and lay down in the grass next to her sister. After a couple quiet moments, Doon lay down on the other side of Poppy.
"Doon?" Lina whispered. Doon grunted in reply. "Supposing the others don't come by tomorrow night?"
Doon sighed, rolling over to look at her. "What do you think will happen?"
"I don't know," Lina thought for a moment. "I think they will come."
"Well, you never know. Our message could've landed on someone's roof, or in a gutter, or anywhere. That's why, if they don't come by tomorrow evening, we have to leave here and..."
"And what?" Lina asked, her voice rising. "Why do you keep trailing off like that?" She dropped her voice back to a whisper after Poppy stirred a little in her sleep; for fear she would wake her younger sister up.
"I don't know. Go to sleep, Lina." Doon rolled over and said no more. Lina narrowed her eyes and looked up at the tiny little lights sprinkled across the sky.
“Doon,” Lina said again. Doon groaned this time. “I’m glad you’re with me.”
Doon reached out to grasp her hand. “I’m glad you’re with me, too.”
And with that, Lina slept.
"It's Ember," Lina whispered.
They could see the tiny bright streets crossing each other, and the squares, little chips of light, and the dark tops of buildings. Just beyond the edges was the immense darkness.
"Oh, our city, Doon. Our city is at the bottom of a hole!" She gazed down through the gulf, and all of what she had believed about the world began to break apart. "We were underground," she said. "Not just the Pipeworks. Everything!" She could hardly make sense of what she was saying.
Doon crouched on his hands and knees, looking over the edge. He squinted, trying to see minute specks that might be people. "What's happening down there?"
"Could they hear us if we shouted?"
"I don't think so. We're too far up."
"Maybe if they looked into the sky they'd see our candle," said Lina. "But no, I guess they wouldn't. The streetlamps would bee too bright."
"Somehow, we have to get word to them," said Doon, and that's when the idea came to Lina.
"Our message!" she cried. "We could send our message!"
And they did. From her pocket, Lina took the message that Doon had written, the one that was supposed to have gone to Clary, explaining everything. In small writing, they squeezed in this note at the top:
Dear People of Ember,
We came down the river from the Pipeworks and found the way to another place. It is green here and very big. Light comes from the sky. You must follow the instructions in this message and come on the river. Bring food with you. Come as quickly as you can.
~Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow
They wrapped the message in Doon's shirt and put a rock inside it. Then they stood in a row at the edge of the chasm, Doon in the middle holding Poppy's hand and Lina's. Lina took aim at the heart of the city, far beneath her feet. With all her strength, she cast the message into the darkness, and they watched as it plunged down and down.
"When do you expect they'll be coming?" Lina asked, once again facing Doon.
"As soon as they can. We should stay in this area for at least a day or so, and if they don't come, then..."
"Then what?" Lina asked fearfully, glancing at Poppy, who was skipping off in another direction. She scrambled after her sister and grasped her hand.
"We should try to find other civilizations, I think."
"You don't think there are actually other people out there?" A look of horror came over Lina's face. "Like...rabid people? People gone absolutely crazy with hunger? ...Cannibals?"
Doon grimaced and shook his head. “There might be, but I don't think we'll run into any of them," he said, for their sake.
Poppy began jumping up and down. "Wanna run wanna run wanna run!" she shrieked, tugging on Lina's hand.
"Not now, Poppy." Lina shushed her sister. "Me and Doon are trying to talk. We can have fun later."
Poppy started to whine and writhe, and Doon knelt down next to her face. "Hey Poppy," he cooed, "Lina doesn't know anything about fun. We're going to have some fun. We're going to play some tag. Ready? Set? Tag! You're it!" He tapped Poppy on the shoulder and took off running. Poppy tore out of Lina's grasp and dashed after Doon, giggling with delight. Lina crossed her arms over her chest and watched the two of them chase each other around; worried that Poppy would trip over lumps in the earth. After a couple moments she joined in, and she got tagged by Poppy, so she began running after Doon. She was faster than him and soon tagged him, and he gave up and they all fell in a tangled heap on the ground.
When Lina caught her breath, she stood up, brushing herself off. "Well that was fun, wasn't it?"
Doon was still sitting on the ground. He didn't answer. He was looking at Poppy, who was curled into a ball with her face out of sight. Doon pushed Poppy's hair out of her face and saw that her eyes were squeezed shut and her face was a slight green color.
"Lina, she doesn't look too good," Doon said, concerned. Lina knelt down once again and took her sister up in her arms.
"Poppy, what's wrong?" Lina whispered in her sister's ear. "What's the matter? Don’t you feel good?"
Poppy shook her tiny head and burst into a fit of coughing. Lina cuddled her and whispered the Voices in her ear, rocking her back and forth. Poppy soon fell asleep, and Lina set her down in the tall grass and covered her with her red Messenger's jacket. Then she looked up at Doon.
"Do you think she'll get better soon?" Lina asked.
Doon shrugged. "How should I know? I'm no doctor. Maybe some rest will do her good. In the meantime, we should wait for the other citizens of Ember to arrive."
Lina nodded somberly, staring at her sister's peaceful face. Then she looked at the big ball of light in the sky, and saw that it was in a different spot than it had been when it appeared. It was getting lower in the other direction. She wondered if it would disappear again, and the whole place would once again be dark. It seemed like the cycle in Ember, when, during daytime, the lights would be on all day, but then at night, the lights would turn off from nine at night to six in the morning. But this ball of light didn't have a generator controlling it. This ball of light seemed to control itself.
The sky began turning crimson, and the big ball of light sank lower behind the horizon. About half of it was still showing.
"It's going to get dark again." Doon said what she was thinking. Lina didn't answer, just sighed.
I miss by bed in Ember, Lina thought. I miss my bed, I miss my house, I miss my closet, I miss the yarn shop. I miss Mrs. Murdo, I miss Lizzie, but most of all I miss Granny. Oh Granny, if only you could see me now. What if she can see me now? Lina imagined that Granny was watching her from somewhere, smiling down on her, proud of her. She smiled with that warm information. Oh Granny, if only you knew how much I miss you. Oh yeah, and, thanks for the help, Granny. Without you I wouldn't be here.
With that thought she looked back up at the sky, which was pitch black by then, and lay down in the grass next to her sister. After a couple quiet moments, Doon lay down on the other side of Poppy.
"Doon?" Lina whispered. Doon grunted in reply. "Supposing the others don't come by tomorrow night?"
Doon sighed, rolling over to look at her. "What do you think will happen?"
"I don't know," Lina thought for a moment. "I think they will come."
"Well, you never know. Our message could've landed on someone's roof, or in a gutter, or anywhere. That's why, if they don't come by tomorrow evening, we have to leave here and..."
"And what?" Lina asked, her voice rising. "Why do you keep trailing off like that?" She dropped her voice back to a whisper after Poppy stirred a little in her sleep; for fear she would wake her younger sister up.
"I don't know. Go to sleep, Lina." Doon rolled over and said no more. Lina narrowed her eyes and looked up at the tiny little lights sprinkled across the sky.
“Doon,” Lina said again. Doon groaned this time. “I’m glad you’re with me.”
Doon reached out to grasp her hand. “I’m glad you’re with me, too.”
And with that, Lina slept.
Great work!
