Esther
Legacy Name: Esther

“Hey, wake up.” the voice deep and gruff, yet spoken softly with love, “Dawn is breaking and those rabbits aren’t gonna trap themselves.” Gleaming hazel eyes splintered open gently, gazing up at him. Not long after the downfall, simply waking up with a roof over your head was seen as a blessing. Esther was lucky; she got to wake up to her dad too.

With a skip in her step and a grin struck across her face, Esther tread along next to her father. As the sun arched high over the sky, the duo spent their time trapping and hunting animals. It wasn’t until darkness began to fall that they returned home with all their spoils. Fruit and nuts made up the bulk of their gains; foods that would last a long time. They also brought home a few rabbits, which they then went on to dry in the safety of their apartment. Night grew older and Esther eventually settled in for bed, her dad popping in to tuck her in tight, “Sleep well, little dove.” The husky voice melted through the silence of the night. The sound of the door clasping shut echoed through the room as she drifted off.

A light thump cut her dream to a bitter halt. Darn cat. She thought, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Troublesome as it might be, Esther didn’t have anyone else since her father was killed by bandits a year prior. A tiny furry reminder of a life long-since passed; one where humanity was free to take food for granted as it had for centuries, one where a little girl like herself would grow up happy with parents to guide her. All of that was gone now; crops failed, animals starved and society collapsed. It was a wonder how that cat, seemingly so dependent on her, survived before following her home from one of her scavenger runs.

Esther was abruptly brought back to her senses by a loud crash which resonated up the stairs and through the halls. Stealthy she cracked open the door and peered through in search of immediate danger. There was nothing in-sight, so she slipped out through the doorway and crept with muted steps all the way downstairs before hearing a voice. Slowing her movements, Esther peeked on through the stairway banister to see a middle-aged man reaching down to scratch affectionately at her cat’s ears. Silently she watched and listened to this seemingly friendly soul, reminiscing on the past.

He bore a striking resemblance to her father; same build, same hair colour and, without any proper shaving equipment, the same beard she imagined every grown man had these days. Her father had always been a role model to her, especially after everything that had happened. Having died during childbirth, Esther never knew her mother and couldn’t quite imagine the pain her father went through from the loss. He’d always been such a strong individual for as long as she could remember, raising her all on his own even through the end of the world itself. But this wasn’t her father, and after everything she’d learnt from him, she wasn’t so quick to trust a friendly face.

As the cat spotted her and darted over, Esther continued to stare down the man, weighing up her options. Would she speak up? Or simply slink back into the shadows?

Story and profile edited by Vain
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