my feet on higher ground (Eko, PG)
Title: my feet on higher ground
Fandom: LOST
Characters: Eko
Rating: PG
Word Count: 574
Summary: His work is not finished yet. (written for the lostsquee ficlet challenge)
Every morning, Eko treks out to this spot. The wooden skeleton waits for him in the dark, the axe resting against its beams.
The forest crackles with the sound of metal against marked tree. He makes no sound himself, and he remains undisturbed by bird and beast. This place is sacred.
Piles of lumber grow about the unfinished church. Tomorrow he will begin to put the pieces together.
He sets the axe back in its place and returns to his own.
Every night, the rain washes away his work.
-
Eko does not question his work, the forest filled with trees untouched except by his mark.
He slices away at the bleeding red X, and his hands do not blister. Not here, in his sanctuary.
-
This he notices - a girl who doesn't belong.
She is not the girl he has been waiting for, not the girl clothed in blue and innocence. Curious, he calls to her.
The girl watches with wide eyes and buries her feet in the sand, silent and stubborn.
He turns back to the scrawny branches. She will come when she is ready.
-
Today, the girl in red sits next to the pile of wood. She has been his pleasant daily company, quietly observing as he cuts, only fidgeting once every while to scratch at a mark on her arm.
This evening, as he stacks his workload beside her, she stirs. "Why do you keep cutting down the same trees?"
He is not surprised to hear her voice, even after so long. "I am building a church."
She lets out a huff of air, tilts her head at him. "You're not getting anywhere."
He smiles without explanation, and her shoulders raise and droop.
"Goodnight, Mister Eko," she sighs.
"Goodnight." He watches her go, treading sadly down the beach. He sets the axe against the wood that will wash away by morning.
He is one step closer to completing his work.
-
She does not return today. Eko does not worry, and waits for her by swinging in silence, the paint of the axe slowly chipping away.
He works through the night, through the rain.
The wood grows soggy, but remains in its place.
-
The sky grows dark again. His eyes burn and his hands blister, but he does not rest.
She stands inside the incomplete structure, arms wrapped around a beam for protection from her unseen beasts. "Did you miss me?" she asks, her light tone forced and unconvincing.
Eko smiles wearily. "Yes."
"Oh." She scratches awkwardly at her arm. "Can I help? With your church?"
She is not ready for him to correct her, this is not his church. "You may watch for the rain."
Chewing on her sand-crusted lip, she nods. "Okay."
He finally closes his eyes.
-
They work on like this, her sleeping while he fells trees, him while she watches the night sky. The lumber stretches high.
This evening, she hugs her knees to her chest and avoids his eyes. The bite on her arm has begun to fade. "Do you think God forgives bad people?" she whispers.
He kneels in front of her, setting aside the dulled axe. "I was a bad man once."
"Is that why you're here? To make up for it?"
Eko lifts her chin, brushes the streaks of sand from her cheeks. "God will forgive you, Nikki, if you let Him."
Her tears wash down his stained hands.
-
Tomorrow, they will build their church.
Fandom: LOST
Characters: Eko
Rating: PG
Word Count: 574
Summary: His work is not finished yet. (written for the lostsquee ficlet challenge)
Every morning, Eko treks out to this spot. The wooden skeleton waits for him in the dark, the axe resting against its beams.
The forest crackles with the sound of metal against marked tree. He makes no sound himself, and he remains undisturbed by bird and beast. This place is sacred.
Piles of lumber grow about the unfinished church. Tomorrow he will begin to put the pieces together.
He sets the axe back in its place and returns to his own.
Every night, the rain washes away his work.
-
Eko does not question his work, the forest filled with trees untouched except by his mark.
He slices away at the bleeding red X, and his hands do not blister. Not here, in his sanctuary.
-
This he notices - a girl who doesn't belong.
She is not the girl he has been waiting for, not the girl clothed in blue and innocence. Curious, he calls to her.
The girl watches with wide eyes and buries her feet in the sand, silent and stubborn.
He turns back to the scrawny branches. She will come when she is ready.
-
Today, the girl in red sits next to the pile of wood. She has been his pleasant daily company, quietly observing as he cuts, only fidgeting once every while to scratch at a mark on her arm.
This evening, as he stacks his workload beside her, she stirs. "Why do you keep cutting down the same trees?"
He is not surprised to hear her voice, even after so long. "I am building a church."
She lets out a huff of air, tilts her head at him. "You're not getting anywhere."
He smiles without explanation, and her shoulders raise and droop.
"Goodnight, Mister Eko," she sighs.
"Goodnight." He watches her go, treading sadly down the beach. He sets the axe against the wood that will wash away by morning.
He is one step closer to completing his work.
-
She does not return today. Eko does not worry, and waits for her by swinging in silence, the paint of the axe slowly chipping away.
He works through the night, through the rain.
The wood grows soggy, but remains in its place.
-
The sky grows dark again. His eyes burn and his hands blister, but he does not rest.
She stands inside the incomplete structure, arms wrapped around a beam for protection from her unseen beasts. "Did you miss me?" she asks, her light tone forced and unconvincing.
Eko smiles wearily. "Yes."
"Oh." She scratches awkwardly at her arm. "Can I help? With your church?"
She is not ready for him to correct her, this is not his church. "You may watch for the rain."
Chewing on her sand-crusted lip, she nods. "Okay."
He finally closes his eyes.
-
They work on like this, her sleeping while he fells trees, him while she watches the night sky. The lumber stretches high.
This evening, she hugs her knees to her chest and avoids his eyes. The bite on her arm has begun to fade. "Do you think God forgives bad people?" she whispers.
He kneels in front of her, setting aside the dulled axe. "I was a bad man once."
"Is that why you're here? To make up for it?"
Eko lifts her chin, brushes the streaks of sand from her cheeks. "God will forgive you, Nikki, if you let Him."
Her tears wash down his stained hands.
-
Tomorrow, they will build their church.