Chapter 300: The Harvest
Sella stood in the central distribution square in front of the massive chalkboard.
This board was a reminder for the people. Reminder of the hard days they had to endure. Sella had updated the number of days written on the board for the last few, agonizing days.
The board had a completely different meaning in the present time.
Sella took a damp cloth. She erased that final and horrifying one-digit number. The damp board dried very quickly in the brisk morning air. Sella did not take out the red chalk which was needed to denote a negative. Instead, she took out another piece of pristine white chalk.
She pressed the chalk against the slate. She drew a massive, sprawling zero for the famine gap.
She took a step back, her hands trembling for an entirely new reason. The countdown was officially over. They had beaten the math.
"It's done," Sella muttered to herself quietly.
