Bees buzzed in the clumps of wild flowers by the dirt road, making the air clouded with noise. The smell of jasmine was heavy, mixing with the scent of cooking coming from the huts on the hill. Sparrows sung in the branches of the trees laden with blossom and wood pigeons flew from field to tree transporting materials to build nests. Yellow flowers grew plentiful across the rolling hills.

The tree he sat in was one of the tallest, he could see across the fields as far as the river at the bottom. He could see the huts he called home with goats grazing lazily on the dry grass. He watched as a ladybird landed on his stomach, tickling him with its tiny feet as it strolled towards his bellybutton and rested there for a while.

‘Jason! Where are you?’ his mothers voice pierced the natural silence and he turned over on his front- careful to brush the ladybird off him first- so he could see her through the branches. Resting his chin on his hand, he watched his mother stand with her hands on her hips, looking out towards the yellow field.

‘Up here.’ Jason called.

A goat came to nuzzle at her waist, absentmindedly she brought a hand down and began stroking its nose. ‘Mike will be back soon. Come down please.’

Jason frowned; he didn’t want to see his brother yet. He knew he would come back with exciting stories of who he had met and what he had bargained to get sugar. Maybe he would come back with oil- then Jason would never be able to hear the end of how wonderful he was.

Jason wrapped his legs around the knotted branch and slid off until he was hanging upside down in the air by his knees. He hung there, feeling the blood pound in his ears. A cool wind rustled the flowers and the fronds on the roof of the cottages. Jason shivered. He grabbed the branch and lowered himself to the bleached grass. It crackled between his toes as he felt the warmth from the earth travel to the soles of his feet.

At that moment, the sounds of hooves on the dirt road reached the village and the villagers came out to greet the travellers. Jason hung back, kicking a stone.

His brother was at the head, jumping down before the horse had halted to embrace his mother. They had been gone three days and no one had been sure whether they would come back.

The city was a dangerous place. It was necessary to visit to get the supplies they couldn’t grow themselves. There were gangs with guns who would do anything for sugar, coal and cooking oil. Buildings lay in ruin; grass grew through the potholed tarmac and vines pulled down lampposts. It was much hotter in the city, the sun reflected a thousand times in the shattered glass and black tarmac. It was a different world than the one Jason was used to.