Short Story

 

The Feast of the Forgotten

Once, in a world not so different from our own, there existed two great kingdoms—Plentoria and Emberlin.

Plentoria was a land of overflowing orchards, golden granaries, and rivers of milk and honey. Its people tossed bread to the birds and left plates half-full, for food was so abundant, they believed it eternal.

Emberlin, on the other hand, was a kingdom of parched soil and empty bowls. Here, children named the wind “Mother,” for it was the only thing that touched them each night. People here ate dreams more often than bread.

Every year, on the 28^th day of the Month of Sorrows, a mysterious fog would rise between the two lands, forming a bridge of clouds called the Mouth of Earth. It was said that only one person from each kingdom could cross this path—chosen by fate, not birth.

This year, Liora, a twelve-year-old girl from Emberlin, was chosen. She had never tasted an apple, only seen them in the drawings her mother etched in the dust. That same morning, from Plentoria, came Jalen, the prince who thought hunger meant craving chocolate instead of caramel.

As they met on the bridge, the clouds beneath them whispered, “Share or perish.”

Liora and Jalen walked together into a third land—the Forgotten Field—a place shaped by human memory. Here, food appeared only when summoned through understanding.

At first, nothing grew. Jalen demanded fruits by name, but the soil yawned. Liora, kneeling, whispered stories of her people’s hunger—of her brother who once ate petals, of her grandmother who brewed soup from bark.

Moved by the pain woven into her voice, the earth trembled and sprouted a single loaf of bread.

Jalen stared, silent. For the first time, he felt hunger—not of the body, but of justice.

He broke the bread in two. They ate, and the field bloomed—trees bore fruits with names neither had ever heard, and vines dripped with compassion.

Returning to their lands, Liora carried seeds of memory, and Jalen, the recipe for humility. Together, they built the Council of Tables, where Plentoria shared not just food, but wisdom—and Emberlin offered resilience, tradition, and the sacred art of gratitude.

And every year since, on World Hunger Day, the sky bridge opens again—not between lands, but between hearts.

Moral: Hunger isn’t just about empty stomachs—it’s about unseen stories, unequal hands, and the courage to build a table where all can eat, and be heard.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^