Bowden Browngate was no stranger to Clover. Though she often wished he was. His hair was an odd mixture of spiky and curly and was usually pushed back and held there by a black bandana. Right then it was not. It was just a spiky curly mess. He wore a sleeveless black t-shirt that read ‘CREW’ and brown cargo pants. 

Clover looked down at her own cargo pants. It was nearly the same colour as his, but at least her top was green. So they wouldn't be completely matching and that was important. She stared at his smug face.

“Bowden, you going to tell me about this job or what?

“Harsh! You have not seen me for some time yet and no ‘hello’? No ‘how have you been’? You offend me,” he smirked.

“You did not start off with a ‘hello’ or a ‘how have you been’ so cut that out. What do you want?” Clover shot back.

“Alright, alright.” He took a deep breath and a long exhale. “Let’s start again shall we? Well hello Clover, how have you been?”

“Hello. Tired. Angry. Now tell me about the job or leave.”

“Alright, alright... I hear you specialise in lost children?” he said, his face suddenly serious.

“I don’t know if that’s a speciality but it’s what most people come to me for,” she leaned back into her couch. “You looking for a missing child?” 

“Yes.” The serious expression did not fall from his face.

“Okay then. Name, age, picture, how and where did he go missing?”

“Can’t remember.”

“What?” Clover was annoyed but she managed to stop herself from flipping sheets of paper at him.

“Look, you know how to leave if you knew how to get here.”

“I mean it Clover. I cannot remember. All of us cannot remember. His parents cannot remember. But believe me. There really is a missing boy.”

She stared at him intently. He looked back at her pleadingly. 

“Look,” Clover said, shutting her book and putting it back to the top of the pile. “I’m tired and hungry and I really could use a shower. So please, cut to the chase okay?”

“Alright,” he said running a hand through his hair. “I don’t know where to begin to be honest. You know I’m with a merchant company yeah in Cemanra?”

“Yeah, I remember. World with the stupid advanced technology. Space merchants or whatever.”

“Shut it, we’re not called that,” he smiled then continued on. “The boss wants his son to take over his enterprise. The boy is ten, can’t tie his laces yet, but he’s been taking trips on our vessels to different places. Then comes our turn, and during our trip, he disappears. Spent a week looking for him, went back to report to the boss and he says he doesn’t have a son.”

“What?”

“Yeah. Adamant about it. Said we were crazy then starts to doubt himself and panics. But the next day, forgets about his son again. We were gone for a month or so. We all remembered him, until we started to forget. We felt guilty you know? Kept looking for him. Then we first kept forgetting his name, then his face. So before we forget anything else, well, here I am. Will you help us?”

“Ten year old huh?” Clover trailed of and went deep into thought. 

“Yes! I knew you would help. So we all rigged some money together, the boss won’t pay for a boy he can’t remember, but how much do would we owe you?”

“Nothing,” she said. Four stepstones, two wishstones. Need more stones. “Look, I’m running low on pathstones, I’ll need to resupply before I do anything. You can come if you want,” she said while standing up. 

“Wait,” he held a hand out and prevented her from leaving the room. She looked at his muscular arm and then up at him, an eyebrow raised.

“No, seriously. How much do we owe you?”

“Nothing. I told you, I don’t take money for missing children cases. Adults, yes, stuff, yes. Not children. Now let’s go we are wasting time.”

“No, really. We can’t just not pay you… is this because of… who we are?

“Bowden, drop it. I'm not going to accept money for a missing child.” she pushed away his hand and proceeds down the corridor. “You coming or what?” 

He looked at her, a hint of sadness in his eyes and replied. "Clover, I'm going to pay you, even if it means I have to lose a pen and you find it for me later. Okay? My money is your money. So take it when this is done alright?" 

She sighed calling out behind her. "Fine, fine, I'll find your missing pen or whatever, lets just go. Keep walking and try not to think of anything, just keep following me." 

Clover walked down the aisle, passing bookshelf after bookshelf until the carpeted floor is no more, and shattered pieces of metal and concrete block their way. 

"What... where are we?" Bowden asked. 

"I'm not sure what's it called. Or well... what it was once called. Haven't found any undamaged road signs or anything that I could read. You are going to have to bend down for this," Clover said and goes on her hands and knees and crawls through the wreckage. 

She crawls out and waits for Bowden. Larger than herself, it took him a while to crawl through. 

When he did, he picked himself up and brushed the dust off his clothing and stares eyes wide as the scene around him. 

The remnants of a broken world.