Vlashen tossed a bellybun to her daughter. Lilly caught the bun in her mouth. She giggled and said, “Béwey Button!”, before chewing.

“Oh shade, twenty three minutes Lilly.” Vlashen picked up her hip sack and petted her daughter’s head. She walked out of the dining side of the room of tile flooring to the lounging area where the tile was covered with carpets.

“Mmm,” her daughter said over a mouthful of warm bun.

Vlashen smiled. She took out a paper from the stack on the low table beside the sitting pads. She studied the pad while Lilly plaid on the carpets.

Twenty minutes later the two of them walked out the door holding hands. Her hat and jacket were hung on the wall of the lounging area. She popped her free arm back through the doorway and picked them both up and then led herself and her daughter out the door. While locking the door she slipped an arm into one sleeve.

She let Lilly turn the lock while she finished dressing herself in the jacket and hat. They set off down the street past rolling carts of produce and other people focused on their own destinations.

Vlashen took her daughter to a bakery for fresh dough. Then they stopped at the Weekly Insights building. A single door was set in this hallway that led to the inner hall. Lilly pulled her arm as soon as they passed the door’s welcoming rug. Vlashen nodded and released her hand. Lilly ran to the door and knocked a special way. The door opened to let the girl in. Vlashen nodded and mouthed “thanks” to Miss El-in before the caretaker closed the door.

Vlashen walked to the editorial department. “Shal Mel”, she said. Mel stood at a desk sprawled with pages.

“Shyl Vlash, Hello. I’m previewing the arrangement of next week’s publishing.”

“Mmm…” She sat in her chair.

“You’ve never been that interested before. I’m suspicious.”

She pointed to her mouth which had a bellybun in it. Mel rolled his eyes. “You’re just like your daughter.”

“Mmm… bu- I came fest.”

“And mothers can’t learn from their daughters?”

She swallowed. “Sure they can.”

Then they got to work. Mel let out one last quip. “Be sure to learn the good habits and not the foolish ones.”

Vlashen smiled but focused on her tasks. The day moved on as usual.

______

After finishing all of her work for the day, Vlashen opened the door to the children’s care room. Children of the staff were playing, drawing or dazing and daydreaming. She scanned for her daughter.

“Shyl El-in, good afternoon.”

El-in looked at her with weary eyes.The bags under them were wiser than Vlashen’s own.

“Done early?” she asked the caretaker.

Vlashen held up her second and her third fingers. “By two minutes.”

Her daughter ran up to her. “Hi ma.” She looked at Shyl El-in and curtsied. “Shyl El-in.”

“Your daughter was polite and very bored. Drevon again claims she dropped books on his toes. Baseless tattle…no doubt.” The girl’s pale cheeks pinked. She grabbed her mother’s hand, hoping for an ally.

Vlashen felt her own cheeks warm in embarrassment. 

“Thank you Shyl El-in.” Vlashen bowed in the more masculine form.

Later she was walking Lilly home. They’d dined at a popular new children’s kitchen and Lilly made friends with three of her own age. Now they walked with the light of lamps as night took the day. She held the sleepy girl in her arms. 

People were walking along the road in and out of light of the streetsearch safety stations that beamed down from evenly spaced rooftops. Some people were running. She frowned at the unwarranted haste. This hour was for rest and quite reading, not hectic behavior. She heard shouts. The sound of metallic mechanics. A hissing sound. The smell of … meat? Cooking meat. She turned around. A red flash and someone fell. They didn’t move. What was happening? Run! 

Anxiety took her. She ran, not knowing what the threat was. She felt something. A flash of red left Lilly’s back. No! Pain in her chest. Cold. Hollow. She was in light but it was fading.

They were on the ground. She pushed her - who? Someone she loved - away. Why? She fell face first beside her daughter. She couldn’t see. Pressure. Terror. Pain! All ceased.

_______

Nathan opened his eyes. Shouting outside. Was that what woke him? The map! He stumbled out of bed to walk to the table where he’d left it. There it was. Light from between the frilly multitude of narrow curtains shown on the hollow etched glass of the globe. 

He went to the window to peer out. A flash of red. Shouts and screams. There were men and women walking and children walking and running. The street watch was shouting from his building and turning the streetsearch lamp to locate the source of the flashes. The fool! Couldn’t he see that the light was showing the people to whatever was launching those red plasma beams?

Then a man on mechanical stilts walked right into the harsh light. He held a rod that he fired at the people with precision. Nathan went numb and froze. Thank the heavens that he was clumsy with the stilts. He took time to balance before aiming. If they weren’t in shock and terrified for their lives, the citizens could have easily tripped him over. 

Nathan had to be the one to take action. He shattered the glass of his window and dodged a shot of red plasma. He ducked away from the window. He was surprised that the monster had been watching his window. 

Wrong order of actions. What was the right order in this horrible situation? 1. Cushion landing. 2. Break the window. 3. Jump. 4. stop the killer. He took two hydraulic boots from the desk and clamped them to his shins. With a heave he jumped out the window. He landed hard on the shoe pads. A hiss and a clink told him they had jammed after impact. That was the problem with the previous model Nathan was wearing. There was a risk of spraining your ankle. 

The rod fired. Red plasma shot into a woman's back. Nathan tried to stand. There was a crunch and he saw a metal stilt rising out of the woman’s back. The murderer turned to look at Nathan and smiled. He stepped back on the stilts to steady himself. Nathan prepared to kick the nearest stilt.

The murderer was setting his rod in a militant posture. A sudden spray of water blastedinto Nathan’s face. He fell to his knees. 

He could still see through the water that was both warm and cold. He then lost his breath. He couldn't find air. Short and shallow breaths overtook him. The world went white and surreal. The fall and the fear and the shock and the terror. Not enough air. All went dark.

_________________

Lilly was cold. And hurt. She couldn't breathe. Why did Mama leave her on the ground? She couldn't think. The scent of chilton pie. Pain! It hurt! tears started pouring out of her eyes. She couldn't move. She couldn't scream.

A cold sensation suddenly rolled into the pain. She shivered. The feeling of wet mixed with the pain. Her vision darkened for a long time. Then she could see normal. She was too tired. She was still holding Moma’s arm.She finally relaxed and fell asleep. 

She woke up in the same place. First she saw the black fence of the park. It was daytime. She could tell because there was some shine to the black paint. Her mama’s arm was gone! Lilly pushed herself up and looked around. There was a  spot of dark red sticky and stinky stuff bigger than her head under her. What was that? There was another one next to her. Where was Mama?

“Little girl, you’re okay. Thank the elements. Don’t worry. Your mama’s somewhere else.”

“Huh?” She looked up and saw a tall man looking at her. Where was Mama? The man took out a stuffed chilton doll.

“Chila!” Lilly grabbed her buddy and hugged her soft cloth body. Her finger wiggled inside Chila’s hole. “Huh?” She held Chila’s hooves up and peered into the new hole. She could see the man on the other side and the chilton wool stuffing around the edges was black and smeared onto her finger at the parts where she touched it.

“Huh?” Lilly cried. She held Chila close. “Where did mama go?”

The man looked at her. “She was killed.”

Lilly giggled. “Mama doesn't die, Shal.”

“She’s dead little girl. Your Mama’s with the elements now.”

Lilly giggled again but the tears didn’t stop. 

A few minutes later the man carried Lilly into a runecar with cushions softer than mama’s pillow at home. Softer than the pads at the daycare. Her tears stopped. She laid down and held Chila tight. She was sooo tired! She soon fell asleep to the soft embrace. 

_______