Thursday's Children
Jun. 26th, 2020 06:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gridloreI'm cleaning out old files in preparation for the new computer and the brain transplant. I kind of like this one.
“Brother! Come quickly, our sister has found something and we must go see!” Brother looked from where he had been piling stones. Big Sister was at the top of the bluff, hands on hips, looking down expectantly. “Come quickly!” she shouted before turning abruptly and walking away. Abandoning the half-finished fort, Brother began limping up the slope. “I am coming,” he said to no one in particular, “but I cannot move too quickly because of my knee.”
Little Sister was on the south beach, not far from the shelter the children had erected long ago. By the time Brother made it, Big Sister was already listening to Little Sister's tale. “I was looking for my bear. I thought he might be on the beach because bears like fish. So I came to look and found this.” Little Sister pointed to a clump of seaweed that had washed up. There was a white ring tangled up in the plants, along with something lumpier. The trio moved closer to inspect the find.
“The ring is a life-ring. People on boats used them to help them swim.” Big Sister looked at the mass of seaweed closely. “There is a body in the ring. He must have fallen off a boat and his people couldn’t rescue him. Bodies are dirty and we shall not touch these things.” After several minutes Brother spoke up. “I think he was a pirate. He was thrown off his ship for not telling where his treasure was buried. We should hunt for the treasure and make swords to fight the pirates.”
Little Sister clapped her hands and said that sounded like a good game. Big Sister agreed that it was a good game so long as no one got too dirty. The discussion of pirate treasure was interrupted by the rumble of distant thunder. “Oh, the rain is coming! We need to go back to the shelter!” Big Sister declared, setting off with her determined stride. Little Sister followed, skipping merrily. Brother set off after them. “I am coming, but I cannot move too quickly because of my knee.”
The shelter was a large, tattered tent on the island’s highest hill. A fire pit held the long-dead remnants of a bonfire. Discarded tools and toys lay all around. The rain began as the children reached the top of their trail, passing the carefully constructed stone cairn at the edge of the encampment without a glance. Once in the tent, Big Sister looked around with a big smile on her face.
“What a good day we had! We all had fun, and we learned so many things! Just think! Tomorrow is a whole new day! Who knows what new games we’ll play! Now it is time for sleep. Goodnight!” At that Big Sister ceased moving, her eyes closed. Brother and Little Sister soon followed Big Sister’s lead. The next day the body and the life preserver were gone. No one ever mentioned them again.
The children continued in their routines. Brother planned for battles against pirates, Little Sister searched for her missing bear, and Big Sister chided them about the disgraceful state of their clothes, ignoring the fact that her clothing had all but disintegrated. Each night ended in the same way, in the tent with Big Sister telling them how wonderful tomorrow would be.
It was during one of the island’s periodic big storms that the pattern changed. The tent had developed several leaks. Big Sister and Brother were discussing repairs when Little Sister suddenly leaped to her feet and cried out “My bear!” Brother looked at where she was pointing. “Little Sister, I do not see your bear. Do you remember where you left it?” Little Sister ignored him, running out of the tent into the storm shouting “Bear!” over and over. Brother began struggling to his feet when Big Sister stopped him. “We cannot go after her in the dark. She will come back on her own, or we will look for her in the morning. “ That being settled, Big Sister announced it was time for bed.
The next morning dawned bright and clear with no sign of Little Sister. Big Sister decided that she would search the southern half of the island, while Brother took the northern half. Using a tree branch to steady his increasingly bad knee; Brother limped off, calling for Little Sister. He crisscrossed the island, checking meticulously for any sign of his missing sibling. It was while checking some sea-caves that his knee completely failed. Unable to keep his balance, Brother tumbled off the edge of a cliff and fell onto the sharp rocks. Seeing that he had been run clean through by one of the ricks, Brother opened his mouth and let out a piercing klaxon wail.
“Please help. I am an International Robotics Childhood Companion robot. I have been damaged beyond self-repair capabilities. I require immediate repair. I can access most phone systems for a toll-free call. “ Again, the klaxon. “Please help. I am an International Robotics Childhood Companion robot. I have been damaged beyond self-repair capabilities. I require immediate repair. I can access most phone systems for a toll-free call. . .” Brother continued to repeat his plea as the tide rose around him. When the tide receded, there was nothing but silence.
-
The clearing had almost returned to its wild state. The tent had long past blown away. What was left of Big Sister sat in the mud motionless. She came to life with a jerk, scaring off the birds that had been harvesting her hair for nesting material. She grinned with a half-frozen face.
“Wh-wh-what a good day we had!”
“Brother! Come quickly, our sister has found something and we must go see!” Brother looked from where he had been piling stones. Big Sister was at the top of the bluff, hands on hips, looking down expectantly. “Come quickly!” she shouted before turning abruptly and walking away. Abandoning the half-finished fort, Brother began limping up the slope. “I am coming,” he said to no one in particular, “but I cannot move too quickly because of my knee.”
Little Sister was on the south beach, not far from the shelter the children had erected long ago. By the time Brother made it, Big Sister was already listening to Little Sister's tale. “I was looking for my bear. I thought he might be on the beach because bears like fish. So I came to look and found this.” Little Sister pointed to a clump of seaweed that had washed up. There was a white ring tangled up in the plants, along with something lumpier. The trio moved closer to inspect the find.
“The ring is a life-ring. People on boats used them to help them swim.” Big Sister looked at the mass of seaweed closely. “There is a body in the ring. He must have fallen off a boat and his people couldn’t rescue him. Bodies are dirty and we shall not touch these things.” After several minutes Brother spoke up. “I think he was a pirate. He was thrown off his ship for not telling where his treasure was buried. We should hunt for the treasure and make swords to fight the pirates.”
Little Sister clapped her hands and said that sounded like a good game. Big Sister agreed that it was a good game so long as no one got too dirty. The discussion of pirate treasure was interrupted by the rumble of distant thunder. “Oh, the rain is coming! We need to go back to the shelter!” Big Sister declared, setting off with her determined stride. Little Sister followed, skipping merrily. Brother set off after them. “I am coming, but I cannot move too quickly because of my knee.”
The shelter was a large, tattered tent on the island’s highest hill. A fire pit held the long-dead remnants of a bonfire. Discarded tools and toys lay all around. The rain began as the children reached the top of their trail, passing the carefully constructed stone cairn at the edge of the encampment without a glance. Once in the tent, Big Sister looked around with a big smile on her face.
“What a good day we had! We all had fun, and we learned so many things! Just think! Tomorrow is a whole new day! Who knows what new games we’ll play! Now it is time for sleep. Goodnight!” At that Big Sister ceased moving, her eyes closed. Brother and Little Sister soon followed Big Sister’s lead. The next day the body and the life preserver were gone. No one ever mentioned them again.
The children continued in their routines. Brother planned for battles against pirates, Little Sister searched for her missing bear, and Big Sister chided them about the disgraceful state of their clothes, ignoring the fact that her clothing had all but disintegrated. Each night ended in the same way, in the tent with Big Sister telling them how wonderful tomorrow would be.
It was during one of the island’s periodic big storms that the pattern changed. The tent had developed several leaks. Big Sister and Brother were discussing repairs when Little Sister suddenly leaped to her feet and cried out “My bear!” Brother looked at where she was pointing. “Little Sister, I do not see your bear. Do you remember where you left it?” Little Sister ignored him, running out of the tent into the storm shouting “Bear!” over and over. Brother began struggling to his feet when Big Sister stopped him. “We cannot go after her in the dark. She will come back on her own, or we will look for her in the morning. “ That being settled, Big Sister announced it was time for bed.
The next morning dawned bright and clear with no sign of Little Sister. Big Sister decided that she would search the southern half of the island, while Brother took the northern half. Using a tree branch to steady his increasingly bad knee; Brother limped off, calling for Little Sister. He crisscrossed the island, checking meticulously for any sign of his missing sibling. It was while checking some sea-caves that his knee completely failed. Unable to keep his balance, Brother tumbled off the edge of a cliff and fell onto the sharp rocks. Seeing that he had been run clean through by one of the ricks, Brother opened his mouth and let out a piercing klaxon wail.
“Please help. I am an International Robotics Childhood Companion robot. I have been damaged beyond self-repair capabilities. I require immediate repair. I can access most phone systems for a toll-free call. “ Again, the klaxon. “Please help. I am an International Robotics Childhood Companion robot. I have been damaged beyond self-repair capabilities. I require immediate repair. I can access most phone systems for a toll-free call. . .” Brother continued to repeat his plea as the tide rose around him. When the tide receded, there was nothing but silence.
-
The clearing had almost returned to its wild state. The tent had long past blown away. What was left of Big Sister sat in the mud motionless. She came to life with a jerk, scaring off the birds that had been harvesting her hair for nesting material. She grinned with a half-frozen face.
“Wh-wh-what a good day we had!”
Thursday's Children
Date: 27 Jun 2020 02:31 (UTC)no subject
Date: 27 Jun 2020 04:15 (UTC)I really wonder about what came before this. Is the carefully constructed cairn their former owner/charge? Is the body in the life ring relevant? What happened to Little Sister? What happened to the bear?
no subject
Date: 27 Jun 2020 14:46 (UTC)no subject
Date: 27 Jun 2020 17:59 (UTC)no subject
Date: 29 Jun 2020 11:30 (UTC)