She needed to move. If the authorities found her alone in the home, they’d take her and she’d end up in the care of some slum lord who’d force her to grift for survival. And that was if she were lucky. There were worse places to end up in Nekonikon.

Still, the authorities had to somehow be alerted. Little Star would not leave Mawmaw’s body to rot alone in their apartment. It was bad enough her ghost would be stuck here, unable to join the ancestors in the white cloud in the night sky. At least the authorities would dispose of the body. But on this, she had to hold back. Little Star didn’t know how to send an anonymous message, and she couldn’t let them identify her.

She knew carps used scramblers, but she didn’t really know how to make one. Mawmaw had discouraged her interest in illegal hacking, but Little Star always enjoyed the holos, playing a rogue carp in the virtual world jumping from net to net, evading NetGuard monitors, and stealing important data. That fantasy was her favourite escape when life felt dreary. That, and solving the increasingly complex math problems that Mawmaw provided.

For hours she wandered through the streets of Skid Row, putting as much distance as possible between herself and the apartment. At sunrise, the morning fog rolled in heavily from Harborside, making the sky hang low and oppressive over the city. As the darkness receded, it became harder to see her surroundings. As the neon lights evaporated in the grey mist, her world became very small.

Fighting back the tears, she kept moving. As the walkways narrowed, she realized she had taken a wrong turn. Winding her way through back alleys, she sought a main thoroughfare, but found ever darker paths. Little Star’s heart beat faster, this didn’t feel safe, something was wron-

Little Star never did feel the blow land. Didn’t see whomever stole her bag. All she was ever able to recall in the years that followed was waking up to a grey mid-morning, sprawled against a dumpster. She tried to stand, but her vision went fuzzy, a sharp pain behind her ear. On her hands and knees she retched, trying to vomit, but her empty stomach wouldn’t allow it. She heaved in vain for a lifetime before being able to sit upright. Her head throbbed, but it no longer felt warm. Probing gingerly with her fingertips, the top of her head was wet. The red on her fingers confirmed the injury.

After some time she was able to stand, she needed to clean her wound, rest, and get some food. But first, she needed to take care of Mawmaw. Lost now, with nothing, in the back alleys of Skid Row, she tried to focus on finding what she needed.

Who would know how to make a scrambler? Carps were notoriously hard to find, living off the grid, plying their trade and taking payment online. But surely, this place was as off-grid as one could get in Nekonikon. What would one of their homes look like? It’d need to look non-descript, but it would also need to be well-connected. It would probably draw more power than most shacks.

Little Star climbed up on the dumpster, then hopped across the narrow alley to a two-meter high brick wall, and stood. From here she could see the rooftops of the various hovels and shacks strewn about. In the distance, the skyscrapers of Cogstown towered over them, casting long shadows across the slums. Thousands of wires– thick, thin, metal, rubber, exposed– knotted over the area. She scanned them, looking for the shacks that had more than the regular amount.

It was hard to discern. So many wires seemingly growing from nowhere. She tried tracing them to their sources, but it was futile. Still she persisted. She knew her logic was sound and Mawmaw had always known her to be stubborn.

Then she spotted it, just as a fresh wave of doubt was rising in her heart. In the middle of the rat’s nest, a single hovel with too many wires. Now that she had spotted it, it seemed so obvious. Before jumping down, she traced the path she would need to take, repeated it in her mind, then tested herself. Once confident she knew the route, Little Star jumped down and made her way.

The hovel looked much like the others in the area, if a bit larger than average. The walls were made of thin metal plates, attached to a framework of cement, rebar, and wood. However, one key difference was the door. It was sealed shut without any gaps. For some reason she couldn’t rationalize, that fact made Little Star even more certain she was in the right place.

She stepped up to the door and pulled on the handle. It didn’t budge. She knocked. Waited. Knocked again. Nothing. Disappointed, she quirked her mouth to the side as she reviewed her options. Maybe they weren’t home. She could wait here for them to return, but if they spotted her waiting for them, what would they do? Should she hide? Surely a carp would have security methods to detect would-be spies.

Then she heard it. A shuffling inside. Someone was in there, she was sure of it. The gaps may be sealed, but the walls were still thin. “Hello!” She called out, hoping her young voice would not be taken as threatening. “I know you’re in there. I need help.”

Nothing.

But now she knew she had her quarry trapped. Now it was a waiting game and she was sure she was more stubborn. She knocked again. And again. And again. “I’m not leaving until you answer. I promise I just need something quick.”

Eventually the door opened and a gloved hand reached out from the darkness, “Well come on then,” the hand gestured inside. Without considering the risks she boldly marched in and the door slammed shut behind her.

The room was larger than she expected. Illuminated by a single lantern, she could see a bedroll laid out on the floor to one side, and– as expected– a large computer console on the other side of the room. In the middle there was a small kitchenette and shelves made from bricks and wooden planks.

“Who are you? How’d you find me?”

Little Star held her breath and turned around to meet her first real-life carp. She let out the breath, he was younger and smaller than she expected. In the holos, carps wore leather jackets and sunglasses. Their hair was dyed and spiky, and their arms muscled. The young man in front of her was short and gaunt. He wore a dirty tank top that must’ve once been white. On his head sat a red cap with flaps down the side of his face, and where she might have expected a razor-edged goatee, his bare face showed only the faintest hint of a beard. Like the fuzz on the peach that Mawmaw had brought her one time.

Mawmaw. The memory flooded back, and despite herself she burst into tears and dropped to her knees.

“Hey hey hey, it’s OK,” he rushed in close and stepped back once he saw the gash on the top of her head. “Oh my. OK, kid, we gotta take care of that, come with me.” He held out his hand, waiting for her to take it, but she stayed still. Hating herself for her tears, Little Star couldn’t bring herself to move. “I-I’m gonna lift you OK? Just gonna take you over there to rest.”

She allowed him to pick her up and carry her to the bedroll. As he laid her down and turned back towards his kitchenette, her eyes drooped heavily. The last thing she remembered before falling asleep was being surprised at how easily he was able to carry her. He’s stronger than he looks.

***

She awoke much later, lying on her side facing the metal wall. Rolling over, she found him hardlined into his console, the red and green lights on his neuro were solid, which told her he was unaware she was up. Her head still hurt as she sat up, and she reached up to touch it finding a fresh bandage wrapping her tiny skull. At her feet she noticed an unopened energy drink can, a cold burrito, and a package of red candies.

She wasn’t even aware of opening them, but the can was empty, the burrito was gone, and she was halfway through the candies when he disconnected the hardline and his neuro lights went dim.

“Good you’re awake. Was worried what I would do if you flatlined on me.”

“Tank yew” she managed to mumble through the gummies filling her mouth.

He smiled, “Heh, it’s OK kid. Cost me yesterday’s earnings to get the first aid kit and snacks, but it looks like you needed it.”

She nodded, still sitting with her back resting against the wall, munching, “A’ll pey y’eh back.”

“Ahh, don’t worry about it.” He turned his gaze to contemplate the door. “You were pretty set on getting in here…in your sleep, you kept mumbling about mama. What’s going on kid?”

She swallowed a hard lump of refined sugar and red dye, “Last night. They killed Mawmaw. I need a scambler…” she grimaced as the traitorous tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.

He nodded, “I’m sorry kid. Losing your mom’s not easy. You wanna report the body is that it?”

Little Star nodded, “She was my grandmother.” She looked down at the plastic bag in her hands and set it aside, her appetite gone, “Mom and dad died a long time ago.”

“What’s your name kid?”

She met his gaze, “What’s yours?”

“You can call me iRroc.”

Despite herself she snickered, “That’s not a name.”

“In my line of work we make our own names. My real name is Quinton, but I don’t think anyone knows me by that anymore.”

“Your parents are gone too?”

“Probably. Whoever or wherever they are...or were,” he shrugged too nonchalantly. They sat in silence for a moment, before he continued, “If you give me the address and apartment number I’ll send your report for you.

She shook her head, “I want to do it myself. Can you show me how?”

“Ohhhh, you want to be a carp is that it?”

She held his gaze, waiting for him to blink first.

“Heh, I guess so. How’d you find me kid?”

“I looked for the house with the most wires.”

He nodded, a slight smile tugging the corners of his mouth. “Alright. Maybe I can show you a few things. We all gotta learn somehow.”

She smiled, her eyes drifted back to the candies. Her hunger returning, she snatched it back up and popped another couple in her mouth, chewing more slowly this time.

iRoc sat watching her, enjoying the scene. “So what’s your name kid?”

Little Star swallowed, “Mawmaw taught me names have power. That you should protect your real name.”

“OK,” he smiled, “make something up.”

She thought back to her Mawmaw, the last remnants of her old life fighting to survive, surrounded by death. “Call me Penny.”

If you would like to support my work, you can always buy me a coffee using the link below!

Buy me a coffee!

Then the door buzzed.

Dad should’ve been home hours ago, Kara swallowed the hard lump in her throat. Deep down she knew her mother wouldn’t answer, that she’d have to peel away from the viewscreen and make the long walk to the door herself. But she couldn’t. Not yet. She didn’t want confirmation of what her gut already knew was true.

Knock knock!

She turned from the window viewscreen. Her mother was sprawled on the dusty couch as usual. The red and green lights of the neuro on her left temple were solid, indicating she was lost in some holo fantasy, unable to detect audio or visual signals from the outside world. Any responsible parent would at least set their device to augmented reality rather than full immersion while home alone with their eight year old child. But it had been a long time since Guri Aland’s neuro lights flashed red and green.

Knock knock knock!

Adjusting the fit of her too-large nighty, Kara jumped down from the window ledge. She set her jaw and shuffled through the garbage to the door. Taking a deep breath, she deactivated the lock and it slid open revealing two muscular giants.

“Is Guri Aland home?”

Kara shook her head.

“You’re here alone?”

“No.” Kara peeped, “She’s here. She’s just…busy.”

The guards exchanged skeptical looks, one of them peered into the room from the threshold, his face wrinkled in disdain.

The other continued, “Sorry kid. We need to speak with her.”

Kara stepped back from the door and gestured to the coach. Immediate recognition flashed across the first guard’s face. “C’mon partner. Let’s get this over with.”

The two of them entered the room, both striding past Kara, one headed to the coach and the other to the window viewscreen where Kara had watched their arrival.

“Mrs. Aland?” The first officer tapped Guri’s shoulder. When she didn’t respond, he repeated himself louder and shook her forcibly. She jumped out of her holo fantasy with a start. “What the fuc-,” she stopped herself and slapped indignance on her face, “Just who do you think you are? I’m a woman! Home alone with my daughter! And…and you two…brutes just…just…”

He cut off her tirade with a swift hand gesture, “We’re Gurkha ma’am, I think you know that. My badge number is 0356 and my partner here is 0578.”

“That’s better! You should announce yourself when entering a home. What do you want?”

0356 continued, “Are you aware of the time, ma’am?”

Clearly checking her neuro’s HUD, she hesitated, “I do indeed. It’s…22:50.” She glanced over at Kara, who quickly lowered her head and made circles on the floor with her big toe. “Why aren’t you in bed?”

Without raising her head, Kara whispered, “I’m waiting for daddy.”

Guri’s anger flared up, putting on a show for the two guards, “I put you to bed, not daddy. You should have been asleep hours ago! Now go!”

Kara wiped her nose, her lowered hair hid the tears, but the dripping betrayed her. She already knew what these guards were gonna say. But she wanted to hear it. She refused to move.

“I said bed! Now!”

0578 put his arm around Kara and asked her to show him her room. She didn’t want to leave, but took his kindness as the best available option. Grabbing hold of his big finger, she led him down the hallway.

0356 continued, “Ma’am there’s been an accident tonight. A carp attack on the sky train. Your husband was…”

Kara allowed 0578 to guide her down the hall. When they got to the door, he moved to close it and head back to the living area. “My dad’s dead, isn’t he?”

He stopped, unsure of what to do. How do you lie at such a time? How do you tell the truth?

“I think it’s best for your mom to tell you.”

“She won’t talk to me.” Kara looked up, revealing her puffy eyes and red cheeks, “But I know. You don’t have to tell me. I know.”

0578 squatted down, “You loved your dad a lot huh?” He watched Kara nod slightly, “Sounds like he was a good father.”

Kara didn’t respond. She just hugged herself.

“Your mom.” 0578 looked down the hallway, “She a good mom?”

Kara hugged herself tighter.

Sighing, 0578 stood up. “Try and get some rest kid.” He closed the door and went back to the living room.

Kara waited for the sound of the front door to close before she headed back out to the living area. Her mom was once again immersed in her holo, but she could see fresh tears on her face. That was something.

Heading back to the window viewscreen, she watched as the guards walked back to their drone. She waited for it to take off, but after a few minutes it still hadn’t moved. She chewed at her fingernails, a bad habit her dad had said.

After a few minutes, 0578 exited the drone again. 0356 chased after him. Both were yelling. Kara didn’t know what they were saying, but she felt a measure of hope without knowing why. 0356 threw his hands in the air while 0578 strode back to the building.

A few minutes later, a soft knock came to her door. This time, Kara opened it without hesitation.

“C’mon kid. I’m getting you outta here.”

If you would like to support my work, you can always buy me a coffee using the link below!

Buy me a coffee!

By day, the misty veil cast a drab grey upon their concrete world, protecting them from the harmful radiation that lurked above clouds. Mawmaw was pointing beyond all that to the white cluster known as the “Milky Way,” a galaxy within which our own planet is but a speck of dust.

On this night, she passed another story to her granddaughter: A cloud of white to the west that could once only be seen in the night sky. A great cloud substantiated by the souls of their ancestors.

“Some nights, when the wind is just right, if you squint so hard your nose crinkles, you can see it. Your namesake. The single little star, not yet a part of the cluster, defiantly shining its light back upon us.”

Little Star crimped her nose as she listened, imagining the light. Never had she seen such a thing with her own eyes, but she believed every word Mawmaw had ever told her. Why wouldn’t she?

After some time she gave up and returned her gaze to the cityscape in front of them. Blinking as her eyes adjusted to the bright neon pinks, yellows, and blues advertising all manner of products they couldn’t afford. The worst were the pushy AR ads that projected on blank surfaces; augmented-reality intrusions advertising star maps, physics courses, and whatever else was garnered by eavesdropping on her conversations.

Her stomach growled. Little Star clenched reflexively, a futile attempt to quiet the noise.

“Here. Take mine. I cannot finish it.” Mawmaw offered the half eaten acorn bread, wrapped in a napkin.

“No thank you.” Little Star stared straight ahead, her eyes locked on an advertisement for male enhancement- whatever that meant. Her ears burned red, angry at her backstabbing stomach.

“I’m old. I could barely finish the first half. Really, take it. You’ll sleep better.”

“No thank you.”

It was hard to tell sometimes who was more stubborn. That will serve her well, grandmother nodded to herself as she sat the bread down on the ledge between them. “Maybe the pigeons will enjoy it.”

“Maybe.”

Mawmaw sat in silence with her granddaughter. Looking up at the sky, breathing deep and steady as she ignored a passing banner offering a free two-month energy drink subscription.

“Mawmaw.”

“Yes child.”

“What happens to them now?”

“To whom?”

“The people who die. If they can’t find the great cloud at night, where do they go?”

Mawmaw let out a breath, “I suppose they are ghosts. Walking the earth until the day the sky finally clears.” She put her arm around the child to comfort her, noticing the gooseflesh forming on her arms. “But don’t worry. You remember the story of Coyote. How he convinced the dead to stop taking the living.”

“Yes.” Little Star lowered her head, still not able to meet her grandmother’s eyes. “But, Coyote set them on fire so they could become the stars.” She looked back up to the sky, ignoring her own banner advertising a free child-friendly bible in exchange for her biometrics. “I think they are in the clouds now. Trapped. Still on fire. That’s why the rain burns.”

She hugged her granddaughter closer, knocking the bread off the ledge to the street below. “Maybe you’re right. I do not know of such things.”

“I thought you knew everything.” The words came out in a giggle.

Now squeezing her grandchild, “Ha. You’ll soon know more than me.”

Little Star knew Mawmaw was talking about her maths. She didn’t know why, but the numbers came easy to her. She found it comforting how they all fit together perfectly. She hadn’t yet come to the inherent contradictions that would one day plague her with greater frustrations than she’d care to admit. For Little Star, the numbers were still an endless source of comfort. The numbers and Mawmaw.

“It’s late. Time to sleep, child.”

“Why?”

“You have school in the morning.”

“You’re my school. We can do it whenever we want.”

“No.” Mawmaw used her firm tone. “No matter what they say about their fake AR daylight, it is important to follow the real sun.”

“You mean the real sun we can’t see. Because of the clouds? Because of the dead?”

“It’s still there. And we will follow it.”

This time grandmother was the more stubborn one. But further tests would come for Little Star.

As they descended the stairs to their room, Mawmaw offered consolation. “Tomorrow, we’ll start by learning about the frog in the moon.”

“The what?” Little Star laughed as she opened the door.

“You’ll see in the morn--Back child!” Mawmaw shoved Little Star behind her in the doorway, putting herself between her granddaughter and the ganger with the bat.

“Aww shit. They’re home, Nate!” The young man spoke to his compatriot down the hallway via their neuro sync. Nathan had stationed himself by the front stairwell to alert Gabriel if anyone were to come. Neither of them expected people to arrive by the emergency stairs.

“Who is it Gabe?” Nathan was already running to help.

“Just some old lady and a little kid.”

Mawmaw’s instincts kicked in. As calm as she could muster, she offered the young man whatever he wanted without conflict.

Looking at the old lady and the young child, Gabe’s heart hurt. But the growl in his stomach hurt more. The smell of fresh bread had kept him here too long as he searched for the source. “Where’s the food?”

“It’s gone.” Mawmaw answered truthfully one hand behind her back ushering Little Star to the door pressed against the wall as Nate arrived.

“Bullshit! It’s fresh. I can smell it.”

“Mawmaw doesn’t lie!” Little Star yelled, sticking her head out through grandmother’s protective barrier. A barrier that collapsed following a dull thud from Nathan’s bat.

“Now I know you’re full of shit.” He smiled, looking down at the heap, “Everyone lies.”

Nate continued into the apartment while Little Star cried at her grandmother’s form. Blood pooled from her head and smeared the floor and she shook her body.

No one came. No one helped.

The two men tossed the apartment. Taking what trinkets they could find. But Mawmaw’s final words rang true- there was no bread to share.

Nathan found an old copper coin jammed between the springs under the cushion of the ancient coach. A penny. Worthless now. A small thing without value.

On the way out, the two men pushed past Little Star, still on her knees in a futile attempt to revive her Mawmaw. He flicked the coin, “Here kid. For your trouble.”

The coin bounced off her head and toppled to the floor. It had corroded over the years, but Little Star detected a small glimmer in the center as her grandmother’s blood pooled around it. A little speck, defiantly shining through an ocean of death.

If you would like to support my work, you can always buy me a coffee using the link below!

Buy me a coffee!