![]() You ask about her friends, the games she’s played, about what she did on her last adventure exploring in the Ruins, even though she’s already told you about it in detail. The panicked look on your face is enough to keep her from trying it again. When her restlessness leads her to try taking a closer look at some of the squares, your heart nearly leaps out of your chest, and you drag her back and away from them, never mind that she was actually being pretty careful about it. She’s started complaining that she’s hungry, asking where the pilot is, and speculating about what could be taking the flying machine so long. You’re trapped on less than a third of the final island, now, and though Alula’s eyes are still bright and she’s still chattering at a million miles an hour, she’s also started to shift nervously from foot to foot, and you can tell she’s feeling cramped. Surely the pilot has had more than enough time to return. Surely, Niko and his pilot friend must have made it to the Refuge by now. All you know is that it’s been a long time. How long has it been? You’ve generally had a good sense of time, but your worry is making things blur. This will probably be your last time visiting her, after all.Īs seconds tick by, you start to get antsy. ![]() You’d made the choice on purpose, of course-you need to be here on the southernmost island when the flying machine comes back, so that it has enough space to land-but it still stings a little. You’re stuck on the last of the three islands that make up the graveyard now, and a twinge passes through you as you peer northward. You try to play with her, struggling to not let your anxiety show, but it’s hard when you feel so keenly aware that your space is shrinking rapidly. She simply continues to play one of her many make-believe games in what room is still left. This doesn’t dampen Alula’s spirits in the slightest, of course-nothing has ever been able to keep her down for long. The squares have spread at this point, spread enough that there isn’t enough space to play tag or hide-and-seek. By the time the second hour turns into the third, there is a heavy feeling in your gut that something is wrong, and the feeling is growing with every minute. It’s once the second hour rolls around that you start feeling uneasy. The world seems a little brighter when she laughs. So when Alula turns away from the fireflies and motions you over to join in a game of tag, you grin and chase after her. Your life hasn’t been easy so far, but for the most part it’s all worked out okay. Heaven knows you spend too much of your time worrying as it is. You don’t let yourself spend too long worrying, though. You can fish and clean and do the laundry, and you know a lot about the flora and fauna that exist around the Ruins, but you don’t know if those are things that someone might pay you for. …Not to mention that you don’t know what skills you even have to offer an employer there. Will you have to get a job once you’re there? You’ve taken good care of Alula since Father died (at least, you like to think you have), but you’re still not completely grown up, and you’re not sure whether you have to be an adult to get a decent job in the city or whether “highly responsible teenager” will cut it. You wonder a little what the Refuge is like-you’ve heard stories about tall buildings and walkways and the rosy red glow that serves as illumination there, but you’ve never been to the city yourself. You’re not… nervous, exactly, but you feel uncomfortable. From what you’ve heard, the citizens of Refuge City typically rely on other sources of phosphor. Gathering fireflies is probably one of the less-important things on your to-do list. “Home.” You don’t have a home, not anymore. Your stomach turns when you catch yourself thinking that. Alula’s probably caught enough fireflies to light your home for a week. You smile, and after a while of watching her and cheering her on, you decide to join in with the fun.Īs you run, you think absent-mindedly that it’s a pity you don’t have a jar with you. …Not that it really felt like ‘work’ with Alula around, giggling and turning everything into a game. Since the sun went out, the two of you have worked hard together for countless hours to capture them-both to light your home and to trade to other villagers for toys or clothes. You’ve both become quite good at firefly hunting. It is, in fact, almost fun.Īlula darts over bridges and in between patches of moss, catching fireflies in her hands before releasing them into the air and watching them float away.
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