See that sun up there? It\u2019s just painted on. The real sun is a raisin with all the juice sucked out of it. I know \u2018cause I saw it. But before that, I lay in my own garden beneath another fake sky. <\/p>\n
I knew the shape of every rock and leaf, the buzz of every insect, the whistle of every bird. I smelled every flower, climbed every tree… but I stayed out of the woods. Mother said I should never go in there and I was a good girl. Plus also I didn\u2019t have the key to the gate. <\/p>\n
I let out a sigh. “There’s nothing to do.”<\/p>\n
Puggle opened his eyes and peered up at me, his hedgehog spines tickling my belly. “We could play hide and seek.” <\/p>\n
I had on my bright yellow dress, my second favorite after the frilly lavender one. Mother said I shouldn’t climb trees in a dress if I ever wanted to wear it again, so now I wore this one and yellow\u2019s not a hidey color. I shook my head. “You cheat at that game \u2018cause you\u2019re not yellow.”<\/p>\n
Puggle flicked his long tongue at me. <\/p>\n
Bzzzz-whaa-whaa-wa-wa. A cicada buzzed angry not ten feet from me. A meadowlark stabbed at it with her needlely bill. I kicked a slipper at that bird. “Shoo! Leave that bug alone.” <\/p>\n
“She’s just trying to feed her babies,” Puggle said.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s all the world needs, more babies. The meadowlark hopped a step away, one beady eye on me, the other on the wiggly bug. “Go away bird, I’m the top of the food chain.”<\/p>\n
Puggle made his eyes squinty at me. “What do you know about food chains?” <\/p>\n
“Mr. Professor told me about them.”<\/p>\n
Puggle shook his head and looked sad at me. “He needs an upgrade then. They\u2019re called food webs and they don’t have tops.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stuck my tongue at that hedgehog. \u2018Cause he\u2019s not so smart, that\u2019s why. Everything has a top. Mama Meadowlark flew away with the no longer wiggly cicada silent in her beak. <\/p>\n
From inside the cottage a wail burst out. Emily, my baby sister, \u2018cept I never even asked for a baby sister. Well, maybe once but that was before I knew better and I shouldn\u2019t have to be punished for that.<\/p>\n
Puggle rolled off my belly. His ears flicked toward the woods and his eyes got squinty then he turned toward the cottage. \u201cWe should go see if Lady Ella needs any help.\u201d <\/p>\n
I scrunched my nose at what it would smell like in there. I bet I was never that stinky unless you count that time I found a dead frog and forgot it in my pocket for two days. \u201cPuggle, what was I like when I was a baby?\u201d<\/p>\n
Puggle stopped his waddle and looked curious at me. \u201cWell, you weren\u2019t much bigger than I am–\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you love me?\u201d<\/p>\n
He nuzzled my face and whispered, \u201cI\u2019m here to love you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I smiled where Puggle couldn\u2019t see it. \u201cLet\u2019s not go inside then.\u201d I stood and started walking.<\/p>\n
Puggle scampered to keep up. \u201cWait! Where are you going then?\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cMother\u2019s busy, so I\u2019m going to see the woods.\u201d \u2018Cept I didn\u2019t say it out loud \u2018cause Puggle gets nervous around broken rules. <\/p>\n
The stone path narrowed into mossy stairs near the back of the garden. The flowers and shrub-shapes grew taller as we went until they ended at a hedge three times my height circling the entire garden. Beyond that, oaks and maples waved and whispered. Esther\u2026 Esther\u2026 Esther\u2026<\/p>\n
Puggle wheezed up the last stair. \u201cYou\u2019re not allowed back there.\u201d He rolled into a ball, just his eyes and pointy nose stick out of his spikes.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, and you are Mr. Pricklypants?\u201d I learned that from watching stories on my room\u2019s wall. You put \u201cpants\u201d on a name to make it mean funny.<\/p>\n
Puggle rolled himself so tight I couldn\u2019t even see his nose. \u201cWe should go. You can\u2019t get through the gate without the key anyway.\u201d <\/p>\n
The gate was twisty black bars and as tall as the hedge. I pressed my face against the cool metal then blinked and squinted but couldn\u2019t see anything but fuzzy bleary dark.<\/p>\n
The gate lurched. There was a screech. <\/p>\n
I think the gate screeched too and maybe Puggle. My bottom dragged the stones as I crab-walked backwards. Puggle crouched before me, spines flared and teeth bared. From the blackness something slithered out, a green triangle head with mean eyes followed by a long scaly body, dragonfly wings, stubby legs and a snakey tail. It flicked its forked tongue at Puggle then rose onto its hind legs and waved one claw. \u201cHello, Esther. Name\u2019s Foster.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re not supposed to be this side of the gate.\u201d Puggle was shaking at that lizard like an emptying balloon and making those noises too. I worried about that hedgehog \u2018cause he might be a lergic. Mr. Professor said lergics react to particular things\u2026 like maybe green winged lizards. <\/p>\n
I stepped between Puggle and that lizard and clenched my fists. \u201cYou leave Puggle alone. You\u2019ll be sorry if he goes into Anna Galactic Shock mode.\u201d<\/p>\n
Foster cocked his head and blinked his eyes in a weird lizardy way then he flicked his tongue at Puggle. \u201cThings are getting worse out there. It\u2019s time to show Esther–\u201d<\/p>\n
Puggle launched himself at Foster\u2019s face. I\u2019d never seen Anna Galactic Shock mode before. \u2018pparently it involves a lot claws and screaming. Poor Foster had spines stuck all over him. I did warn him though. <\/p>\n
That wail sliced through the commotion. Baby Emily, and she was getting closer. I covered my ears and even Puggle paused, mid-shock mode. <\/p>\n
Foster took the \u2018tunity to slip behind the gate. Just his forked tongue poked from the darkness. \u201cGet the key and meet me here tomorrow. You need to see something,\u201d he hissed, then the gate clunked closed and he was gone.<\/p>\n
\u201cEsther! I told you to stay where I could see you.\u201d Mother had been running. She\u2019d hiked her dress above her knees with one hand and in the other held Emily who was raising a ruckus. As usual. Emily crying that is, not Mother running. She almost never runs. <\/p>\n
That\u2019s not what drew my \u2018ttention though. It was Mother\u2019s eyes open so wide and wild as her hair. My tummy knotted itself. \u201cMother, are you a lergic too?\u201d
\n<\/p>\n
Luckily, Mother never went into Anna Galactic Shock mode. She did say I was grounded which is almost as bad. Grounded means I have to stay in my room \u2018cept for lunch and dinner and if I have to use the bathroom, but definitely not to peek at the baby while she\u2019s sleeping.<\/p>\n
That wasn\u2019t even the worst part though. It was Puggle. He went all grayish and stayed rolled up. I petted him for a long time, but his eyes just looked sad at me and he didn\u2019t say anything. <\/p>\n
He\u2019d been like this before but never so bad and the next morning he\u2019d be all pink and lively again. Mother said Puggles sometimes get tired is all, \u2018specially if they have to keep up with an Esther. This time though, I think it was the shock mode, \u2018cause half his spines were missing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry Puggle. I shouldn\u2019t have gone to the gate. I\u2019ll listen to you next time, I promise.\u201d<\/p>\n
He took a big breath and closed his eyes. I think that hedgehog was disappointed in me.<\/p>\n
The next morning Puggle was even grayer. That\u2019s when my eyes got wettish and my throat swelled inside. Hard to believe. a big girl like me crying, but I saw even Mother cry once. It was right after Daddy left the last time.<\/p>\n
And guess what? Whizzo G Wow, that\u2019s what, \u2018cause Mother says it\u2019s important to name your emotions plus also Daddy walked into my room right exactly then and I hadn\u2019t even seen that guy since before I lost my first tooth and learned how to cartwheel.<\/p>\n
I wanted to smile real big to show Daddy my new tooth but I just squeezed my face against his chest instead. He wrapped his arms around me and I breathed in as much Daddy smell as I could through all the snot pouring out my nose.<\/p>\n
\u201cPuggle\u2019ll be alright, Pumpkin, I promise.\u201d<\/p>\n
I cleared my eyes. \u201cH-how do you know?\u201d <\/p>\n
His face looked sad at me even though the corner of his mouth held a smile. \u201cHe\u2019s my heart, and he\u2019s in yours.\u201d<\/p>\n
I squinted at that guy, \u2018cause that made no sense. He ruffled my hair. That\u2019s what adults do to change the subject. \u201cSo, your mother tells me you were playing near the gate.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked down and said soft, \u201cI like to listen to the trees.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you see anything else?\u201d<\/p>\n
The corner of my eye watched him. \u201cN-no.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s good. That means only Puggle saw the dragon.\u201d<\/p>\n
I was too late covering my big mouth. \u201cIs that what Foster is, a dragon?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daddy\u2019s secret smile was bigger this time, but his eyes looked even more sad at me. \u201cDragons can be dangerous. The outside world is dangerous. That\u2019s why your mother doesn\u2019t want you near that gate. Do you understand?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, well she doesn\u2019t need to worry \u2018cause that gate is locked and I don\u2019t even have the key.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, you don\u2019t. Only I do.\u201d Daddy held up something. It was gold and shaped like an apple on one end and a toothy on the other. I reached for it but Daddy snatched it back. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s my job to protect you. And Puggle.\u201d Daddy stood and scooped him up. \u201cCome on little guy, we\u2019ll see what we can do\u2026\u201d He put the key down on my desk and stroked Puggle\u2019s back. He frowned \u2018cause of all those missing spines I think. He looked hard at me. \u201cDon\u2019t go near that gate, OK?\u201d<\/p>\n
I nodded. \u201cDon\u2019t forget your key.\u201d But I only said it in my head then I sat on my bed and thought about Puggle \u2018cause Puggle was always with me and now he wasn\u2019t which made me jittery inside. That key sat there too, but I bet it wasn\u2019t jittery \u2018cause keys only open things. Until then, they just sit there waiting. <\/p>\n
Keys are good at patience I think. <\/p>\n
But not me, so I came in here even though I\u2019m grounded. Sometimes I need to watch babies sleeping \u2018specially if I\u2019m jittery.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m going now. I\u2019m going to see Foster \u2018cause I don\u2019t think Daddy can fix Puggle\u2026 and it\u2019s my fault he\u2019s hurt.<\/p>\n
Do you want to know a secret? I\u2019m scared. Maybe\u2026 maybe I won\u2019t make it back.<\/p>\n
Goodbye, Emily. I \u2018ppreciate you listening even if I call you Princess Poopypants sometimes. <\/p>\n
I wore my least favorite dress \u2018cause I\u2019d probably be climbing trees, maybe even wrestling dragons. Plus also this dress had big plaid pockets on the front which Mother says is practical. I see what she means. I put that key in one and a sammich in the other.<\/p>\n
I think I spelt sammich wrong \u2018cause when I typed it into the fooderator it came up question marks but Mother and Daddy were arguing in the next room and I was \u2018sposed to be grounded so I just pushed more buttons \u2018til the question marks went away. What came out didn\u2019t look much like a sammich plus also it didn\u2019t smell like I \u2018spected either, but the machine beeped so loud I just grabbed it and sneaked out the door.<\/p>\n
That big faker sun was straight overhead. Course I didn\u2019t know it was a faker then, I just knew it was hot and made the air all shimmery and thick and only the cicadas buzzed in the bushes but not even the birds. <\/p>\n
I wore boots \u2018cause I didn\u2019t want Foster to be able to bite my toes in sandals but now sweat dripped down there and made a squelchy sound when I walked. That\u2019s not even the worst part though. That was my sammich. I was beginning to \u2018spect it was tuna fish. I hate tuna fish, \u2018specially when it gets warm and drippy in your plaid dress pocket which smells that way even after it\u2019s washed.<\/p>\n
So instead, I reached into my other pocket and pulled out the key. It was big and heavy and made me feel better. Stronger. I held that apple above my head so it caught a sunbeam shining through the shady shrubs around the stairs where I was by then. \u201cDon\u2019t worry Puggle. I\u2019ll get your spines back from that dragon. Then Daddy can fix you for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
The trees waved and whispered at me from above the hedge in a breeze only they could feel. Esther, Esther, save him, save him\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n You better believe it, trees. I squelched up the last few steps. The gate loomed over me all twisty and black. I did a swallow \u2018cause my throat was scratchy dry and I didn\u2019t even bring my water bottle with the unicorns and rainbows on it. I gulped a big breath and clunked the key into the lock. Click. It turned. Screech. The gates opened. <\/p>\n I paused before I went through \u2018cause here\u2019s the puzzley part, I didn\u2019t see trees on the other side. I didn\u2019t even see darkness, only a bright white hallway that made my eyes all watery. \u201cF-foster?\u201d<\/p>\n Foster\u2019s voice tickled my ear. \u201cHello, Esther. Come on back.\u201d I jumped and whirled and still didn\u2019t see him.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry, I don\u2019t bite.\u201d This time the voice was far off. I took a step past the gate. The walls were cool and sparkly where touched. I looked back and my tummy tumbled \u2018cause the gate was gone and everywhere looked the same white.<\/p>\n Somewhere Foster was singing all echoey and not very good but least I could follow the sound. A trail of flowers drifted behind me on the wall from my fingertips but then the wall ended and I almost fell into a large room that was even brighter–<\/p>\n Frank N Freaky! I blinked my eyes to get them to work right again but still no luck. For starters there was Foster, but more \u2018bout him later. And then there was Puggle. Well not just one Puggle, a whole line of Puggles but different sizes from tiny to the biggest one which was still smaller than the real Puggle and each in a machine full of greenish water. <\/p>\n On the other side of the room was another line of machines filled with Daddies \u2018cept with no clothes on and the biggest Daddy was still a boy I think.<\/p>\n Behind Foster down the middle of the room was the last line of machines filled with more Fosters. The smaller Fosters were curled up like they were in an egg which was kinda cute but not really. Maybe if my tummy was behaving right. Foster had just climbed out of his machine \u2018pparently \u2018cause the green goo still dripped off him like snot into a puddle \u2018round his feet. He waved with a big toothy lizard grin, then sniffed the air. \u201cWhat is that smell?\u201d<\/p>\n All I smelled was the green snot which was like plum pudding twelve days after Xmas\u2026 plus also my sammich. I brought it out. \u201cTuna fish, you want some?\u201d<\/p>\n I had to snatch my fingers back \u2018cause he snapped it up in two bites. \u201cSorry, I\u2019m always hungry just out of the tank.\u201d<\/p>\n I just squinted at him \u2018cause my eyes were still seeing too many Puggles and Daddies and Fosters and my tummy was all hurly and I had to pee really bad and I wished I was still grounded at home. <\/p>\n Then I sat down \u2018cause my legs were tired, not \u2018cause my eyes were watery or my nose was sniffly or anything.<\/p>\n Foster liked to \u2018splain things. He\u2019d been \u2018splaining for a while, but also he was messing with the tank of the biggest Puggle which got my \u2018ttention.<\/p>\n I wiped my eyes and stepped out of the puddle. Least I didn\u2019t have to pee anymore. \u201cYou leave Puggle alone\u2026 what are you doing anyway?\u201d<\/p>\n Foster blinked down at me from on top his step ladder. \u201cPuggle and I are on the same team even if we don\u2019t always see eye to eye. We need him back and like I was saying, we have to make Puggle\u2019s body grow bigger before he can get into it. The problem is, we don\u2019t have much time so I\u2019m speeding up the process.\u201d He poured a bag of powder into the tank then grabbed a large spoon. \u201cThe agitators will take too long, so I\u2019m mixing this in manually.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, the problem with speeding up the process is the body won\u2019t last as long, maybe just a couple days instead of the usual week.\u201d<\/p>\n I peered into the glass. Little bubbles were pouring out of Puggle like fizzy drink. \u201cWas I born in a tank too?\u201d<\/p>\n Foster dipped a claw in the tank and tasted it. \u201cThat should do it.\u201d Then he blinked at me. \u201cOf course not. You grew in your Mother the way they used to do it. Your father insisted. You see, you\u2019re human.\u201d<\/p>\n I \u2018membered Mother before Emily came and her belly so big. I wondered if all the bubbles inside tickled but Mother just waddled around and groaned a lot, so I guess not. \u201cWhy doesn\u2019t Daddy grow inside Mother too then? He\u2019s human.\u201d I squinted at the biggest Daddy. He didn\u2019t have a belly button.<\/p>\n \u201cActually, he\u2019s transhuman.\u201d Foster put the lid back on Puggle\u2019s tank and climbed down. \u201cShould just be a couple of minutes now. You need to get into your suit.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTrance human? Is that why he\u2019s sleeping?\u201d I tapped the glass. The young Daddy inside didn\u2019t move.<\/p>\n Foster slither-slid around the machines toward the back of the room, \u2018splaining in a loud voice. \u201cTrans means beyond. Humanity long ago moved beyond single bodies and single consciences. Society has since integrated and virtualized into quadrillions of human equivalent minds. You are a throwback I\u2019m afraid. But your father thinks something was lost when we shed our bodies\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Foster was too far away for his words to make sense, I think, plus also something was happening in Puggle\u2019s tank– he started to move. And his eyes opened. I climbed the ladder and yanked the lid off. It was too heavy so it clattered on the floor. Maybe broke a little too. <\/p>\n I was busy getting Puggle out though. The green goo tingled my arms but all I felt was the Puggle snuggle I thought I\u2019d never have again even if it was plum pudding gross. <\/p>\n Puggle coughed. \u201cYou\u2019re squeezing me too tight.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSorry. Plus also I\u2019m sorry you have to grow new bodies \u2018cause I wore you out so many times.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou make my heart stronger and that\u2019s worth a million bodies.\u201d He gave me a prickle kiss and jumped down. \u201cEsther, you need to do what Foster says, OK?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI thought you didn\u2019t like Foster.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFoster\u2026 has a different perspective on things, but right now we agree. We\u2019re all going on a trip.\u201d<\/p>\n Foster was back holding two shiny suits over his stubby arms. He held one out to me. \u201cGet out of those clothes and put this on.\u201d<\/p>\n I hadn\u2019t got to climb any trees, but my dress was ruined anyway from the tuna fish and pee and green gooey pudding. I kicked it aside. The good news was Mother would prob\u2019ly never see it. It felt good to get out of those squelchy boots too. I curled my toes up just in case though but Foster was helping Puggle into his suit so my toes were safe. <\/p>\n I slipped into my suit. It hugged my skin soft on the inside but hard on the outside and covered everything, feet and fingers and face even. I zipped it tight and the zipper disappeared.<\/p>\n \u201cGood.\u201d Foster \u2018spected me from every side. \u201cLooks like you\u2019re ready.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere\u2019s your suit?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a dragon. My suit\u2019s built in.\u201d <\/p>\n Foster waved for us to follow and began winding his way through the machines. I looked to Puggle and he nodded.<\/p>\n The room got darker toward the back of the room. The air smelt funny inside the suit but also I could see little green glowy numbers that didn\u2019t move even when I turned my head but some of them changed every time I breathed.<\/p>\n Foster pushed a button on the wall and doors slid open. Behind them was a small room. \u201cThis elevator takes us to the surface.\u201d He waved us forward.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s the surface?\u201d Inside the elevator were five buttons. The bottom was lit with the letter \u201cG\u201d.<\/p>\n Foster hit the top one labeled \u201cS\u201d and a door slid closed behind us then the floor jerked and I had to grab a rail on the wall. \u201cWe\u2019re deep inside the moon Europa,\u201d he \u2018splained, \u201cbut a meme storm hit Ganymede and knocked out half the q-tangle feeds so now the YRU is trying to relocate a trillion refugees. They want a full inventory of Europa\u2019s resources\u2026\u201d He paused and glanced at Puggle then me and shrugged. \u201cNevermind. The important thing is, we can\u2019t let them find you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis whole thing would\u2019ve been smoother if you let me handle it,\u201d Puggle grouched. \u201cNow you\u2019ve got Esther scared halfway out of her mind–\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s the surface?\u201d I asked again. As much as Foster liked to \u2018splain things, he wasn\u2019t very good at it.<\/p>\n \u201cSee for yourself,\u201d Foster said. Bing. The door slid open.<\/p>\n \u201cWhizzo G. Wow.\u201d I had to whisper it under my breath \u2018cause my breath was already taken by what my eyeballs couldn\u2019t even take in.<\/p>\n \u201cJupiter,\u201d Puggle said as we slid out onto a white slippery world. \u201cThe big orange ball. The little purple one to the side is Ganymede.\u201d He pointed his snout over my shoulder and past the squat little elevator building. \u201cAnd that\u2019s the sun.\u201d<\/p>\n Like I told you earlier, the sun was a disappointment. \u201cWhy\u2019s it so small?\u201d It wasn\u2019t even yellow, just a dirty white glare in a sky that wasn\u2019t blue but instead nighttime. A nighttime sun. I just shook my head.<\/p>\n \u201cIn our habitat below, the sun is simulated to look the size it appears on Earth. We\u2019re a lot further away out here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh.\u201d <\/p>\n But then there was Jupiter.<\/p>\n Jupiter was bigger even than the sun in the habby cat. I don\u2019t know why Puggle calls the garden a cat. We used to have a cat named Mr. Peepers and he was a tabby cat. Jupiter kinda looked like that \u2018cept no whiskers but all orange and white and swirly and even a big glary eye but this one was red and Mr. Peepers had gold eyes but Daddy told Mother he couldn\u2019t stay with us anymore \u2018cause of who looked through those eyes.<\/p>\n I shivered a little. Jupiter was looking at me just like that.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on.\u201d Foster looked impatience at us over his shoulder as he slither-slid onto the ice. \u201cThe YRU will find us fast out here.\u201d A gray ball the size of the cottage rested on spider legs a dozen yards away. A set of stairs dropped from a round yellow lit door. Foster paused before climbing them. \u201cThis spaceship will take us to the new habitat.\u201d<\/p>\n My feet stuck to the ice, maybe \u2018cause the bottom of the suit was sticky but also my heart squoze real tight and my knees locked. \u201cWhat about Mother and Emily? Aren\u2019t they coming?\u201d<\/p>\n Puggle glared at Foster then looked sad at me. \u201cThe new habitat is a lot smaller. It can only sustain one human life–\u201d<\/p>\n My knees unlocked and I moved so quick I jammed my finger on the \u201cG\u201d button before Puggle could even keep the \u2018stonishment from falling out his mouth.<\/p>\n \u201cWait, the YRU–\u201d The elevator door cut Puggle off. I gripped the wall bar and the floor dropped.<\/p>\n Breathing\u2026 breathing\u2026 breathing\u2026 Mother… she\u2019ll be mad I sneaked out of my room\u2026 Thinking, breathing\u2026 breathing\u2026 breathing\u2026 Has she seen the surface? Did Jupiter glare at her and that\u2019s why we live deep underground?… Thinking, breathing, breathing\u2026 breathing\u2026 breathing exercises are hard, I bet Emily can\u2019t even do them. Maybe I can teach her, like Daddy taught me\u2026 thinking, breathing\u2026 breathing\u2026 breathing\u2026 breathing\u2026 Why are you? Who are the Why Are You? Maybe Mr. Peepers was the Why Are You? Thinking\u2026 <\/em><\/p>\n Bing.<\/p>\n The elevator door opened, but the room was dark now \u2018cept the machines glowed green a bit. The little Fosters seemed to be watching me even with their eyes closed. My footsteps made sticky poppy sounds that echoed. Skree-pop, pop, pop\u2026 Skree-pop, pop, pop\u2026 <\/p>\n Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!<\/p>\n My heart pounded faster than my feet, but I slowed down \u2018cause the hall was even darker. It didn\u2019t even make flowers when I dragged my fingertips on it. Skree-pop, skree-pop, skree-pop, skree-pop \u2026<\/p>\n Screech! I left the gate opened \u2018cause I forgot to grab the apple key and no way I was going back in there now, well least not without Mother\u2026 and Emily I guess. <\/p>\n The garden was night with no faker sun or even faker stars but I wasn\u2019t even tired. Well maybe a little but it wasn\u2019t bedtime yet \u2018cause I never had dinner\u2026 or even lunch. My tummy growled and I wished I had that sammich back even if it was tuna fish.<\/p>\n I had a bigger problem first. It was dark. And quiet \u2018cept for Ol\u2019 Man Bullfrog in the pond. Why\u2026 why\u2026 why\u2019re you? Why\u2026 why\u2026 why\u2019re you? And the green numbers on my suit mask. There were green glowy pictures too. One looked like a sun. I blinked at that thing.<\/p>\n Sam Bam Whammoman! The front of my suit lit up, that\u2019s why and I could see day again. I looked hard at those other pictures \u2018cause they were like Pink Peony magic spells or something. I blinked at the apple and banana in a glass. A tube popped into my mouth and\u2026 <\/p>\n Yum!<\/p>\n Echoey sounds came out of the gate. The Why Are You! Or maybe Foster and Puggle. I ran \u2018cause Mother\u2026 and Emily of course. The windows of the cottage were lit up so I blinked at the moon picture and my suit light dimmed and I snuck in the kitchen door.<\/p>\n Only the fooderator glowed in the kitchen, but I didn\u2019t even need that thing \u2018cause I had Pink Peony powers now. I sucked some more juice just to make sure. <\/p>\n Yum! <\/p>\n Most of the light was coming from the living room. Mother and Daddy weren\u2019t arguing anymore but Emily gurgled and Mother murmured so I peeked \u2018round the corner.<\/p>\n Mother was wearing a weird hat and laying on the couch. Daddy looked sad down at her. Emily lay on the floor batting at a mobile.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you ready?\u201d Daddy asked.<\/p>\n Mother nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cReady for what?\u201d I covered my mouth \u2018cause I prob\u2019ly shouldn\u2019t be there but too late.<\/p>\n Mother sat up and the hat wobbled a bit but she spread her arms and I ran into them. She stroked my hair \u2018cept I had the suit on and prob\u2019ly looked like an alien but nobody cared right then. <\/p>\n Daddy turned his sad on me. \u201cI had hoped you\u2019d be halfway to the new habitat by now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPuggle says there\u2019s only space for one and so where\u2019s Mother and Emily going to fit? Plus also I don\u2019t even understand why it\u2019s called a habby cat anyway \u2018cause Mr. Peepers was kinda creepy and I don\u2019t want to be there if he\u2019s gonna be there.\u201d<\/p>\n Mother gave Daddy a look. I think she thought Mr. Peepers was creepy too but sometimes adults just look things instead of saying them even though when we look things at them they tell us to use our words. <\/p>\n Daddy looked serious at me. \u201cIt\u2019s a habi-tat, so I promise Mr. Peepers won\u2019t be there.\u201d He looked regret at Mother. \u201cMr. Peeper\u2019s was the biggest mistake I ever made. I\u2019m sorry\u2026 I\u2019m sorry I can\u2019t fix this, Ella. Can you forgive me?\u201d<\/p>\n Mother blinked and swallowed then kissed him. A scary kiss\u2026 maybe when you\u2019re older you\u2019ll understand \u2018bout kisses mixed with tears and nobody breathes \u2018cause if they do then that\u2019s it but \u2018ventually she said, \u201cYou\u2019re the reason why we\u2019re here. Thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n Daddy looked dazed then cleared his throat. \u201cWe don\u2019t have much time. We need to finish this or you\u2019ll be stuck with the refugees. And I\u2019ve got to get Esther back to the ship.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFinish what?\u201d I asked again. Sometimes adults get sidetracked.<\/p>\n Mother squoze me and looked her sad at me. \u201cI\u2019m going to be virtualized. That way I can fit in the new habitat with you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVirtumalized?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVirtu-alized. I won\u2019t have a body but I can still talk to you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat about Emily?\u201d That baby was not even paying \u2018ttention. Just playing with her mobile. <\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019ll be virtualized too.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe won\u2019t have a body? How will she grow up to be a big girl like me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe will have a body, just a virtual one.\u201d Mother breathed big then blew it out. \u201cWe\u2019re unique with our bodies. Other people don\u2019t have them. We\u2019ll still be here, OK? We\u2019ll be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n Somehow I wasn\u2019t believing her. Maybe \u2018cause she just whispered that last bit. Maybe \u2018cause nobody said they would virtualize me and why not if it was going to be fine? Daddy gently pried us apart and leaned Mother back on the couch. I couldn\u2019t see what he did next. My eyes were all blurry. I couldn\u2019t even see the Pink Peony spells. Maybe one of them could\u2019ve fixed this, but instead my eyes just got waterier and waterier.<\/p>\n \u201cFocus on your breathing,\u201d Daddy was saying. \u201cYou won\u2019t feel anything as you transfer. Just breath slow\u2026 good\u2026 nice and slow\u2026 there. Open your eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n I blinked away the water, but Mother\u2019s eyes were still closed and\u2026 I don\u2019t think she was breathing either. Not even slow. <\/p>\n And somebody was shrieking which made Emily start crying.<\/p>\n \u201cEsther! Esther baby, calm down. I\u2019m here. I\u2019m right here, baby.\u201d Mother\u2019s face was on the wall, like Mr. Professor, and she wasn\u2019t wearing the funny hat like Mother on the couch. Daddy took that hat off and covered her with a blanket.<\/p>\n Somehow I felt a little better.<\/p>\n \u201cGood. Now you need to help Daddy with Emily. That way she can be with me, OK?\u201d<\/p>\n I nodded. Emily was crying. Hard. \u201cBut I want to be with you too.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll be with you, but I can\u2019t take care of Emily unless she\u2019s virtualized like me. Right now I need you to be a big girl. A big sister. You need to take care of her until then, OK?\u201d<\/p>\n I swallowed and nodded again then I tried to grab that baby but she screamed louder and punched at my nose with her baby fists. \u2018sperience told me it should hurt like hello pee-no peppers \u2018cept I didn\u2019t even feel it \u2018cause I was wearing the suit plus also I looked like an alien.<\/p>\n I tried pulling on the mask but it wouldn\u2019t budge then I saw a flashing green picture of a mask and a minus. I blinked at it and the suit split down the front. I flopped that mask back and smiled at that baby. \u201cIt\u2019s me. Esther.\u201d<\/p>\n Pow! \u2018sperience was right, it felt just like a mouthful of hello pee-no peppers. I said a bad word. \u201cBooty!\u201d<\/p>\n Emily giggled \u2018cause bad words are funny to babies I think. I snatched her up and held her out. \u201cHere Daddy, she\u2019s ready to be virtualized now.\u201d<\/p>\n Daddy wasn\u2019t paying \u2018ttention. Neither was Mother \u2018cause she wasn\u2019t even on the wall anymore. Instead there was Mr. Peepers. Well not really Mr. Peepers but his eyes all over the wall. A godzillion of them.<\/p>\n OK, I\u2019m not even sure they were Mr. Peepers\u2019 eyes, but they were creepy like his. And they were talking in a buzzy voice like the cicada but not scared, instead mean. \u201cZohan D, we find you in possession of over ten undeclared terragrams, grossly underutilized, which are subject to seizure under emergency code 45.872 subsection K. In addition, you will be immediately compartmentalized and held for further questioning. Should you wish to file an objection, you have ten minutes before the utilization protocol begins.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho\u2019re they, Daddy?\u201d I whispered it. Emily started to whimper so I held her tight.<\/p>\n Daddy knelt down and put his hands on my shoulders. \u201cThey\u2019re the Yogic Resource Unit. The YRU. Now, I need you to listen carefully, OK?\u201d<\/p>\n I nodded and he kissed my forehead. \u201cThat\u2019s my big girl. You need to get to the surface and get in the space ship. Puggle and Foster will help you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat about Emily?\u201d<\/p>\n His eyes looked sad at me and he held out his arms. \u201cI\u2019ll take care of her.\u201d<\/p>\n I shook my head, eyes blurry again and squoze Emily to me. \u201cNo, you can\u2019t. They \u2018mentalized you.\u201d I whispered the last \u2018cause Daddy\u2019s eyes were glazed and his hands fell off my shoulders and his head slumped forward.<\/p>\n But then, all of the sudden, the Why Are You eyes were wiped from the walls and instead Daddy\u2019s face, his eyes wide and scary. \u201cGo Esther. I can\u2019t hold them long.\u201d The eyes were creeping back in the corners, but the big Daddy head somehow made them pop each time. \u201cTake that, you motherless mechs!\u201d<\/p>\n I held Emily tight and ran toward the kitchen. She began to grunt, her eyes closed tight and her face all scrunchy.<\/p>\n Swampy C Cesspool! I turned \u2018round and down the hall. No way I was carrying a stinky baby all the way to Jupiter. Plus also we\u2019d need diapers. I put Emily on her changing table then I put the mask back over my head.<\/p>\n Whew E Perfumy, that smelt better.<\/p>\n Changing diapers is tricky. Mother\u2019s face \u2018ppeared on the wall but she wasn\u2019t much help. \u201cDon\u2019t let them take Emily, Esther. I was wrong. She needs her body. It\u2019s not the same, being virtual. It\u2019s not the same at all. It\u2019s so abstract. All meta and no meat.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOK, Mother, just tell me how to get the nurserator to make more wipes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, that won\u2019t work. The YRU shut everything down. Wipe her on the bedsheets. They\u2019ll all be recycled soon anyway. Everything is recycled here. Even thoughts. Everything you can possibly think has already been thought by someone and recorded and then just replayed. What\u2019s the point? What\u2019s the point of any of it?\u201d<\/p>\n Wipe her on the bedsheets? The last time I did that I got yelled at. Virtualized Mother was more practical I think \u2018cept that most of what she said didn\u2019t make sense. <\/p>\n There, Emily was clean and squirmy and naked. I picked her up but then I thought about the long way to the elevator and she got heavy and my back ached and now I knew why the bubbles didn\u2019t tickle Mother on the inside.<\/p>\n A green picture of a zombie or something flashed inside the mask. I wasn\u2019t sure how that would help but I blinked at it anyway.<\/p>\n Crike E Yikes! My arms and legs went rigid\u2026 then started walking on their own. I stumbled into the wall.<\/p>\n \u201cYou control it by looking where you want to go,\u201d virtualized Mother said. \u201cI\u2019ve got the suit\u2019s user guide in my mind. There\u2019s encyclopedias, whole libraries of information…\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks, Mother.\u201d Emily was crying \u2018cause my arms were stiff and jerky, but I had an idea. I blinked off the zombie and took off the suit.<\/p>\n It was a struggle getting it on Emily but once I did it shrunk to her size. I pulled the mask to the top of her head. She squinted at me hard. \u201cBooty!\u201d <\/p>\n Then that baby laughed.<\/p>\n Sigh O Sister. I put the mask over her head \u2018cause that baby wasn\u2019t even funny. Plus also I had another problem. How was I going to blink at that green picture when it was inside where only Emily could see it? \u201cMother, you still got that guide in your mind?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHuh? Yeah, sure baby.\u201d Mother\u2019s eyes were funny, like she was looking somewhere far away. And her whole face was going blurry on the wall. \u201cWhat did you need again?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCan I use the Pink Peony spells? From the outside?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPink Peony? I\u2019m not seeing that in the index\u2026 here\u2019s a chapter called \u2018Slaving a Second Suit\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t have a second suit.\u201d I stamped my foot \u2018cause virtualized Mother wasn\u2019t too smart. \u201cThis is a \u2018mergency!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, dear. Why didn\u2019t you say so? Here\u2019s a chapter called \u2018Emergency Override\u2019. The access panel is on the bottom of the right boot. Slide it back and there is a big red button\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n I was already pushing that thing.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t push it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t push the red button. That\u2019s the turbo boost. It locks you out of the manual override.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy\u2019d you tell me about it then?\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cSo you wouldn\u2019t push it.\u201d Mother was just a color blotch now and her voice was getting buzzy.<\/p>\n Emily giggled, \u2018cept it was turbo boosted and I had to cover my ears.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do I do now? Mother?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026 lzt\u2026 brzz\u2026 sorry baby\u2026 love you\u2026\u201d Blip. She was gone. The wall was blank. Then the Why Are You eyes looked at me from everywhere. <\/p>\n Boosted Emily said it for me. \u201cBOOTY!\u201d <\/p>\n \u2018Cept I didn\u2019t find her giggling afterward \u2018ppropriate.<\/p>\n Ok, giggling wasn\u2019t so bad, least compared with crying. When normal babies cry they are loud. Boosted babies? Ouch.<\/p>\n Plus also my back. Emily was getting heavier with every step. I made it through the kitchen fast \u2018cause all those eyes watching me from the walls.<\/p>\n Outside was worse. Now the eyes glowed in the dark. Plus they talked too, with bullfrog and cicada and meadowlark voices. Why are you? Why are you? Why are you? At least it was dark, maybe they couldn\u2019t see me.<\/p>\n Sam Bam Whammoman! The suit light came on. Boosted. I was holding the sun. Now they could see me for sure. Plus also after I blinked the stars out of my eyes I noticed I was only in my underwear.<\/p>\n I ran but not far \u2018cause I tripped and Emily went flying. Her crying stopped. The suit light went off and my heart stopped. <\/p>\n I crawled on hands and knees toward where the light had been. The suit was hard\u2026 and cold. \u201cEmily? You OK? It\u2019s me, Esther.\u201d<\/p>\n The suit softened in my arms. \u201cEsta? Booty.\u201d She didn\u2019t giggle this time, just sighed. Plus also she wasn\u2019t boosted, just snuggly. Maybe even better than a Puggle snuggle. <\/p>\n But I wished that hedgehog was there anyway \u2018cause he had good ideas sometimes. \u201cWhat are we going to do, Emily?\u201d The Why Are You were still out there asking their question plus getting closer \u2018cause the eyes were getting bigger. We had to get to Foster\u2019s spaceship before they virtualized us into fuzzy heads on the wall who couldn\u2019t even read user guides right.<\/p>\n My legs and back felt all rubbery when I tried to stand. I plopped back down. No way I could carry Emily any more. \u201cI wish you knew how to talk. I could tell you how to use the Pink Peony spells.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEsta, blink, blink.\u201d The suit light flashed on, then off.<\/p>\n My \u2018stonishment fell out my mouth. Maybe babies aren\u2019t so dumb. \u201cYes. Blink! Blink on the zombie.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBom-bee?\u201d<\/p>\n I put Emily down and stood with my arms out. \u201cErrrgh\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Emily turned her light and her face toward me. \u201cEsta bom-bee?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBrains\u2026 brains\u2026 must eat brains\u2026\u201d I stumbled around for a bit to show her then stopped\u2014 \u2018cause all around the Why Are You echoed \u201cBrains\u2026 brains\u2026 brains\u2026\u201d <\/p>\n Creepy.<\/p>\n \u201cBom-bee!\u201d The suit jerked toward me. \u201cBwaynes\u2026 Bwaynes\u2026 booty bwaynes\u2026\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cJust look at me, Emily.\u201d I walked backward to make sure she followed. Emily was giggling again. Still not \u2018ppropriate but I smiled at that baby anyway. <\/p>\n \u2018cause now we were getting somewhere.<\/p>\n Even smiles weren\u2019t \u2018ppropriate when we found Puggle. He didn\u2019t look good, even worse than when Daddy took him away and left the apple key to the big creaky gate that I left open. It was hard getting Emily through it though \u2018cause she was crying again and not looking at me and the suit just stopped and the light went out.<\/p>\n That\u2019s when the Why Are You almost got her, their eyes so big all around her glowing in the dark and swirling while the bottom of her feet curled up at me on those baby legs. \u201cEsta\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t touch my sister. Not now, not ever.\u201d I pulled back the foot panel and pushed the big red button that Mother said not to push and guess what? <\/p>\n Boosted Emily. <\/p>\n I lifted her to her feet and pointed her head at the gate then I had to run to catch up plus also the Why Are You were touching me with tingly tendrils which made me run faster and forget my legs were rubbery.<\/p>\n Emily bounced off the wall at the end of hall like a ball of sunlight. I scooped her up and her little legs hammered the breath from my belly.<\/p>\n We slid to a stop in the lab and a big door thudded closed behind us. That\u2019s when I saw Puggle. His skin was gray and his suit hanging in shreds where most of his spines were gone. He must\u2019ve used his Anna Galactic Shock mode again. \u201cYou made it\u2026 just in time. I couldn\u2019t hold them off\u2026 any longer.\u201d <\/p>\n I squinted at that hedgehog. \u201cHold who off?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe YRU. I\u2019ve been compartmentalized\u2026 they got to Foster\u2026 sequestered the rest of us\u2026 I\u2019m all that\u2019s left.\u201d <\/p>\n I shook my head \u2018cause he wasn\u2019t making sense. Maybe he needed a new body. The line of Puggle machines were still there, glowing green in the darkened room. I just needed the powder Foster had used to make them grow faster.<\/p>\n \u201cEsther. Listen to me. I\u2019m your Father.\u201d<\/p>\n Poor Puggle. \u201cDon\u2019t worry. I\u2019ll grow you a new body with a new brain then you won\u2019t be so muddle-minded \u2018cause Daddy is over there.\u201d I pointed to the row of Daddy bodies.<\/p>\n Puggle shook his head. \u201cWe\u2019re all your Father. Me, Foster and Daddy. We\u2019re transhuman. We can have more than one body, more than one consciousness, but all within the same mind.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo you took Puggle\u2019s body?\u201d<\/p>\n Puggle closed his eyes. \u201cPuggle has always been me. I wanted\u2026 to spend as much time with you as I could. The other transhumans don\u2019t understand what they\u2019ve lost. They say you\u2019re too expensive, a waste of resources. I tried to convince them. Let them watch you, get to know you\u2026 through Mr. Peepers. I\u2019m sorry Esther. My pride made me believe I could change the world\u2026 now I\u2019m nothing and I\u2019ve put you in such danger\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n I was only half listening \u2018cause that powder stuff wasn\u2019t anywhere. I did find a funny hat like Mother wore when she was virtualized but then there was a big crash \u2018cause Emily was still boosted and running plus also not looking where she was going but instead going where she was looking which means one of the Foster tanks got tipped over. Babies love looking at dragons I think.<\/p>\n Puggle opened one eye and looked at that baby who was slipping and sliding on the green goo now. \u201cYou\u2019re going to need that suit, Esther. It\u2019s the only one left.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s Emily going to wear? Does she have a built-in suit like Foster?\u201d<\/p>\n Puggle shook his head. \u201cI\u2019ll take care of Emily.\u201d<\/p>\n I squinted at that hedgehog \u2018cause he couldn\u2019t even keep his eyes open. Sometimes adults think we\u2019re not too smart. I crossed my arms. \u201cEmily needs to get to the habitat so she can grow up to be a big girl like me. She needs the suit for that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEsther\u2026 this body is all I have left. It will die soon and when it does\u2026 I need to know you\u2019ll be all right.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen help me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHelp you? How?\u201d<\/p>\n I pointed to the Foster body. \u201cPut me in that. Its suit is built in.\u201d <\/p>\n Puggle shook his head again. \u201cEsther\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n I put the funny hat on my head and took a big breath. \u201cI know, you have to virtualize me first.\u201d<\/p>\n Breathing\u2026 breathing\u2026 breathing\u2026 will it hurt? Thinking\u2026 breathing\u2026 breathing\u2026 breathing\u2026 will I end up like Mother, just a face on the wall? Thinking\u2026 breathing\u2026 breathing\u2026 my tummy\u2019s all tingly. Do dragons have tummies? Of course they do, Foster ate my sammich. I wish I had a sammich. I don\u2019t even have the Pink Peony juice and I\u2019m hungry and my wings are itchy\u2026 <\/p>\n Wings?<\/p>\n I opened my eyes which was weird \u2018cause I had an extra set of eyelids plus also Puggle was looking at me close up. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry it came to this Esther, but\u2026 you taught me how to be human so I know you\u2019ll stay human\u2026 no matter what body you\u2019re in. I love you\u2026\u201d His eyes closed.<\/p>\n Somehow I knew they\u2019d never open again. \u201cPuggle\u2026 Daddy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGo. Time\u2019s short. Watch out for Foster. Dragons can be dangerous\u2026\u201d Puggle let out a sigh and was still.<\/p>\n \u201cEsta? Bom-bee?\u201d Emily was poking at a girl laying on the floor with a funny hat and only underwear. <\/p>\n I closed my eyes \u2018cause my head felt wobbly from all the sad inside it. \u201cCome on Emily. Time to go.\u201d<\/p>\n Emily looked \u2018spicious at me and folded her arms. \u201cBooty.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBooty,\u201d I agreed \u2018cause the walls had eyes on them now. The Why Are You. I slither-slid to Emily and tried to pick her up but my front leg-arms were too short and I was too small and Emily was squealing. Plus also that baby was slippery with green goo. <\/p>\n So was the floor. I gripped my claws to stop sliding, then had an idea. I pushed Emily. She slid like butter on a hot plate. We picked up speed. <\/p>\n Behind us glass shattered. The eyes were on the machines now. But bad news for the Why Are You, more goo made my job more easier.<\/p>\n I ran ahead of Emily and pushed the elevator button. The doors slid apart and she slid in and I punched the \u201cS\u201d.<\/p>\n Eyes whirled everywhere behind us, eating everything they touched, the walls, the machines, even the goo going up into more eyes that swirled into one honking eye staring straight at us\u2014<\/p>\n Emily pointed right at it. \u201cBooty!\u201d I hugged that baby. <\/p>\n The elevator doors closed. <\/p>\n Louis D Whewee! Now we just had to get to that ship and fly to the habitat \u2018cept I had no idea where that was or how to fly a spaceship\u2026 just look at all the controls. There are some for thrust and some for attitude\u2026 <\/p>\n I bet Mother wished I had attitude controls.<\/p>\n I do, but unlike spaceships, you don\u2019t come with a user guide.<\/p>\n \u201cMother? Where are you?\u201d<\/p>\n Puggle downloaded a bit of me into this Foster body before you were virtualized. Esther, sorry about before\u2026 on the wall\u2026 I wasn\u2019t myself all swirled in with the YRU. And I\u2019m sorry you had to be virtualized but you\u2019ll always be my brave, smart girl\u2026 <\/p>\n Somehow we figured out a way to hug in there. It may have been virtual but\u2026 <\/p>\n It was the best hug ever.<\/p>\n Can I see my baby? Is she OK?<\/p>\n I was still hugging Emily on the outside too but she was getting squirmy again looking up at me with saucer eyes. \u201cDon\u2019t be scared Emily. It\u2019s me, Esther. And guess what? Great news! Mother\u2019s in here too.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEsta? Mama?\u201d<\/p>\n I let Mother take over \u2018cause I wanted to look at that spaceship user guide some more \u2018cept as soon as I started learning \u2018bout life support\u2014<\/p>\n Bing! The elevator doors opened. Freddie U Ready? \u2018cause that big eye was looking right at us \u2018cept it was all red and on Jupiter but somehow that didn\u2019t make me feel any safer. Mother put Emily down and together we held her hand and walked onto the surface.<\/p>\n That\u2019s when I saw Foster. He didn\u2019t look too good with Puggle spines hanging off him, one eye squeezed shut and wings all tattered but he was still bigger than me. I guess my dragon body hadn\u2019t grown full size before Emily knocked over its tank of goo. Plus also he was between us and the ship.<\/p>\n Foster\u2019s other eye was glaring at us and he rose up on his hind legs so that Jupiter\u2019s eye glared over his shoulder too. \u201cWe need you to tell us the coordinates to the habitat. Puggle was most uncooperative about that.\u201d<\/p>\n Coordinates? A picture appeared behind my eyes. Eight boxes stacked into one big box with balls inside. Little balls and one big one that looked like Jupiter that rolled in circles. A string stretched from one little ball to a teeny tiny one. A map\u2026 to the habitat. And Foster was trying to take it. Why? \u201cPuggle said you are Daddy too so why are you acting like the Why Are you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re all part of something much bigger. You\u2019re part of us now too. You\u2019re beyond human. Transhuman. We have no need for inefficient biological bodies. We left them behind centuries ago.<\/p>\n \u201cBut your father felt he could horde obscene resources for his own personal\u2026\u201d Foster chewed the next word then spat, \u201cgarden. Meanwhile, trillions of citizens from Ganymede suffer in low resolution\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Foster blabbled on but I was noticing something else. Not really there but I could see it anyway, glowing lines from Foster\u2019s head that swirled away in every direction, but most seemed to come from Jupiter\u2019s eye. <\/p>\n Augmented reality. You\u2019re seeing the YRU\u2019s data flows. They\u2019re controlling Foster. Mother seemed sad. Just a matter of time before they get us too.<\/p>\n \u201cNo they won\u2019t.\u201d I raised a clenched claw and stood up straight. \u201cWhy are you?\u201d I pointed right at Foster and took a step forward. \u201cI know why I am.\u201d I took another step. Emily looked up at me and the suit stepped her forward also. \u201cI am \u2018cause Daddy and Mother loved me. I am \u2018cause Puggle died to save me. I am \u2018cause I\u2019d die to save Emily.\u201d I was right up to Foster now and I poked him in on his scaly chest. \u201cWhy are you?\u201d I poked every word. \u201cWhy are there a godzillion of you? Thinking the same thoughts over and over. Why?\u201d<\/p>\n Foster blinked his one eye in that weird lizard way then he nodded. He closed his eye and clenched his claws. The glowy lines to his head winked out, one by one. \u201cGo.\u201d His voice was tight. \u201cI can only hold them off a few seconds.\u201d <\/p>\n I tugged Emily\u2019s hand and we ran to the ship. We paused at the top of the ramp. Foster opened his one eye. \u201cThank you, Esther. I remember why I am now.\u201d Then eyes swirled out of the elevator and covered him up. Nothing was left when they swirled on toward us. I pushed a button and the ramp slid into the ship.<\/p>\n Even with the extra lids, lizard eyes can get watery and blurry plus also snot bubbles out of their snout.<\/p>\n \u2018Cause Foster was the last bit of Daddy, that\u2019s why. <\/p>\n The ship\u2019s door closed. I fired the thrusters.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a small habitat, not like the one we had but that\u2019s OK. You see that sun up there? Daddy loved us so much he painted it on the sky so you could grow up. But guess what? Even better news \u2018cause Mother lives there now. She keeps us warm and safe.<\/p>\n Good morning, children. <\/p>\n And I\u2019m here to keep you safe too \u2018cause the world does need more babies. The Why Are You don\u2019t understand, but don\u2019t worry \u2018bout them. They\u2019re not so smart. They think food chains have tops, but they don\u2019t \u2018cause there\u2019s more to life than eating. That\u2019s what Daddy was trying to teach me I think.<\/p>\n And don\u2019t worry \u2018bout me either \u2018cause I found my own tank here and can grow any body I want kinda like the fooderator \u2018cept I don\u2019t even have to spell correctly \u2018cause I control it with my mind. <\/p>\n So see? Being transhuman isn\u2019t so bad even if it comes with its own headaches. It\u2019s a dangerous world out there full of meme storms and q-tangle outages and other transhuman words I need to know now. But we\u2019ll be OK, long as I \u2018member the human part, long as I \u2018member why I am.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" See that sun up there? It\u2019s just painted on. The real sun is a raisin with all the juice sucked out of it. I know \u2018cause I saw it. But before that, I lay in my own garden beneath another fake sky. I knew the shape of every rock and leaf, the buzz of every …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64336,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,19717],"tags":[19718],"class_list":["post-131738","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fiction","category-tcl-27-spring-2018","tag-the-colored-lens-27-spring-2018","entry entry-center"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131738","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/64336"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=131738"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131738\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":132878,"href":"http:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131738\/revisions\/132878"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=131738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=131738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=131738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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