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wickedwordsAnd here is my HL story also from the Bystander zine. You know, I should put this up on my website as well. This was the last HL story I wrote, until we posted the DP chapter in december of last year.
Much thanks to Destina and Elyn for letting me bounce ideas off them and for doing the beta. Thanks to Moco as well for the final editing pass.
Guardian Angel
By Rachael Sabotini
"Mega-Golden-Eagle, attack!" Andy pressed the right button on his controller, his heart pounding as the golden-red animal screamed and dive-bombed the armed warrior three squares away.
The eagle wavered, its golden edges turning black, then the whole field went dark. "Ah, zork, outta batteries," Andy muttered, looking up from the game for the first time since his mom ran into those old friends of hers.
The garden was filled with other tourists, all of them looking at the old church. A marble angel smiled down on him, but Andy didn't care. His batteries were dead. He got up from the concrete bench and stuffed the game in his pocket, looking around for his mom. He had a flash of panic when he couldn't see her, but he knew she wouldn't just leave him. Not in a strange city, like London. Not even in a shopping mall back home in Squim. Heck, he was lucky that she let him cross the street lately.
He caught her voice and almost sighed with relief. She was still talking to the two guys they'd run into, telling them something about the house.
"I had to redo the plumbing in the guest bedroom. One of the pipes broke during the big freeze last February, and water went everywhere. It caused a lot of damage."
Bathroom. Ooops. "Mom," he called as he ran up. "I gotta--"
"Just a second, sweetie." She put her hands on his shoulders and turned him toward the two men. "Are you still working on that castle renovation, Mac?"
The dark-haired man nodded. "Most of the guest rooms are done. We're still converting the old stable into lofts. Shouldn't be more than another six months."
"We're thinking of going back to America, then," Adam added, squeezing Mac's shoulder. "I've gotten a few nibbles. The University of Washington needs a site manager for one of their Columbia River digs."
"That sounds wonderful! Mac never told me what you did. You'll both have to come see us if you get the job."
"Mom," Andy whined, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "I gotta--"
"Go to the bathroom?" Adam was smiling at him, but not in that stupid way adults did when you were going to get a lecture about needing to figure things out before you really had to go. More like the smile of a guy who lost track sometimes, too.
"Yeah," Andy replied gratefully.
Mom ruffled his hair. "I figured that once the game ran out, you might need to go. Mac's been here before, so he knows where everything is." She looked up, no longer talking to Andy. "Haven't you been everywhere before?"
He shrugged. "Not everywhere." Then he nodded his head toward where Adam leaned against the post. "Between the two of us, though, we've been a fair number of places."
"I used to keep an album with all of the cancelled stamps from the letters you sent us. It certainly seemed like you’d been everywhere in the world."
"Mom!" Andy yelled. He really couldn't wait much longer. "I need to go to the bathroom!"
She squeezed his shoulders and turned toward Mac. "Mind taking him?"
"I can go by myself."
"I'd prefer if someone I knew went with you. Unless you wanted to visit the women's room ..."
"No! I'll go. It's just..." He leaned in and whispered a little too loudly, "I don't know him, Mom. You don't want to send me to the bathroom with a stranger, do you?"
Adam coughed. "I don't think they make them stranger."
"Mac's no stranger, Andy. I've known him most of my life. And he came out to the farm -- about three years ago, wasn't it? He's a very good friend of Grandma Anne's." She smiled down at Andy, and that made it okay. He thought he remembered someone coming by when Grandma was so sick, but a lot of people had visited then. So, if his mom said it was okay, then it was okay. She wouldn't let just anyone take him to the bathroom.
"Well, okay." He thought he heard Adam laugh, but when he turned to look, his face was-- blank, like the faces of the statues around them. Kinda creepy. He stared, hard, and the guy grinned, and Andy grinned back. He didn't know why, but when Adam smiled, he didn't look so scary, and Andy just had to smile along.
"I'll take good care of him, Mary."
"I know you will."
Andy dawdled along behind Mac, looking around. He hadn't been paying much attention to the building once the game got going, but it was pretty cool. He noticed a large green cart at the entrance of the building, filled with what looked like bottles of water, film, souvenirs, chocolate! and other necessities.
Andy forgot his immediate need to find the bathroom. "Hey." He tugged Mac's sleeve as they headed down the passageway. "Do you think they sell batteries over there?"
Much thanks to Destina and Elyn for letting me bounce ideas off them and for doing the beta. Thanks to Moco as well for the final editing pass.
Guardian Angel
By Rachael Sabotini
"Mega-Golden-Eagle, attack!" Andy pressed the right button on his controller, his heart pounding as the golden-red animal screamed and dive-bombed the armed warrior three squares away.
The eagle wavered, its golden edges turning black, then the whole field went dark. "Ah, zork, outta batteries," Andy muttered, looking up from the game for the first time since his mom ran into those old friends of hers.
The garden was filled with other tourists, all of them looking at the old church. A marble angel smiled down on him, but Andy didn't care. His batteries were dead. He got up from the concrete bench and stuffed the game in his pocket, looking around for his mom. He had a flash of panic when he couldn't see her, but he knew she wouldn't just leave him. Not in a strange city, like London. Not even in a shopping mall back home in Squim. Heck, he was lucky that she let him cross the street lately.
He caught her voice and almost sighed with relief. She was still talking to the two guys they'd run into, telling them something about the house.
"I had to redo the plumbing in the guest bedroom. One of the pipes broke during the big freeze last February, and water went everywhere. It caused a lot of damage."
Bathroom. Ooops. "Mom," he called as he ran up. "I gotta--"
"Just a second, sweetie." She put her hands on his shoulders and turned him toward the two men. "Are you still working on that castle renovation, Mac?"
The dark-haired man nodded. "Most of the guest rooms are done. We're still converting the old stable into lofts. Shouldn't be more than another six months."
"We're thinking of going back to America, then," Adam added, squeezing Mac's shoulder. "I've gotten a few nibbles. The University of Washington needs a site manager for one of their Columbia River digs."
"That sounds wonderful! Mac never told me what you did. You'll both have to come see us if you get the job."
"Mom," Andy whined, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "I gotta--"
"Go to the bathroom?" Adam was smiling at him, but not in that stupid way adults did when you were going to get a lecture about needing to figure things out before you really had to go. More like the smile of a guy who lost track sometimes, too.
"Yeah," Andy replied gratefully.
Mom ruffled his hair. "I figured that once the game ran out, you might need to go. Mac's been here before, so he knows where everything is." She looked up, no longer talking to Andy. "Haven't you been everywhere before?"
He shrugged. "Not everywhere." Then he nodded his head toward where Adam leaned against the post. "Between the two of us, though, we've been a fair number of places."
"I used to keep an album with all of the cancelled stamps from the letters you sent us. It certainly seemed like you’d been everywhere in the world."
"Mom!" Andy yelled. He really couldn't wait much longer. "I need to go to the bathroom!"
She squeezed his shoulders and turned toward Mac. "Mind taking him?"
"I can go by myself."
"I'd prefer if someone I knew went with you. Unless you wanted to visit the women's room ..."
"No! I'll go. It's just..." He leaned in and whispered a little too loudly, "I don't know him, Mom. You don't want to send me to the bathroom with a stranger, do you?"
Adam coughed. "I don't think they make them stranger."
"Mac's no stranger, Andy. I've known him most of my life. And he came out to the farm -- about three years ago, wasn't it? He's a very good friend of Grandma Anne's." She smiled down at Andy, and that made it okay. He thought he remembered someone coming by when Grandma was so sick, but a lot of people had visited then. So, if his mom said it was okay, then it was okay. She wouldn't let just anyone take him to the bathroom.
"Well, okay." He thought he heard Adam laugh, but when he turned to look, his face was-- blank, like the faces of the statues around them. Kinda creepy. He stared, hard, and the guy grinned, and Andy grinned back. He didn't know why, but when Adam smiled, he didn't look so scary, and Andy just had to smile along.
"I'll take good care of him, Mary."
"I know you will."
Andy dawdled along behind Mac, looking around. He hadn't been paying much attention to the building once the game got going, but it was pretty cool. He noticed a large green cart at the entrance of the building, filled with what looked like bottles of water, film, souvenirs, chocolate! and other necessities.
Andy forgot his immediate need to find the bathroom. "Hey." He tugged Mac's sleeve as they headed down the passageway. "Do you think they sell batteries over there?"
*drive-by feedbacking*
Date: 2005-01-31 03:46 pm (UTC)Ahhhhhh. :D A very comforting bit of futurefic. Loved it. :)
Re: *drive-by feedbacking*
Date: 2005-02-01 03:11 am (UTC)