“Tank, sir, I appreciate your concern and I understand what you’re saying, but sir? I have nothing left here. My father died not an hour ago and I have no one else. I have no money, no hope, no future, no friends. I’m an orphan without parents, without a partner, without a husband. I have no children. If you don’t take me, I’ll be sitting around waiting to die because I have nothing left to live for.”
Something passes over his gaze.
Sadness, I think.
Maybe it’s pity.
Either way, Tank doesn’t speak again and he nods to his friend.
“Elf, come on.”
“Elf?” I turn. “Your name is Elf?” I might live in a dirt hut, but even I know the stories about elves from days past.
“Yes,” he says, pleasantly surprised I commented on his name. He smiles. “It’s my Earth name. Elf. You know, little tiny elves?” He lowers his hand and bounces it, as if showing me the small size of a tiny imaginary elf.
“But you aren’t tiny,” I point out the obvious, but Elf just chuckles.
“Oh, honey,” he kisses my forehead. “That’s the point.” He turns back to Tank. “This one’s going to be fun.”
The men stand on either side of me and lead me toward the ship. This is it, I realize. It’s happening. Glancing back behind me, I mentally wave goodbye to the boulders, the dying trees, the dust, the dirt. I can’t see the town from here anymore. I can’t see anything. Night has fallen on Earth and day will not be coming.
“Come on, darling,” Tank whispers. His touch is gentle as he places his hand on my lower back and pushes me forward. He means to guide me, not seduce me, and I can tell the difference. “You said it yourself. There’s nothing here for you anymore.”
One deep breath.
I take one deep and keep moving forward. We approach the plank that rises up into the ship and
carefully walk up it. It’s wide enough for all of us to move side-by-side, so we make our way up the incline.
Soon we’re inside the Taneyemm ship.
I’m actually, really, truly inside a Taneyemm ship.
I blink several times to get used to how bright it is. Everything is painfully light. Tank grabs a pair of dark glasses from the wall. I notice there are dozens of pairs all hanging by the entrance. He places them on my head.
“This will help you get used to the light,” he says. “Taneyemm is much brighter than Earth. By the time we get there, you’ll be used to the brightness and the world won’t seem so harsh.”
“Thank you, Mr. Tank.” I try to be polite. These men control my fate and the truth is, even if the planet I’m going to completely sucks, it can’t be worse than Earth. I won’t forget that they didn’t have to take me, but they did. This is much better than having to sneak onto the ship, than having to hide around in the cargo hold and scavenge for food.
Not that I wouldn’t do it, but this is nicer.
Definitely nicer.
Elf and Tank lead me down a brightly lit corridor. There are doors on either side with various labels and signs. Some of the rooms have open windows and I try to discreetly peer in, but it’s still hard to see, even with the glasses on.
“Just keep moving forward,” Elf says gruffly, and I obey. My feet move on their own. As we make our way down the hall, I can’t help but feel dirty and grungy. Elf and Tank are both tall and tan, but their clothes are pristine and white. My own garments are faded and worn. I’m worried that if I touch anything, I’ll darken it and damage it. My skin is physically dirty. I can’t remember the last time I had a bath or a hot shower.
Maybe they’ll give me something new to wear. Surely they won’t let me make the entire journey wearing only a shift.
Will they?
If they want me to stay clean, to keep my hands to myself, they’ll have to give me something to wear. They’ll just have to.
“Mr. Tank,” I say, my throat suddenly dry. As if sensing my sudden panic, both men stop and turn to me.
“What is it, human?” Tank’s voice is straightforward, but gentle.
“How long is the journey to Taneyemm?”