When he finally fell to the floor, she was drenched in his blood. Machiko screamed and ran to her father's side, where she pleaded and cried for him to get up, to speak, to stop pretending. She had time to register surprise that he had left it unlatched before she saw him. Her words faltered as the door to his study swung inward. "Father," she began, and reached out to knock. She straightened up and started toward his door, smiling in relief. It was her father! That was the sound of his chair creaking back, as familiar a sound as his voice or the clatter of his key cards. And she heard another noise.Īll at once, Machiko relaxed. She took another tentative step and hesitated. The back of her neck was damp and sticky, and her stomach felt as if it were made of stone. She would say that she had heard a noise and her mother would know what to do. Machiko decided that it would be good to wait outside for her mother to return. Her mother would have surely answered, wouldn't she? Who was in their house? Should she leave? Her feet seemed like lead with each step, her fear increased. She walked very slowly down the hallway, staying close to one wall. The silent house was not peaceful anymore, it was-empty. Machiko was suddenly not sure if it was a good day at all. From down the hall-her father's study or perhaps her parents' room. It had been like a heavy sigh, that noise. She was about to go back to her picture when she heard a noise. Maybe she had not heard her mother come in after all the house was very still. Machiko stood and walked to the door of her tidy room where she paused and listened. Perhaps she had gone back outside to carry in more things. But Mother always called to her when she returned from an errand. Mother had gone to the store to buy things for a special dinner, her father's favorite dishes. And it was going to be a beautiful picture, a long-tailed, proud dragon with green and lavender scales and red taloned feet. A cool spring breeze wafted in through her open window with the sounds of small children playing down the street. She heard the front door open and close downstairs as she meticulously shaded in the dragon's eyes-emerald with gold rims. It was understandable she would just have to be more careful. She had put it in with the blues by mistake, that was all. Machiko spotted the crayon and nodded to herself. She felt vaguely anxious as she sorted through the different shades-what if it wasn't there? What then? Her parents had taught her to put things in their place because order was a very important rule knowing where things were was a crucial ingredient to a successful life. The picture of the dragon was going to be a gift for her father she knew that he had been talking about a promotion for a long time, and that today he had an important meeting with his supervisor.Īnd the green was misplaced. It was her day off from school and she had received permission to play quietly in her room for two whole hours before dinnertime. Things had been going so well until now, it wasn't fair. She sighed and carefully dumped out the crayon pack. There was the jade one and the blue-green, but the emerald-green was missing, and it was the only color that would work for the dragon's eyes. Machiko Noguchi couldn't find the green crayon. Let the old ones worry about such things. He was too old to muddle himself with cosmic questions, but he knew the words of his ancestors: Thin-de le'hsaun `aloun'myin-de/bpi-de gka-de hsou-depaya-Learn the gift of all sights or finish in the dance of fallen gods.ĭachande cackled and stood up. He switched the monitor off and stroked his broken tusk absently. And somehow, this one felt different-there was an air of. Part of being a Leader was not to seem excited by the prospect of a training Hunt, but in the privacy of his chamber, he allowed himself to feel the warmth of things to come. The tagged babes should be drones by the ship's arrival, but there was not so much slack that they would have time to colonize. They were close to this place, this dust world, but there was still plenty of time for the Hard Meat children to find hosts. He watched as the counter ran slowly backward.
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