Rowan Mining Camp, late winter
The rain started pouring days ago, the vid circuits were down, and tensions were high. Inside the Gwyn home, Ewain and Morag were trying their hardest to keep their two children happy and interested. Ian sat on a chair at the table, coloring pictures of the mine where his poppa worked. Little Angharad was through playing with her blocks and very much wanted to go play outside, though the steady beat of the rain on the door, the walls, and the windows both frightened and intrigued her.
As Morag and Ewain quietly argued in the corner, leaving their youngest unattended, Angharad climbed to her feet, and quietly tip toed to the door. Her little mind was ablaze with energy and desire to see, to learn, to live, and those things were all to be found outside the damp walls of their little house. As her hand clasped the doorknob, her mother's whip crack voice ended all dreams of adventure.
"Angharad Marie Gwyn! You will not be going outside until these rains are well and gone and all that mud is dried up. Get back here and pick up your toys." Her tone brooked no argument, and there was no way Angharad would try today. She knew her mother was running on high tension, and her father wasn't much better.
Dutifully, she picked up her toys, placing them in perfect lines. Her animals were grouped by species. The cows and bulls were matched in pairs, the horses stood in pair according to how tall they were, the sheep were matched by fleece color, and so on down through Old MacDonald's Farm. Her books were lined up by subject, color, and height, and her blocks were piled into neat stacks. For the rest of the evening, she played quietly, trying hard to be a good girl, "helping" Mommy with dinner, dressing herself. When it was finally bed time, her mother and father tucked her into her warm little bed, staying in the doorway long enough to watch as her little frame relaxed into the deep sleep only children have the passion for.
"You gave me a princess Morag, love. That's more than I ever asked you for, and I will love you from this life well into the next. You won't be rid of me until time itself rolls over and dies." Ewain said as he tucked his small wife under his chin. She smiled, and wrapped her arms tightly around the thickset man.
"Do you think you're ready to handle another one?" There was a twinkle in her eye, and she laughed when he pushed her away to check her face, to see if she was just teasing him, then lifted her into the air and carried her into their bedroom spinning.
The morning came, and the constant drum of the rain woke each of the family members, the children turning into Sprites, flicking from room to room, eating breakfast and almost dancing in their seats. Today was their day to use the Hopper for short errands and their parents had promised to have a boys' and girls' day out. Morag would take Angharad to the commissary and then to the school house for an arranged play date, then they would return and turn the vehicle over to her husband.
Slick mud and heavy rain through the night and early morning had made the roads slick, but by the time Morag and Angharad left their home the clouds had parted, and the sun was shining. Shopping was enjoyable as the mother and daughter picked out their favorite foods, tried free samples, and laughed. Once they were done, they ran to the little hopper, where Morag placed her daughter into the vehicle. As she turned, she glanced up slope, and saw the world collapsing. Before she could scream, the wall of mud and sludge slammed into her.
With one last burst of effort, Morag tapped into a gift she never knew she had. Her mind reached across the small distance and firmly closed the door to the hopper, locking it, giving her princess as much protection as she could. Then she was covered in the ooze and rocks, her lungs filled with it, and her last thoughts were of her children and the futures they would never know.
The first rush of the slide carried the hopper high into the air, then deep under the wave, bouncing and jostling the three year old girl who was crying, begging for her mommy to save her. Before too long, her head smacked against the heavy plasglass window, sending her into blissful unconsciousness.
Hours later, she woke up. She was alone. It was dark. She was hungry. Where was Mommy? Poppa? Ian? She started crying for them, yelling as loud as she could. After a long time, she sat down and began to sob. Suddenly, something clicked inside her, and her "voice" grew. She could yell much farther now. Her voice reached out and she wailed. She didn't understand the feeling of other minds flinching from her cries, why didn't they answer her? She yelled louder, crying. Suddenly, a powerful mind touched hers.
Be quiet you ill mannered child. Call for your mother, she should be handling you.
Shocked, Angharad drew into herself. Hours passed, and she began crying again, calling for her Mommee like the voice had said. She had barely been calling for a moment, when the voice just cut her off, ignoring her wails of protest. Angry now, Angharad pushed hard against that presence, kicking and screaming in the Hopper. The voice kept pressing against her, until suddenly, she was free, so her wail grew louder than ever before.
This pattern kept up for hours. She would wail, the voice would stop her, she would fight that voice until she was free to yell again. There was no way of telling how long it took, she slept when her body made her, she cried when she was awake, she was hungry all the time. A crack in the Hopper developed, letting the sludge ooze in. She screamed louder, panicking now. Screaming with both mind and throat, she could feel the air getting thicker. Her voice grew hoarse, and her mind weary, suddenly, she heard thumping above her… more thumping, and she began yelling again. Suddenly, light ruptured her void as a shovel scraped against the Hopper's window. Crying for joy, she leapt into the arms of the person who opened the door, weeping for her Mother… it struck her as a drug fogged her mind. Her Mommee wasn't here.