Someone was crying. Calling out names.
"Sebastian! Mom...Dad...Sebastian!"
D-Caf went in the direction of the voice. It belonged to a little boy,
probably no more than seven years old. The boy was sitting alone on top of
his berth. No one near him was moving. No one, except D-Caf.
"Sebastian?" the boy sobbed.
"No, it's not him."
"Mo'Steel? Who are you?"
"I'm D -- I'm Hamster. My name's Harlin Melman, but I'm called Hamster."
"And I'm Edward Andreeson. Hamster...my parents...I think we were lying
here. Like this. Dad, then me, then Mom, then Sebastian. He's my brother, and
the others call him Jobs."
D-Caf sat down beside Edward. He felt oddly calm. As if Edward hadn't been a
stranger at all. More like a brother.
"We were all lying here in a row," Edward sobbed. "But now...there's no one
where Sebastian was. And where Mom and Dad were..." He seemed afraid to say
what he thought. "Do you know what's happened to them?"
D-Caf knew. He'd known it from the moment that Edward had pointed out the
berths to him.
"Edward, your brother is probably on the ship somewhere. He must have left
while you were asleep, he must have gone to look around."
"And when will he come back?"
"I don't know. But I'm sure he'll be back soon. He won't leave you alone. He
knows you need him."
"But Mom and Dad? Where are they?" Edward cried impatiently.
Should D-Caf be the one to tell him? Wouldn't it be better to distract him
till Jobs came back?
But Mark had never lied to D-Caf.
D-Caf pulled Edward into his lap. He tried to tell him the facts, the way
he himself had been told ten years ago. So much more than ten years ago.
Though it seemed just yesterday that Mark...
Mark was gone. But still, there was a fifteen-year-old holding a little boy,
trying to comfort him about his parents. So Mark couldn't be completely gone,
could he?
"But where are they? What are they doing?" Edward sobbed.
"I don't know. I just know that they're not suffering. And that they're
living on in you and Jobs. They're living in your memories. And they're
living in the way you guys act. The way you take care of each other. Or the
way you help other people, like your parents would have done."
Edward didn't listen. He just kept on crying.
D-Caf held him even tighter. He could do nothing to help Edward. He could do
nothing about Mark, either.
But he could stay here till Jobs came back. And later on, he could still
keep an eye on Edward. He could help Jobs take care of him.
He could become a parent and a brother. And that was just what he needed.
"Sebastian! Mom...Dad...Sebastian!"
D-Caf went in the direction of the voice. It belonged to a little boy,
probably no more than seven years old. The boy was sitting alone on top of
his berth. No one near him was moving. No one, except D-Caf.
"Sebastian?" the boy sobbed.
"No, it's not him."
"Mo'Steel? Who are you?"
"I'm D -- I'm Hamster. My name's Harlin Melman, but I'm called Hamster."
"And I'm Edward Andreeson. Hamster...my parents...I think we were lying
here. Like this. Dad, then me, then Mom, then Sebastian. He's my brother, and
the others call him Jobs."
D-Caf sat down beside Edward. He felt oddly calm. As if Edward hadn't been a
stranger at all. More like a brother.
"We were all lying here in a row," Edward sobbed. "But now...there's no one
where Sebastian was. And where Mom and Dad were..." He seemed afraid to say
what he thought. "Do you know what's happened to them?"
D-Caf knew. He'd known it from the moment that Edward had pointed out the
berths to him.
"Edward, your brother is probably on the ship somewhere. He must have left
while you were asleep, he must have gone to look around."
"And when will he come back?"
"I don't know. But I'm sure he'll be back soon. He won't leave you alone. He
knows you need him."
"But Mom and Dad? Where are they?" Edward cried impatiently.
Should D-Caf be the one to tell him? Wouldn't it be better to distract him
till Jobs came back?
But Mark had never lied to D-Caf.
D-Caf pulled Edward into his lap. He tried to tell him the facts, the way
he himself had been told ten years ago. So much more than ten years ago.
Though it seemed just yesterday that Mark...
Mark was gone. But still, there was a fifteen-year-old holding a little boy,
trying to comfort him about his parents. So Mark couldn't be completely gone,
could he?
"But where are they? What are they doing?" Edward sobbed.
"I don't know. I just know that they're not suffering. And that they're
living on in you and Jobs. They're living in your memories. And they're
living in the way you guys act. The way you take care of each other. Or the
way you help other people, like your parents would have done."
Edward didn't listen. He just kept on crying.
D-Caf held him even tighter. He could do nothing to help Edward. He could do
nothing about Mark, either.
But he could stay here till Jobs came back. And later on, he could still
keep an eye on Edward. He could help Jobs take care of him.
He could become a parent and a brother. And that was just what he needed.