Masked Mirrors

by GummyKoala

Eight is just another child stuck in the maw. The only thing she cares about is survival, the deaths of the children she’s witnessed haunting her dreams and waking moments. But when she meets a little Nome, things start looking up for her. She decides to escape the maw with this Nome beside her. But how?

1. Shivers

Eight shivered, trying to keep herself as close to the fire without burning herself. The cold draft of the ship kept her shivering, and the freezing floor underneath her wasn't helping. She flinched as a drop of water dropped on her head. She moved a little ways to the left.

She took out a flashlight from her pocket. She tried shining it at herself, wondering if it would give her any warmth. It helped a bit, but not enough to make up for the light blinding her, so she put it back in her pocket.

Movement in her peripheral area caught her attention. A silhouette of a small creature hid behind one of the boxes stacked in the corner. "It's okay. You can come out, I'm not going to hurt you." Eight reassured in her small British accent. The little creature came out from behind the box hesitantly. It had tiny legs and arms, but a giant triangular hat that covered its face. It sat by the fire, warming itself.

Eight watched the creature, admiring its adoring movements and features. She loved these creatures, though she didn't entirely know what they were or where they came from. All she knew was that they were called Nomes, she had heard it from one of the guests complaining about them as they shoveled food in their mouth. The guests were the residents of the ship they called the Maw. They were huge creatures, giants in size and height, and had an uncontrollable hunger for anything, even little children like Eight herself. If they could catch her, they would be able to eat her in one bite. Eight felt a shiver run down her spine as she imagined what getting eaten by those creatures was like. Not fun, that was for sure.

Eight shivered again. The Nome walked up closer to her and sat down next to her. She reached out to the Nome slowly. It watched her, not sure whether or not it should run. Eight's hand touched its hat, and she gently stroked it. The hat felt as if it were made of soft leather. The Nome went up closer and hugged Eight. She felt a warmth in her body as she hugged it back.

After a minute, Eight's eyes began to feel heavy. She hadn't been able to sleep for days because of the cold. But the Nome's warmth had finally put her at ease, and she realized how tired she was. She and the Nome both fell asleep hugging each other for warmth.