Kept
Rin shivered, but not from fear or loathing, but the stilt child was cold. They were cold to the touch; Rin never liked the way they felt. She looked into the empty white indentations the stilts used for eyes. They “looked” without emotion, but the colors rippled across where the face should be. Rin could see contentment with concern, green fading to purple.
A gurgle down below turned Rin’s head. The training ring was holding Jak against the wall, and his face was turning blue. His heels stopped kicking, and his hands dropped to his sides. Rin gasped and ran to the edge of the stilt child’s long arm, and took a tremendous leap into space.
She fell slowly, feeling the air rush by and lift the hair off her shoulders and stream out behind her. She landed on top of the transport box, which buckled and cushioned her landing. She rolled off the box and sprinted to the man. She dragged a block over to reach him. His face turned sad, a deep blue that made his eyes bulge. She pulled on the ring he wore, trying to dislodge it from the wall.
“Please, little one, please!” Despite the prohibition against speech, she faced the child stilt and begged. “He is just a man! Please, I will share my den with him!” The child stilt leaned over, reaching with a main arm. A slender finger formed and touched the ring. Jak dropped to the block and slowly rolled to the floor.
Scrambling down, Rin grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him into the transport box. Once inside, she rolled him onto his side and began to pound his back, as if he had gone under water and tried to breath. He spasmed for a moment, and then began to cough.
A gurgle down below turned Rin’s head. The training ring was holding Jak against the wall, and his face was turning blue. His heels stopped kicking, and his hands dropped to his sides. Rin gasped and ran to the edge of the stilt child’s long arm, and took a tremendous leap into space.
She fell slowly, feeling the air rush by and lift the hair off her shoulders and stream out behind her. She landed on top of the transport box, which buckled and cushioned her landing. She rolled off the box and sprinted to the man. She dragged a block over to reach him. His face turned sad, a deep blue that made his eyes bulge. She pulled on the ring he wore, trying to dislodge it from the wall.
“Please, little one, please!” Despite the prohibition against speech, she faced the child stilt and begged. “He is just a man! Please, I will share my den with him!” The child stilt leaned over, reaching with a main arm. A slender finger formed and touched the ring. Jak dropped to the block and slowly rolled to the floor.
Scrambling down, Rin grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him into the transport box. Once inside, she rolled him onto his side and began to pound his back, as if he had gone under water and tried to breath. He spasmed for a moment, and then began to cough.
