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Short Story: Humanity
by Kayne Ruse (Ratstail91)
Her daughter squirmed in the opening of the hut, impatiently waiting as the woman wrapped the rough but sturdy cloak around her. It was new, with an intricate pattern of various dyes woven through it. She had made it for her daughter - she wasn’t satisfied with the result, but the girl’s eyes had lit up like the morning sun when she saw it for the first time.
“Keep the cloak tight around you, you don’t want to catch a chill.”
“I’ll be fine mama!” she replied, flashing a toothy grin. One of her teeth was missing, having fallen out recently, becoming a reminder of how much she had grown since last winter. After one last embrace, she rushed out into the snowy morning to join the other children, while her mother watched on wistfully. Moments like this are fleeting, and she longed for it to stay.
Her daughter squirmed in the doorway, impatiently waiting as the woman zipped the puffy but warm jacket around her. It was new, with a custom illustration of her own design across the back and down the sleeves. She had custom designed it for her daughter - she wasn’t satisfied with the result, but the girls eyes had lit up like a firework when she saw it for the first time.
“Keep this on and zipped up, you don’t want to catch a cold.”
“I’ll be fine mum!” she replied, flashing a toothy grin. One of her teeth was missing, having fallen out and been sold to the tooth fairy, becoming a reminder of how much she had grown in the last year. After one last embrace, she rushed out into the freezing morning to join the other kids, while her mother watched on longingly. Moments like this didn’t last long, so she was determined to enjoy it as much as possible.
Her daughter squirmed in the tunnel’s threshold, impatiently waiting as the woman adjusted the soft but thick tunic around her. It was new, with a shimmer of colors dancing across the synthetic fabric. She had crafted it for her daughter from a custom schematic - she wasn’t satisfied with the result, but the girls eyes had lit up like a solar flair when she saw it for the first time.
“Keep this on and dry, you don’t want to catch a bug.”
“I’ll be fine ma!” she replied, flashing a toothy grin. One of her teeth was missing, having fallen out naturally (genetic engineering can fix wisdom teeth, but not deciduous teeth?), becoming a reminder of how much she had grown since the last dawn.
After one last embrace, she rushed out into the open morning to join the other youngsters in the newly engineered Venusian snow, while her mother watched on with a happy melancholy. Moments like this are short, so she’d savour every second.
When I’m not daydreaming whole worlds into being, I can usually be found on Bluesky or Discord. If you’d like to show your support, I also have a Patreon, and I’d love a Coffee via Ko-fi.
tags: writingGames & Software
- Stepwise: Gates of Yendor (WIP)
- Toylang (v2, WIP)
- Potion School
- Egg Trainer (former owner)
- Candy Raid: The Factory
- Fiends, Foils & Fallen
- Waterlogged
- Keep It Alive
- Mementos
- MERN-template
- sineQL