The Fluff’s kiosk was glowing with a large yellow welcome sign. Shon zoomed ahead of her at the last moment, his arms and legs swinging wide in his excitement. Gilda hadn’t seen him like this for years. He checked them in by pushing a few buttons on the glowing panel. A ticket printed that said: ‘Welcome and thank you for using The Game kiosk. The next available fluff will help you in 42 seconds. Thank you for your patience.’

There was never a long line, at least out here in the sticks. She’d heard that the capitol's kiosk had more people queuing up. “Are you ready?” Gilda asked.

“Yep, I can’t wait.”

Shon was tapping his toes and fingers as he hummed one of his favorite songs. It was good to see him so happy. “They’d better let me accompany you. I’ve always been curious about what they did to my brain while I was unconscious.”

“George’s mom tried to go with him and was denied. I think they only let one person at a time into their space,” Shon said.

“That is probably true, but George’s mother was incompatible with their system. Maybe they’ll let me in since I’ve already awakened.”

Ding.

A portal appeared next to the kiosk. It was smaller than a dungeon door but the same shade of aqua blue. “Hold my hand. We’ll step into it together.”

She held onto her boy tight and rushed forward, only to hit a wall. Shon’s hand slipped through her fingers and he disappeared through the portal. The blue gate glowed brightly and then puttered away. She was all alone.

“Frats! You scat-faced fluffy aliens, let me up there,” Gilda screamed up at the sky. She didn’t know where the fluffs lived or if they even could hear her but she hoped they could.

A woman, whose name Gilda couldn’t quite remember, covered her daughter’s ears and clicked her tongue in disgust. Gilda grimaced, lowered her head, and said, “Sorry, I didn’t realize there were children nearby.”

Gilda didn’t want to just stand next to the kiosk all day waiting for Shon and they’d already discussed where to meet if they got separated. She’d told him to find her at Olivia’s house.

Gilda marched over to the edge of town, expending her excess energy as she went. At such a fast pace it did not take her long to reach the little tan cottage with the red door. Olivia’s front yard was covered in pink and yellow roses and climbing ivy that grew on the trellis next to the front door. It was a well cared for home full of joy.

Gilda knocked on the door and smiled sheepishly at her friend when Olivia answered her knock. “Would you mind having an uninvited guest for a few hours? Shon is having his awakening and, though I tried, I couldn’t make it through the portal with him and I’m too nervous to sit and wait at home.”

“Come on in Gilly. You’re always welcome and you don’t need a reason. As long as you don’t mind the mess then all is well.”

There were a few toys strewn across the floor and a pile of dirty dishes in the sink, but other than that the house was cozy and inviting and Gilda didn’t mind a mess, as long as it wasn’t part of her inn.

Mirra peeked out of her room. “Hi Gilly, I thought I heard your voice.” Mirra ran up to her and hugged her. She was such a thoughtful and kind little girl.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Where’s your brother?” Gilda asked.

“Nappin,” Mirra replied.

He was only 4 and it was getting close to midday. “There isn’t much of a mess Olivia. Especially for having two little ones, I know how hard it is for you to keep everything running for weeks on end while Makk is gone.”

“He makes good money as a merchant, but I do miss him. It helps to have good friends around that I can lean on. Speaking of, my mother-in-law needs my help with preserving peaches this weekend. Could the kids stay at the inn with you while we’re working?”

“Sure, I’ll have Shon keep an eye on them in our suite. That way they’re far away from any drunkards. Would you like a hand with the housework? You’d be surprised at how fast I can clean now that I’m level 22. Can I show off a little and help you out?”

Olivia smiled, “I’ll never say no to extra help around the house. Feel free to impress me.”

“Mirra, you should watch too. Why don’t you count how long it takes until I’m done.”

Mirra nodded. “On your mark, get set, go!” Mirra said.

It was time to use her second skill. Gilda activated Rhythm. Off in the distance, she could sense the beating of a drum. Once she had the beat in her head she started moving in time with the sound. Each step and movement propelled her forward faster with a clearer vision of everything around her. Her 18 points of speed and 10 points of agility were boosted by 20% whenever she used Rhythm. She sped around the room at top speed gathering every item that wasn’t where it belonged and started putting away anything she could. For things she had no clue of where to put she piled them on the table for further instructions later.

She zipped over to the sink and used her foot to pump water into the basin. Once she had enough water she put soap on a dishcloth and started scrubbing. Extra strength helped with the suborn, baked-on food, and old grease. In seconds she finished all the dishes and moved on to washing any dirty clothes she could find. Once the clothes were clean she scooped them up and hung them up outside to dry on the line.

“Done. How’d I do?”

“148 seconds. At least that’s how many I counted,” Mirra said.

“I’ve never seen anyone move so fast. That truly is a wonderful skill. I’m almost sad I wasn’t able to awaken,” Olivia added.

“Almost?” Gilda questioned.

“It would be nice, but I’m happy with what I have. Besides, I don’t have time to go to dungeons and level up while taking care of the little ones. But I do appreciate the help. Feel free to come over and clean anytime you feel like showing off.”

“Truth be told, I'm just anxious to see Shon well and happy. I know he will be devastated if they cannot link him to The System. Even if he does awaken he might be disappointed in his class. He wants to be a swordsman and many classes won’t need weapons.” Gilda explained.

“Then why don’t we have a little girl talk and get your mind focused on something else.” Olivia pulled out a deck of cards. “How about I read your fortune?”

Gilda agreed and soon she was picking cards and listening to their meaning. According to the cards her future held, fear, hope, change, and romance.

“That’s ridiculous, I cannot even fathom a second romance at my age. I’m 38 years old, with a grown son, a streak of gray hair, and wrinkles. Besides, even if someone was miraculously attracted to me, I am not interested. I’ve been heartbroken too many times to risk my heart again.”

“Never say never. The future is unpredictable, maybe a knight in shining armor will make his way to Oakwood. Or you could meet a dashing stranger in a dungeon.”

“Yeah, sure, that sounds plausible.”

A knock at the door made her heart skip a beat. Was it Shon? How long had she been playing fortune teller with Olivia? The’d been together an hour, or maybe two, when they got to talking, time flew by.

Gilda rushed to the door and opened it to see her boy smiling back at her, happy as a clam. “Shon,” Gilda said as she stepped forward to hug her boy. “How did it go?”

“Well, there is a new level 1 player in town. I was compatible with the system.”

“Aaaand?”

“I’m a warrior.” He practically danced with excitement. “I could have been a cleric or a mage, but neither of those were even close to what I wanted. Warrior is perfect, plus my first still is called Charge. It doubles my attack and speed for 10 seconds. Isn’t that the best?”

It didn’t sound very safe, and it probably had a long cooldown but it was exactly what Shon wanted. So Gilda smiled and congratulated her son.