I need to go to the Core, and have the Constructor build me something. Or do I? Can’t I just order it now?

Sure I can order it now, but still... I would need to go there and get whatever the Constructor can come up with. And can’t leave the kids here. The wolves looked starved, and not afraid of this place one bit. They may come back any minute, ready for little Oollie and his screaming.

I have a solution for them. “Come with me. I’ll keep you safe,” I say and show them to follow me.

They are timid at first, but they make the first step.

"Come, you do not need to be afraid," I say, but at the same time, I look at the dark dungeon and can't help but feel like an evil witch from Hansel and Gretel tale.

As they take their time following me, I decide to hurry things on my end.

“SAMS, any first aid I can get the Constructor to build?”

[The Constructor default settings include the following:

Moss Bandages

Healing Creams Against Elvish Swords

General Healing Potion]

“Okay. I want Bandages and a Healing Potion. How much will that cost me?”

[One energy unit for each]

"Damn, I do not have that,” I say, stopping and looking at the kids. The kid can hardly walk, limping, and bleeding from the cut. So, I reach to his hand, rip a sleeve off his shirt, making him scream in the process, and tighten it firmly over his wound.

“SAMS, how is my energy harvester working?”

[Your projected energy when fully converted is 1.]

“How long?”

[Energy will be available in five minutes.]

“Okay. As soon as I have the energy, give me a healing potion. That wound does not look good at all. Infection is certain, and I have no antiseptic or antibiotics to treat it with.”

They look at me scared, not knowing who I am talking to.

"He must be a cave master," the girl whispers to a boy.

"Don't worry. I will not hurt you. I needed to stop you from bleeding. That sleeve of yours will help. But you will need more. And I need you to be safe while I go and get it. Do you understand?" I say.

Some adults think that telling kids the truth scares them and they need to be protected from that. I found out that they get more scared when they see you lie to them, maybe thinking how bad the thing must really be that you need to lie to them. Maybe thinking how can they trust you?

In my case, it went further. I resented adults lying to me because it made me resent their poor opinion of me as if I could not handle the truth. Would always piss the hell out of me. So, I give it to them straight.

They nod their heads, and I see they know I am being honest.

I take them slowly downstairs, carrying the boy over my shoulder even though he is taller than me. But I feel little Oollie's strength is actually multiple of the boy's, and it gives me great pleasure helping him along. But we still go slow, and the boy yelps in pain with every step he has to put his foot down.

Downstairs, I place them inside the first cage. They look all worried and scared, but I have to leave them and get the medicine that should be all cooked up by now.

A few minutes it takes me to get the cure out of the Core, I return and find a whole hell in there.

Because three of the wolves have come back, sniffed them out, and came down. It was lucky I put them inside the barred cage, or else they would be wolf meal by now.

This time I do not throw rocks or hit any wolf on their ass. I just come charging at them, waving my torch and screaming my guts out from the bottom of my little belly.

The roar comes out so loud, the sound bouncing off the wall, becoming even louder, it even scares me. The wolves literally jump in the air. I think I scared the hair off their back. And they run impulsively to the back inside one of the open cells.

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They try to find an escape route there, but find only the walls of a cell, and turn around, realizing their mistake. But it’s too late. I jump in the gate of the cell, using a torch to stop them from squeezing next to me and getting away again, burning a bit of hair off their hide. And then I swing the creaking door closed, putting a lock down.

"Ha, now you're mine!" I announce it as they look all confused, suddenly not sure if they should growl at me or not. "Have not learned your lesson, did you? Should have talked to the Dwarfs before coming here."

I go back to the kids who are scared now more than ever. Now looking at me, thinking if I can yell like that what kind of monster am I? But I’ve seen those stares before, and I know almost nothing can fix it right away. So, I do not even try.

I just give it to them straight. “I told you,” I say “If those wolves try to come back and hurt you, we'd deal with them. And we did, didn't we?"

They look at me wondering what exactly they did on their parts, but at least I see them starting to ease up until... their eyes fall on their closed cell door.

I see their stares, and I know what they mean. So, I open the cage door wide, and walk in, leaving it wide open.

I see the ideas that are running through their minds, so I start talking before those ideas can root into some unnecessary actions. “I need to treat your wound. So you can go back to your folks. So you can run again. If I don’t, you will bleed on. This is the way to help you. The only one I know of,” I say the words in the softest, the most earnest voice I can come up with.

“It’s okay, Verne,” the girl says and pulls on his hand. “He helped us, again.”

I give him a potion, and as he sniffs it and starts drinking it, I am hoping it’s not only meant for curing beasts and monsters but that it can work on humans as well.

But it's too late to worry about that. Only one way to find out. Not like I have any other option.

After I see him empty the potion ampulla, I sigh and sit next to them.

"You know, a long time ago, I fell off a tall tree I climbed in my backyard. I broke my leg. Got my father very upset. As if I did it on purpose. But I didn't. Just wanted to climb the tree and see where we were to finally build our tree house he promised to do it with me a few months ago.

"A house in a tree?" the girl asked.

"Yes."

"I hear the Elves of Ervina have those," the boy adds. I look at him and smile.

"At least that is what Old Gerwin told us once," the girl adds. "But then, my parents warned me I should not trust everything Old Gerwin tells us."

I smile. "That's good advice. You can never know. Not till you see it with your own eyes. Or... you know for sure a person who tells you is not a liar. But in my case, it's always better to trust your own eyes."

As we sit there and chat, I feel... Great! For the first time in a long time. Even before I decided to jump in the flood water. Really cannot recall the last time I felt so great.

Cannot remember the last time I set and just talked to my kids like that. Did I ever? Makes my heart fill with regret. If I get a second chance... If I grow stronger and get a second chance... I'll...

I do not want to think about it now. It's making me feel all sad and depressed. And that will only scare the kids again.

The boy feels better in a matter of minutes as the potion kicks in really fast. I see he has loosened up. Both of them are. His wound has stopped bleeding, but I still do not dare to take off the cloth I tied over it.

“So, you are Verne,” I say, remembering that is what a girl called him. “And what is your name?” I ask the girl.

“I am Nora,” she says, looking less timid.

"Well, very nice to meet you, Verna and Nora. It has really been a privilege."

I make a few stupid jokes, but it takes them a long while before they start to catch on. Then I start making faces, and that gets them going.

They start giggling as if all the worries in the world have suddenly disappeared.

I love it. The trust they suddenly gave me. They give it out so easily. But I know, it is not a renewable resource, and once it's gone, it might be gone forever. I hope I never disappoint them, the way I have my kids. In the end, one time too many.

And I love to see them giggling because I bet that is generating more energy than any fear could. If some good, old Monsters Inc. movies are to be trusted, I'm making a killing now.

“How can you talk to us? No animals can talk to us.”

“I’m not an animal. Do I look like an animal to you?” I say as I stick my tongue out. Then I open my mouth and let them see inside of it.

They look confused for a second, exchanging glances between the two of them, suddenly not knowing what to say.

I decide not to confuse them and go back to try and entertain them. It takes a few grimaces for the confusion on their face to start to dissipate, and I finally get a giggle when I hit my hand against my temple and make my eyes roll.

“And where do you come from?” the girl asks as they stop giggling.

“Oh, you’ve got so many questions, don't you? But it will get late soon and dark. So, we better see how you are doing. Can you get up and try to walk?” I ask Verne.

He gets up and timidly leans on his injured leg. “It does not hurt,” he announces it, full of surprise and joy. And then he makes a few trial steps. “It does not hurt at all.”

It might have been not more than twenty minutes since I gave him the healing potion. That’s fast.

He even jumps up and down, putting more strain on his leg. “I’m fine!” he says all happy.

“I am so glad,” I say, looking him over, hoping I do not see him growing hair or a tail or something.

“We have to go home,” he says as if he remembered something very important.

“Of course you do. It will be getting dark soon. So, we better hurry now.”

“Can we come back?” Nora asks.

“Sure you can,” I say, right away. “But make sure you do not bring your other friends with you,” I add and point my grimacing face at the wolves.

That makes them laugh.

Kids… who can ever figure them out? You can buy them a whole store of toys and that might not be enough. And, sometimes… sometimes they need so little.

They are ready to run, but before we go, I run back to the last cell to make sure the wolves are still locked well, and only then do we go upstairs.

We stand in the cave opening for a second, looking at the last of the golden sun rays. The breathtaking sight is not getting old, and I think I could stand there for hours, just watching the whole valley.

But, the shadows in the forest are only to grow bigger and murkier and who knows what threat they may be hiding, so I make up my mind to go with them, at least part of the way. Besides, who knows what is to happen if Verne starts to bleed again?