“Wake up sleepyhead.” Whimsy’s voice came from somewhere above the bed, gently waking Alice. As she yawned and stretched she looked out the window. She could see the shadow cast by the house, a long dark patch, slowly creeping away from the forest.
“Ugh, it’s too damn early. I’m going back to—”
“You are not.” Came Whimsy’s firm voice. “You’re leaving today, remember? It’s quite the hike even for you and I want you to get as close to the forest edge as possible. If we’re lucky you’ll make it all the way there, but with nothing more than animal trails I doubt we’ll manage that.”
Alice shot upright at Whimsy’s words, fully awake. She quickly dressed herself, she slept naked wanting to keep the clothes nice and tidy. She made the bed, then sat at the vanity and tied her with the string into a simple ponytail. Looking herself over, she spoke.
“It’s not perfect. I think I should learn to braid my hair. That’s for another time though.” She stood up, a wide grin on her face, and headed for the door. “It’s time to start our adventure!”
Grabbing the basket from the kitchen counter, she put in the jars , now filled with water, and freshly washed cloths the food came in, followed by the lunch she prepared earlier. The dagger went in next, after which she covered the whole thing and looked around.
“Is there anything else I should grab or prepare you think?”
“Yes, actually. Can you throw in the cleaning products into the recycler? That or take them with you, whichever you prefer.”
“Roger.” Alice responded and headed into the bathroom. After thinking for a moment she grabbed the soap, wrapped it up in one of the cloths and put it in the basket. The bath salts went into the recycler. That done, she headed for the door.
The sun, now starting to peek above the treeline, blinded her for a moment. She came to the small white gate, smiled at it and went past. She was about ask when Whimsy’s voice came up in her mind.
“Left. I considered using my drone but it’s a risk I’m not willing to take, it’s my last one. Besides the canopy gets pretty thick so you’d likely not see it anyway. I can use the magnetometer in your inner ear to guide you.”
“My what now?” Alice asked aloud, confused.
“Magnetometer. Humans, like most Earth animals, can detect magnetic fields. Yours is just more advanced, and since you’re sharing your sensory input with me I can use it to navigate.”
“Oh. Yeah I remember something about birds using it to navigate. No compass, or better yet a GPS?” Alice asked heading in the direction Whimsy prompted. She attempted to find a rhythm, still unaccustomed to her new strength. With trying to avoid any rocks, branches or living things that she might step on with her bare feet was making it difficult to get a steady pace going. She took several steps, feeling like a child, with how focused she was at where she was putting her feet.
“No satellites, so no GPS. The resource expense was too much for the utility right after the shattering, and by the time we could afford it humanity has regressed enough it wasn’t worth it. Not like we, the DIs I mean, need it. That and it’d be a hassle to keep them in place, there’s things living in the open spaces between the shards too, and while they rarely come close to this place it’s still risky. As for a compass... Shard geography one-oh-one. Yes, there is a magnetic field, however it covers the entire span of the orbital rather than each landmass. As we’re rotating to simulate the day-night cycle they’re unreliable on land. Ships flying between shards use them since they’re relatively easy to make. It’s not the only navigation they use, mind you, but it’s a good backup for sailors to know roughly where in the could they are at any time. As for those living on land, they still use cardinal directions, at least on the continent sized shards, like this one. Instead of the magnetic fields, however, the sun moving across the sky is the reference point. So, right now you’re heading south, since the sun still rises in the east and it’s on your left. It does change a little with the orbit, but the variation is tiny, so no one really cares.” Whimsy’s voice turned slightly reproachful. “On a different note. I know it’s new to you but you do realise there’s no rock or branch that you can step on that will hurt you, riiight?”
“But I’m barefoot, I don’t want to cut myself or something and have to wait for it to heal.” Alice said, somewhat whiny. Whimsy sighed.
Alice, your skin is tougher than before. I’m not sure the knife I gave you could hurt you, though it’s an even toss on that, but things like rocks or wood... Nah. Maybe some igneous rock like granite, but more likely than not you’d just push it into the soil. Especially considering you weight a couple hundred kilos. So stop being a child, put on your big girl pants and walk. We want you to be out of the thick before nightfall.”
Alice was hesitant at first. She found a relatively thin branch lying on the ground and surreptitiously stepped on it. She felt nothing more than the pressure of something being underfoot as the branch snapped with a crack.
“Oh.”
“Yeah, oh. Anyway, about a hundred metres from the edge of my property you should find a trail going roughly in the right direction. It should make it easier to walk, though I’ve no idea how long it is. At least it’s not a jungle so you won’t have to cut your way through. Too much, anyway.”
Her confidence growing, Alice resumed her hike. She found it slightly disconcerting walking barefoot without worry, but she figured she’ll get used to it soon enough. She still kept her eyes on the ground, however, not wanting to trip on anything. Or at least that’s what she said to Whimsy, rather than admitting that she hated bugs, let alone slugs, and the idea of stepping on one barefoot terrified her to no end. When she reached the trail she grew bolder and gave herself a moment to actually look at the forest, her breath catching at the sight.
In her last life she’s never really been to a forest large as this. Partially because by the time she was a teenager the were very few left open to the public, most of them being nature preserves as humanity fought to save their ecosystem. The one time she did visit, she was a refugee and all she remembered from that time was the faceless mass of people around her and the sucking emptiness in her stomach as she followed the person in front of her listlessly. She shuddered at the memory and pushing it to the back of her mind she returned her focus to the sights around her.
The forest felt old, reminding her of a Robin Hood film she’s seen as a child. The trees were widely spaced, tall and strong. The ground was covered in an uneven film of moss and grass, with the occasional bush here and there. A slight fog still clutched to the forest’s floor, slowly being evaporated by the rising sun. Following the trail she kept looking around, enjoying the untamed nature and fresh air. Birdsong came from above and around her, distant calls of other animals occasionally silencing some of them. She spied a few small animals, but nothing close enough to even tell what they were. An hour or so into her hike she “spoke up” in her mind, but got no response at first. It took her several tries, but after intently focusing on the idea of speaking to Whimsy and the DI herself, she finally succeeded, a prompt jumping in the corner of her vision.
[Comm line open to Whimsy]
“Can you hear me now?” She thought with a note of excitement. Finally!
“Loud and clear. It’s been a while since I got a phone call from anyone.”
“Phone call?”
“That’s how it appeared to me. Thought control was pretty common, though this is the first time I’m actually hearing someone’s thoughts directly, rather than them using a device of some kind, so I’m curious how much of your inner voice I’ll be able to hear, hehe.”
“That’s.... A somewhat uncomfortable thought. Anyway, I was curious, how come your house is still there? You mentioned living in a suburb but I’ve not seen a sign of civilization, fallen or otherwise, at all so far.”
“Oh, that’s easy. Most of the neighbourhood fell apart when the orbital did. We’re relatively close to the edge of the shard, about a hundred fifty kilometres north-east to the closest part of it, so the vibration and all that was quite severe. By the time the mana cloud came here a third of the houses were destroyed. The rest were abandoned rather quickly as folks started to congregate in an effort to survive. Since they were built from recyclable materials of one sort or another, most everything was back then, they decomposed and were slowly taken over by the forest. Which grew rather merrily. I’m not sure if it’s because of the mana or the Librarian helped it along as a security measure, we can ask when we meet her if you’re interested.”
“Cool. And later? You keep saying this forest is dangerous so I’d assume more than one critter would be interested in a nice cosy lair such as yours.”
“Well, that fence you laughed about is electrified, as is most of the roof and walls. And not ‘zap a sheep away from it’ kind of way but ‘stop your heart and fry your brain’ kind of way.”
“Whoa.”
“Yes, well, I like my house and as I am pretty much a permanent resident I wasn’t going to take any chances. So all the animals in the area learned pretty quickly to just avoid it altogether. And since the Librarian isn’t actively attacking anything, just defending herself, the really nasty things stayed away regardless.”
“OK. I’m going to disconnect now. And I’ll keep to talking aloud for now.”
“Sure, wouldn’t want to share any embarrassing thoughts, huh.” Whimsy responded with a laugh.
“Disconnect.” Alice thought.
“Nope. Still here.”
“Goddammit.”
This sequence repeated several times before Alice focused on the prompt in the corner of her vision. Instead of the sentence in now looked like the classic green phone icon, and when Alice thought of “pressing it”, it rotated turning red, then disappeared.
[Comm disconnected]
“I’m still here.” Said Whimsy, a hint of laugher in her voice.
“What the fu—” Alice started angrily.
“I’m kidding, I’m kidding!” Whimsy quickly spoke up. “Man it’s fun winding you up. The connection is gone, I’m just using the one-way line you opened earlier.”
If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
“Not cool. Not cool at all.” Alice said aloud, rather sullenly.
The next several hours were uneventful as Alice continued walking at a steady pace occasionally prompted by Whimsy, or forced by the terrain, to adjust her heading. It was just after midday when Alice came to a clearing with a river in the middle. The waterway was about fifty meters wide, flowing in a slow, steady current. The water was crystal clear, allowing her to easily see several fish and growing plants. She was considering how to cross it when Whimsy spoke up.
“You’re making decent time, though I’m not sure how far up the river we are exactly. No need to cross it, at least not yet. It flows near the village and I think there’s a crossing close to it. Either way, I’m not actually sure you can swim as you are, you’re not exactly buoyant love, so let’s not try it where there’s no one to help if something happens. It’s up to you if you want to go back into the forest or continue alongside the water.”
“Why wouldn’t I want to follow the river? Seems it would be easier.” Alice responded, somewhat confused.
“Yes, it will be easier and I won’t have to prompt you where to go either. However, you are significantly more likely to encounter some unpleasant animal, or worse yet monster, that comes to drink. Not all the monsters in these woods are under the Librarian’s control, especially this far from her place. After several hundred years some of them, or their offspring, have managed to shake off the control she has over them. She culled any that stayer around her, but if they left, she didn’t care.”
“Of course.” Alice said, smacking herself in the forehead. “I’m not that keen on fighting anything, but it should help us get a better pace going. I’d consider building a raft but after what you said I’m not going to risk it. Not that I’d know how to do anything more than tying some logs together anyway.”
With that she turned right and headed downstream. Thinking that some noise might dissuade things from surprising her, she started singing aloud. Whimsy laughed in her head when she heard the lyrics, commenting on how she’d better hope they not become prophetic, getting a grumbling ‘not funny’ from Alice, which only prompted Whimsy to laugh harder. She didn’t stop singing, however. It was one of her favourite songs and, honestly, with the basket and her red hair... Well, she could see why Whimsy found it funny.
(Aeseaes – Little Red Riding Hood)
hey there little red riding hood
you sure are looking good
you're everything a big bad wolf could want
little red riding hood
I don't think little big girls should
go walking in these spooky old woods alone
what big eyes you have
the kind of eyes that drive wolves mad
just to see that you don't get chased
I think I ought to walk with you for a ways
what full lips you have
they're sure to lure someone bad
until you get to grandma's place
I think you ought to walk with me and be safe
gonna keep my sheep suit on
until I'm sure that you've been shown
that I can be trusted walking with you alone
little red riding hood
I'd like to hold you if I could
but you might think I'm a big bad wolf so I won't
what a big heart I have
the better to love you with
little red riding hood
even bad wolves can be good
I'll try to be satisfied just to walk by your side
maybe you'll see things my way
before we get to grandma's place
little red riding hood
you sure are looking good
you're everything a big bad wolf could want
The walk alongside the river was uneventful for several hours more. Alice saw several deer and other game drinking, but as soon as they saw her they ran into the woods. At least the ones on the same side of the water. She also spotted something in the sky and was told by Whimsy it was a wyvern. The creature was too far for Alice to see any details, sans the large wingspan. She went through several more songs in those hours until finally they reached something she’d not seen before.
From the river a two meter wide tract of flattened, browned grass lead into the forest. It seemed to be covered in a thin, clear film. At Alice’s question about it, Whimsy responded she had no idea either. Shrugging, Alice took aim, put one arm on the cloth on the basket and jumped over it, not wanting to risk touching whatever the gunk was. She misjudged the amount of effort however and found herself flying nearly twenty meters forward. Eyes widening as she reached the top of the arc, she braced herself and tried her best to land safely. Unfortunately, her heightened power worked against her. As she turned too much in the air, she landed facing backwards, lost her balance and hit the ground with her ass. Hard. Jarred for a second, she gathered herself and stood up. She quickly checked nothing happened to her cargo, seeing it safe she sat the basket on the ground and patted herself clean. Mostly, anyway as some of the grass and dirt embedded itself deeply in the fabric of her pants. No loss there, she thought wryly and, picking up the basket again, turned back towards her destination and resumed her walk. The sun was just above the tree line when Whimsy spoke.
“I think we’ll need to camp out. I don’t think you’ll have problems with the elements, but walking in the dark is dangerous and slow. Besides it won’t do for you to show up in the middle of the night at the village. They live close enough to the forest, this forest especially, and are remote enough from other people, that they’re more likely than not to attack first, ask questions later. You should use the remaining sunlight on finding a shelter. I’d say making a fire too, but I don’t know how to do that.”
“I do, probably. And I’d rather not get attacked by the first people I meet here either, nor get lost in the night.” Alice responded, surprising Whimsy a little, though making her feel better too. She was honestly ashamed of how unprepared they were to head out. They were banking heavily on Alice’s new body keeping her safe and only now did Whimsy realise how foolish that actually was. Alice didn’t seem to mind though, so she didn’t mention it out loud. Instead she asked about the uncertain element Alice mentioned.
“Probably? What’s that mean?”
“It means I technically know how to make a fire. I’ve never actually started one this way though, I just saw it in some videos. We’ll make do. For now let’s head away from the water. Also, I love how you said ‘we’ll need to camp out’ when you’re nice and snug in your suburban bunker.” Alice’s words were biting, but she was smiling and Whimsy could hear that in her voice, untying the knot in her stomach a little. Sensing her friends uneasy, Alice continued. “Relax. I knew this might happen. I slept in worse conditions. I won’t say with less things, but truthfully I’m probably better of now that I was then. I’m slightly peckish, rather than hungry and I do have food and water. As you said, I barely feel the elements. So the only risk is wild things, and even monsters are less terrifying to deal with than men with guns.” Her voice grew steadily sadder as she spoke, so she shook her head, once again dismissing the unpleasant memories, and headed into the woods.
Once she was far enough in that she couldn’t see or hear the river, she started looking for a place to set up camp. She found a clearing at the foot of a small hill, which she climbed to take advantage of the view. Seeing one of the trees standing slightly deeper into the clearing she headed for it. She emptied the basket, put its contents under the tree, covered them with the cloth and secured it with some nearby stones. She headed into the woods, picking up small branches and cutting bigger ones she filled the basket she took with her. She repeated the task twice more before she felt satisfied with the pile of small sticks. Leaving the basket behind this time, she grabbed the knife and headed towards a fallen tree she noticed earlier. It wasn’t the best tool for the job, but if the fire was to last the night she needed at least a few proper logs. Finding the top of the tree she cut off some of the branches, finding it much easier than she expected. Encouraged, she decided to try cutting a log off the main trunk rather than using the branches like she planned before. Taking aim, she raised the knife above her head and swung down with all her strength. Once again surprising her with her own strength, the knife went almost halfway through the log. Yanking it out she repeated the process and in short order she had cut a small log from the tree. Encouraged, she repeated the whole thing two more times, ending up with three small logs. She brought them to her makeshift camp and set to work setting up the fire. She dug a small pit with one of the sticks, cleared the area around it and using the soil she dug out and some rocks she set up a short barrier around it. It wouldn’t do to burn down the forest by accident, she thought to herself. Creating a small pyramid with the thinner sticks, she turned to the logs. Setting the largest of them vertically she sat on it and debarked the others, making sure to have at least one relatively large piece, before cutting them up into six pieces each.
“Now for the tricky part.” Alice said out loud, looking out towards the sun, now firmly behind the treeline and sinking lower. “Let’s hope I remembered this right.”
Saying that, she grabbed the straightest of the sticks, laid the large piece of bark flat on the ground and put a pile of leaves and dry grass she gathered in the middle. Putting the stick in the middle of the dry foliage, she put her hands flat against the sides of the stick and started to rub, moving her hands down as she did so.
“Oh, I’ve seen this in a documentary about early humans once. Though I think they had a bow thing instead of just using hands, you sure it will be enough?” Whimsy asked, excitement clear in her voice.
“With how fast I can move—” Alice responded speeding up her motions, intently focused on the task at hand. “— it should work just fine and finding a stick supple enough to make a bow wouldn’t be worth the hassle. I think.” She added the last words with some delay.
Her words proved true a minute later, as a small trickle of smoke started to rise from in front of her. Picking up the bark she delicately blew on the embers, and when they grew brighter, she added a few of the wood shavings and stocked them again. Moments later a small flame began merrily dancing in front of her. She put the whole thing under the sticks in the fire pit, shaking her hips in a small jiggle of success. Soon after, the fire was glowing a bright orange, shadows dancing around it.
“Congratulations, that was well done. Sorry I couldn’t help in any way.”
“Thank you.” Alice responded to Whimsy’s words with a big smile. “And don’t worry. I feel we’ve had a conversation much like it before. You’ve done more than enough, and I’m sure you’ll help more in the future.” Sitting against against the tree, Alice looked at the fire as she ate, washing down all of the sandwiches with some of the water she brought along. Putting the few things she had with her back in the basket, she draped the cloth that covered it over herself. Less for warmth, it barely covered her shoulders and breasts anyway, more for comfort.
She sat there, quietly talking with Whimsy, looking at the fire. The sun was now fully set and she looked up at the sky. With a soft gasp she gaped at the tapestry in front of her. She’s never seen the Milky Way outside of pictures, light pollution being as bad as it was during her time on Earth, but that wasn’t what caught her breath. Well, not only that. Thousands of small, bright dots littered the sky. Varying in sizes, they moved roughly in the same direction, languidly flying against the nebulous cloud of the galaxy.
“What—”
“The shards. It’s quite beautiful, isn’t it? Despite the tragic nature of how they came to be. I used to hate looking at it. In fact, I haven’t done so in a very long time. It just reminded me of how much I... We, lost. Now, though... I wish I could share your feelings now, or even see your face.” Whimsy said with a note of melancholy in her voice, though it did perk up at the mentions of Alice’s visage, before returning to the more sombre tone. “I think this will be good for both of us. I feel like your exploration of this world will help me see the beauty in it again. And for you... Don’t think I didn’t notice the few moments of sadness before. I hope we can help each other stay away from those dark places in our minds.”
“That would be nice. We can work on you seeing my face, but I’ll keep my inner feelings to myself if you don’t mind. You’ve got an idea of what I experienced and I’m not that keen on talking about it.” Alice’s tone turned contemplative. “For now let’s just... enjoy the beauty before us.”
—
Alice drifted on the edge of sleep. The ground at her bottom and wood at her back weren’t exactly comfortable. She also didn’t want to risk the fire going out or waking up facing something scary. Whimsy was good company in that regard, keeping her mind occupied with small talk and, at Alice’s persistent demands, stories of humanity before the war. She always loved sci-fi and hearing stories of life around the solar system, space ships and how humanity managed to overcome many of the pitfalls she lived through, really engrossed her.
She was just adding the last of the logs she cut to the fire when she felt something change. It took her a moment to realise what it was - the entire forest around her went quiet. She tensed, grabbing her weapon and crouching, hand on the basket, she got ready to run. The eerie silence was pierced by a mewling roar and sounds of something large crashing through the underbrush near the edge of the clearing.
“What—” Whimsy started, but Alice quickly cut her off, a note of panic in her whispered reproach.
“Hush!”
Alice barely saw the large shape move. At first she thought it a figment of her imagination brought on by the fear and uncertainty. That quickly changed, as the large, black mass grew bigger, and amidst it all she saw two, bright eyes, the firelight reflected in them, looking straight at her.
“Oh fuck.” She cursed under her nose, preparing to fight for her life.