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Description

    It was night inside the healing house of Filniss and all was quiet save the hushed voices of nurses and the soft bubbling of healing tanks. In the circle green room on the second floor two figures slept. Holographic medical monitors encircled a bed in the center of the room, their screens rimming everything in a soft blue light. Outside the picture window colorful auroras danced through the black sky, playing with the flickering stars.
    The peaceful atmosphere was broken by a soft moan and the rustling of blankets.
    Soorn’s eyes blinked open from where he slept in the guest hammock in the corner. He was a light sleeper. He had to be. As a farmer he had to be ready to chase away the herds of droofins that would stomp through his fields at night.
    He sat up in his hammock, his eyes trained on the oval bed and the small figure that occupied it. The alien child...Rover. The boy had only remembered his name yesterday...was tossing in his sleep.
    Soorn slipped onto the stone floor and moved silently over to the bed. His yellow eyes scanned the monitors. He was not an educated man by any means but he could see by the pulsing circle on one of them that the boy’s heart rate had increased.
    He frowned, deeply concerned. The young alien had sustained massive trauma when his little shuttle had crashed into one of Soorn’s fields. The boy now sported purple bruises over most of his left side, a metallic plate in the side of his head and a mechanical arm. It had been several days and the physicians were optimistic about his recovery. But something was happening here and it was worrysome.
    Soorn was not an expert on alien emotion but the expression on the boy’s face struck him as pained as he moved his head slowly from side to side. His right hand clutched the covers so tightly his knuckles were white and tiny droplets of water were appearing on his forehead. His lips began to move as if he were talking to someone. Suddenly his chest began to rise and fall quickly and deeply as if he were gasping for breath. “Dad...Dad!” The words were mumbled and slurred but his translator recognized them.
    He needed call someone! For all he knew the boy could be dying right before his eyes!
    Before he could even turn away a horrible shrieking sound tore from the boy’s throat and he sprang upright in the bed. His eyes were wide and wild, both hands reaching forward as if trying to snatch something out of the night air.
    A doctor and a nurse appeared instantly in the doorway and rushed inside.
    Rover’s chest still heaved and his wide green eyes stared, unblinking at the far wall. His body shook.
    Both the doctor and the nurse scanned the screens, their tails flicking behind them in concentration, and all eight arms tapping at information, looking for the reason for this sudden outburst.
    “What’s wrong?” Soorn asked, getting to the question before either of the physicians. “Are you hurt?”
    Despite the massive bruising on his left side the boy hugged himself tight and rocked a little, still staring straight ahead. At first he appeared not to have heard.
    The doctor and nurse looked at each other worriedly.
    But after a moment he shook his head from side to side, a gesture they had come to recognize as denial. "If you are not injured then please describe your symptoms."
    The boy's face pinched in anguish and his eyes glistened. "I...I had a dream."
    The doctor relaxed, her tail drooping to the floor and swapping a glance full of relief and just a little annoyance with the nurse. “It’s simply a fear response.”
    “Calm down, Islet.” The nurse said, patting his head. “It is just a night story. Go back to sleep. All will be well in the morning.”
    And without another word they left. Soorn watched them disappear into the hallway before looking back down at Rover. His chin trembled in the blue light that glinted off of the metal in his head, his mechanical arm and the liquid that was pooling in his eyes. One didn’t have to be an expert on xenosociology to understand that the boy was in deep distress. And the physicians token comfort had done nothing.
    “What was it about?” There was silence. “I won’t scoff. I promise.”
    He still didn’t turn to look at Soorn as he spoke, his voice high and broken. “I don’t...I don’t remember!” His head dropped down and he clenched both fists in on his forehead, clutching at his curly hair.
    Soorn reached a hand out and placed it on the boy’s trembling shoulders and leaned a little closer. “I’m sorry.”
    That was all the encouragement Rover needed. He threw both arms around the Jssfloon’s waist and buried his face in his shirt.
    Soorn was startled but didn’t pull back. After a brief pause he climbed up onto the bed and pulled the boy close with all four arms. He could feel where his shirt touched the boys face become warm and wet. He began to let out a series of small coughing sounds interspersed by an open-mouthed whine. There were no soul spots and no chuffing but he knew the child was crying.
    “Everything’s gone!” He mumbled through choking sobs. “I...I had something. Something important. And then...and then…” He shook his head and cried some more. “Its all gone.”
    He rested his chin on the boy’s head. “You do have something, Little Traveler.” He spoke softly and the boy’s sobs lessened a little as he listened. “You have the future. We all lose things, little one. But look forward to the things you can gain. The things you can do. The things you will see. You will always have the future, whether it is only tomorrow or the rest of your life.” The boy’s crying had died down to uneven breaths and the occasional hiccup.
    “And you have me. I’m here.”
    In moments he felt the boy’s shoulders relax a little and the shaking stopped. The slightly painful death grip the boy had around his waist was lessening.
Rover let out a shaky sigh. Soorn could feel his heartrate slow and his breathing even out.

Neither of them spoke. They just sat there, with the young alien leaning his head against the farmers chest, the aurora flickering in the night sky behind them. Until finally the boy was fast asleep.

Description

    It was night inside the healing house of Filniss and all was quiet save the hushed voices of nurses and the soft bubbling of healing tanks. In the circle green room on the second floor two figures slept. Holographic medical monitors encircled a bed in the center of the room, their screens rimming everything in a soft blue light. Outside the picture window colorful auroras danced through the black sky, playing with the flickering stars.
    The peaceful atmosphere was broken by a soft moan and the rustling of blankets.
    Soorn’s eyes blinked open from where he slept in the guest hammock in the corner. He was a light sleeper. He had to be. As a farmer he had to be ready to chase away the herds of droofins that would stomp through his fields at night.
    He sat up in his hammock, his eyes trained on the oval bed and the small figure that occupied it. The alien child...Rover. The boy had only remembered his name yesterday...was tossing in his sleep.
    Soorn slipped onto the stone floor and moved silently over to the bed. His yellow eyes scanned the monitors. He was not an educated man by any means but he could see by the pulsing circle on one of them that the boy’s heart rate had increased.
    He frowned, deeply concerned. The young alien had sustained massive trauma when his little shuttle had crashed into one of Soorn’s fields. The boy now sported purple bruises over most of his left side, a metallic plate in the side of his head and a mechanical arm. It had been several days and the physicians were optimistic about his recovery. But something was happening here and it was worrysome.
    Soorn was not an expert on alien emotion but the expression on the boy’s face struck him as pained as he moved his head slowly from side to side. His right hand clutched the covers so tightly his knuckles were white and tiny droplets of water were appearing on his forehead. His lips began to move as if he were talking to someone. Suddenly his chest began to rise and fall quickly and deeply as if he were gasping for breath. “Dad...Dad!” The words were mumbled and slurred but his translator recognized them.
    He needed call someone! For all he knew the boy could be dying right before his eyes!
    Before he could even turn away a horrible shrieking sound tore from the boy’s throat and he sprang upright in the bed. His eyes were wide and wild, both hands reaching forward as if trying to snatch something out of the night air.
    A doctor and a nurse appeared instantly in the doorway and rushed inside.
    Rover’s chest still heaved and his wide green eyes stared, unblinking at the far wall. His body shook.
    Both the doctor and the nurse scanned the screens, their tails flicking behind them in concentration, and all eight arms tapping at information, looking for the reason for this sudden outburst.
    “What’s wrong?” Soorn asked, getting to the question before either of the physicians. “Are you hurt?”
    Despite the massive bruising on his left side the boy hugged himself tight and rocked a little, still staring straight ahead. At first he appeared not to have heard.
    The doctor and nurse looked at each other worriedly.
    But after a moment he shook his head from side to side, a gesture they had come to recognize as denial. "If you are not injured then please describe your symptoms."
    The boy's face pinched in anguish and his eyes glistened. "I...I had a dream."
    The doctor relaxed, her tail drooping to the floor and swapping a glance full of relief and just a little annoyance with the nurse. “It’s simply a fear response.”
    “Calm down, Islet.” The nurse said, patting his head. “It is just a night story. Go back to sleep. All will be well in the morning.”
    And without another word they left. Soorn watched them disappear into the hallway before looking back down at Rover. His chin trembled in the blue light that glinted off of the metal in his head, his mechanical arm and the liquid that was pooling in his eyes. One didn’t have to be an expert on xenosociology to understand that the boy was in deep distress. And the physicians token comfort had done nothing.
    “What was it about?” There was silence. “I won’t scoff. I promise.”
    He still didn’t turn to look at Soorn as he spoke, his voice high and broken. “I don’t...I don’t remember!” His head dropped down and he clenched both fists in on his forehead, clutching at his curly hair.
    Soorn reached a hand out and placed it on the boy’s trembling shoulders and leaned a little closer. “I’m sorry.”
    That was all the encouragement Rover needed. He threw both arms around the Jssfloon’s waist and buried his face in his shirt.
    Soorn was startled but didn’t pull back. After a brief pause he climbed up onto the bed and pulled the boy close with all four arms. He could feel where his shirt touched the boys face become warm and wet. He began to let out a series of small coughing sounds interspersed by an open-mouthed whine. There were no soul spots and no chuffing but he knew the child was crying.
    “Everything’s gone!” He mumbled through choking sobs. “I...I had something. Something important. And then...and then…” He shook his head and cried some more. “Its all gone.”
    He rested his chin on the boy’s head. “You do have something, Little Traveler.” He spoke softly and the boy’s sobs lessened a little as he listened. “You have the future. We all lose things, little one. But look forward to the things you can gain. The things you can do. The things you will see. You will always have the future, whether it is only tomorrow or the rest of your life.” The boy’s crying had died down to uneven breaths and the occasional hiccup.
    “And you have me. I’m here.”
    In moments he felt the boy’s shoulders relax a little and the shaking stopped. The slightly painful death grip the boy had around his waist was lessening.
Rover let out a shaky sigh. Soorn could feel his heartrate slow and his breathing even out.

Neither of them spoke. They just sat there, with the young alien leaning his head against the farmers chest, the aurora flickering in the night sky behind them. Until finally the boy was fast asleep.