Niib – June 4, 2006

Beep! Beep! Beep!

“What's that sound?” asked the child.

Beep! Beep! Beee—kerch!

The sound became muffled. It was as if it were just pulled away by some omniscient force. “It's really dark,” said the child. “Is there anyone out there?” She suddenly became aware of her arms and legs, and began to crawl around meekly. The surface she was sitting on was a very small one, the child teetering along the edge with the first giant step.

“Ah!” She lurched back and bumped into something hard. She felt her balance was off, and this was when she became aware of her eyelids, and how they were shut. With such unprecedented ease, the child opened her eyes to the new world of wonders.

Niib – June 4, 2023

She growled and lazed on the crescent moon, looking up at the old brown radio swinging pathetically above her head. “Why isn't this thing working!” She gave it a good swat, knocking the antenna by forty-five degrees. The machine suddenly switched from beeping and static, to the voice of a man.

“Hello? Tsukiko, can you hear me yet? Tsukiko?”

“Aye, I can hear you, Captain. You're very clear, too; like normal.” Tsukiko slouched down and began braiding a piece of her hair. She glanced down at the planet she watched over, Restag, a hurricane coming close to Habao, which was where the Captain lived.

“That's good, but I'm not here for talking. Today, I'm here to issue an order from the UCF,” Captain said, the speaker booming with every word.

Puzzled, Tsukiko cocked her head to the left. “UCF? What's that?”

“You'll know in time, my dear. For now, this is what I was told: 'Project Thirty-four, Tsukiko, is to arrive in Habao's Tiji district docking bay before Hurricane Oswald lands.' End message.”

“How do I get down there?” she asked, looking up at the dark wooden radio, it's dark brown cord hooked up to the moon's upper electrical socket, and swaying in the slight breeze. Her deep green eyes large and blinking.

“Jump.”

Tsukiko sat up in a rush and stared down at the rotating planet. “Is it that easy? What if I get hurt? What if my aim's off?”

“Don't worry, don't worry,” Captain reassured. “As long as you're thinking about Tiji district, you'll land there. It's that simple.”

“Where do you live, Captain?”

Captain coughed and grumbled something. “Somewhere near Tiji, I assure you. Now, if you have nothing to pack...?” He ended on an openlly questionable tone, rendering Tsukiko's own thinking.

“I get it. Can I take the radio with me?” she asked.

“No, you can't. Leave it there for either when you return, or your replacement. There needs to be someone up there within the month, and on your way up there you won't be able to bring anything with you.”

Without further questioning, Tsukiko hopped off the small crescent moon. “I'm off!” she shouted as the air around her began to heat up.

Restag – June 4, 2023

Tiji District, Habao - 11:52 AM

The summer sun was beating down on the track course as class 2-C had to do track and field in Gym. Today, they were having both their long jump and hundred-meter dash records taken.

July and August were the hottest months of the year, and the students were just starting to get jumpy about how to spend their summer.

Alice Shuji, a sixteen-year-old, used to be a track runner in middle school, so it was no surprise when she got the second highest time in the class. “Good job, Shuji! You're time is twelve point eight twooo,” said the student helper, Anne-Marie Brand-Scott, who was a transfer from Smrtivs Island, a few hours off Habao's Tiji coast.

“Yeah, thanks, Marie,” Alice replied, breathless, and walked a few meters to the fence, where a giant tree shaded some of the students. There was, of course, room for Alice, her ex-track runner past earning her a sort of respect in Gym (not that she got much outside of the class).

“You're doing good, Shuji. Why'd you quit the track team?” Amelia asked. Amelia was the kind of girl who had golden hair that would usually cascade down her shoulders in beautiful curls, wore makeup like mascara, lipstick, and blush, and had fine features accented with pale skin. For Gym, she tied her hair of perfectly with loose curls and stray hairs. Not something quite so right for this physically active class, but it wasn't like Amelia cared.

Alice shrugged. “It wasn't because I didn't like it; I still do.”

“Then why? You were one of the prides of the sports department, and now you're second rate. Why don't you kick it up again and run?” Amelia attempted to fix her falling hair with a few bobby pins, but it only made it cluttered and heavy. She sighed and took it all out, resorting to redoing the hairdo.

Again, Alice shrugged. Casually; it wasn't like it mattered. “I don't know. I felt like the track team was enough for me. I've been in track for five years already, and it feels like that's all it took to get me to the level I needed to be at.” She watched as a classmate began her run. Alice turned to Amelia, who's eyes were closed and head laid back against the metal wire fence. Her hand was wrapped around the makeshift bun of hair she had made, protecting it from the knot-catching wires she laid against.

“You're a weird kid,” she said.

Students were starting to group up on the field, looking and point up at the sky. Alice looked at then doubtfully, then heard, “Hey, look at that!” She leaned forward a bit, trying to get a better look at the sky, away from the branches. Amelia opened her eyes and looked around with her eyes, not wanting to move much in the heat.

In the sky was an object falling down at a very fast speed, leaving a trail of smoke in its wake. The object itself was aflame, as it should be, but it certainly didn't look like it was breaking up into little piece of dust, as it should be. Indicating, by a few wannabe astronomers in Alice's Gym class, that the object was of foreign origin, and was indeed not a piece of space-rock or space-garbage.

“What do you think it is?” Amelia interrupted Alice's silent awe. Alice gave a brief glance at Amelia before looking back into the sky. The object was no longer there, instead there was its ghostly black trail. “It was headed towards the bay.”

“I know,” Alice said, starting to feel slightly anxious. Her house was situated near the bay, about two blocks from the harbor, actually. “I hope my home's safe.”

“Oh, it'll be fine. Don't worry about it.”

“Okay, enough, girls. Let's get back to work. Amelia Rochelle; come get your dash prep.”

“Absolutely fine,” Amelia said, smiling as she stood and left.

Tiji District – 4:45 PM

26 Bosfesy Lane (Alice's house)

Sweat fell from Alice's chin, her socks felt soaked, and her hair was greasy. She continued walking down the hill, settling in herself that walking down a hill was more painful—in the way you have to keep pace or else your toes will mush, or your head will hit concrete—than walking up one. Walking up was all about the relation between weight and leg muscle: Can your legs lift your weight smoothly?

She saw the sirens' lights spinning from down by the harbor. She saw groups of people gathering, news of the strange object's free fall from space subject to harsh criticism and the spreading of rumors.

All the docked fishing boats were forbidden to set sail, and all boats already out to sea were to keep out of the harbor until clearance was given. Alice could even see the nightly bay gates that close off all by-sea transportation. The United Seamen Club were taking this situation very seriously, risking the gate's breaking. It was already really old and creaky, so just imagine how easy it would be for something strong enough to not burn through the atmosphere to break through the rickety old gate?

Alice finally reached the bottom of the hill. She lost interest in the happenings of the bay as she came down, eventually becoming unable to see over the rooftops. The small, red wooden door opened with usual ease, Alice slipping the house keys back in her pockets...

“Welcome home, Alice.”

The door made a loud bang as Alice shut it and then locked it. “Thank you,” she said out of habit, not really noticing who it was. She walked towards the kitchen, dropping her school bag and purse on the floor, and walking out of her shoes as she walked. Everything else Alice molted. Then, she did a double take.

“What?” she said, louder now, and walked back to the living room. Sitting in her Pa's chair, rocking and reading a newspaper, drinking her Pa's orange peel tea, was a large, humanoid, brown rabbit. “What?” The words were escaping her without Alice's intention, and she covered her mouth quickly.

The rabbit turned his head and torso around to see Alice. His fur was a chocolatey shade of brown, and his eyes were teal colored buttons. It took her a while to recognize him, but as soon as she did her hand dropped from her mouth and her eyes widened. Alice stood there, agape for a few minutes, and stare incredulously at the rabbit—no, he was a hare.

“You don't recognize me?” The hare stood and immediately Alice looked away—he wasn't wearing any clothes, and it was only his head that was a hare.

“Eliot, back away! Sit back down, please. I'll get some of Pa's clothes!” Alice covered her eyes and took a few steps back before sprinting through the kitchen to the little doorway under the stairs. This was the passageway to her parents' room.

Alice's house wasn't very big. It had a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom on the first floor, and then an attic and basement suite. It was relatively old, but with a newly remodeled kitchen and bathroom, bringing a sense of modernism into the home. Alice's father was a psychologist, and her mother was a historian, leading to filled bookshelves all over the house. Ever since Alice entered high school, she's started reading them, too.

“Want me to help you, Alice?” Eliot called. There was no reply, and soon she came back with a short sleeved plain white shirt, and a pair of shorts. Blushing, Alice shoved them toward Eliot, looking away.

“I'll go buy boxers right now, if you're willing to wait,” she said. Eliot took the clothing and began putting it on, knowing exactly how as if it were human—which, except for the head, he was. Alice hurried back into the kitchen to pickup the clothing she had shed in the heat and put them on.

“Thank you very much for your kindness, Alice. Do you want me to come with you?” She turned and walked back, looking at his disheveled and makeshift appearance. She winced.

“No, no. It's okay. The closest boutique is on Bay Avenue, so it'll be a short walk.” Eliot looked at her, his button eyes and unmoving face giving her the chills.

How could her favorite stuffed hare become this kind of... thing? A living thing! She shook her head and the hare's ears wavered a bit in their upright position. “I can't?”

“I'm afraid not. Look at yourself, Eliot! You're a hare with a human body! You're living, too!” Alice frowned as she gave Eliot a few more looks up and down.

“Be safe. If anything happens, call for me, okay?” Eliot sat down again and continued reading the newspaper, sipping the orange peel tea belonging to Alice's Pa. Stumped about the hare's behavior, she put her shoes back on and grabbed her purse. In a rush, she left without locking the door.

Author's Notes: A small note about some of the names... they're not actually gibberish or made up shit (because I'm not good at that). Some of the names (like Niib and Restag) are simply the normal names typed with one hand one letter to the right or left. Have fun guessing what's what!