Analog Science Fiction and Fact - June 2013
Analog Science Fiction and Fact - June 2013
Analog Science Fiction and Fact - June 2013
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The walkway glowed in front of them. A fivefoot<br />
wide section in the middle of the path<br />
was illuminated by eerie green light, <strong>and</strong> s<strong>and</strong>wiched<br />
between two yellow-lit sections of the<br />
same width. The path home.<br />
Luna took Ben’s h<strong>and</strong>. “Stay on the Green,”<br />
she reminded him.<br />
The road was empty, <strong>and</strong> Luna’s occasional<br />
reminder, “Green. Stay in the Green please,”<br />
sounded odd <strong>and</strong> echo-y over the loud chirping<br />
<strong>and</strong> chittering of the night creatures hidden<br />
in the heavy dark looming outside the<br />
path.<br />
They were only a block from Luna’s home<br />
when Ben stopped, abruptly. A spike of intense<br />
distress that made her instantly nauseous<br />
warned her the moment before Ben<br />
twisted his h<strong>and</strong> out of her grasp. He pressed<br />
his h<strong>and</strong>s over his ears, his entire body vibrating,<br />
lips emitting a low, repetitive sound. He<br />
lunged into the Yellow Zone. Luna grabbed<br />
his arm, <strong>and</strong> his body weight pulled her into<br />
the Yellow after him. Ben’s footsteps stuttered<br />
at the outer edge of the Yellow, <strong>and</strong> he<br />
stopped. Luna’s momentum carried her further;<br />
she managed to release Ben’s arm before<br />
she tripped out of the Yellow <strong>and</strong> into the<br />
darkness beyond.<br />
She was alone. Her breath hitched, <strong>and</strong> her<br />
h<strong>and</strong> l<strong>and</strong>ed on something small <strong>and</strong> sharp. It<br />
burst under the weight of her h<strong>and</strong>, coating<br />
the ground with warm slime, <strong>and</strong> her palm<br />
slipped out from under her. Her chin hit the<br />
ground. Pain shot into her jaw, but was soon<br />
overwhelmed by deep fear. Luna couldn’t tell<br />
if it was her own. Alone, alone, alone. Her<br />
thoughts <strong>and</strong> motions were sluggish <strong>and</strong> she<br />
struggled to push the feelings aside. She had<br />
to get back on the walkway.<br />
The night seemed to fold around her <strong>and</strong><br />
constrict. Anxiety coiled in her stomach. She<br />
forced herself to st<strong>and</strong>, <strong>and</strong> move toward the<br />
yellow light. Something hit her head hard,<br />
shrieking. She grabbed at it. Her fingers slid<br />
over a mass of fur <strong>and</strong> scales. Its frantic motions<br />
made it tangle itself in her long, straight<br />
hair. Claws scraped across her h<strong>and</strong>s, <strong>and</strong> she<br />
cried out in pain as a warm wet substance<br />
dripped from her scalp into her eyes. She<br />
stumbled. The ground sloped beneath her<br />
feet, <strong>and</strong> she began to slide downward, barely<br />
keeping her footing. The yellow got further<br />
<strong>and</strong> further away until it finally faded from<br />
IN THE GREEN<br />
JUNE <strong>2013</strong><br />
sight.<br />
Abruptly, h<strong>and</strong>s grasped her arms <strong>and</strong><br />
pulled her forcefully backwards. The high<br />
pitched shrieking <strong>and</strong> struggling of the creature<br />
trapped in Luna’s hair increased. She felt<br />
a pulse of the familiar emotional scent that<br />
was Ben’s alone, <strong>and</strong> realized he followed her<br />
into the dark. She reached up <strong>and</strong> gripped a<br />
furry body <strong>and</strong> what felt like a claw-tipped<br />
wing. She tucked her chin to her chest <strong>and</strong><br />
Ben released her arms. His h<strong>and</strong>s moved to<br />
her hair, gently pulling, that low noise coming<br />
from the back of his throat. Luna felt his anxiety<br />
rising <strong>and</strong> ebbing in waves, but he continued<br />
to work his h<strong>and</strong>s in her hair. Luna tried<br />
to keep the unknown animal as still as possible.<br />
Finally, Ben was able to pull the creature<br />
from her hair. Her eyes had adjusted somewhat,<br />
so she was able to see him carry it a few<br />
steps away, <strong>and</strong> deposit it gently on the<br />
ground. She wiped the blood from her face<br />
<strong>and</strong> h<strong>and</strong>s on the hem of her shirt. He returned<br />
to her side <strong>and</strong> took her h<strong>and</strong>.<br />
“We’ve got to find the Yellow.”<br />
Luna looked around her. She was completely<br />
disoriented. Ben waited expectantly by her<br />
side. She felt no anxiety form him, only calm<br />
patience. She always took care of him, kept<br />
him safe.<br />
Several minutes ticked by. Ben’s confidence<br />
pounded in her head, <strong>and</strong> she stood immobilized<br />
because she knew, knew, that she<br />
couldn’t lead him home.<br />
“I’m sorry, Bennie. I don’t know the way.”<br />
She spoke the words, even though she didn’t<br />
know if he understood.<br />
She was afraid to take a step in any direction.<br />
What if she only led them farther from<br />
the path?<br />
As more time passed by, <strong>and</strong> Luna remained<br />
paralyzed, unable to choose, to move,<br />
Ben’s calm finally began to ebb away. His rising<br />
anxiety mingled with her own until her<br />
whole body felt tight—like it was about to explode.<br />
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” She<br />
couldn’t stop repeating the words. A sticky,<br />
cottony feeling lodged in her throat. The panic<br />
wasn’t all her own.<br />
He took a step to the left. Then another,<br />
pulling her along with him, his h<strong>and</strong> tightening<br />
on hers like he was afraid to lose her. His<br />
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