Page 95 of Monsters in Love: Lost in the Stars

Ana

By the time I’d managed to pull myself from the absolute bliss of the pool of water Cy had called the hot spring and borrowed some simple, oversized clothing from Lawrence’s closet, grief had managed to elbow in. I stood in front of the big oval mirror beside the wardrobe, seeing hints of Nan in the dusty, aged glass as I turned the little canister over and over in my palm.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t get you to him while you lived, Nan, but I hope this means something still.” My voice was watery and my reflection blurred as I blinked back tears. A soft shuffle startled me and I spun to find Harv-E leaning on the doorframe, watching me, the last of the three I’d expected to check on me.

“Ana, I wanted to be sure you were alright. My programming can get a little…off sometimes. I need you to know that I’d never hurt you, not really.” His faceplate was off now, though his gloves remained, and he nervously tugged at the fingers as he joined me in the mirror.

“No, it was perfect, Harv-E. Honestly. I was never scared or worried you wouldn’t stop, I…well, I like it like that sometimes–well, often, if I’m being truthful. It’s kind of why I had trouble with dating on board.” I leaned my head back against his shoulder, smiling softly at our reflection as he pulled his gloves off and tossed them on the dresser to cup my waist.

I held up the little canister, sniffling a little. “These are the remains of my Nan, Anabelle. She was supposed to come here, to this dome, to be with your User Lawrence. My Nan loved him too, which is why I want to bury her with him. If–if that’s okay with you, of course.”

Harv-E looked solemn, nodding as he closed his eyes. “He loved her too, Ana. Deeply. I think his life’s only regret was that he never got to see her again, but maybe we can make that right.”

I took Harv-E’s hand when he offered it, letting him lead me downstairs to where Cy and Thresher, both dressed in clean slacks and shirts, waited for us on the house’s front steps. They each carried small bundles of sticks in their hands, the slender stems covered with green leaves and fragrant white flowers. We walked to the beautiful rows of trees I’d seen when I first entered the dome, realizing with a blush that they grew the sweet fruit I’d unexpectedly tasted earlier.

A small, rectangular plot waited in the heart of the trees, marked with a smooth round stone that had the image of an apple laser-chiseled into it. Cy stooped down with a handheld spade, making a furrow above where Lawrence’s heart would be. I cried as I opened the canister, tipping the contents into the resting place I’d promised Nan, smiling despite the sadness when a randomized artificial breeze sent a swirl of the grey dust up into the blue expanse of the dome and treetops.

Thresher kneeled down to cup the soil back over the furrow, settling his handful of flower-sticks beside it, Cy’s joining the pile shortly after. Another artificial breeze sent fluttering white petals raining down over us like stars as the other two droids clustered around me in an embrace warmer than any I’d had since Nan.

I’d done it. I’d broken barriers, entered the unknown, defied laws in the name of discovering myself, and now I would, with the help of my soulful mechanical men, I’d help others do the same. And so, I dried my tears, took a deep breath of the place I’d decided to call home, and felt peace for the first time in a long while.

On the way back to the house, Harv-E handed me another apple with a sly smile, winking when I took a bite. Who knew freedom tasted so sweet?

Thank you so much for reading Cy-D3R!