Glimmer

"Hello."

Don't hear... forgot to listen. Mind, eyes, hands, focused fully on
the order. Too much talking, anyhow. Everyone goes talk talk talk
talk talk to me, except when they ORDER ORDER ORDER ORDER in loud
sharp voice.

"My name is Vivi."

More talk, opening hearing. No order - just the talk talk talk,
quiet, little, dusty-small. Need not listen any more.

"Um... What's yours?"

Can see him, out of eye in corner. Hands falter on order - he's so
small, little tiny quiet like his talk, eyes glimmer like happy
lights, like me like others, tiny child... but no, not care, don't
ignore order, ignoring order WRONG BAD PAIN NO.

"... Hello? U-um... don't you want to talk?"

Talk a never-order. Never talk. Even if ordered, no talk comes from
me. Me just to do order, never to talk - good to be quiet when
ordered pain. Good to die quiet.

If could, would. If could, say your 'Hello'.

"..."

So small, so cryingly small. Orders inside pain - makes me order
new things, new want. Want to cradle him; childs need cradling,
and he so small. Never seen small. Born big, all of us.

Sad staring, ordered from his eyes. Even harder to do order, hands
trying hard to keep on work.

He goes, hat bobbing, bobbing.

It orders ache, tight inside.
_______________

He tries. Tries tries tries tries tries; tries others-us. Talk talk
talk to them, talk talk talk.

They ordered same; from each he goes, big sad eyes, lamps in dark.

But me knows they ache. They all obey ache. To live is obey, whatever
ordered.

Small, small, dusty-small. Was me ever small? Think not. But he
small, pretty bright quiet. Talk, talk, talk, dusty-quiet voice.
Thinking his voice makes almost-smile.

Thoughts go away - ship lurches. Ship not ordered lurching. Wrong
wrong wrong wrong; fixing ordered. All us go up.

People in the order-area. Tall person there; orders us away, so
obey, all us. Stand quietly around, in case new orders needed. Small
child quiet by him, standing near others.

Ship lurches, he leave. One stays, making order on the ship. We watch,
dusty-quiet.

Then he comes.

Tall, orders. Like us, not like us. Burning eyes like torchfire,
not as warm. Quick to order pain, more quick to make us obey it.
Orders inside me sick, almost-tremble with worry, fear on fire.
Child so small, so easy for him to order pain.

Child need never-order for pain. Thought of him paining orders me
angry inside.

Angry a never-order. We not ordered angry. But angry I obey.

Eyes meet. Talk is a never-order, but glimmer of our eyes is talk
obey enough.

We know. We obey.

He orders outside. Talks ice, talks cruel; eyes burn on child.
Child cowers, child cringes.

We fear. We obey.

Magic runs bright through fingertips, burning fire that orders pain.
We all know magic, but it is a never-order.

Never-orders! No place here, no place with our fear for dusty-sweet
child. Order him from fire. Order him from pain. No wrong, no bad, no
nothing, not ever any more. Disobey is right.

He raises his hands, angry jerks, burning eyes at child. Loud
orders.

Kill.

ORDER. Make no more.

Kill.

ORDER. Make dim.

...

We cannot let him obey. Within us, something burns hot; never-order
of refusal.

We come, child. We come.
____________

Angry orders from him, but we disobey. Crowd around the child,
cradle, protect. No weapon but magic at fingertips; anything to
order him pain, anything to protect.

We lift our hands, fire glimmering bright; ready to order, to hurt -

Hit, falling! Magic runs hot through him, hotter, hotter than ours.
Breaking up inside, thrown back, burnt and pained and air wind
grabbing body. Obey broken, obey split.

Inside me, things broken, things loose, deep deep down aching where
the burning hot lived. No matter, no more; burns me all over, fully
obeying only me.

Child screams, piercing air, piercing his laughter. Obeying
pain, obeying break; quiet now, sounds melting, hearing lost gone.

Good to die quiet. Dimming, dimming... child looks down, eyes so
sad they make deep ache. If could, would comfort. If could, would
smile for him.

Goodbye, child. Make sadness a never-order. Goodbye, ship. Fall is
like float. Goodbye, him. Goodbye, goodbye, child. Dying for
you is worth many lives with order.

See his eyes glimmer - then we free.

~end~