Like A Fairytale

Bonus 6

The year 2061. February 20

Third cycle.

Bao looked around in amazement.

He had been living in this new world for two months now, in a new body, with old and new memories. And today, his old friend had woken him up with surprising news.

Elrik had stormed into his quarters, shaken him awake, and almost climbed on top of him. This would have been funny if Bao hadn't still been a little annoyed. After all, Elrik, the idiot, had brought him back to life.

Against his will.

He spent most of the last few weeks under the dome and observed the outside world. He had missed this. The nature. The animals. But what he saw was not the world he remembered. Strangely distorted plants ate mutated animals, while another monster grew behind him.

Burgstadt. His Castletown. His City.

And he was now inside it. To be precise, in the engine room. Elrik had decided that this monster was now walkable enough to lead Bao through some of the corridors that were already almost finished.

He heard hammers hitting metal, gears turning slowly...

"Steam engines?" asked Bao. They walked over an iron staircase, over the boilers, huge gears, and turbines, on which people were diligently working.

"Old and new technology. We have to take what we have." Elrik patted him on the shoulder. He did that often. In the dim light, surrounded by bronze and gray metal, he looked like a shining god. A gold-like shimmer lay on his fair skin. This God looked down proudly on his work. Proud and a little arrogant. "Some things were taken from old cities. We lost a few people in the process, but what we gained made this loss easier to take responsibility for."

"Take responsibility?" Bao grimaced.

"Attention! Out of the way, Elrik! Unless you want to scald yourself!" someone shouted from below. Hot steam rose from among them. Hot enough to harm them. The two dodged. "Wonderful! A steam bath!" Elrik laughed.

Bao grimaced and looked down. The mechanic waved to him. "Are you all right, newbie?"

"Uh... Yes", Bao shouted to the man. Newbie...

"This is Bao Wang, not a NEWBIE!" Elrik's voice echoed through the wide room. He was still laughing.

"Attention, newbie Bao Wang and Elrik! We're working here!" the man answered. Some women and men, all drenched in sweat, laughed as well. They tested the functionality of the drive of this huge city, smashed metal with large hammers, and sweated in the omnipresent heat.

Bao was sweating too. The bridge was located in such a way that they would never be directly in the rising, hot steam. Still, it was better to be careful.

"Losses?" Bao repeated his question. "Responsible?"

Elrik sighed and looked at the steam. Fog surrounded them briefly and then vanished. "Unfortunately, yes. This world is eating away at us. It wants to devour us. We ALWAYS have to expect losses, my friend. We have to risk losses if we want to survive and stay."

"Nothing draws me into this outside world. It's enough for me to see these horrors from the dome. What is the state of the old cities?"

"Two are close enough that we can go there. Of course, always heavily armed. You've seen the vehicles and protective suits. Without them, we would be lost. At first glance, the cities look like they used to. Almost. One of them is our hometown, as you can imagine. From the dome, you can see a few of the old skyscrapers. They are now ghost towns. With monsters instead of ghosts."

"Our hometown." Bao nodded. "Yes. After all, we fled through the tunnels at that time and created a home for ourselves there. Elrik? I would prefer ghosts."

"Me too. Maybe we can exchange the monsters?" Elrik winked at him. "In the meantime, our underground city has grown."

"I noticed that."

Elrik put his left arm around Bao's shoulders. He did this often, too. Much more often than before. How much must he have missed Bao? How shattering must his guilty conscience have been? How heavy was the burden on his shoulders that he needed Bao's closeness? His friendship? "I've been on one or two expeditions. Our old school is still standing. And the rooms were almost untouched. Books, computers... Everything is in good condition. I took a math book with me. And a history book. Oh! And our old class register! It was still on our teacher's desk. She must have left it behind when we all..."

"Were there deaths in the rooms?"

"Unfortunately, yes. There were some bones. In the basement. And much too big rats that wanted to eat us. Nevertheless, we were able to return with good technique. My parents' house, on the other hand, was overgrown with creepers and purple ivy. Only the mailbox was still visible."

Bao raised his eyebrows. "You were ... at home?"

"I couldn't help but look. But we couldn't stay long. There were five of us in total. And we had to go back before our vehicle ran out of power. I also saw your parents' house. Shortly."

"Yes?"

"So... At least I think it was your parents' house. It seemed unharmed. I could see the pink curtains that your mother hung in every window. Even in your room."

Bao smiled briefly. "She loved pink, and I never had the heart to ask for a different color." His mother wanted all the windows to be decorated identically, as this looked more harmonious from the outside. He looked down at the many steam engines. Here he found nothing of the harmony that his mother had always strived for. Only flames blazed. Ready to fight, strong and tough. "I can hardly believe it. All of this here. In such a short time!"

"We humans are tough", Elrik answered. "We have the will, and now also the opportunity, to reconquer our world!"

"Hm." Bao nodded. "Are the living levels accessible?"

"Certainly! But there is still a lot missing. The stairs and elevators are already working. Would you like to see them?"

"Another time", Bao said.

"We have all the time in the world!" Elrik assured him. "We can take a look at the first, finished living level here on another day."

Bao just nodded. He had seen and heard enough for today.

He wanted to go back.

Into the past.

(c: sasi)