Ender Wiggin's Last Game

My Love

The fireworks started right on time. Big, thunderous crashes that shook the ground and rattled Ender to the core.  Hearing them now almost made him glad he hardly remembered the celebrations on Earth.

Ender and Meiji were moving through the crowd, weapons hidden in their pockets and— at least in Ender's case— bile in their throats.

For the past five hours, Ender had been at war with himself internally. Stuck between needing to commit murder and cursing himself for even thinking it.

They hopped over the fence which had a sign that read: PRIVATE PROPERTY. Ender must have looked at it a moment too long, because Meiji turned him away.

They continued into the small forest of trees and bushes too long overgrown to be used recently.

He and Meiji didn't speak as they neared the house. The wind blew past them and pelted their backs with foliage, pushing them forward. The sounds of explosions and cheering echoed through the trees and Ender could feel his heart clench in despair.

Ender crept up to the front door of the house, Meiji watching his back. As long as he was there, Ender didn't need to worry about an attack from behind.

Ender looked at the door. If he were the enemy, all entries would be wired with explosives. Even so, the door was the most obvious place to trap. The windows would be safer.

He motioned Meiji to follow as he pried the window open with his knife. He hadn't needed to use the knife. It came open immediately.

The climbed in and Ender looked at the door. It wasn't trapped as far as he could tell. It was also unlocked.

"Maybe someone beat us to the punch." Meiji whispered to Ender as they moved closer to the living room.

Ender silenced him with a finger to his own lips.

Ender drew his gun and turned a corner. The house was furnished with the finest decor and smelled faintly of soap and cinnamon.

They entered the kitchen and saw that the table was set for at least ten people to eat. The cinnamon Ender smelled came from the cinnamon rolls in the center of the table. The soap smell was not soap at all, but steak and gravy with a topping of lavender.

Ender looked at Meiji. The table was set for too many people for the woman to be alone. Meiji had a worried look on his face, but didn't say anything.

Ender motioned for them to move on, but he stayed low. Who knew where all those people were in such a quiet house. Ender tried to listen, but all he could hear was the booming of the fireworks outside and the faint screaming of children as they lit their own fireworks.

Ender checked his gun just once more, making sure it wasn't on safety before entering another room. He saw the old woman alone in a chair, watching the fireworks from a window.

Ender looked at Meiji and then at the halls. He understood and watched for intruders. The woman spoke.

"Andrew, my love, is that you?" She had heard footsteps and mistook it for her husband.

"My name is Andrew, but I am not your husband."

A raspy laugh left her throat and her turned to face him. She wasn't so old, only in her late fifties, but her dark skin had become leathery and her eyes were sunken. Worry lines creased her features and her once beautiful brown hair became light and grey. Ender knew her.

"Forgive me, Andrew. I have grown old. I didn't know you'd return."

She didn't make a move to reach out for him, or even to shield herself when she saw the gun in his hands pointed threateningly at her.

At her voice, full of longing and deep sadness, Ender couldn't help but feel his eyes well with tears.

"You've become a man while you were away. Nothing like the boy I knew."

"I didn't mean to be gone so long." He said, only just able to keep his voice steady. He never moved the gun away from her.

"I forgive you, darling. Did you like the dinner I made for you?"

"Yes, thank you."

She sighed and smiled, looking at Ender lovingly. She saw the tears in his eyes and the expression on his face.

"Don't cry, my love. I don't blame you for this. Kiss me before you kill me, will you?"

Ender swallowed hard and nodded. He move toward the old woman. He pressed the gun to her temple and his lips to her cheek. He whispered a small prayer for her and she mouthed the words with him.

Then he pulled the trigger and it was over.

Nobody heard the gunshot and no man came to save her. She lay there in her chair, eyes glossed over and dead. The only consolation to Ender was the expression of satisfaction on her face before she died.

Ender tossed the gun away and fell to his knees. He didn't cry, but he sobbed.

To think. All this time, Alessandra loved him and waited for him. She had married him in her mind and never once was unfaithful to him. And he killed her.

Ender felt Meiji touch him. His shoulder, his neck, his back.
"You did good."

But Meiji didn't understand the reason Ender was crying, or the reason he played along with Alessandra in her last moments.

Later, when the night was old and the fireworks had long stopped, Meiji would ask him, "How did you know she was religious?"

"I asked."