Chapter 246: The Children In The Mountain
(Unova Syndicate- Planet Xerciam Prime)
(Nameless Port City)
"Don't raise the anchor yet!"
"Special class passengers please enter through the side entrance."
"Basic class get to the back of the line or we will shoot!"
Loud cries and yells could be heard as several ships were planning on leaving the port city today.
Sophie stood quietly in a line and felt the cold breeze hit her face.
It was a lovely day.
The sun was shinning brightly in the sky and there was not a cloud in sight.
Tall, magnificent ships of every shape and size were patiently waiting in the harbour.
These ships were all built from various metalloids that could withstand attacks from the sea beasts lurking within the dark depths of the ocean.
Alien creatures onboard these vessels were busily preparing for departure by checking the sails, motors and monitoring the engine rooms.
Sophie had long realised that the technology level at least in this mining colony was far below that of the Earth Federation.
Planet Xerciam Prime only had one major ocean on the planet and it was in the center of this ocean where a spaceport was built.
The reason for this was that this island acted as a base for the various financial groups to explore the sea floor and mine for resources.
"Big sister.... are we going on an adventure?" Lily whispered excitedly as she moved around in Sophie's arms.
"Lily you are so clever!" Sophie praised the little girl causing her to grin happily.
This exchange did not arouse any suspicion from the other aliens waiting in line as Sophie had gone to great lengths to hide Lily's human identity.
Lily was currently wearing an oversized robe and a white mask that covered the entirety of her face.
"Keep moving! Keep moving!" a crewmate roared before roughly shoving a slug-like alien onboard the ship.
This exchange happened in the line next to Sophie and Lily's location. It was the line for passengers who had only bought basic class accommodations.
These passengers would not be given a room and would have to stay on the upper decks for the duration of the journey.
Two meals were guaranteed so they were unlikely to starve but many would not survive the journey.
Green ooze splashed on the ground wherever the slug-like alien travelled which caused the rest of the passengers' faces to contort.
The upper deck was already messy and now there was a mysterious green slime on the ground that resembled vomit.
Sophie glanced briefly as the scene and inwardly breathed out a sigh of relief that she hadn't decided to buy basic accommodation.
First class would at least guarantee a private room for herself and Lily although they would be staying in the same room.
There should not be any security concerns on the ship, but Sophie was always prepared for the unexpected.
While the line for the basic class passengers was messy and crowded, in contrast the line for first class passengers was quite neat and organised.
There was sufficient space between passengers, so Sophie never felt like someone was hovering over her shoulder.
The line for the special class passengers was practically deserted and so far, Sophie had only seen two people go in.
Well for the high price it was reasonable to assume that many were unwilling to shell out so many dollars for a three-month voyage.
Sophie continued to wait while chatting with Lily from time to time.
It was important to show a calm and composed attitude when talking to the little girl to make sure that she didn't panic.
To be fair, Sophie wasn't sure that she would have been able to handle this unexpected situation as well as Lily currently was when she was at her age.
"Big sister can you tell me a story while we wait?" Lily looked up at Sophie with sparkling eyes.
Sophie took a quick look at the number of passengers ahead and decided that there was enough time for a brief story.
"What kind of story do you want to hear?" Sophie asked curiously.
"I like scary stories!" Lily pumped her tiny fist in the air with excitement.
It came as a bit of a surprise to Sophie to hear that Lily liked horror stories.
The problem was that her father had never told her any scary tales and Sophie was not a big fan of horror novels or movies.
Sophie thought for a moment and quickly scanned Sui Meng's memories to see if there was anything in there that could help.
Ah... there we go!
Sui Meng was not a fan of horror either but had an old friend who loved to read folklore stories.
There was one story in particular that Sophie felt that Lily would enjoy.
The original story was a bit complex so Sophie planned on modifying it heavily so that Lily could understand it better.
"Alright. I will tell you the story about the children in the mountain," Sophie lowered her voice and spoke in a mysterious tone.
"There once was a child who was loved by his family.
He had a caring father, a patient mother and two adorable younger siblings. Everyone thought that his life was perfect, and the little boy agreed.
Now where the little boy lived was at the base of an enormous mountain that was so large that it grew straight into the clouds.
The boy loved sneaking out of his house and playing in the forest beneath the mountain. His parents would tell him time after time not to run away but he never listened.
Then one day something unexpected happened.
The boy's younger siblings fell sick, and his parents had to rush them to the hospital. Before leaving they begged and pleaded with the boy to stay inside the house and lock the door.
The boy nodded and then his parents left hurriedly to seek a doctor that could heal their two other children.
Several hours passed and the boy felt bored.
Why should he stay inside the house?
When were his parents coming back?
The boy waited and waited but as the sun in the sky gradually came down, he realised that his parents would not be returning today.
A mischievous glint sparkled in the boy's eyes and he quickly unlocked the door and rushed into the forest to play.
He came to his favourite spot and saw ten other children staring at him quiet amusement. The boy was curious and said hello.
The boy was surprised to see other children in the forest, but he wanted to make new friends, so he walked closer and closer.
These children were.... a bit strange.
Each child wore a large straw hat that covered their face so the boy could only see their lips.
They were all dressed in coarse linen shirts and short pants made from poor materials.
The boy was a bit concerned but many poor children wore similar clothes, so he wasn't afraid.
He took a brief glance at their feet and saw that every child walked around barefooted and their feet....
Were backwards.
Every child had two feet that were twisted and contorted so that their heels were outwards, and their knees were at the back.
The boy panicked and tried to run but found that his body could not longer move. The children approached him slowly with excited looks on their faces.
Two hours later and the boy's parents returned home to find the house empty. There was a terrible silence as the parents desperately searched for their missing child.
They searched every room.
Every nook.
Every cranny.
And found nothing.
They quickly alerted the village head who organised search parties into the mountain, but the child was never found.
The parents searched for months and months on end but eventually their hope turned into despair and then....
Resignation.
Years later the two younger siblings of the boy would find a straw hat sitting peacefully on the bed where their older brother had once slept on."
"Woah...." Lily clapped her hands together as Sophie finished the story.
"Thanks, big sister!"
Sophie smiled gently and rubbed Lily's head with an indulgent expression in her eyes.
She was generally not fond of kids, but Lily was an exception.
The storytelling session had taken up quite a few minutes and the line for first class was moving steadily so soon it was Sophie's turn.
"Tickets please!" an alien with a long tendril instead of an arm called out to Sophie as she approached the front of the line.
"Here you go," Sophie handed two paper tickets with a golden border to the alien and waited patiently.
There were no ID checks or verification needed so the alien just scanned the tickets to make sure they were valid and then waved Sophie onboard.