[Moose]

  ‘They must have gotten it at an antique shop.’

  He had come to the conclusion after the last station that pulp based paper wasn’t common. Likely more a luxury good than a commodity like he was used to.

  ‘I think it’s regular paper anyways. It doesn’t feel synthetic.’

  Not that all the glue holding the pages together would make that easy to tell. He hated to see books mutilated like this, especially if they were rare, but hiding things in a hollowed-out book wasn’t really unheard of. At least not for him.

  Might be the best hiding spot ever in the future.

  ‘No one will find things in a book if no one reads books.’

  So long as they remembered to take their things out when they sold them.

  He pulled out the second trinket snuggled into the pages of the book. It seemed the holes were made specifically for whatever these things were. The somethings held tight and secured, only coming out with a bit of force.

  ‘I’m not sure why they went with one of those crappy diary locks that can be opened with a thumb and a bit of force, rather than an actual lock. Seems like a pretty cheap solution for a luxury item.’

  The book itself could be all the security that was needed of course. He had no idea what the market was like. He was sure that valuable books existed, but this one could just be a display piece. Full of fluff and nothing text to make a home look lived in and well read.

  He couldn’t even tell if the cover matched the insides.

  ‘I would almost be comfortable calling these things SD cards.’

  They were flat, probably about as thick as a toe nail, at least for him, and they had an interface on one side. They seemed to be very delicate, but they were so small for him that could just be a him problem.

  Just like the tablet things.

  Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

  ‘Hmm, I don’t remember seeing a port in those.’

  He took out the third card thing and closed the book. He would see if they could sell it to another antique guy at the next station. He didn’t really have a display shelf for fake books here.

  His musings were interrupted by the girls. It seemed like whatever they had been up to was over and they wanted their attention now.

  “Moose. Ready.”

  He really needed to teach Kitty to explain what they were ready for. Just one more word would help so much.

  “Ready for what Kitty? Are you two done trading?”

  He seemed to be incorrect as Kitty shook her head. Though Pup seemed to be very interested in her tablet.

  ‘I hope she is too young to have figured out the internet or whatever the future has. …Or is old enough to not get addicted.’

  He didn’t want to be accused of letting the table do his work for him after all.

  “Moose.”

  The little chirp was just close enough for him to recognize his new name. He didn’t know if it was just one hell of an accent or if she was just copying sounds, but he was glad the room was quiet. He never would have heard her otherwise.

  It seemed she knew not to rely on her voice though. She turned the tablet around and showed him what could only be a drawing of words. Words that weren’t written very well. Pup seemed to be very proud of her accomplishment though. It also seemed she was waiting for something.

  “Ah, yes. Good job, it seems like you worked hard on that.”

  He made sure to give her a head pat and a cheery voice. He didn’t know how much she could understand, but best to make sure the message got across. Her immediate return to fiddling with the tablet gave him a feeling of trepidation though.

  He made sure to switch his head pat to scratching behind her ear, doing his best to distract her. He really wasn’t sure how he was supposed to react to children’s art and requests for validation. Between aliens and the language barrier, he just didn’t have the training for things like that.

  Feeling a head press into his busy hand meant his distraction was successful though.

  ‘How do you let an alien down gently when you can’t speak their language? I really don’t think Pup is suited to be an artist. Not without a lot of hard work. It’s probably better to find something else she enjoys and encourage that. Less heartache that way.’

  “So, Kitty. What are we ready for then? Are we ready to go?”

  “Moose. Hand.”

  It seemed like he had walked himself into a corner here. He held out the closed hand he had moved the cards to.

  ‘I really hope she isn’t interested in what I’m afraid she is.’

  His hopes fell through though when she grabbed the offered hand and placed it atop her head, then grew frustrated when it remained closed.

  He sighed.

  Maneuvering her over his knee, he started to massage her back with his knuckles. Not exactly what she had demanded, but it should keep her occupied.

  “Kitty, if we are ready to go, I have to use my hands to leave.”

  “Go later. Ready treat. Good hand.”

  ‘Maybe I can make a robot hand.’

  How was he supposed to keep everyone happy when there was only one of him.

  ‘We desperately need more actual crew.’