![Cosmopath - [Bengal Station 03]](/res/fboo/book5.jpg)
Cosmopath - [Bengal Station 03] by Eric Brown Read Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Eric Brown
pampered office worker on Bengal Station.
Her friends had just laughed at her concern, saying that the animals were no more intelligent than rats or mice, but even so Sukara thought that their imprisonment was wrong.
She remembered when she was little more than a prisoner, shackled to the Bangkok brothels she had worked in; she was sure that some of her customers had thought of her as less than an animal back then, and had proved it by treating her like one.
She shut her mind to memories of the past. She had a great life here...
Then she saw Li, skipping with delight from animal to animal, and fear clutched at her heart.
She wanted nothing more than to be in Jeff’s arms, to hear his reassuring words. She thought of calling him again, apologising for hanging up so abruptly, and telling him that she was fine now, that Li would be okay... But she knew that she couldn’t trust herself not to break down again, and anyway Jeff was obviously busy.
She lured Li from the alien pet shop with the promise of a Vitamilk, and she bought two ice-cold bottles from a street-vendor’s stall. They walked to Pham’s school on the far side of the rolling parkland, sucking at the straws.
The school was a tubular building surrounded by lawns dotted with play areas, climbing frames and sandpits. A noisy posse of children milled behind the perimeter fence, while mothers, fathers, and even in one or two cases spider drones, waited for their children to be processed. Sukara inserted her pin into the gate’s sensor unit and the school’s guardian drone responded and led Pham to the gate, which slid open at her approach.
Pham ran into Sukara’s arms, kissing her cheeks.
“Hi, Li!” Pham laughed. Then she remembered and looked at Sukara; “What did the doctor say about Li, Mum?”
Sukara put on a brave smile. “She’ll be fine. She needs some pills, and a short stay in hospital, then she’ll be as good as new.”
Li danced in front of Pham, holding the carton of Vitamilk before her grinning face. “Look what I’ve got!”
“I’ll get you one on the way home, Pham,” Sukara said.
“Can we walk today?”
Sukara smiled and nodded. They usually took the train home, but Sukara couldn’t face the thought of the crowds today. Their ocean-view apartment was beyond the park about a kilometre from here.
She bought another round of Vitamilk from a kiosk and set off home.
She watched her daughters race ahead across the grass, two slim jet-black haired, beautiful girls who to all outward appearances were biological sisters. Four years ago they had adopted Pham, an orphan runaway from a factory on Level Twenty whose ambition had been to see the sky for the first time; her other dream, though she knew it wouldn’t be achieved as easily as seeing the sky, had been to belong to a real family, with a mother and father who loved her.
Sukara loved her like her own. Pham was a bright kid with a great sense of humour and a serious side that belied her age; her sophistication was, Sukara thought, quite natural considering what she’d gone through to reach the top level, where she had at last seen the sky.
When Li was born, Pham was beside herself with joy: not only did she have a real mother and father, but now she had a little sister, too.
They ran after each other across the grass, spilling milk and giggling, and Sukara felt like crying again.
Her handset chimed, and more than anything she wanted it to be Jeff.
She beamed when his face filled the screen. “Jeff! I’m sorry about... I shouldn’t have-”
“Su, don’t worry, okay. I’ve looked into things. Li’ll be fine, okay?”
Lips pursed, Sukara nodded. “I know, Jeff. It’s just...”
He said, “Su, will you do something? As soon as you get home, pack a few bags. We’re going away for a while.”
She stared at his face on the screen. “Away?”
He hesitated,
Her friends had just laughed at her concern, saying that the animals were no more intelligent than rats or mice, but even so Sukara thought that their imprisonment was wrong.
She remembered when she was little more than a prisoner, shackled to the Bangkok brothels she had worked in; she was sure that some of her customers had thought of her as less than an animal back then, and had proved it by treating her like one.
She shut her mind to memories of the past. She had a great life here...
Then she saw Li, skipping with delight from animal to animal, and fear clutched at her heart.
She wanted nothing more than to be in Jeff’s arms, to hear his reassuring words. She thought of calling him again, apologising for hanging up so abruptly, and telling him that she was fine now, that Li would be okay... But she knew that she couldn’t trust herself not to break down again, and anyway Jeff was obviously busy.
She lured Li from the alien pet shop with the promise of a Vitamilk, and she bought two ice-cold bottles from a street-vendor’s stall. They walked to Pham’s school on the far side of the rolling parkland, sucking at the straws.
The school was a tubular building surrounded by lawns dotted with play areas, climbing frames and sandpits. A noisy posse of children milled behind the perimeter fence, while mothers, fathers, and even in one or two cases spider drones, waited for their children to be processed. Sukara inserted her pin into the gate’s sensor unit and the school’s guardian drone responded and led Pham to the gate, which slid open at her approach.
Pham ran into Sukara’s arms, kissing her cheeks.
“Hi, Li!” Pham laughed. Then she remembered and looked at Sukara; “What did the doctor say about Li, Mum?”
Sukara put on a brave smile. “She’ll be fine. She needs some pills, and a short stay in hospital, then she’ll be as good as new.”
Li danced in front of Pham, holding the carton of Vitamilk before her grinning face. “Look what I’ve got!”
“I’ll get you one on the way home, Pham,” Sukara said.
“Can we walk today?”
Sukara smiled and nodded. They usually took the train home, but Sukara couldn’t face the thought of the crowds today. Their ocean-view apartment was beyond the park about a kilometre from here.
She bought another round of Vitamilk from a kiosk and set off home.
She watched her daughters race ahead across the grass, two slim jet-black haired, beautiful girls who to all outward appearances were biological sisters. Four years ago they had adopted Pham, an orphan runaway from a factory on Level Twenty whose ambition had been to see the sky for the first time; her other dream, though she knew it wouldn’t be achieved as easily as seeing the sky, had been to belong to a real family, with a mother and father who loved her.
Sukara loved her like her own. Pham was a bright kid with a great sense of humour and a serious side that belied her age; her sophistication was, Sukara thought, quite natural considering what she’d gone through to reach the top level, where she had at last seen the sky.
When Li was born, Pham was beside herself with joy: not only did she have a real mother and father, but now she had a little sister, too.
They ran after each other across the grass, spilling milk and giggling, and Sukara felt like crying again.
Her handset chimed, and more than anything she wanted it to be Jeff.
She beamed when his face filled the screen. “Jeff! I’m sorry about... I shouldn’t have-”
“Su, don’t worry, okay. I’ve looked into things. Li’ll be fine, okay?”
Lips pursed, Sukara nodded. “I know, Jeff. It’s just...”
He said, “Su, will you do something? As soon as you get home, pack a few bags. We’re going away for a while.”
She stared at his face on the screen. “Away?”
He hesitated,
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