Globe

Chapter 1

Rain was her specialty. She could do snow, but it was cold on the bare feet of a User. A Device like her didn't know what cold was, but she heard it was unpleasant. She knew unpleasant, it was how she felt when she thought about how she couldn't around anywhere, how she always needed someone to carry her around, to the ceremonies and the festivals, and then back to the fields. She had never told anyone, but she had always wanted to know what it felt like to move on her own, to be able to run through the fields where he rain fell, alone and unaided. There were many other Devices that could, like her friend Harvester. Maybe in her next life she'd a Device with legs, or wings. Something besides a large glass globe, sitting on a pedestal in a field, bringing the rain and the sun, with pink flowers floating around in her center.

Not that she minded who she was. it was a blessing to live in the Kingdom, where the People were eternal, nestled deep in the heart of the trunk, safe from the terrors of the outside world. There were monsters out there, after all. Not here though, in the Kingdom, there was no evil, no war, no death, no gods. Just the People, and the People were eternal.

"Globe!" called a voice from the edges of her consciousness, "the Harvester is finished, he said the crops are ready for rain."

A User was approaching her pedestal, parting the wheat.

"Oh! Kim! Right, sorry I was spacing if again," she said, "I'll bring the rain right away."

Before she had finished talking, clouds had already started swirling overhead, under the Rocky roof of the cavern, and a drizzle was already falling. Kim stopped next to her pedestal and stared up at them. His long blue hair ran down his chest, over his green tattoos. He had strong arms and biceps, and Globe thought he was especially handsome for a User.

"Spacing off again... are you sure that's safe?"

Globe felt embarrassment rush through her.

"Of course it is," she said, "I already told you, the lightning thing won't happen again!"

"Okay, I just wanted to make sure," said Kim, "I didn't too make you mad."

They stood there for an awkward moment.

"What's like?" asked Kim, "pulling down the clouds? Where do you keep them when it's raining?"

"Oh, well, I guess I never thought about it," said Globe, "they're around us though. Can't feel them when they're here?"

"No," said Kim, "I can feel the rain on my face, but I can't the clouds when they're here not here."

Globe tried to imagine that, but she couldn't. She wondered briefly if she should ask Kim how the rain felt on his face, if it was unpleasant, but before she could, she saw the Harvester approaching. The Harvester was also quite Handsome, especially for a Device. He had eight long, tentacle legs, that held him high above the tops of the crops. Each of his legs ended in a three-pronged claw, which was perfect for grading the fruits and vegetables and tossing them into the baskets that hung on either side of his small body. His two large, bulbous red eyes were at the perfect vantage point to sorry through the fields.

"About time it started raining," he chided playfully, as he lopped along towards them, "I was starting to think you'd fallen off your pedestal and rolled down the hill again."

"Hey!" Globe sent a light burst of wind at them as Kim laughed, "I just didn't to get you and the all the Users wet."

"Well you missed them by a bit," said Harvester, "they all left early to go to the festival."

"Right! Today is Genesis!" cried Globe, "I had almost forgotten about that!"

"Of course you did," said Kim, lifting her off of her pedestal, "only you could forget about Genesis."