I sat down on the hauler platform and let my mind drift away, imagining the possibilities. I could eat and play holo-games at the same time, and beating dad at arm wrestling would be so much easier—with four hands, I’d be twice as strong—he wouldn’t stand a chance—poor dad.
“This should do it.” He said and popped his head out of the hatch, closing it this time, and once again flicked on all the switches. It thrummed and began to levitate, lifting me up with it. We both held our breath for a long moment. It remained aloft.
“Woo-hoo! You did it!”
“Indeed.” He smiled snobbishly, clearly pleased with himself.
“Can I get a ride?”
“What? Don’t be stupid, this isn’t a game.” He snarled.
“Oh, please, please, please!” I clasped my hands together. “Just a little ride.”
“Listen, you human-ling waste of—” he paused, thinking, then grinned. “Listen, Lorrian… normally, I am not allowed to give little children rides on the hauler, but… I could make an exception for you if you succeed in my challenge.”
“Challenge?” I jumped. “What challenge?”
“See the… statues over there?” He pointed (with one of his major fingers), and I followed with my gaze.
At the center of the starport dock was a small purple garden bathed in the soft natural light of oncoming dusk descending upon it from a ceiling window. Its stone pavements cut through fields of tall grass and bushes with large heart-shaped leaves, all leading to the garden’s middle. There, surrounded by a holographic barrier, were statues of Tadori men and women, striking various poses, some with their limbs spread wide, others folded into themselves. They were displayed in a circle with multiple layers, each inner layer taller than the outer, so as not to hide any of them. They were smooth and life-like, I could see that even from afar, but they were clearly made of stone.
“Yeah, I see ‘em.”
“Good. Now, if you can climb all the way to the top and stand on the uppermost statue’s shoulders, then I’ll let you ride on the hauler like you asked. Hmm? What do you say, Lorr?”
I smirked. Climbing that high was going to be no problem at all, but… “What about the sign?”
“The sign?”
“The holo-barrier, you shouldn’t cross it, right?”
The Tadori shook his head, clicking his tongue, and sat down beside me on the hauler. “Lorr, dear friend, do you really think I’d ask you to do this if it was going to get you in trouble?” He laid a minor hand over his heart. “I am offended that you’d even suspect such a thing.” Then, he pointed to his name tag. “You see this? And my uniform? I work here, Lorr—a smart boy like you should know. Well, you have my permission to go past the barrier, so don’t worry that little genius head of yours about it anymore!” He ruffled my short dark hair with a major hand, and I giggled.
“So, all I gotta do is climb to the top, and you’ll let me ride the hauler?”
“That’s right.”
I nodded, leaped from the hauler, and stood in front of him. “Pinky promise?” I asked, putting mine forward.
“Pinky what?”
“Pinky promise, it’s… You lock fingers together, and you make a promise, and then it’s unbreakable.” I explained.
“Oh,” he looked at his hands. Each one had three fingers and a thumb. “Which one is the pinky?”
“The smallest finger.”
“On which hand?”
“Ahh… the…” It was a real puzzle; I had never considered the implications of pinky swearing with someone who had more than two hands. “Smaller one, I think.”
The Tadori nodded and locked his blue finger with mine. “And so I swear.”
“And so I swear,” I felt the urge to repeat.
“To keep this oath.”
“To keep this oath,” I followed along.
He waited for a long moment and then nodded again. “So, what now?” He asked.
“Now…” I said, unlocking my finger from his. “I climb.”
***
I passed through the holo-barrier, causing it to momentarily ripple and turn red, then began my climb.