The Distance Between

by Blair Cousins

  ***

  The rains started mid-shift, and this, coupled with the recent news, caused a lot of stands to close early. Ester worked hard during the morning hours and didn’t mind staying, but business was slow—especially during the rainy season which officially marked the end of winter. Her boss let he go home early, saying he would not be able to pay her a full day’s work if business was slow. She didn’t mind though and walked away with fifty tones. Before she left the markets, she bought herself some fresh fish as a treat. The rains did not let up, and judging by the causal attitudes of the people on the streets, it would seem that Ans-on rains were a part of their natural history. They would likely be around for the next few weeks much to Ester’s displeasure. She thought about stopping at the convenience store and picking up an umbrella but decided to save up to buy a rain shield instead. She’d seen a few people walking from the mall with tiny hovering devices that created a shield to block the rain much like an umbrella. She didn’t need one, a regular umbrella would do, but they looked so cool, so it would be her treat. At the cost of one hundred and fifty tones, a full day and a half days’ work she would have to be responsible and save. Since the rains weren’t going anywhere anytime soon, she figured she had plenty of time.

  Back in the lobby of her apartment, she shook the excess rain from her coat sleeves and stomped on the carpet rug to dry her boots. She took the stairs today and turned the corner to find small boxes of dry goods in a trail on the floor. She looked down the hall and picked one up, wondering who they belonged to.

  “Oh dear, oh dear.” Sal came running over. “I am forever sorry, I am.”

  He fretted as he took the box from Ester and continued to pick up his goods. He stuffed his arms till they were full and dropped more than he could carry on his way back to his apartment.

  “Sal, let me give you a hand.” Ester pulled out an extra bag she had with her and filled it with items.

  “I am so sorry, Ester. I am so sorry,” he repeated over and over again.

  “It’s okay, really. I don’t mind,” she kept explaining to him.

  His normal smiling face was riddled with worry, and she wondered if it had something to do with the assassination. He walked the halls like a drunkard, stumbling from the hallway to his room.

  “I am so terribly sorry, I am,” Sal kept repeating.

  “Sal.” She grabbed his hand and held it. “It’s okay.”

  He stopped moving long enough to force a fake smile, but his eyes gave him away. She thought she heard the sound of his stomach growl, and she looked down at his narrow waist.

  “Have you had lunch?”

  Sal’s frown increased. “I don’t want to cause you any trouble. You’re home early; you must have something important to do.” He started to fret again.

  Ester shook her head. “Nope, not at all. All I have plans for is to fry these fish and eat them with my good friend, Sal.” She handed him her bag with his dry goods in them. “I’m going back to my apartment to get some things and then I’m coming right back, okay?”

  She said quickly and took off before Sal could protest. He was a good neighbor, and she hoped making a little meal would cheer him up. She returned and knocked on his door. Sal appeared looking guilty, but Ester ignored his look and walked right past him. His place was small, but cozy. Sparkling rocks hung on threads spun with shiny tinsel from the ceiling. Hand woven rugs lined the hard wood floors and giant seashell bowls filled of fruits and nuts sat on the tables. It smelled like the sea, and Ester loved it.

  “Sal, your place is very nice,” she said, as this was the first time she had ever gotten a good look around.

  Sal followed her to the kitchen as he nervously rubbed his hands together. “Thank you, you are too kind.” He tried to make himself look small, but he was too tall for that. “I hope the vandals who ruined your door were taken care of.”

  Ester nodded. “Yes, thank you for reporting them. It turns out it was one of the little boys from our apartment.”

  “Miss Tos’ nephew.” Sal sunk his headed lower when Ester looked at him.

  She smiled. “He’s a good kid. I’ll make sure he won’t cut up again.”

  Sal nodded, scratching his head. He sat antsy in one of his small kitchen chairs. “It’s quite rainy today,” Sal forced.

  “It is.” Ester prepped the fish to be fried. She brought over some potatoes as well.

  She could tell Sal was still anxious about something, but she didn’t want to bring it up. As she washed the vegetables in the sink, she noticed a picture hanging on the wall. It was a faded postcard of clear blue waters dotted with tall rocky peaks.

  “Sal, is this where you’re from?” She pointed.

  Sal got up and squinted, then smiled, a real smile this time. “I am not. That is a location called The Teller. I visited there when I was a child.” Sal started to frown again.

  Ester noticed then perked up. “Is that so? Looks like a fun place.”

  “It was. Younglings go there for a thing called camp.”

  “Camp?”

  Sal nodded. “Camps were and are still very popular on my home world. Younglings go to camp to learn how to levitate and fly and how to manage and control their telepathy.”

  Ester turned from the sink in interest. She had almost forgotten that telepathy and levitation were powers unique to Keesians. “Telepathy, that’s like reading minds right?”

  Sal laughed a little. “That is what popular media wants you to think, but it is a form of communication between our species. So, not as dramatic but still essential for all Keesians. Camps help you learn how to control it, but if not taught early you’ll be pledged with sound noise.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Interference. If not properly dealt with, it can cause headaches,” Sal said in a matter-of-fact tone.

  “Ouch, that sounds bad.” Ester seasoned the flour. “I heard about your home world today. I’m so sorry about what happened. If you need someone to talk to, I’m here.” She turned to Sal.

  She was sure that was the reason why he was so upset. She wanted to acknowledge it, and let him know that he had a friend if he needed someone to talk to. Sal’s frown returned as he started to scratch at his arms again.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you again,” Ester said.

  Sal looked up at her. His black round eyes looked like they were going to spill over with water. He mustered up a smile then wiped his face.

  “You are too kind Ester, too kind.”

  Ester smiled. “How would you like your potatoes?”

  “Any way you prepare them is satisfactory to me,” he said with a real smile.

  “Alright then.” Ester smiled as she finished their lunch.

  Sitting at Sal’s table, Ester got a better chance to look around. There were so many types of rocks and shells scattered everywhere, but what really captured her attention was how deep and beautiful the colors were. He had shells so blue that they matched the sky, and rocks that looked as smooth as marble. The variety reminded her of the stones her tribe used to create. She turned to Sal. He was staring at her. She felt a little uneasy, but then she realized he wasn’t looking at her but past her at the holo screen on the wall behind her. She turned around and saw the newscaster covering the events leading up to the assassination.

  “Sal.” She turned back to him and placed her hand on his. He looked away from the screen when he felt her hand on his.

  “I am so sorry,” Sal said. He looked worse.

  “Don’t be.” Ester reassured him.

  “I just cannot help but think of the gross ramifications a crime of this magnitude will sure to have on intergalactic relations.”

  Ester stopped eating and looked at Sal. “I’m sure they’ll find the person and put them in jail, then it’ll be over and done with you’ll see.”

  “If only it were that simple,” Sal said with a deep frown. “Perhaps if the murderer were from Fandour or dare I say Kees itself.”

&n
bsp; “Why Fandour?”

  “Fandour is the planet of heathens, but despite its reputation, a lot of mercenaries come from Fandour. Even if the heathen was caught, it would only further complicate the situation.”

  Ester had to think about what Sal was saying. She wasn’t quite grasping what he was getting at.

  “Okay, so they’ll find whoever hired them and throw them in jail too.”

  “If it is discovered that it was, in fact, a mercenary hired from Fandour and if that person who hired them is Labadoran it would cause intergalactic war.”

  Ester stared at Sal. Her knowledge on intergalactic history was shaky at best. She did know, however, that the people of Labadora were locked in a vicious civil war—but what that had to do with Kees she did not know.

  “They couldn’t go to war just like that? What if the bad guy was working alone?”

  “It wouldn’t matter,” Sal said with a sunken face. “Relations around the galaxy involving Labadora are very poor, and it has been that way for many decades.”

  “Decades? I mean I know the planet is in turmoil, but could it be that bad?”

  Sal nodded slowly as he picked at his food. “They do not share intergalactic news on your planet’s surface eagerly. What is common knowledge on Kees is kept secret on Rean. I learned that right away, but if it is discovered that a mercenary and a native Labadoran is involved, it would spell disaster for our worlds.”

  Ester shared a sympathetic look. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe Sal or even that she didn’t want to believe him, she was just shocked. Her galaxy could be on the brink of war, and what part would Rean play in it? Would Rean even offer to help? She finished up dinner and left Sal’s place a few hours later. He thanked and thanked her and seemed in better spirits after her visit.

  ***

  That evening the rains let up just for a few hours. She ran out to pick up a snack at the convenience store, but the streets still felt cold. Hushed chatter echoed in the shadows. Citizens closed their windows and doors. It was as if a storm was coming. She made it to the convenience store, maneuvering herself around the crowd of people. She picked up a sandwich from the shelf and overheard two men talking.

  “This isn’t looking too good,” one man said as the other nodded.

  “Word on the streets says it might be thugs from Fandour,” the other whispered.

  “I heard it was one of those monsters from Labadora. You heard what their leader is doing right?”

  The other nodded. “A friend of mine working the trading post near Al-Tex Station said their new leader is a real monster.”

  Ester didn’t linger any longer. She paid for her sandwich and headed back to her apartment. She remembered studying galactic relations back at ranger academy, but nothing that hinted things were this bad. She decided if she wanted more information, she needed it straight from the source. So, she decided to call Angel.

  “Hey Ester, everything alright?” Angel said via video call.

  It was really late when he returned her call. She would have thought he would be in bed by now. He looked a little disheveled, but otherwise the same bubbly ball of blond hair.

  “I was about to ask you the same thing,” Ester said.

  Angel laughed a little as he took peeks between his table and his surroundings.

  “Shouldn’t it be lights out?”

  Angel stared at Ester for a few moments as if he were trying to find the right words to say.

  “Yeah, um, things are little weird right now, so we’re having a few extra classes.”

  “Extra classes? Like what?”

  Angel leaned into the screen. “I really can’t say,” he whispered.

  He was definitely more tense than usual.

  “Is it because of the assassination?”

  Angel nodded.

  “Is something bad going to happen? I mean they haven’t found the killer yet?”

  Angel looked around. “This isn’t something I should be passing around, but I mean, I trust you. My parents say that the Grand Council of Kees suspect it’s a Labadoran.”

  Ester swallowed hard. Sal had been right.

  “But you gotta swear not to say anything. They are trying to keep it hush hush.”

  “But why? People need to know what’s really going on.”

  “We’re talking about like maybe a war, one where Rean would have to join.”

  Ester sat in silence for a few seconds. A war? Rean has never been involved in a war between other planets.

  “And you think Rean will fight?”

  Angel nodded. “Truth be told, relations with Labadora have been bad, like, really really bad for years. Mother and Father are worried this might end the Compus Treaty.”

  Ester’s eyes widened. The Compus Treaty was the cornerstone of peace in their galaxy. Signed here on Rean decades ago, planets promised to keep an open channel of communication and transparency in intergalactic relations and to never attack or invade established planets or colonies.

  “But still, it could have been someone with a grudge. They don’t know for sure,” Ester offered.

  “Yeah, but people like to blame people they don’t like when things go wrong and with no planet or group coming forth to claim responsibility, plus the weird circumstances.”

  “Circumstances?”

  Angel averted his eyes. “Dang it.”

  “Angel, just tell me,” Ester said, rolling her eyes.

  “Ester, this is like some top secret shit, like top top secret. I’m not even supposed to tell anyone. I could get in big trouble; my parents could get in big trouble.”

  Ester stared at Angel in amusement as her little blue-eyed friend started to fret. “Okay, okay, I’m not going to push you. Thanks for the update. A lot of people are talking about it down here too, and they seem really worried.”

  Angel sighed. “It’s just a big fat mess.”

  “Agreed.”

  In the background, Ester could hear a few announcements and strained to listen.

  “Oh, gotta go.” Angel waved.

  “See ya.” Ester said and waved back. The image disappeared.

  She sat back on her couch and turned the volume up on the tele screen. All the news outlets were covering the story, but none mentioned anything about Labadora. She flipped and flipped until she found a news station broadcasting from Adum-la. They were covering the start of the fishing season in south Adum. She smiled and settled on watching that. It was just like Adum to be completely disconnected from time. She was sure her people didn’t need one more thing to worry about with growing season coming up. But still, it was hard to believe that the planet she had looked at in the sky all her life could be the catalyst to intergalactic war. Ester shivered and decided to focus on the news broadcast from Adum. It was nice to dive back into the slow and easy pace of Adum life, even if only for an evening.

  ***

  A week went by, and the tension on the streets started to subside. The story still blared all over the place, but at this point, it was pure speculation. She hadn’t heard anything from Angel, but that wasn’t uncommon. They could go weeks without talking to each other. What was strange though was that she hadn’t seen Pisces around. She wasn’t exactly sure which apartment she lived in, but then again she never really asked either. Next time she saw her she would try and get her contact information so they could hang out again. Ester returned to work as the crowds started to pick up in the markets again. It was blooming season, and Cha-la imports were flooding into the market. She was excited to try some of the strange produce famous in the land of the monks.

  Her day ended the same as always. She walked away with her hundred tones and decided to do a little shopping. Fish and pink corn were on the menu, and she couldn’t wait to get home and bake the fish and fry the special berry flavored sweet corn. Just before she left the markets for the day, she stopped at a store in the shopping area and looked at a very nice purple and lavender ride suit. Purple was her favorite color, and she was starting
to develop a taste for fashion. She walked closer and admired the fabric and stitching from the window. Her rent was due, meaning she would have to wait to purchase any new clothes, but that gave her something to look forward to after she bought her mini umbrella.

  The clouds moved in, setting the stage for a little rain, but the newscaster said it should clear up by tonight. Either way, she didn’t want to get caught in it. She hurried home and cooked dinner—which was very delicious—and spent the rest of the night straightening up and listening to music on the tele. The sun set, but the rain persisted which was no surprise to her. She lifted her blinds to dust and looked down at the streets. There was Chargie again out on the sidewalk. It was drizzling, but even though spring was right around the corner, it was still chilly. Chargie was an old fluffy dog, and he didn’t need to be out in this rain. She closed her blinds and got her rain jacket. He usually followed her wherever she went, so it would take no time at all to go outside and get him. She took the stairs down the three flights and the doors slid open.

  When she looked around, Chargie was nowhere to be found. She searched towards the convenient store—his favorite spot—but didn’t see him. She looked the other way and saw a big blur of fluff. They two made eye contact and she held out her hand and called him, but he turned and walked the other way. Ester groaned. The rains were letting up, but it was getting dark. She would have to collect him quickly. She chased after him, but he disappeared in the crowd. At the corner of an intersection, she looked for him. Why of all nights did he choose to play hide and seek? She saw what she thought was a tail a few blocks away and ran towards it. She rarely came this way. There wasn’t much back here except the entrance to a parking garage and a bar or two.

  “Chargie?” She called, then saw his big white head in the ally of one of the bars. Ester rolled her eyes.