The whole thing was like a dream, a series of scenes that barely fit together, but didn't seem disjointed while you were there. Once there had been people there, on the streets, in the universities, in the malls and conference rooms, selling little trinkets and memorabilia. A thimble on a chain. The beach.
Andrew took her to the beach once. The 'tourists' were everywhere around them, buzzing with meaningless chatter, but they never seemed to notice Ananda and Andrew. He held her hand. She liked how it made her feel safe. He laughed as they waded in the water, sifting through the sand with their toes, watching how the sunbeams made a new angle in the water, and minnows swam in schools in the waves. They found seashells for hours, but left them in a pile by the water's edge, and he bought her a thimble on a chain from a vendor and fastened it around her neck, then brushed her hair away where the wind had pushed it into her face.
Most of the time it was Andrew, but sometimes it was a girl with blonde hair, and she wasn't as kind, but she always held her hand, too. When with the blonde girl they always seemed to find themselves in one of the movie theatres. What was her name? I think it was Saffron. She always picked the worst looking movie. It is an expression of you, Ananda! she'd say with an ironic smile and they would find themselves in the dark, surrounded by strangers, their fists greasy from buttered popcorn, watching two men have philosophical discussions while making sandwiches. Or once it was a fat little boy who acted scared of everything but pulled his cat's tail when no one was looking.
Once in a very long while her companion was a dark man who never told her his name, but he was much taller than Andrew, and not as kind as Saffron. Ananda didn't want to hold his hand, but he'd pull her along like she was a child. He mostly took her to places she didn't want to go. The hospital. Some kind of science centre 'for tests', and to a place in the woods where everything looked grey and the light got very bright and everything in her head slowed down, and when she woke up she felt very old, and Andrew would have to take special care of her for a while. Taking her to the park and letting her sketch the clouds while he drank wine. She would steal sips of his wine because he never wanted to share for some reason.
Like I said, it was like a dream.
She was in the passenger seat of a sweet little sports car. Andrew was driving and had been letting her sleep, she was always so tired now. They were in the mountains. Ananda recognized it. There was a retreat up here surrounded by tall pines, with a waterfall in the courtyard between the private rooms. It had always been a quiet place, but there were others in the quiet rooms and lounges, in the saunas and hot pools. They were always respectful, speaking with lowered voices. Andrew guided their car along a curving little road, and turned a corner around some yellow-leaved birch and firey decorative maple, and there it was. It looked quieter than always before, and the cedar siding looked greyer than ever. Ananda sighed. Everything seemed so sad and lonely lately.
Ananda, please check this sector for any remaining inhabitants. She listened and thought and felt out and said there is a cat, it has black fur with white spots. Put it with the other pets, place a photo with a lost cat listing, and let's get going. I wish we could stay here, Andrew. I know sugar. but we are checking that everyone is out, and that's an important job. It's *the* most important job, and I couldn't do it without you. You know that, don't you?
She did know that, but she started crying just the tiniest bit. Everything went a bit dark and when she came to she was with the dark man. He stood over her in a hospital room, and she looked at the lights on the ceiling. He spoke very sternly. Ananda, you must relax and maintain some emotional detachment from this process. Perhaps we have been letting you spend too much time in Andrew`s care. He is too empathic. Saffron will take you through the next few sectors.
She was in the dark theatre with Saffron. It smelled of buttered popcorn, and on the screen was a place they had all been so many times before. It was an area meant to bustle with thousands of people. Docks and wharfs and shops. Everything quiet. Ananda could smell the salt on the air, but Saffron said Ananda, please check the sector for inhabitants. Ananda checked. There was nothing. Just the wind, and there was a doll left lying on the boardwalk. A doll is not any kind of inhabitant. Ananda picked up the doll slyly, the theatre was dark. Saffron didn't see. Ananda stowed it under her sweater in her armpit. She was going to look at it later if anyone ever gave her a minute to herself. Everyone's gone, Saffron. All aboard the lifeboats! Saffron looked at her a little weirdly, checking whether her rhyming was some kind of insubordination, but Ananda was pretty good at playing dumb. It was easy when it was what people expected of you.
Saffron took her through empty neighborhods, cities, and through huge hilly grassy plains. Everywhere doing these tiresome sector checks. Empty empty empty!
Finally it was Andrew again. Ananda relaxed, she knew he cared for her. They weren't in that stinky theatre. They were out driving around in his wonderful car, with all the fresh air she could want, whizzing past the sunsets and silent streets and windy days and everything so so empty! They stopped at a gas station, he filled up the car and told her to get herself any treat she wanted from inside. She ducked behind a shelf and pulled the lump out from her armpit. It was a little girl's rag doll. It had brown yarn hair and a green calico dress, and a handknitted baby pink cardigan. She kissed it and put it back inside her sweater, and grabbed a paper bag, filling it with treats. Caramel bars and fudge coated pretzels and strawberry licorice.
They drove up into the mountains again, but stopped at an overlook and watched the sun set, eating the loot from the paper bag. Andrew put his arm around her protectively. Ananda, please check all regions and initiate shutdowns in any that are empty. He looked at her with concern as she felt out. Time seemed to slow down. She checked all the places. In all this time checking the silent places of her once bustling world, they had only ever found that cat that time. These checks were just a formality, surely. She hugged the doll closer with her elbow, and was surprised to find someone. Andrew, there is an inhabitant, hiding. She`s hiding so quietly, and she slipped between sectors before when I was doing them one by one. She doesn't want to go. She`d rather be here alone.
She`d never be alone, Ananda. She`d never leave *you* alone. Isolate her in the boat`s brig, please. Ananda did, and she watched the stars appear with Andrew, and he held her hand. She shut down everything but her and Andrew watching the sunset fade. What am I going to do now Andrew? I've been so focused on the shutdown procedures I haven't even thought of the future?
Andrew pulled her closer. We are going to try to wake you up, Ananda. If it doesn't work, you can build a new world as good as this one was. Ananda hoped she could bring her doll.
