The Mender

Thomas

"Oh goody, going to Clea's today. She promised we'd make cookies. Can we go soon?"

"Hang on, Jilly. It's too early. I'm still eating breakfast." The phone rang. Esri wondered if that might be Nicole calling again.

"Hello?"

"Hey, go turn on your TV to the news channel!"

"Luka? What's up?"

"Just turn it on. I'll stay on the phone." Esri turned on the TV and flipped to the all-news station. There were pictures of a massive fire. The words on the screen said it was in Bangladesh. Esri thought immediately of Jilly's friend, Nasima, and her mother, Farhana, who came with her husband from Bangladesh shortly before Nasima was born.

"I've got the TV on. Looks like a big fire in Bangladesh. I'm thinking about Farhana. What happened?"

"Esri, they locked people into the building. They don't know how many died. They think hundreds. But the thing is. All the clothes they made were for Dragon Garb."

"What!!?"

"The news is saying that Dragon Garb has one of the worst reputations in the clothing industry."

"I feel sick. Why didn't we know that?" said Esri.

"Because we're just stupid kids."

"Can't we stop them showing the commercial? I don't want to be a part of it."

"We all signed those waivers and everything. There's nothing we can do unless you have a bunch of money to hire a lawyer, which I'm sure you don't."

"Well, one thing I'm not going to do is use any of the money I made from the commercial. I'll give it away. Maybe to the people hurt in the fire or their families. Farhana might know. Oh god, she'll think I'm such a horrible person. And I am."

"I've already spent a lot of mine. But I feel like crap. I wonder what Jerome thinks."

"I don't know, but I've gotta go, Luka. Clea's expecting us. Let's talk later. I just don't get why people are so awful . . ."

"Yeah. Well, it's all about money. That's totally that promoter guy. You smelled something there all along, Esri. I'm sorry I got you into this."

Smelled is right, thought Esri, "Luka, it's not your fault. We'll figure something out. I'll be home by three. Come by before you go to work this evening."

"K."

Esri knew this would send Luka into a tailspin. It sent her into a tailspin. She listened to more of the newscast. Many of the people locked in the factory were girls her age and younger. Why did these things happen?

"What's happening on the TV? Why did Luka call?" asked Jilly.

"Something very sad happened, Jilly. A lot of people died in a fire, and he wanted to talk about it. C'mon, let's go make some cookies with Clea."

Esri had been feeling uncomfortable about going to Clea's. With the cave people dreams seemingly over, she thought maybe there was nothing to them and Clea was just some eccentric old lady. But maybe the dreams ended because the promoter was a Disruptor.

"Clea, we're here to make cookies," Jilly yelled when they walked into Clea's house.

"Don't worry, Clea, I'm also here to do some real work for you," called Esri.

"Come on back, girls, there's someone I want you to meet." This was new. Clea never had company. The girls took off their coats and walked back to the kitchen. An old man sat at the table. Ancient would be more like it. Clea appeared youthful by comparison. He sat crumpled in his chair with a cane leaning between his legs. Yet there was nothing old or dim about his eyes.