Page 21 of Us Dark Few

The woman clapped her hands excitedly, her hair bouncing up and down as she gleamed with happiness. “It works!”

The porcelain girl slowly turned, her arms forming a circle over her head, leg bent, as the soft melody played on.

Khalani’s eyes widened, and she leaned forward, completely hypnotized by the inanimate girl spinning round and round. The haunting hymn encompassed the small space, as if the very air wanted to hear more and welcome its release into the world.

She lifted her gaze to the mysterious woman with her hands clasped together, the brightest smile shining across her face. “What is it? Where did it come from?”

The woman still bounced up and down, grinning from ear to ear. “It’s a music box! Someone on Genesis threw it down the trash chute. Thought it was garbage. Not Winnie, though. She knew this was special.” She tapped on her chest proudly.

The ballerina continued to twirl, and Khalani’s mouth fell open in awe. Despite the small, dark library, a delicate warmth filled the space, easing the restlessness in her body.

In a way, she envied the tiny dancer who lived on a steady foundation.Unchanging. Safe. Only needing to turn when the dark doors of her life unraveled.

The music box slowly wound down, and the girl stopped moving. A dreamy sigh escaped the old woman, and Khalani stared at her in amazement.

“How did you get that down here?”

The woman’s smile disappeared, and she paled, as if realizing Khalani was there for the first time. “Wait, who are you? Why did you come here?”

“George told me to meet you in the library for my afternoon shift. My name is Khalani,” she quickly explained.

The woman visibly relaxed, exhaling deeply.

“You’re Winifred, right?” Khalani asked.

“Winifred is the name of an old woman. No, no. Call me Winnie. Winnie Talbot.” Winnie grabbed the music box delicately and walked to the other desk. She gently tucked the box away in one of the drawers, patting the desk in comfort. “It’s been a while since they sent a fellow prisoner to help Winnie.”

Khalani frowned. “You’re a prisoner?”

Winnie chuckled. “My goodness, dear girl, why would Winnie ever choose to be in this place? There is no color in these walls or liveliness in the air. Winnie loves color.” Winnie looked at her like this was the most obvious fact, andshewas clearly the idiot for not catching those details.

“But your outfit….” Khalani gestured to her flowing purple dress.

“Oh, you like it?” Winnie twirled. “Winnie made it herself,” she said with pride and a sparkle in her eye.

“It’s umm…pretty.”

Winnie squinted her eyes, noticing Khalani’s ugly attire. She touched the monocle as if to examine her better.

It’d been a couple days since she’d taken a shower, and the hard sweat of manual labor manifested its ugly undertone over her smelly uniform.

The grey fabric was the antithesis of Winnie’s embodiment. Her energy was unusual but vivacious. Strange, yet fascinating.Charming, unapologetic, and intriguing all at the same time.

“Hmmm, that won’t do. Won’t do at all.” Winnie snapped her fingers. “Winnie will see to getting your own, don’t worry. But do have patience. It will take some time to make it for you.”

Khalani’s forehead puckered as she glanced around the space, like she was expecting to find answers written on the book covers. “I don’t understand. How were you able to get that…music box in Braderhelm? How can you wear those clothes? Aren’t you worried about the guards finding out?”

“Whoa, whoa. Slow down before your mind moves so fast that it turns backward. Not good for the body.”

Huh?

Winnie gestured for Khalani to sit down and sighed dramatically as she sat across from her.

“Winnie was sentenced to this place a long time ago. So long, it can be hard to remember anything before. But Winnie refuses to forget. Winnie maintains the Apollo Ordinances and ensures they are distributed to the guards and prisoners every few months, lest they forget who holds their leash. You know of the Ordinances, right?”

Of course, she did. Every citizen did.

The Apollo Ordinances were the binding set of laws for the city, passed down since humans first went underground during the Great Collapse.

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