The Best of Jim Baen's Universe II by edited by Eric Flint & Mike Resnick

Author:edited by Eric Flint & Mike Resnick [Flint, edited by Eric]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Science Fiction
ISBN: 1-4165-5570-6
Publisher: Baen Books
Published: 2008-06-01T04:00:00+00:00

"Daddy, why don't people like you any more?" It had only taken Stella a couple of days to pick up the bad vibes.

"What makes you think nobody likes me?" I didn't have a comfortable answer, so I was stalling for time.

"They call you names."

"They're just a bit upset, that's all."

"Why?"

"It's going to take us all a bit longer to get to New World, that's all."

"Why?"

"Your daddy made a mistake with the engines, honey. It's nothing more. They're all over-reacting." Jodie had leapt to my defense. This was unprecedented. I began to think that she was, well, starting to warm towards me a little. Then I realized that she was deflecting our daughter away from an associated matter. I had made the pasta to try and appease Stella's long and apocalyptic temper tantrums. Stella had wanted spaghetti.

"If everyone's so upset about us taking longer, Daddy, then why don't we just go straight there?"

"No, honey, we're going slower, that's all. It will take us a few more years because we're not gaining speed quite so quickly," said Jodie.

"So why don't we just go the short way?"

I took over trying to explain. "If I want to go from the front of the ship to the back of the ship it will take longer if I walk slower, see?"

Stella exploded in a frustrated storm of tears.

"I know that. You said. But if you want to get there quicker . . . Why . . . ! Not . . . ! Go . . . ! The short way!" She screamed the words. She threw her beaker of juice across the room. It bounced off the holo' and sticky, fluorescent orange liquid exploded onto the front screen and dripped down onto the carpet. Jodie and I looked at each other. We'd seen this sort of thing coming before. We knew the signs.

"I'm not sure what you mean, honey. Explain to me." I tried to sound patient.

Stella's bottom lip was quivering with frustration or rage or something, but she gathered some control, then, with a straight arm, she pointed out to her left.

"New World is there," she said. Then she pointed straight up above her head, towards the front of the ship.

"We're going that way. We're just going down the spaghetti!" she shouted the last word.

I looked over at Jodie and shrugged. I was worried that my daughter was having some kind of a mental crisis. Maybe living in space all her life . . .

Jodie came over and put her hand lightly on my arm.

"Wait," she said. She didn't want me saying any more. Her eyes held a strange, almost wondrous expression. "Explain again, darling, for Mummy."

"We keep going all over the place. Like we're going down the spaghetti. It's stupid. Why can't we just go straight there?"

"What do you mean, honey, down the spaghetti."

Stella explained. It sounded ridiculous. I smiled to humor her. Jodie smiled, too. But her smile was different. It was almost as if she was taking this nonsense seriously.

We settled Stella down for bed, eventually, and Jodie wanted to talk.

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