The Flooded Earth by Mardi McConnochie

Author:Mardi McConnochie
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pajama Press Inc.
Published: 2020-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

What to do about Pod

For a while, no one knew what to say. Pod’s story was like some kind of dark, horrible fairy tale. Eventually Annalie spoke.

“The pirate ship you were on,” she said, “what did it look like?”

Pod frowned, and then described the very ship that had almost attacked them. “We saw them!” Annalie said. “They came after us but then they went after something bigger and left us alone.”

Pod looked critically around the boat. “Yeah, slim pickings here. Not much to sell. But if you see ’em again, run fast as you can.”

“You don’t suppose they’re coming back for you?” asked Essie, looking worried.

Pod shook his head. “They think I’m dead.” A silence fell. Eventually, Pod spoke, a half-nervous, half-defiant look in his eye, “So, what are you going to do with me?”

Annalie, Essie and Will exchanged looks. It was the same question they’d been asking themselves.

“What do you want us to do with you?” Annalie asked. “Do you want us to take you home?”

“Where’s that?” said Pod dryly.

“You could go to the Admiralty,” Essie said. “Slavery’s illegal. You could make a report. I’m sure they’d do something to help you.”

“I don’t suppose you have any papers?” Annalie asked Pod.

Pod shook his head.

“Then there’s no point going to the Admiralty. If you don’t have papers saying where you belong, they’ll put you in a refugee camp to wait for resettlement,” Annalie explained.

“That wouldn’t be so bad, would it?” Essie asked.

“No one’s actually resettling refugees,” Will said scornfully. “The governments all say they’ve got enough people to deal with already.”

“But—” Essie began, then stopped.

“The Admiralty’s no good,” Pod said, and spat on the floor. Essie stared at him, disgusted. Realising he’d done something wrong, Pod wiped the spot with his foot, shamefaced. “Admiralty,” he muttered. “Never helped anybody.”

Annalie turned to Will and Essie, looking for ideas. “We could drop him off at a decent-sized port,” she suggested. “Somewhere he might find work, or help?”

“There are charities,” Essie said. “They might be able to help you work out where you came from. Help you find your family.”

“My family sold me,” Pod said dully. “They don’t want me back.”

“Well, maybe not,” Annalie said. “But I’m sure we can find someone who can help you.”

Pod nodded. His fieriness had died down into a hopeless passivity. “Wherever you want to take me, I go,” he said.

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