Twinks in Space: Fantastic Voyage - Part Two - 11. Chapter 11 - River City

Froufrou was trotting down a path that led alongside a mellow river. The pug was strapped in his green leather harness, and his leash was being held by little Riah. Froufrou was leading the way like the conductor of a parade. Fonith and Finnow were behind Riah, and Captain Suoki walked with his cane beside Golvinte at the back of the little group.

“Uncle Golvie,” Riah called out to the bounty hunter, “are we almost at schmoodle’s house yet?!”

The group was on the planet Oluo, heading through the middle of the river city of Tsulltha. The river shared its name with the city, and the waters of the Tsulltha were pristine.

Golvinte chuckled. “Yes, Riah, we’re almost there. I think it’s another three streets farther. But you don’t need to call her schmoodle; her stage name is Priestess, and her real name is Thesio. Only I call her schmoodle.” He let out a little giggle.

As they continued, Riah declared, “That’s one street!” A moment later, she exclaimed, “That’s the second street!” She looked up and caught sight of a statue. “Who’s that?” she asked, looking over at Golvinte.

“The people of Tsulltha call him Father Firth,” he replied. “He’s an old deity of love and relationships. Did you know, Tsulltha used to be nicknamed the Beloved City?”

“Awww,” Riah replied, “I like that! Can we call it Beloved City again? Hey, there’s the third street!” The little girl pointed ahead. “Let’s turn down it and go to schmoodle… I mean Thesio,” she glanced at Golvinte for confirmation and he nodded with a smile, “Thesio’s house!” Riah concluded, but Golvinte made a guilty face at her.

“Riah, I was wrong,” he admitted. “We’ve actually still got one more street to go.”

“But uncle Golvie,” Riah whined, “you said it was only three streets farther!”

“I know, and I’m sorry, but I was mistaken. Do you and Froufrou mind leading us just one more street down the road?”

Before Riah could reply, a voice from ahead of them called out a singsongy, “Yooo-hooooo!” and they all saw the glamorous lady.

Froufrou and Riah trotted right up to her.

“Are you Thesio?” the girl asked the tall queen.

“I am indeed!” Thesio declared with a dramatic flourish. “And what’s your name?” Froufrou let out an excited yip, and Thesio looked down at the pug. “Sorry, little squish-face, mama doesn’t have any treats.”

Riah laughed as Froufrou began hopping up and down with excitement. “Don’t say that word! Now he wants one!” Riah stuck out her little hand to shake, and she said, “Thesio, it’s very nice to make your acquaintance. My name is Riah, and this is my mommy, Finnow.” The little girl waved behind her.

Finnow nodded with approval at her daughter’s introduction.

Thesio took the child’s hand in hers. She was impressed. “Well aren’t you a sophisticated little diva? And it’s simply smashing to meet you as well!” The queen cackled and Riah laughed.

The adults approached, and Golvinte and Thesio kissed.

“Hey, schmoodle,” he whispered to her.

“Hi, Golvie.” The lovers interlaced their fingers.

“So, where to?” Captain Suoki asked.

Thesio smiled. “Breakfast is this way.” She pointed an elegant finger along the water in the direction the group had been traveling.

Froufrou barked several times at hearing another of his favorite words, interrupting what Thesio was going to say next. The pug had already enjoyed his breakfast, but Thesio’s mention made him excited about the possibility of a second.

“Spectrum Café,” Thesio continued; she reached down and scratched the dog’s wrinkly head with her long colorful nails, “is a little way down the river and over on the other side. It won’t be a long walk.” She continued talking as they strolled. “This river used to be polluted and nasty. For decades, almost nothing could grow in it. The city was in a bad way for a long time, but a couple years back, a group of us locals decided to do something about it.”

“The city of Tsulltha,” Golvinte added, waving at the buildings, “was like Boullia Bay in some ways. There weren’t pirates or gangsters here, but this place has always been kind of on the poorer side.”

“That’s putting it mildly,” his woman said with a laugh.

“Yeah,” Golvinte continued, “and whatever governments have periodically tried to rise over the years have all been corrupt and ultimately temporary.”

“We called ourselves The River Cleanup Crew,” Thesio declared. “I know, not a very clever name, but we wanted people to know exactly what we were about.”

“That’s the bridge we’ll take, there,” Golvinte said, pointing.

“It took us over a year to deal with the garbage and waste upriver,” Thesio continued, “and a further two years to clean out the rest of it through the city, but the longer we worked, the more residents joined in, and look at it now!”

The waters of the river beside them were clear and sparkling. It was not very deep at this section, and the group could see fish swimming among the weeds close to the pebbly riverbed. Birds floated on the surface of the water, while others squawked in the trees above. Lilly pads and cattails lined the banks, and the air all around the river smelled fresh.

“We refurbished the paths on both sides, and we had teams repairing the nearby homes and buildings. Once the river was clear again, the task of fixing the rest of the city has focused more on infrastructure and living accommodations for the citizens. Tsulltha is not a large city, but we’re making it something to be proud of. The River Cleanup Crew’s goal has become making Tsulltha better than it’s ever been.”

The bridge they were meant to cross was not very large, but it was sturdy, and it was decorative.

“Oooh,” Riah cooed, “it’s so fancy!”

“The River Cleanup Crew replaced all the old bridges,” Thesio replied, “and obviously, we wanted them to be nice to look at.” She laughed and Riah giggled.

The group forded the river and the café was ahead. They approached and each began to order beverages.

Fonith stepped aside. She pulled out her communicator and frowned at the device. Almost thirty-six hours had passed since she threatened her sister’s husband Quigley, and she was expecting a notice from the Hope 9 medical frigate that Phentrom had been delivered into their care by now. There were no alerts on her screen. She shoved her device back into her pocket and thought, Maybe I should have given him less than forty-eight hours.

She stepped up to the barista and said, “Give me a smoky-smooth latte, large, with an extra hit, and add a few drops of sizzle flower extract.”

The freckle-faced boy behind the counter wrote down her order and handed it to the other member of his team who was making drinks.

“We’ll take a full-sized platter, too,” Captain Suoki added, “for all of us to share.”

They settled up with the baristas, and the six seated themselves at a table in the shade. Froufrou sniffed around at their feet for anything that might have been dropped by previous patrons of the café. As the drinks that the group ordered were called out, each of them jumped up again to collect the beverages. Their tray of food was delivered to their table a few minutes later, and they all enjoyed their meal. They ate fried chunks of astro-serpent, small pies with spicy sausage and kidneys, a large fried fish with the head still on, and two roasted doves wrapped in bacon. It was a very satisfying breakfast, and Froufrou received more than a few bites.

The rest of their day in Tsulltha passed similarly, with more wandering in the city, and a lovely lunch on the waterfront at a little park. They brought Froufrou to a fenced-in area where quite a few dog-like species were playing; their guardians stood together chatting and watching over the jovial ruckus. Froufrou joined right in, yapping and racing in circles with the other pets.

Fonith kept checking her device, but the Hope 9 hospital ship did not message her all afternoon.

After visiting a children’s learning center where Riah participated in an exercise that involved counting and pairing multi-colored symbols, the sun was just starting to set. The six enjoyed a dinner of street food from several vendors selling out of the backs of their carts, or set up at little booths.

Fonith was feeling frustrated. There was still no word from the Hope 9, and her countdown was up to forty-four hours. She decided it was time to call the medical frigate herself. Maybe they forgot to alert me when Phentrom was dropped off, she thought doubtfully as her device connected.

“Hello and thank you for calling the Hope 9 hospital ship. This is the automated assistant, 3S-T4. How may I help you?”

“Please connect me to the room with the patient named Phentrom. He’s an android.” Fonith waited as the other end of the line beeped a few times.

“I’m sorry, but there is no one by that name,” the automated assistant replied. “I have scanned the database for any androids in treatment, but we have none aboard at this time.”

Godsdammit, Fonith thought to herself, but she replied aloud, “Thank you,” and disconnected the call. What is Quigley waiting for? She pulled up the timer again. He’s only got four hours left.