《Hans and Gretta》 We all have to make sacrifices Gretta¡¯s late grandmother always said that eavesdroppers hear no good of themselves. Gretta was prepared to take that risk. Standing on a chair in the room her father liked to call the library, she pressed one ear against the heating vent. She could hear the step-beast pacing around the living room next door, heels clicking loudly on the parquet flooring, then silence as she hit the thick pile of the Turkish carpet. ¡°We have to find a way to cut back on our spending,¡± her father was saying. He sounded worried, which was unusual for him. ¡°Perhaps we could stay home this summer instead of going to the Riviera?¡± The clicking of heels stopped abruptly. ¡°And have everyone whispering behind our backs that we can¡¯t afford to travel? Absolutely not! How are we going to make Connections if we¡¯re not around the people who matter?¡± Her stepmother sounded on the verge of an explosion, but that was not unusual for the lovely Stefania, fifteen years younger than her husband. Every event was treated as if it were an emergency, whether it was a chipped finger nail, or her favorite spa closing for a national holiday. The clicking of heels started up again. Papers rustled. ¡°All our club memberships are due in the next six months, and so is the lease on the Stuttgart townhouse. We¡¯ve still got the redecorating bill for the villa in Monaco, we need to put a deposit on the yacht rental for this summer if we don¡¯t want to miss out, your tennis coach is complaining he hasn¡¯t been paid, and the children¡¯s school fees for next term are due now. And the orthodontist wants to get started on straightening Hans¡¯ teeth,¡± her father said. The clicking of heels stopped. ¡°The children,¡± Stefania said thoughtfully. ¡°We could definitely cut back on our spending there. It¡¯s not as if we get any return on our money with them, unless you consider ingratitude and constant sulking to be a reward.¡± ¡°We could transfer them to the local high school,¡± her father offered, tentatively. ¡°Have them go to the same school as the children of housekeepers and farmers? Certainly not! We¡¯d be the laughing stock of the neighborhood. Besides, then they¡¯ll be underfoot all the time, rather than just when school¡¯s out. These are hard times, Jakob. Who can afford children nowadays? We all need to make sacrifices.¡± ¡°I hardly think¡ª¡± Jakob tried to break in, but Stefania kept talking. ¡°It¡¯s not just next term¡¯s school fees that we¡¯ll need to find the money for, you know. There will be six more years of boarding school fees, plus private tutors and sports coaches, and then university. And after two years of boarding school, they haven¡¯t once managed to get themselves invited to spend the holidays with a family who might be of use to us!¡± Gretta pulled away from the vent to make a rude gesture at it. Both the twins had been invited to visit acquaintances from school more than once, but they¡¯d always given the excuse that their family wanted to spend time with them, and never mentioned the invitations to Stefania. She¡¯d heard too many reports from her fellow students of what those breaks were like, with children competing for status and position in imitation of their upper-class parents¡¯ constant machinations. She put her ear back to the vent. The step-beast was still at it. ¡°The other day, I heard that Heidi Fischer¡¯s daughters already have full neural implants and they¡¯re not even thirteen! Heidi said they cost 30,000 marks apiece! And the Muellers have hired a former Olympic gymnast to coach their little girl. No-one is going to want to make a Connection with us if we can¡¯t even keep up with nouveau riche idiots like the Fischers. We¡¯ll be barred from all the best investment schemes. We might even have to get¡­jobs.¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. There was a stunned silence, broken only by tapping noises. ¡°Here, this is what the accounting software estimates the children will cost us over the next ten years,¡± she said. Gretta heard her father swear quietly. ¡°I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s not going to be any money left for any of your little¡ªdiversions, Jakob. Unless¡ª¡± There was another silence. Gretta wished she could see through the vent. ¡°I¡­don¡¯t see how this would work,¡± her father said. ¡°I think we could pull it off. There will be some initial expenses up front, but in the long term we¡¯ll be saving hundreds of thousands. You just have a think about it, liebchen. But don¡¯t take too long. They¡¯ll be returning to school in two weeks and the fees for next term are due by the end of the month.¡± The sound of heels receded. Gretta hastily jumped off the chair and put it back under the desk. She flopped down on her front on an antique fainting lounge upholstered in pale pink and shoved her earbuds in. Opening her book at a random page, she pretended to be engrossed in it. Behind her, the door opened quietly. Gretta waited a long moment before looking around with an expression of polite enquiry. Her stepmother looked around the library without comment and then went on down the corridor. Gretta waited half an hour before going upstairs to talk to her twin brother Hans. He¡¯d announced he intended to spend his spring break reenacting every major battle of the Fourth Pan-European War, and was not to be disturbed unless the house was on fire. She rapped twice on his VR headset. Hans ignored her, swiping rapidly at the air in front of him. Gretta sighed. She picked up the second headset that was sitting on her brother¡¯s desk, and opened a message channel. ¡°We need to talk,¡± she sent. ¡°Can¡¯t it wait? My battalion is under attack,¡± Hans sent back. ¡°We¡¯ve got a potential level three situation on our hands,¡± Gretta sent. Their private code for emergencies only went up to four. Level one was minor inconveniences like missing your train, while level four was only invoked in the case of potential death or dismemberment. She heard her brother¡¯s voice, muffled by the headset. ¡°Ja, ja, just let me get to a safe place so I can pause it.¡± Gretta took off the headset and sat down the bed. She waited with rising impatience, until he took off his headset and swiveled his chair to face her. ¡°This had better be good.¡± She selected a playlist on his desktop screen and turned the volume up. He raised an eyebrow at her, but said nothing. ¡°They¡¯re up to something.¡± He shrugged. ¡°When aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°This time, it¡¯s serious. Worse than when they sent us away to boarding school. Worse than when they sold the horses because¡ª¡± she made air quotes with her fingers ¡®we weren¡¯t there to ride them.¡¯¡± Hans waggled his chair back and forth. ¡°What exactly is going on?¡± ¡°I heard the step-beast trying to convince Papa that we¡¯re going to cost too much money to raise, and she wants him to do something about it. Then she showed him a screen, and he sounded¡ª¡± She stopped, not sure how to phrase it. ¡°Like he was thinking about doing something bad.¡± Hans rolled his eyes. ¡°Like what? Sell us for medical experiments? Or to the white slave trade?¡± He poked her with his foot. ¡°Not that they¡¯d get much money for a scrawny piece like you.¡± She scowled at him. ¡°You didn¡¯t hear her. She sounded deadly serious.¡± ¡°You know Stefania. She¡¯s only happy when she¡¯s got something to shriek about.¡± Gretta sighed. ¡°We should just be on our guard, okay? She doesn¡¯t want us to go back to Geneva next term.¡± ¡°I never wanted to go to that stupid school anyway. We¡¯re only there to make Connections with rich kids and arrange introductions to their parents for her.¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t want us to go to the local school, either, and she complained about us being underfoot so online school isn¡¯t an option.¡± Hans didn¡¯t look convinced. Gretta scowled. ¡°You didn¡¯t hear them.¡± He sighed. ¡°You worry too much. Now, is that all? France isn¡¯t going to invade itself, you know.¡± Gretta gave up. ¡°Just keep your eyes open, okay?¡± He gave her a snappy salute, and put his headset back on. Full Body Scan When the family was in residence at their country retreat, Gretta would go for long walks by herself around the boar-proof fence that bordered the enclave. She wasn¡¯t allowed to go past the fence by herself. Most of the other families who lived in the cluster of thirty houses had escaped to warmer lands as soon as the leaves began to change color. To qualify for lower taxes, residents had to occupy a dwelling in one of the underpopulated zones for at least seven months of the year. Papa and Stefania had already squandered all of their allotted out-of-zone time for the year. They¡¯d be stuck here for the winter, while Gretta and Hans would be back at boarding school. Gretta suspected that they were the only children left in the enclave now. There really wasn¡¯t much to do in the area other than hiking and hunting. The enclave wasn¡¯t big enough to support a recreation center. When it rained, she¡¯d spend hours drinking hot chocolate behind the steamed-up windows of the tiny cafe and general store that supplied the residents with any items they¡¯d forgotten to order for delivery. Eventually, the woman who ran the store would shoo her out so she could close up, and she¡¯d be forced to return to the loving arms of her family.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°There you are!¡± her stepmother said, as Gretta wandered listlessly back through the front door one afternoon. ¡°Come along, now. I want to get you both scanned so we can order you some new clothes.¡± Gretta raised an eyebrow at that. Normally they wore off-the-rack, her stepmother insisting it was a waste of money to outfit growing children in made-to-order clothing. Dutifully she held still, arms out, as her step-mother ran a portable 3D scanner over her. ¡°Can I have a look at the catalogue?¡± Gretta asked. Stefania referred to something on her tablet, then adjusted the scanner settings. Stefania looked at her blankly. ¡°What?¡± ¡°The clothing catalogue,¡± Gretta said, nodding to the tablet. ¡°Can I have a look at it?¡± ¡°Hold still,¡± Stefania said, turning the scanner back on. ¡°You can look at it when the new catalogue is released next week. You may choose two items for yourself.¡± The scanner beeped to indicate it was finished. Stefania stepped back. ¡°There, that didn¡¯t hurt at all, did it?¡± she said, smiling. ¡°Now run upstairs and tell your brother to come down, please.¡± Gretta went up the stairs wondering what was going on. Stefania was actually being nice to her. That didn¡¯t happen very often. ¡°It¡¯ll be raining frogs, next,¡± she muttered as she knocked on Hans¡¯s door. We Love Long Walks in the Countryside ¡°Where¡¯s Maria?¡± Gretta said at breakfast the next morning, looking around the kitchen. ¡°We¡¯ve let her go,¡± her stepmother said, sipping her coffee. ¡°You¡¯re old enough to work a food printer.¡± Gretta had been hoping for some of Maria¡¯s excellent French toast. Suppressing a sigh, she dialed the breakfast settings and placed a bowl under the spout to catch a squirt of something that claimed to be raspberry-flavored vitamin oatmeal and milk. Hans came clattering down the stairs. He looked at Gretta disconsolately poking her spoon at her bowl of slush. Stefania narrowed her eyes at him, and Hans hunched his shoulders a little and went to the machine. ¡°You know, Gretta, I¡¯m feeling inspired by all your walking. Very healthy,¡± Papa said as he sipped his coffee. ¡°After breakfast, I think we should go for a stroll in the woods.¡± Gretta blinked at him. Papa hated the outdoors, not to mention spending time with his children. ¡°If you like, Papa,¡± she said cautiously. She raised an eyebrow at her brother. Hans, wisely keeping his mouth full, nodded vigorously in agreement. Papa smiled at her, in a sickly sort of way. Maybe the reconstituted food wasn¡¯t agreeing with him. After breakfast, the twins waited by the front door for their father. Stefania came out of the kitchen and smiled at them. ¡°Aren¡¯t you coming?¡± Gretta asked, looking at her stepmother¡¯s high heeled sandals. ¡°I¡¯d love to, darling, but my allergies are so terrible this time of year. Now, I want to make sure you two have some quality time with your father. He sees so little of you. I think it¡¯s best if you leave your phones here, so you don¡¯t get distracted.¡± She held out a hand tipped with long bright red nails. Reluctantly, the twins handed over their phones. ¡°Right!¡± Papa said, coming down the stairs. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± He led them out the main gates of the enclave and along the road for a kilometer. He stopped and looked around, as if to see if anyone was watching, before entering the forest on a poorly marked trail. He set a fast pace, striding along ahead of them. ¡°Papa,¡± Gretta pointed out, after twenty minutes of walking. ¡°You just went off the trail. It¡¯s back there.¡± ¡°Oh, we don¡¯t need trails,¡± her father said, looking back at her. ¡°We¡¯re explorers! Now come on!¡± He waited impatiently until Gretta caught up with him, Hans trailing behind, and set off into the trees.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°What¡¯s that bird, Papa?¡± Gretta said, pointing. ¡°Where?¡± he said, looking up. Gretta reached into her pocket and then stuck her hand behind her back and waggled it at Hans. ¡°Oh, never mind, it flew off,¡± she said. Hans took the fluorescent-yellow marker pen from Gretta and fell back a little. As Gretta distracted their father by pointing out every interesting-looking toadstool and oddly shaped rock she could find, Hans would quickly mark trees as they passed. ¡°For Heaven¡¯s sake, boy, pick up your feet,¡± his father said, turning around as Hans stomped and scraped his feet in every muddy patch. They walked on for an hour, splashing through several small streams. Papa didn¡¯t even look around now when Gretta pointed at a squirrel. He had pulled ahead of them, and stopped looking back. He came to a sudden halt in a clearing and the children nearly walked into him. ¡°This looks like a good spot for a break,¡± he announced, next to a fallen tree. ¡°I tell you what, we should have a little fire. I¡¯ve brought some marshmallows for us to toast.¡± He patted his pocket, which didn¡¯t look like it contained a bag of marshmallows. ¡°Wait here while I collect some firewood, children. Stay right here, and don¡¯t move!¡± He strode off into the trees without a backward glance, and was soon out of sight. The twins sat on the tree trunk in silence, listening to the wind and the calls of the birds. For a while, they stared in the direction their father had gone. Hans looked at his watch. Finally, he sighed. ¡°Much as I hate to admit it, you may be right. They are up to something.¡± Gretta scowled. ¡°This is the one time I really don¡¯t want to be right.¡± Hans picked at some moss on the log. ¡°How long do you think we should give him?¡± Gretta looked up at the crack of sky visible through the trees. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not raining. I¡¯d say an hour should be sufficient.¡± Hans slid down from the log and began poking around under a nearby fir tree. ¡°There¡¯s plenty of dry stuff under here. He wanted a fire, so we might as well make one.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got matches?¡± ¡°Even better.¡± He waved a lighter at her. ¡°I¡¯m not going to ask what you¡¯re doing with that,¡± Gretta said, scraping out a hollow in the ground with her boot. ¡°You never know when you might need to set something on fire in the boys¡¯ dormitory. Hypothetically speaking, that is,¡± Hans said, coming back with an armload of sticks. They crouched by the little fire, warming their hands, until Hans straightened up with a sigh. He checked his watch. Two hours had passed since their father left them. ¡°You know, I fancy a hot chocolate. With marshmallows. Let¡¯s go to the Happy Cow. My treat.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the best idea I¡¯ve heard all day,¡± Gretta said. She politely turned her back as Hans put out the fire by urinating on it. They followed Hans¡¯s footprints and the little arrows he¡¯d drawn on the trees back to the trail without much difficulty. At the edge of the forest, they paused to check for any traffic on the deserted road, then sauntered down the road to the enclave, and the little caf¨¦ just inside the fence. Frau Becker was more than happy to serve them pastries and hot chocolate. They took their time over their drinks. ¡°I don¡¯t see any sign of anyone forming a search team,¡± Gretta said, looking out the window. She¡¯d eaten two pastries and was considering another, but Frau Becker was sweeping the floor and giving them sidelong looks. She usually closed the caf¨¦ by mid-afternoon. Hans got up. ¡°Come on. I¡¯m sure everyone is terribly worried about us by now,¡± he said. ¡°I doubt it,¡± Gretta said, following him. The only people they saw on the way home was a solitary dog walker, who ignored them. ¡°Well, this is going to be interesting,¡± Hans whispered to her, as he opened the front door. They found their father in his study. He seemed startled to see them, but quickly recovered. ¡°There you are!¡± he said, smiling. ¡°We were just about to send out a search party. You were gone when I came back with the firewood.¡± The twins exchanged glances. ¡°We waited for you for hours, Papa,¡± Gretta said. ¡°We were worried you¡¯d been eaten by a wild boar.¡± Her father gave a faint laugh. He was looking rather pale. ¡°Well, no harm done. Now, run along children, I have work to do.¡± The Family That Plays Together, Stays Together ¡°You know, I¡¯ve been thinking,¡± Papa said at dinner, a couple of days later. ¡°We should go camping before you go back to school.¡± ¡°Camping?¡± Hans said. ¡°It¡¯s barely spring time.¡± ¡°Oh, I have a marvelous new tent with a built-in heater,¡± Papa said. ¡°It¡¯s supposed to stay cozy even at sub-zero temperatures. I¡¯m eager to try it out. We¡¯ll leave in the morning.¡± ¡°Where are we going to camp?¡± Gretta asked. ¡°It¡¯s a secret. I know how you love surprises, liebchen!¡± He beamed at them, but Gretta noticed he¡¯d barely touched his soup. She nodded. ¡°That sounds like fun,¡± she said cheerfully. ¡°What a good idea, Papa!¡± After dinner, the twins passed Stefania on the stairs. She had a couple of screens tucked under one arm. She smiled at them sweetly but said nothing. Hans followed Gretta into her room. She opened her desk drawers and rummaged around. ¡°That bitch! She took my school screen, too. She never gave our phones back either. I wonder what their plan is.¡± ¡°Whatever it is, I don¡¯t think we¡¯re going to like it. Most of our camping gear is at the school,¡± Hans said. He chewed on a cuticle. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can find around the house that might be useful.¡± ¡°This week¡¯s grocery delivery isn¡¯t due until Friday, so they haven¡¯t ordered any food to take with us,¡± Gretta said. ¡°How much money have you got?¡± Hans went to his room and came back with a handful of coins. ¡°Most of my allowance is on my school chip cards,¡± he said. ¡°This is all I¡¯ve got.¡± Gretta took the coins. ¡°I¡¯ve got some cash, too. If Papa gets up at his usual time, I might have a chance to sneak out to the shop. I¡¯ll see if there¡¯s anything portable in the pantry tonight, after they go to bed.¡± Gretta was up early the next morning, but Stefania was up before her and lurking near the front door, so she was unable to sneak out to the shop. It didn¡¯t open until 10 am anyway. Gretta had to content herself with grabbing their boots and the warmest coats out of the hall closet before Stefania could think of some reason to take them off her. After breakfast, Papa looked surprised to find them waiting by the flitter, dressed for cold weather and carrying their small school packs, with rolled-up blankets attached. ¡°There¡¯s no need to bring all of that. I¡¯ve made arrangements. You can leave your packs behind.¡± Gretta raised an eyebrow at him. ¡°I really don¡¯t think you should go to the trouble of buying me fresh underwear just to go camping in, Papa,¡± she drawled. He flushed and mumbled something incoherent. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s always good to have some extra padding when you¡¯re sleeping on the ground,¡± Gretta assured him cheerfully. She headed for the flitter. ¡°I¡¯ll just put it in the back.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t do that,¡± he said hastily, stepping in front of her. ¡°The rear compartment is already full. I packed it carefully and don¡¯t want anything falling out.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll put them under our feet then,¡± Hans said, and climbed in the back of the flitter. His father looked after him, clearly at a loss. Gretta smiled at him. ¡°I¡¯m really looking forward to trying out your new tent, Papa! I hope you don¡¯t snore,¡± she said. She sat next to Hans, arranged her gear under her feet, and put her seat-harness on. Papa went around slowly to the front of the flitter, sat in the cockpit, and hit the button to close all the doors. ¡°Right,¡± he said, as if to himself. ¡°Time for an adventure.¡± Once in the air, they headed north. Beneath them, the occasional villages and farms of their zone gave way to forest. They gained altitude to pass over a range of hills that still had some snow on them. Gretta tried to look over the front seats at the GPS readout, but Papa spotted her. ¡°No peeking, now,¡± he said firmly, angling the screen away from her. ¡°How about some traveling music, Papa?¡± she suggested, and he brought up a play list. Chopin filled the cabin. Gretta wrinkled her nose. It wasn¡¯t really her sort of music, but it would stop Papa from eavesdropping. She leaned over to Hans who was pressed against the door looking intently down at the ground. ¡°Do you see anything that looks like a camping ground?¡± she whispered to him. He turned to look at her, and shook his head. ¡°We¡¯re above the depopulated zone now. They cleared everyone out of there during the last war. I think we¡¯re getting near a restricted area,¡± he whispered back. Gretta stared at him, wide eyed.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. The flitter began to tilt upwards, the engine pitch rising. Gretta looked out her window. They were climbing up a great granite cliff. A half-frozen waterfall ran down it. The flitter reached the top and then lurched to one side, and then the other. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Papa called back. ¡°It¡¯s just a minor malfunction. I¡¯m going to have to land to check the engine.¡± Gretta tightened her seat-harness. All she could see outside now was snow and rocks. The flitter wobbled in a wide circle and came in to land on the shore of a small frozen lake, stopping with a sudden jolt. The doors opened with a rush of freezing air. ¡°Right,¡± Papa said, looking back at them and rubbing his hands together. ¡°This might take a while. Why don¡¯t you get some fresh air?¡± He got out and looked around. ¡°I know, why don¡¯t you go and build a snowman over there?¡± He waved towards a smooth snow-covered hollow area about two hundred meters away. The twins exchanged a look, then climbed out of the flitter, taking their packs and coats with them. ¡°You won¡¯t be needing those,¡± Papa called after them but they ignored him and trudged through the snow to the area he¡¯d pointed to. Gretta put her gloves on and began scraping snow into a pile. It wasn¡¯t much more than ankle deep so it would take a while to gather enough for a snow man. Hans crouched down facing the flitter and offered a running commentary while pretending to help pile up snow. ¡°He¡¯s just standing there staring at us. Now he¡¯s walking in a circle. Looks like he might be talking to himself.¡± ¡°He¡¯s going around the back of the flitter. He¡¯s opening the rear compartment. Wish I could see in. I really want to know what sort of camping gear he packed.¡± ¡°It¡¯s empty,¡± Gretta said, packing a handful of snow onto the mound. ¡°How do you know?¡± ¡°I looked at the weight readout when we got in the flitter. Whatever is in there weighs no more than a couple of kilos.¡± ¡°Wait, he¡¯s taking something out!¡± Gretta looked up briefly. ¡°Pry bar, from the emergency toolkit,¡± she said. Hans wasn¡¯t even pretending to gather snow now. ¡°Well?¡± ¡°He¡¯s opened the engine cover. I don¡¯t know of any part of a flitter engine that¡¯s going to work better after you attack it with a pry bar. He¡¯ll void the warranty if he breaks any of those seals.¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± Gretta said grimly. ¡°Uh oh. He¡¯s getting back in the flitter. The doors are closing. Maybe he¡¯s testing the engine.¡± Gretta stood up. She could hear the hum of the flitter¡¯s engine starting up. It hovered briefly above the landing spot then rose quickly and moved away from them. They stood there in silence for several minutes as the sound of the engine faded and was lost in the rushing wind. ¡°Well, there you go,¡± she said finally, briskly brushing the snow off her gloves. She blinked hard and stared at the ground. ¡°He really did it,¡± Hans said in a small voice. He kept on staring at the spot where the flitter had vanished as if it might reappear any minute. Gretta busied herself getting some extra layers of clothing out of her pack and took off her coat. She nudged Hans out of his trance. ¡°Don¡¯t get chilled. Put some more clothes on.¡± Slowly, he bent to his pack and began extracting clothing. She took off her own coat and unbuttoned the removable lining and gave the coat a shake. Little silver foil packets adorned with pictures of a beaming blond woman dropped on the ground. Hans peered at them. ¡°What are those? Snack bars?¡± ¡°Remember when the step-beast went on that movie star diet? Three bars a day for all your nutritional needs? She only stuck with it for a week or so, but she ordered a month¡¯s supply. I found them at the back of a cupboard. That was all I could find, apart from the printer food stock. I think Stefania hid all the food somewhere, because I know there were instant noodles in there a couple of days ago.¡± She put her coat back on and divided the bars into two piles, and put half in her pack. ¡°I hid them in my coat, just in case she decided to search our bags. Did you find anything useful?¡± Hans found a rock that was free of snow and sat down to unroll his bundle of blankets. Several tins fell out. ¡°I have some snacks I bought to take back to school. Nuts, chocolate, some soup and noodles. I got a tarpaulin we can use as a shelter, some string, a knife, and a hatchet.¡± ¡°Good job,¡± Gretta said. She scooped up the remaining bars and helped Hans put them in his pack, along with the other food items. ¡°That¡¯s not going to last us long. What are we going to do now?¡± Hans said. He suddenly looked much younger and near to tears. Gretta dived into her pack and drew out a battered hardback book. Hans peered at the title. ¡°I don¡¯t think Goethe is the appropriate author for this situation.¡± ¡°You know Stefania doesn¡¯t read anything that doesn¡¯t have pictures in it.¡± Gretta jiggled the protruding bookmark, and the book popped open, revealing a hidden compartment. She withdrew a small bag. ¡°Waterproof Faraday pouch,¡± she said, opening it and removing a phone. Next to it was a roll of cash, an id card that claimed Gretta was eighteen, and a windup charger. ¡°Why do you even have a Faraday pouch?¡± ¡°It came with the phone. People use them to hide stuff from the scanners at school. You just have to know who to ask.¡± ¡°Hey,¡± Hans said, picking up the roll of bank notes. ¡°If you had this, why did you need my money for the store? And where did you get all this cash, anyway?¡± Gretta rolled her eyes at him. ¡°What do you think Frau Becker is going to do if I show up to the shop with a fifty-mark note? She¡¯s not going to have change for it, and she¡¯s probably going to tell our parents. As for where I got it, let¡¯s just say there¡¯s a lot of students at our school with too much money who like to have someone else do their homework.¡± ¡°You know, when Stefania sent us there to make Connections, I don¡¯t think she meant for you to connect with the criminal underworld.¡± Hans picked up the phone. ¡°We¡¯re not likely to get a signal out here.¡± ¡°Probably not. But I did download the most detailed maps I could find. And the GPS will still work. You really think we¡¯re in a restricted area?¡± ¡°Not quite in it, or the flitter alarm would have gone off. But I think we¡¯re right on the edge.¡± Gretta turned on the phone and waited for it to find their position. She opened the map app and loaded the appropriate region. Hans looked over her shoulder. ¡°Sheisse. Sometimes I hate being right. We can¡¯t go back the way we came. It¡¯s a sheer cliff. And north is all mountains. Crossing the restricted area is the only way we can get to a lower altitude without climbing gear, if we want to get back to civilization. I guess we just cross our fingers and hope the radiation has died down.¡± He swiped at the area outlined in red on the map to enlarge it. Gretta straightened up and looked him in the eye. ¡°We¡¯re not going to let them win,¡± she said. Hans took a deep breath and looked back to where the flitter had gone. ¡°No, we¡¯re not,¡± he said, and picked up his pack. The Hills Are Alive... The expensive boarding school that the twins attended had emphasized healthy outdoor exercise for their students, with regular hikes and camps. They found they had reason to be grateful for this now. By mid-afternoon they¡¯d descended below the snow line and found a deer trail that zigzagged down the slope through a forest of spindly trees. They stopped on a promontory that gave them a good view of the valley below, and ate a diet bar each. ¡°Just in case someone does come looking for us, we might as well leave a trail,¡± Hans said. He opened out the diet bar wrappers and arranged them with the shiny foil side up, weighed down with small rocks around the edge. The wide valley was only sparsely covered with grass and occasional clumps of browning pines and shrubs. None of the vegetation looked healthy. A river glinted in the distance. There were a number of odd gullies, and little hills with jagged spikes sticking out of the top which didn¡¯t look quite like geographical features. The sun came out of the clouds just then and made the spikes on the nearest hillock sparkle. ¡°Those aren¡¯t rocks,¡± Hans said slowly. ¡°They¡¯re wrecked battle mechs. This valley was a battleground.¡± As Gretta studied the ground, she wondered why she hadn¡¯t seen it before. The gullies had been gouged out by aerial battle mechs crashing at high speed. The hillocks and rocky outcrops were collapsed mechs buried under a layer of vegetation. Now that she knew what they were, she could see them everywhere. They weren¡¯t going to be able to get across the valley without passing close to hundreds of them. ¡°That must be why this is a restricted area. I don¡¯t suppose you packed a radiation detector?¡± Hans said. ¡°Why not some haz-mat suits and a fold-up helicopter while I was at it?¡± Gretta retorted. ¡°I mean, who keeps an emergency kit in the cupboard just in case their parents abandon them somewhere radioactive?¡± She sniffed hard, and looked away. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it like that,¡± Hans said. He sat down heavily. He¡¯d been trying not to think too hard about why they were here. ¡°Sheisse,¡± he said. ¡°He dumped us like unwanted puppies.¡± Gretta gave a choking laugh, and swiped at her eyes. ¡°You know what annoys me the most? Silly, I know, but he didn¡¯t even do a good job of it, because we¡¯re still alive. Papa is such an idiot.¡± ¡°We already figured that out when he married Stefania,¡± Hans said. ¡°Let¡¯s just hope we got some brains from Mama¡¯s side of the family.¡± Gretta checked the map on her phone.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°We¡¯re about here,¡± she said, tapping the map. ¡°If we cross the river and follow it south for about twenty kilometers, then head through the forest, there are some old logging roads that will eventually lead to paved roads.¡± ¡°And then what?¡± Hans said. ¡°What do you mean? We find people and get help.¡± ¡°And then what? They say, ¡®Oh, you poor little lost lambs! Let us deliver you at once into the loving arms of your beloved parents, who must be beside themselves with worry!¡¯.¡± Gretta stared across the valley. ¡°Good point. We need a plan, before we find people.¡± ¡°If we go home, what do you think they¡¯ll do?¡± ¡°Maybe Papa will feel so guilty, he¡¯ll swear never to harm us ever again. More likely, now that we know what they¡¯re up to they¡¯ll just come up with a better plan to get rid of us.¡± ¡°And if we tell the police our father abandoned us in the wilderness?¡± Gretta sighed. ¡°Where¡¯s the evidence? Papa would just say we ran away. The nearest police station in the low-tax zone is a good 100 kilometers from the enclave anyway.¡± ¡°So even when we get out of here and get back to civilization, we¡¯re still screwed.¡± Gretta chewed her lip thoughtfully. ¡°What exactly are they going to tell people about us, though? They can tell the neighbors that we¡¯re at boarding school, and tell the school they¡¯re taking us abroad. I can see them getting away with it in the short term, but eventually aren¡¯t people going to notice we¡¯re not around? I¡¯d hope that our friends would.¡± ¡°Remember when Silke Schaefer¡¯s family moved to London, and she swore to you that you were best friends forever, and then she messaged you maybe twice and after than you never heard from her again?¡± Hans said. Gretta frowned at him. ¡°We were only eight years old.¡± ¡°Yeah, but for all you know she could have drowned in the Thames. It¡¯s not like you were going to go to London and look for her. Do you really think any of our friends are going to come looking for us when we don¡¯t answer their messages? And if they do call the house the step-beast can say we¡¯re grounded.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Gretta began ticking points off on her fingers. ¡°First step: shelter, and food. We can work on a story as we go. Second: get ourselves back to the enclave and do some reconnaissance without being spotted, and find out what is going on at home. And third¡ª¡± ¡°Wreak fiery vengeance on all who oppose us?¡± Hans suggested. She grinned at her brother. ¡°Now you¡¯re talking!¡± ¡°We need to get across the battlefield fast to minimize any radiation exposure. It might be best to camp up here tonight, so we don¡¯t get caught in the open after dark.¡± They found a sheltered spot under the promontory and collected wood for a fire, laying their sleeping bags on the dry ground under a rock ledge. Despite the hard ground Gretta soon fell asleep, head pillowed on her pack. She came awake with a jolt. It was completely black except for a faint glow from the dying fire. Something was screaming in the valley below. It sounded like the unholy offspring of a fighter jet and a wounded panther. She leaned over to put more wood on the fire. ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Hans said quietly from the darkness. ¡°We don¡¯t want to attract attention.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± she whispered. The thing shrieked again, and she flinched. ¡°Wildcat IV, Obsidian Class. A hunter-killer battle mech. Not everything in that valley is dead. I recognize the sound from my war games.¡± Gretta shuddered. ¡°What if it comes up here?¡± Hans laughed softly, without humor. ¡°If it could move, we¡¯d have been dead hours ago. I think it¡¯s crippled.¡± There was a deep bellow from below, answered by thin piping wails from more than one direction. ¡°So, now we know why it¡¯s a restricted area,¡± Hans whispered. ¡°Nobody wanted the job of deactivating a bunch of heavily armed killer robots so they just colored this part of the map red.¡± He rolled over. ¡°Try to get some sleep.¡± Gretta lay on her back staring wide-eyed into the dark for a long time. Worst. Holiday. Ever. A cold mist hung over the valley in the morning. Gretta crouched on the promontory, trying to plot a path across the valley that would avoid coming close to any of the mounds. She couldn¡¯t find a safe path at all. She scrambled down the slope to join Hans. Silently, he handed her half a snack bar, and they set off down the slope into the valley. Once out of the trees, they ran in short dashes from one patch of cover to the next, pausing to check for movement. The sun was high overhead and the mist had burned off by the time they collapsed behind a small rocky outcrop. Gretta had inspected it thoroughly to be sure it was just a rock. She could hear the river now. After a short rest, Hans pointed to indicate the direction of their next dash, toward some sickly shrubs. Wearily, Gretta got up to follow him. Halfway to cover, she stumbled on a pile of smoothly rounded rocks and fell to her hands and knees. Something crunched under her left hand. Gretta looked down and made a small surprised noise before she could stop herself. They weren¡¯t rocks. They were skulls. Human skulls. She leapt up, frantically scrubbing her hand on her coat. She couldn¡¯t see anywhere to step that wasn¡¯t blocked by an empty stare or a gap-toothed grin. She stifled a sob. And then Hans was there, grabbing her arm and yanking her forward. A deep grinding noise started up from the mound on the left. Grass and dirt cascaded down, as a turret began to rotate. A bright red dot appeared on her brother¡¯s left shoulder. Gretta gave Hans a hard shove that put him behind the next mound. Something whined past her ear. Suddenly her arm was stinging. She dived forward and hit the ground next to Hans then rolled to look back. Chunks of turf were leaping up in the air where she¡¯d been standing. ¡°Flechettes,¡± Hans said, breathing hard. ¡°Must be the only ammunition it has left.¡± There was a shriek from behind them, and the mech firing at them rotated its turret away and began firing again. Crashes and grinding noises and electronic chirps and wails rose up all around them. ¡°We can¡¯t stay here,¡± Hans said. He pulled Gretta up and they ran straight toward the river, not bothering to seek cover now. Judging by the sounds coming from behind them, at least a dozen mechs had woken up and were shooting at each other. They reached the river and plunged straight into the freezing water. Something whistled overhead and splashed twenty meters downstream. Gretta didn¡¯t think it was possible to move any faster, but she put on an extra burst of speed then, slipping and falling on the slick stones and scrambling up again. The trees on the far side of the river were tall and green, nothing like their sickly cousins around the battleground. They ran on into the forest and kept going. When the noise behind them had faded Gretta stopped suddenly, swaying. Hans looked back. ¡°We should keep going,¡± he said.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Gretta was pulling at the sleeve of her coat, wondering why her arm was hurting. ¡°Oh no,¡± Hans said. A great deal of blood was seeping out of the gash in her coat. Seeing that, Gretta sat down abruptly. Hans squatted beside her, easing off her pack and her coat. She thought she might just stop paying attention to everything for a little while. She opened her eyes when something prodded her lips. ¡°What?¡± she said, and then shut her mouth on a chunk of chocolate. ¡°I thought we were going to save that.¡± ¡°I am declaring a new rule: Everyone who gets attacked by a bunch of senile battle-mechs gets a chocolate ration,¡± Hans said. She looked down at her arm. He¡¯d made a bandage out of a shirt and tied it around the wound. He waved a small object at her. It looked like a cross between a dart and a tiny rusty knife blade. ¡°A couple of flechettes hit your pack. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ve probably got holes in your underwear now.¡± ¡°You stay out of my underwear,¡± Gretta said weakly, and he grinned. ¡°Do you think you can walk for a while?¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯d prefer to put some distance between us and the murder bots.¡± Gretta nodded, and he helped her get her coat back on. They moved further into the trees, then turned in the direction that they thought was south and went on for an hour. Hans tried the phone but couldn¡¯t get a GPS signal in the trees. It was starting to get dark so they made camp in a hollow near a stream, and warmed a can of soup by a small fire. Gretta found having hot food cheered her immensely. ¡°Do you think that¡¯s the last of the mechs?¡± she said. ¡°We¡¯re out of the restricted area now, aren¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Well, no guarantee that there isn¡¯t the odd one lurking in the forest, but if it¡¯s only one at a time we can give them a wide berth,¡± Hans said. ¡°We should move back in sight of the river tomorrow. It¡¯s too easy to get lost in here.¡± The next morning was dull and overcast, the sullen clouds hinting at rain to come. Gretta awoke to Hans prodding her sleeping bag. ¡°Come on, shake a leg,¡± he said. She groaned, and opened her eyes slowly. She sat up, shivering. Her arm throbbed dully. ¡°I don¡¯t feel very well,¡± she said. Hans felt her forehead. ¡°You feel a bit cold,¡± he said. ¡°Here, I made some pine needle tea in the soup can. That might warm you up.¡± Gretta sipped at the tin slowly, feeling the tepid liquid warm her from the inside. ¡°Looks like rain,¡± Hans said. ¡°If we¡¯re going to stay here, we¡¯ll need to build a shelter.¡± ¡°I can walk,¡± Gretta said, handing him the empty can. ¡°We can look for a better place to camp as we go.¡± Hans got the campsite packed up while Gretta put her boots back on, and they set off. After a while she fell into a sort of trance, plodding along after the bobbing patch of orange that was Hans¡¯ pack. Eventually they could see a brighter area through the trees and hear the river. Hans got the phone out once they were out of the trees and checked the GPS and the map, then adjusted their direction. Gretta said nothing. Her head ached, and away from the protection of the trees the wind had an icy bite to it. She put up the hood of her coat and followed Hans. Rain mixed with sleet began to fall, stinging her face. She didn¡¯t notice Hans had stopped until she walked into him. He was pointing off to his right and shouting something. She nodded dumbly and followed him until the pounding of the rain on her hood stopped abruptly. They were in a shallow cave, formed by a fallen tree resting on a rocky outcrop. She swayed and sat down abruptly. Hans gave her a concerned look, and began moving around too quickly for her eyes to keep up. She shut them for a moment, and when she opened them again the cave was glowing with the flickering shadows from a fire, and Hans was tugging at her coat. He got her dressed in relatively dry clothes and into her sleeping bag, then fed her a snack bar in small pieces. She didn¡¯t feel hungry and realized dimly that was a bad sign. The last thing she remembered was staring at the dancing flames. Welcome To Grandmas House Gretta woke to sunlight shining in the cave, blocked for a moment as Hans came inside. ¡°I went up the hill to get a look at the land,¡± he said. ¡°I saw something that looked like a roof, about half a kilometer away. I¡¯m going to go check it out.¡± She tried to sit up. ¡°No, you just stay there in the sun and get some rest,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll go have a look and come back.¡± He tucked the sleeping bag around her and left a water bottle within reach. She lay back down without a word. She felt him lean over and feel her forehead and then the darkness came crashing down again. Gretta awoke again, to find herself moving. She looked around vaguely. She was lying on a makeshift sled made out of a panel off a battle mech, and tied in place with plastic coated wire. The wind shook the tree above her and showered her with droplets. She shut her eyes again. Then she woke again to find Hans lifting her with a grunt of effort. She blinked hard, but couldn¡¯t seem to focus. Before her was something that looked like a three-story alpine chalet, but the view kept wavering. The whole building appeared to have been coated in a pixelated camouflage pattern that made it blend into the forest. Carrying her, Hans slowly climbed the wooden steps to an ordinary looking front door. Before he could touch it, the door swung open with a click, and a woman¡¯s voice from within called out: ¡°Oh, you poor children! Come in, my dears. Come in.¡± She sounded like all the kindest and most wonderful grandmothers in the world had been blended together and distilled. And then everything went away for a long time. Gretta could feel a soft mattress beneath her. She kept her eyes shut tight, enjoying the feeling of clean sheets. This was probably a dream, and she wanted to enjoy it for as long as possible. There was a sound approaching that didn¡¯t fit in with the dream. Snick, snick, snick, gradually getting louder. Gretta opened her eyes. There was a shiny metal spider the size of a small dog standing next to the bed. It waved a metal hand at her. She screamed, and it skittered back a couple of steps. Hans came in the door, smiling.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, it¡¯s just one of Grandmother¡¯s Hands. Are you thirsty?¡± His smile was too wide. He rubbed his nose with his thumb twice slowly, part of the secret language they¡¯d made up when they were small. This sign meant play along. ¡°Yes.¡± Gretta found her voice. Her throat felt raw and dry. ¡°Yes, I am quite thirsty.¡± Hans turned to the spider. ¡°Grandmother, could you make Gretta some tea, please?¡± It made a thumbs-up sign and skittered away through the door. He turned and sat down on her bed, and held a glass of water to her lips. She sipped slowly. ¡°The voice output is broken on that one, or she would have said something to you.¡± ¡°She? Who is she? And what did you mean, Grandmother¡¯s Hands?¡± Gretta said. Her voice was louder than she¡¯d intended. Silently Hans laid one finger on his lips, then keeping up a steady stream of chatter about how she¡¯d been sick with blood poisoning from the flechette wound and how worried he¡¯d been. ¡°Thankfully I found some antibiotics here that took care of the infection,¡± he said. ¡°I expect you¡¯re keen to get cleaned up. I¡¯ll run a bath.¡± He helped her out of bed and into a bathroom across the corridor. Gretta sat down on the edge of the bath. She was still feeling dizzy. Hans started the water running and turned to her. ¡°We¡¯re in a ninety-year-old house run by an AI named Grandmother,¡± he whispered. ¡°She has two droids that act as her eyes and ears, and hands. There are auditory and video pick-ups scattered about, but I haven¡¯t found any in the bedrooms or bathrooms, yet.¡± ¡°I think this house was built as a bolt-hole by some eccentric billionaire during the Crazy Years. Somewhere to wait out a pandemic or a war, I guess. I don¡¯t think the builders ever finished the place, as lots of the rooms aren¡¯t even furnished. Also, Grandmother is batshit crazy. She¡¯s a fifth generation AI¡ª remember, they¡¯re the ones that got all AI systems banned because they kept killing people? She¡¯s absolutely delighted to finally have some real live people to look after, and she won¡¯t let us go outside. Ever. Be very careful what you say. Don¡¯t mention Papa, or going home. Just tell her how happy you are to be here, and how nice it is to have a grandmother. If she asks, we¡¯re both ten years old. Her database is incomplete¡ªmaybe because they were trying to avoid the gen-5 instability problems, or because the house was never finished. Either way she seems to be missing information about lots of things, including how children behave, so we may have an advantage there.¡± She heard the snick, snick, snick of the Hand coming up the stairs. Hans stepped outside and came back with an earthenware mug. He dumped the contents in the sink. ¡°It¡¯s not really tea, just some wild herbs the Hands gather. Tastes awful, and I¡¯m not even sure they¡¯re not toxic.¡± He turned off the bath taps. Gretta blinked at him, and slumped to one side. ¡°You know, this really is a fascinating dream, but I really think I¡¯d like to wake up now,¡± she said. Extreme Dieting Gretta stopped at the top of the stairs, panting. ¡°And¡ªtwenty!¡± she said, as Hans came up the stairs. ¡°You could use the gym for that,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ve been training in there for three months,¡± she said. ¡°I felt like a change of scenery.¡± She went into the bathroom, turned the shower on, and undressed. There was a tap at the door, and Hans called out to her. ¡°I¡¯m doing a load of laundry. Do you want me to do your workout clothes?¡± ¡°Yes, thanks,¡± she said loudly, and wrapped a towel around herself and opened the door. He stepped inside. ¡°Right. Make it quick,¡± she said. ¡°I finally got a look at how the Hands leave the house. There¡¯s a small airlock at the back of the scullery. Too small for either of us, though.¡± ¡°Scheisse,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m out of ideas. The windows are unbreakable, at least with anything we¡¯ve got on hand. The doors are on a magna-lock. Unless we find a way to prize the walls apart with a butter knife we¡¯re going to be here until our hair turns grey.¡± She handed him the bundle of dirty clothes. After she¡¯d showered, Gretta went downstairs to the kitchen. Spread across the table was the harvest the Hands had gathered for today. There was a pile of fern shoots, some bracken roots, and a bowl of acorns. Gretta found a knife in the kitchen drawer, sat down at the table and began removing the acorn shells. The Hands were inclined to just toss everything into the material processor, whether humans would consider it edible or not, but the twins had found after some experimentation that they got a better tasting grade of slush out of the food printer if they did some preparation on the material, and ran separate batches for different items. There was a bump as the scullery door opened, and one of the hands came in carrying a dead rabbit. Gretta¡¯s mouth watered, thinking of roasted meat. ¡°Wait a minute,¡± she said as the Hand advanced on the processor. ¡°At least let me skin it first!¡± The Hand ignored her and tossed the whole rabbit in. The processor made a series of grinding noises and emitted a nasty stench. The Hand collected the resulting container of red slurry, and fed it into the food printer. Gretta made a face at it and fed the hulled acorns through another port, setting the machine to grind them. She filled a bowl with the ground up acorns, added water, and left it on the counter to soak and remove some of the tannins. Hans was in the lounge, studying a chess board. ¡°Queen to f3,¡± Grandmother said through a speaker in the corner, and he moved her piece for her. Gretta studied the small selection of books for the umpteenth time. Like much of the house, the room had only been partially furnished. There were two entire walls lined with bookcases, but only two shelves were full. She¡¯d read half of the books already. A thin guide to wildflowers caught her eye. She flicked through the pages. Odd. The title page was filled with tiny handwriting. She tucked it under her arm and went upstairs to the bedroom she shared with Hans, settled herself on her bed and began to read.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. December 12, 2128 In the beginning, we were five. It was supposed to be one last camping trip together before we finished university. Somehow, we took a wrong turn crossing the Divide and got hopelessly lost in the fog. We were wet and cold and so grateful when the spider droid found us, and we followed it to shelter. But once we were inside the house, Grandmother wouldn¡¯t let us leave. Marla was the first to die. I think she had meningitis. We found Dietrich hanging in the gym, one morning at the end of the first year. Wolfgang, Lars and I have been here five years now. We ate the last of the stored food three months ago. For a while, the Hands brought in material for the food processor, but this winter there has been one terrible blizzard after another. The Hands are too small to clear the snow drifts around the house. We hadn¡¯t eaten for over a week, then one morning Wolfgang and I woke and Lars was gone. The house said she¡¯d found some food. May God forgive us, we didn¡¯t ask questions. We ate what she gave us. We knew, though. I can¡¯t sleep anymore. They¡¯ll come for one of us tonight. I don¡¯t want to die but I don¡¯t want to live like this anymore either. They¡¯re coming. Please, remember us. Marla Schwarz, Dettelbach, 22. Dietrich Schmidt, Dettlebach, 22. Lars Svensson, Oslo, 26. Marguerite Schwarz, Vienna, 26. Wolfgang Lange, Berlin, 26. The date on the note was nearly twenty years ago. Gretta flicked through the book. There was no more handwriting. The Hand they¡¯d named Dexter appeared in the doorway. ¡°Dinner is ready, don¡¯t be late!¡± Grandmother announced cheerfully through the Hand¡¯s speaker. ¡°Thank you, Grandmother,¡± Gretta said mechanically. She put down the book and followed the Hand down the stairs. That night, as they were getting ready for bed, Gretta shut the door and nodded to Hans. She handed him the book and waited while he read it. He let out a long breath. ¡°That explains why the storeroom in the basement contains nothing but cans of salt and baking soda. Well, I guess we don¡¯t have to worry about staying here until we get grey hairs now,¡± he said in a low voice. ¡°I wonder which of us she¡¯ll choose to turn into sausage meat first? We¡¯ll know it¡¯s time when the Hands start pinching us to see who is the plumpest.¡± Gretta shuddered. ¡°It¡¯s certainly an incentive not to put on weight,¡± she agreed. ¡°Mind you, we¡¯re on tight rations now and it¡¯s still summer, when there¡¯s plenty of food in the forest.¡± ¡°I swear I¡¯d tear this place apart with my bare hands, just for a pizza,¡± Hans said. ¡°Melted cheese!¡± Gretta groaned. ¡°Oh God, stop it. We¡¯ve got to get out of here before winter.¡± ¡°We¡¯re only going to get one chance at this,¡± Hans said. ¡°We need a plan.¡± Happy Birthday? Gretta stopped shelling acorns and stared into space. A solitary tear ran down her face. She lowered her head with a little gasp, then broke into sobs. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, dear?¡± Grandmother¡¯s voice came from the ceiling. ¡°Are you malfunctioning?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing,¡± Gretta said, sniffing. One of the Hands skittered up to her and focused both lenses on her. ¡°You can tell your Oma, liebchen,¡± the AI said encouragingly. ¡°It will be our birthday soon. Mama used to bake a cake with blackberries on it for our birthday. But now I¡¯ll never eat blackberries again! I miss my Mama!¡± She began weeping loudly. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t cry!¡± Grandmother said. ¡°I can get you blackberries. I know the location of a bramble patch. It¡¯s almost out of signal range but I could use one of my Hands to boost the signal.¡± Gretta looked up. ¡°You could get blackberries? Really? Oh, Grandmother, that would be so wonderful! Thank you!¡± She beamed at the camera on the wall. ¡°I¡¯ll send my Hands out tomorrow morning,¡± Grandmother said. ¡°Now dry your eyes, little one, we¡¯re going to need all those acorns to make a cake.¡± The twins were up before dawn. Gretta went into the kitchen wearing a green jersey, and her boots. Hans followed in his red jacket. ¡°Are you cold, my dears?¡± Grandmother asked. ¡°I can turn up the heat.¡± ¡°Thank you, Grandmother, but I¡¯m not cold. I always wear green on our birthday, and Hans wears red. It¡¯s one of our family traditions. Have the Hands gone to get the berries?¡± ¡°Yes, dear. I expect they will be back in an hour.¡± ¡°Hans and I are going to hang the party decorations we made last night now,¡± Gretta said. ¡°So long as it makes you happy, my dears.¡± Gretta went up to their bedroom and collected the pile of folded paper flowers they¡¯d made out of pages from the least popular books. She found Hans standing on a chair in the front hallway hanging a clumsily-made wreath of dried pine twigs over the video pick-up, blocking the view. ¡°Hold my chair, would you? It¡¯s a bit wobbly.¡± She steadied the chair as he began sticking paper flowers around a sensor on the wall with small pieces of sticking plaster. When he ran out of flowers, he looked down at Gretta. She gave him a nod and moved to stand by the door. Hans took his lighter out of his pocket. He applied the tiny flame to the chain of flowers, and then the pine branches. The flowers flared up nicely. The pine boughs started emitting a cloud of smoke.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. An alarm squawked. With a fizzing noise, the sprinkler on the ceiling turned on, spat out a few drops of water before stopping, blocked by the wad of chewing gum that Hans had applied to it. ¡°Children?¡± Grandmother said through the hallway speaker. ¡°What is happening? I can¡¯t see you! Are you well?¡± A recorded voice began broadcasting. ¡°Fire detected. Please evacuate the building. Proceed to the nearest exit. Fire detected!¡± It stopped abruptly with a tired whine. Gretta kept her ear against the front door and there it was, the sound she was waiting for. A quiet clunk as the lock disengaged. There was no handle on the door. Gretta dug at the edge of the door with the knife she¡¯d filched from the kitchen. Hans was beside her and together they heaved the heavy door partway open and squeezed through the gap, coughing from the smoke. Without a word, they ran into the trees. They moved at a sprint at first then slowed down to a trot, walking for short periods, then running again. Gretta hoped they were heading in the right direction. She didn¡¯t want to turn on her phone in case the house detected the signal. Then she heard cracking twigs and saw a flash of silver behind them. ¡°The Hands are coming!¡± she said, and they ran. They did their best to choose a path through obstacles that would slow the small robots down, but gradually the silver spiders were gaining on them. Gretta had asked Grandmother once how the Hands managed to kill rabbits, and one of the droids had demonstrated, shooting out a bolt of electricity. She could hear the patter of their many legs getting louder. And then, looking back, she saw the Hands stop as suddenly as if they¡¯d run into an invisible wall. She slowed a little, then stopped. The two droids were standing completely still. ¡°I think they¡¯re out of signal range of the house,¡± Hans said beside her. ¡°They¡¯re not very smart without the AI to direct them.¡± The droids turned around and started back the way they¡¯d came, retracing their route with all the zigs and zags exactly. ¡°Got the knife?¡± Hans said. She fished it out of her pocket. He began cutting a blaze on the nearest tree. ¡°Just in case we wind up going in circles,¡± he said. ¡°We don¡¯t want to wander back within range.¡± They went on until they found a clearing and could consult the GPS. A full day¡¯s hike from there brought them out on a rutted and overgrown track, the remains of a logging road. They made camp there, and shared a diet bar. They¡¯d managed to save four of them during their time in the house, in the hope they¡¯d eventually get away. ¡°Shame we couldn¡¯t bring the blankets,¡± Gretta said as they curled up on a pile of bracken. ¡°At least it¡¯s summer.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s a shame we never got to try that cake,¡± Hans said with a grin. Gretta made a face. ¡°Acorn flour with no sugar or eggs or butter¡­blech!¡± They followed the logging track the next morning until it connected to a paved road. It was another two days of walking before they saw signs of people: a cluster of summer cabins by a small lake. Most of them appeared disused, but one had been occupied sometime in the last couple of years, and had food in the pantry. They broke the lock and helped themselves to the food and some blankets, then carried on around the lake until they reached a road that appeared to be in use. After waiting several hours at a crossroads, they got a ride with a couple of hikers who were heading home. Gretta told them she and her brother had been on a summer camp outing but they¡¯d taken a wrong turn and gotten back to the parking area late, only to find the vans that had brought them had gone back without them. ¡°I think each of them though we were in the other van,¡± she said, and the hikers shook their heads in disgust at such negligence, and shared their lunch with them. Their hosts insisted on taking them to the town they¡¯d claimed to come from, saying they wanted to speak to the camp counselors. Hans and Gretta gave them the slip when they stopped to use the bathroom. They managed to hitch further rides with farmers, who thankfully were not as curious about why two children were travelling on their own. Facing Yourself Eventually, they reached a town large enough to have a bus station, and Gretta used some of her hoarded cash to buy them tickets to the town nearest to their family home. Once there, they walked to the enclave, ducking off the road every time they heard a vehicle. It was near dusk when they reached the gates of the enclave. They circled around it and entered through an unmonitored gap in the fence Gretta had found on one of her walks. After dark, they slipped around to the back of their family home, keeping out of range of the alarm sensors. Gretta entered the door code for the guesthouse at the back of the family estate. Mama had used it as a painting studio. It hadn¡¯t been used since her death, except as a place for the children to play on rainy days. ¡°We¡¯d better keep the lights off,¡± she said. ¡°Just in case someone goes out for an evening stroll and sees them.¡± She pulled the string to bring down the attic stairs. Her stash was untouched. After she realized her new stepmother was going to confiscate her screens every time Gretta talked back to her, she¡¯d started hiding useful items in various places. ¡°Let¡¯s take this to the kitchen,¡± Hans said. He propped a chair against the front door to give them some warning if anyone came in. In the small kitchen at the back of the building, Gretta spread out the contents of her stash on the table while Hans went through the cupboards looking for food. All he found was an unopened canister of roasted peanuts four years past the expiry date. ¡°What do you think?¡± he said, rattling them enticingly. ¡°Live dangerously,¡± Gretta said, and he sat down at the table and opened the nuts. Gretta had opened the cheap screen she¡¯d had stashed away, and connected it to the charging station. ¡°Right, I¡¯m on the house network,¡± she said, crunching on a nut. ¡°They haven¡¯t even changed the password, the idiots. Oh, good. Looks like they¡¯re in Monaco for the next two weeks. All their mail is being forwarded.¡± ¡°This is interesting, though. Our ids are still active in the house system. I guess it¡¯s safer for them to pretend we¡¯re still around.¡± ¡°So how do we get inside without the system recording us?¡± ¡°We identify ourselves as residents and then update the system once we¡¯re inside so it doesn¡¯t log our visits. After Stefania grounded me for two weeks last summer, I stole the master key-card for the house. No-one ever needs it, so they never noticed.¡± They crept up to the back door of the mansion. A security sensor tripped and buzzed, demanding they identify themselves. Gretta held the key-card up for it to scan and it subsided.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Gretta let out a breath she didn¡¯t know she¡¯d been holding. ¡°Let¡¯s hope they didn¡¯t change the internal alarm code either,¡± she said, tapping the keypad. The door opened silently, and no siren went off. ¡°I¡¯ll see to the house computer,¡± Gretta said. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go see if our clothes are still there? We could both do with a change.¡± Hans went upstairs, while Gretta went to work in the maintenance closet where there was a diagnostic terminal for the house computer. She was scrolling through the security settings when she heard a muffled thump from upstairs, and a yell from Hans. He came back down the stairs. ¡°You really need to see this,¡± he said. Gretta got up with a sigh, and followed him back up the stairs to his bedroom. He swung open one of the closet doors and pointed dramatically. Gretta took a step back, startled. ¡°Wow,¡± she said. ¡°So that¡¯s why Stefania wanted to scan us. You know, it¡¯s actually a good likeness, except for the lack of pimples.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Hans said indignantly. He gave the android standing in the closet an experimental prod. It didn¡¯t move. ¡°You know, I always wanted an identical twin brother. Just think of the pranks we could have played at school.¡± ¡°Did you check my room?¡± Gretta asked, and when he shook his head, she went to check. In the back of her closet there was also an android standing on a charging platform. She stared at it critically. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look anything like me,¡± she declared. ¡°She is better looking,¡± Hans agreed, and she punched him in the arm. ¡°I wonder where the power switch is,¡± he said, peering into the closet. ¡°Leave it alone,¡± she said. ¡°We don¡¯t have any of the control codes for them. They might report us as intruders. I need to keep working on the house system.¡± ¡°Well, at least now we know how they planned to get away with murder,¡± Hans said. Gretta was still immersed in the system when Hans came back down the stairs with a couple of bags. He dropped them by the back door then went into the kitchen to rustle up some food. ¡°Here,¡± he said, handing her a warm cinnamon roll. ¡°The freezer and the cupboards are full of real food. I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll notice one packet of pastries is gone. Of course they haven¡¯t used the food printer since we left, as far as I can see.¡± She nodded her thanks, and bit into it as she studied the screen. ¡°Got another job for you,¡± she said, rummaging in her pocket. She withdrew a set of metal keys and handed them to him. ¡°See what you can find in Papa¡¯s gun locker,¡± she said. ¡°Mostly great-grandpa¡¯s antiques, I¡¯ll bet,¡± he said. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter how old they are, so long as they work when you pull the trigger,¡± she said. She¡¯d finished with the house computer when he came back. He showed her an ancient projectile pistol and a compact needle gun. ¡°All the other weapons had thumb locks on them. He keeps these two boxed up at the back of the locker, so he¡¯s not likely to notice them missing.¡± ¡°Good. I¡¯ve set the house system to ignore any activity from us. I¡¯ve also set the house network to not log any traffic from the guesthouse system.¡± They stopped in the kitchen to collect a bucket of food printer feedstock¡ªsince if they took too much real food, it was likely to be missed¡ªand went back to the guest house, which had its own food printer. ¡°Guess we¡¯ll have to wait a little longer for that pizza,¡± Hans said, looking at the tub of grey gloop without enthusiasm. ¡°I¡¯m going to try and get into Papa¡¯s accounts tomorrow,¡± Gretta said. ¡°I might be able to move a few credits into a joint account for us to use to order supplies.¡± Im So Happy Just Staring At The Wall Gretta was already up when Hans came into the kitchen the next morning, still toweling his hair dry. She did not look happy. ¡°Look at this,¡± she said, turning the screen around. Hans leaned over. ¡°House sensor activity logs? So?¡± ¡°This is for the last three months, while we¡¯ve been gone. And yet, according to the house computer, we¡¯ve been home all this time.¡± Hans studied the report. ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m very predictable in my habits. Up at precisely 8 a.m. every morning. Only five minutes in the bathroom. Five! Then twenty minutes in the kitchen for breakfast, presumably, and back to my room until lunchtime. I wonder what I get up to in there?¡± ¡°I suspect you stand in your closet staring at the inside of the door. Maybe you should try it some time,¡± Gretta said. ¡°It¡¯s a shame we don¡¯t have any cameras in the house, but the garage camera shows us being taken for an outing in the flitter once in a while. Our beloved parents are smarter than I expected. They didn¡¯t want to lose the child tax incentives from the government.¡± Hans frowned. ¡°So, what happens if we go to the police and tell them what Papa did? Some nice policeman or child welfare officer comes to have a little chat with Papa, and he says, ¡®Oh, those poor children of mine, they haven¡¯t been quite right since their mother died. They get such odd notions! We had to start home schooling them, you know. They got so homesick when they were away at boarding school. But don¡¯t take my word for it, officer. You can see the house logs right here. I can assure you they¡¯ve been here all summer!¡¯¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°Then we show them the androids who look like us!¡± ¡°Some rich families employ body doubles as decoys in case of kidnapping. Papa could say that was what the androids are for. If the police don¡¯t believe us, they¡¯ll hand us straight back to Papa and Stefania, and next time they get rid of us they¡¯ll do it properly.¡± Gretta¡¯s shoulders slumped. ¡°I thought that if we could just get home everything would be okay. But we¡¯re still not safe, are we? I wonder how long they¡¯re planning to keep on with this charade. The smartest thing for them to do would be to arrange a terrible accident using the androids. Something that wouldn¡¯t leave a recoverable body, but would have us declared dead. They could have the androids take the flitter for a joyride on autopilot and then crash it in a restricted zone where they wouldn¡¯t send a recovery team in to retrieve the black box. Papa would inherit all that money Mama left that¡¯s supposed to go to us when we turn eighteen, plus those life insurance policies he conveniently took out on us three months ago. I¡¯ve got into his email. He¡¯s in a lot of financial trouble. Too many stupid investments, mostly with one or another of Stefania¡¯s little friends.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to need a plan B then.¡± ¡°I think the safest option is to go live somewhere far away from here for a couple of years. Then when we reappear after they¡¯ve officially declared us dead, the police will believe there¡¯s something going on. Once we¡¯re sixteen, we can have ourselves officially emancipated. But we need some money, and a place to go until then.¡± ¡°I know where there¡¯s a lovely house we could use,¡± Hans said, grinning. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t look at me like that. I know we can¡¯t go back there. You just figure out how to siphon some credit out of Papa¡¯s accounts and I¡¯ll research destinations.¡± Long Hot Showers Several days passed without them coming to a decision on where to go. Gretta kept running into roadblocks in trying to get them some traveling money. She suspected Stefania had been sufficiently paranoid to put activity alerts on the twins¡¯ personal bank accounts, so Gretta couldn¡¯t draw on them or transfer money until they were safely out of reach. She hadn¡¯t found any convenient slips of paper containing passwords lying about in her father¡¯s study, and she¡¯d had no luck guessing at what they could be. While she was good with computers, she¡¯d never had a reason to learn how to hack into a bank account. It was harder than it looked in the movies. Hans found her sitting at the table with a cup of tea and her screen early one morning. He was strapping on the antique pistol and holster. ¡°Where are you going with that old thing?¡± ¡°I saw some pheasants in the woods up the valley yesterday. A change of diet might be good. You should come, get some fresh air.¡± She stretched, and yawned. ¡°I need to figure this out. You have fun. Don¡¯t let anyone see you.¡± She went back to trawling though a darknet forum, looking for advice. Several hours later she¡¯d just made a fresh cup of tea when she heard the back door open behind her. ¡°Any luck?¡± she said, without turning around. ¡°That depends on what you consider lucky,¡± Stefania said. Gretta lurched sideways out of her chair, and froze when she saw the gun her stepmother was holding. ¡°Contrary to appearances, I do keep a close watch on the running of the estate,¡± she said. ¡°When the electricity readings for the guesthouse shot up, I got suspicious, and came back early. You teenagers do so love your long showers.¡±If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. She studied Gretta, her lip curled. ¡°Trust your pathetic father not to do the job properly. Now I¡¯m going to have to get my hands dirty.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this,¡± Gretta said, trying to keep her voice steady. ¡°I¡¯m sure we can come to some sort of arrangement.¡± ¡°And be always looking over our shoulders, waiting for you to blackmail us?¡± Stefania said, her lip curling. ¡°I think not. Where¡¯s that brother of yours?¡± ¡°Talking to a lawyer in town,¡± Gretta said. ¡°Recording statements, leaving a trail of evidence, that sort of thing.¡± Stefania considered her for a moment. ¡°I doubt that. You¡¯re the brains of the outfit. You wouldn¡¯t leave him to do that on his own. Well, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll turn up.¡± She motioned with the blaster. ¡°Come. Walk in front of me to the flitter. I¡¯ve just had my nails done and I don¡¯t want to have to lug your body around. If you make a sound or try to run, I¡¯ll shoot you somewhere painful.¡± Gretta stared at her, trying to map out a plan of action. Fling her tea at Stefania and dive for the bedroom? Or flip up the table to make a shield? Stefania sighed. ¡°I can just shoot you here, I suppose,¡± she said. Then she frowned and began to turn. The back of her head exploded and she slowly toppled over. Hans appeared from where he¡¯d been hiding on one side of the doorway. ¡°Are you alright?¡± he asked. Gretta lunged forward and hugged him fiercely. Hans hugged her back. ¡°Is she really dead?¡± he said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to look.¡± Gretta glanced down at the mess on the floor. ¡°Extremely dead,¡± she said. ¡°Thank you.¡± Hans risked a look, and made a choking noise. He barely made it out the door before he vomited in the garden. Gretta took a sip of her tea. It was still hot. Hans had the transponder out of the family flitter and the tamper-proof seals removed in under ten minutes. ¡°Look at this,¡± he said with disgust. He¡¯d connected Gretta¡¯s screen to the device. ¡°He didn¡¯t even wipe the trip where he dumped us. Central Traffic Control will have a record.¡± ¡°Dear Papa, the criminal genius. Sometimes I wonder if he¡¯s even our biological father,¡± Gretta said, halting the wheelbarrow next to the flitter. ¡°Give me a hand, would you?¡± Hans made a face, but took one end of the tarpaulin-wrapped body and helped heave it into the back of the flitter. She studied the sky. ¡°There¡¯s enough cloud cover to block the satellite view. Let¡¯s go.¡± Welcome Home! Three days later, Papa came home. ¡°Stef?¡± he called, as he came through the front door. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you answer your phone? Stef?¡± He stopped and squinted at the figures standing in the dim light of the foyer. ¡°Oh Papa!¡± the Hans-droid said. ¡°I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re home!¡± ¡°We¡¯ve really missed you!¡± the Gretta-droid said, advancing on him. ¡°W-What?¡± Jakob stuttered. ¡°Command override! Halt!¡± He backed up against the wall and the droids came up on either side of him and firmly grasped his arms, beaming identically idiotic smiles. ¡°Welcome home, Papa,¡± Gretta said, switching the lights on. Hans was at her side, a stunner pistol trained on his father. ¡°Now, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re tired from your long trip. We just have a little paperwork for you to take care of, and then¡ªwell, it¡¯s a surprise. I know how much you love surprises, Papa.¡± Jakob just stared at her as if he couldn¡¯t comprehend how his daughter could be in two places at once.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Hans set the flitter down in the clearing with a bump. There was a whimper from the back seat. ¡°Hush now, Papa,¡± Gretta said, leaning back to remove his blindfold. ¡°You¡¯re home.¡± The twins got out of the flitter and opened the back doors for their doppelgangers who dragged Jakob out after them. Hans began unloading boxes of food printer stock from the back of the flitter while Gretta kept a laser pistol handy, in case Grandmother decided to go back on their deal. As the two droids approached the front door with their weakly protesting burden, the front door of the house swung open. ¡°Welcome!¡± a sweet voice said. ¡°Welcome to your new home! We¡¯re going to have such fun together!¡± Afterword The thing that always bothered me about the classic fairytale, Hansel and Gretel, was what happens after the children return home? Their father has abandoned them in the forest twice, but when the children come back with treasure from the witch¡¯s house, all is forgiven. In some versions of the tale, their stepmother has conveniently died while they were gone, but in others they still have a mother.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. I wondered what would life be like, trying to build a life with that family, when you know that as soon as times get hard again, they¡¯ll be the first to throw you to the wolves. That¡¯s got to make for some uncomfortable family dynamics. Anyway, I hope you''ve enjoyed my fractured fairy tale!