MIRROR MIRROR ON THE WALL...

by Mr. David R. Dorrycott

Marian Holst had just stepped from her home headed for work. She was locking the door when there was a crashing sound above her followed by a muffled groan of pain. Startled, she was beginning to look up into the oak above her when something landed on her back with a heavy thump. Even her massive frame was jolted from the impact, knees automatically bending to absorb the load. Straightening, she felt the full weight of whomever had hit her. Whoever it was, they were not very light. Irritated she turned her human torso around to see what fool had just insulted her.

She found herself staring into large dark green eyes set in a teddy-bears face. They stared back dazedly.

"Wheredidthestarcargo?" the being asked dazedly.

'A teddy bear?' Marian thought to herself, backing slowly away from her home. Some events she'd been involved with lately would, in her opinion, be dangerous. Framing a stern face she stared at the plump female still straddling her back. "Do you realize how impolite your position is?" she asked.

"SorryIdidnotmeantolandonyou" the bear replied, her words bunched into a single streaming line. "Iwilldismount, pleaseacceptmyapologys."

Marian found she had to concentrate to understand the others compressed speech. She watched as the plump little being slid off her back, to land with a solid thump on her bottom as her legs, still in shock from her landing on Marian failed her. She lowered herself just enough to hold out a hand within reach of the bear.

"Are you one of the gifted" she asked.

"Giftedno, justamachine" the bear replied. Suddenly she seemed to notice herself, a look of shock filled her face as she stared at her arms.

"What is the problem" Marian asked.

"Furnotsilver, fur-is brown..." Her voice suddenly slowed, like a record player switched from 78 to 33 rpm. "Dark brown" the teddy bear added.

'Uh-oh' Marian thought. 'I know this feeling.' Taking the bears hand she lifted her to a standing position, carefully holding her in place by putting both hands under her arms. "Tell me" she asked, "What's the last thing your remember."

"Minstrelcameforhisdaughter, foughttheABHAtoa- standstill..."

"Hold it little one" Marian ordered, "Slow down a bit. I can't keep up with you." A thought struck her. "By the way, what's your name?"

"Phileana" the teddy bear replied. "I am a machine in the form of a female teddy bear... I think." She had been rubbing her right leg, the one that had impacted Marian's rather overlarge purse. Holding her hand up she actually stuttered. "B-b-b-blood..." she stammered. "I'm bleeding?"

Dropping down on her knees Marian examined the wound, a small gash on the inside of the right thigh just above the knee. "It's nothing" she reported. "Just a small cut. It'll hurt like the dickens but its not dangerous."

"Noooo" Phileana wailed, shaking her head. "I don't have blood. My oxygen carrier is artificial. It's white." Jolted, Marian released Phileana. The teddy bear swayed as her still numbed legs tried to take up the load. "You better come into my house" she decided. Conducting a conversation in the yard didn't give much privacy, and she'd suddenly noticed that Phileana's clothing, what remained after falling through the tree, was barely socially acceptable.

Phileana just nodded in agreement as Marian stood, absently following the Centaur as she opened her home and stepped in.

"You can sit on the couch" Marian said, pointing to a piece of furniture she kept for her more human visitors. Setting her purse & keys on a table she phoned her boss. Minutes later she hung up the phone, turning back to the little silver furred woman sitting on her sofa. Phileana was still staring at the blood on her hand.

"Okay, that's taken care of. He gave me the day off to help you" she said as she made herself comfortable. "Now lets get back to your last memory. What were you saying?"

Phileana looked up, her dark green eyes almost overflowing with tears. She took a deep breath and settled down. "The ABHA, Armadillo Bounty Hunters Association? They had kitnapped Minstrels daughter Emma. He and M went back in time, saving me from a very fatal transporter accident because they needed my abilities." Absently she rubbed her hand against her leg, a thin line of red covered the bright silver fur. "During the rescue I was cut off from the escape craft and had to run into the hills. Minstrel took his daughter and left, I am... was only a machine. I knew I was expendable." She blinked her eyes, fighting back tears. "I was about to be captured when Eoi showed up. That pretty much settled things and he transported me to the starcar." She stopped, bringing one had up to her forehead as if something was paining her. "Eoi... burped. We were sent back to Minstrels home... I think? No, something happened when Eoi burped, like... like there was suddenly two of me. Then I was falling through the air and into that tree."

Marian nodded, more to herself than the woman sitting across from her. "I'll check with some friends of mine. Maybe someone knows this Minstrel and can find out what happened." Absently she put a hand on her chin. "You can't go out dressed like that, not here" she decided. "I don't have anything you can wear, but a friend of mine is about your size. I'll call her and see if she can help." Turning she picked up the phone and started dialing.

Phileana stood, slowly walking over to an overlarge mirror. Staring into it the changes to her were obvious. Her dark brown eyes were now dark green, her fur the color of... No, she realized, it was pure silver. What clothing remained barely hindered her self examination.

Marian hung the phone up. "She'll be over in a few minutes with some old clothes" she told the absorbed woman. Phileana nodded asently, returning to the sofa. "When we get you dressed there are some people I know that might be able to help."

"Thank you" Phileana replied. She looked up into Marian's brown eyes, tears falling from her own. "I'm real" she whispered. "I'm really really real."

"Of course you are" Marian replied, putting a hand on Phileana's cheek. "Don't worry, I'll take care of you." To herself she shivered. It wasn't the Gift, but whatever it was it was carrying just as big an impact. Absently she reached back, rubbing her spine where Phileana had landed. Something was itching. As she rubbed, her fingers found a small slip of paper somehow entwined in the hair there. Intrigued, she held it up and read;

Hi-yah Holsty-babe. 'Always wannted ah teddybear huh? Wanna take good kare of my lill' bitty friend? 'new yah needs ah sitter, w'as better dan ah teddybear? Anyways, she always wanted ta' be real, so I thought, what the hay! Don' worry, this's just ah kopy, ba' not like old Ben Cartwheel's dumb copies. Like dah silver furry? 's real silver yah'know. Did dat case you needz money, jes shear 'er & sell da silver, it'll grow back. See yah soon. EOI.

Shaking her head she slipped the paper into her purse. Whatever was going on, it was beyond her experience.

EOI (the fuz-ball) copyright Danny Barnett

Ben Cartwheel (ol' Ding-dong) copyright Johnny Amburn

Phileana (both of them) & ABHA (Stick 'em up pardner) copyright Mr. David R. Dorrycott

Starcar, (its baroque again) M (Hi-yah popz) & Emma (I'm seventeen now popz!) copyright S. Minstrel