Free The Golden Space by Pamela Sargent Page B

at them.
    “I didn’t think anyone would be out here today,” Warner called as she came nearer.
    Josepha smiled. “No one else is. Believe me, we wouldn’t be either if we’d known it was going to be this cold.”
    Warner, dressed warmly in a red coat, smiled nervously. Nenum hurried down to the dock to greet the others. “We thought that as long as we’ve walked this far, we might as well eat before going home.”
    “We were just about to have lunch ourselves.” Warner’s eyes did not meet hers. “You must join us,” Josepha continued. “I miss you. I don’t see you as much lately.”
    “I wasn’t sure if you wanted to.”
    “Oh, Warner. You’re my friend.” Josepha took Warner’s arm as they began to climb the stone steps that led to the lodge, a large log cabin surrounded by evergreens.
    “He loves you, Jo.” Josepha, startled, let go.
    “What do you mean?”
    “I can tell. He hasn’t said so, but it’s obvious. I think he’s afraid to tell you. I don’t know why. Maybe he’s not sure how you’ll take it.”
    She was about to reply when she saw something move in the woods above. A man stepped from behind the trees. He was looking down toward the lake. He was dressed entirely in white; there were dirt and grass stains on his knees. He held his hands behind him, as if concealing something. Thick, dark, shoulder-length hair hung around his face.
    He stood fifteen meters above them without moving. Josepha stopped and glanced quickly at Warner.
    “Visitor?” Warner murmured.
    “Alone? Out here?” Josepha looked back at the man. Farther up the hill behind him, a small robot moved swiftly toward the stranger on its treads. And then the man quickly raised his arm and she saw the weapon, a small silver cylinder.
    He aimed. She heard Gurit scream, “Get down!” A beam of light flashed
from the weapon.
    Josepha turned numbly. Gurit had thrown herself over one child’s body, two others lay near her, the fourth … something was wrong with the fourth. There was another flash of light, shocking her out of her paralysis. She looked back.
    The man’s headless torso toppled over into the foliage. For a moment she thought the robot had fired on him; then she realized the man had turned his weapon on himself. The robot reached his side and stood there helplessly, too late.
    She turned to Warner. Her friend’s head shook from side to side soundlessly. She held out her hands to Josepha, then spun around and ran down to the children. Josepha followed her.
    Gurit stood up, her hands on Ramli’s shoulders. Teno, still lying on the ground, looked up. Josepha thought: They’re safe, they’re all right.
    Gurit reached out to Aleph and pulled her child near her. But another small body did not move. Josepha suddenly realized that she could not see Nenum’s red hair. Warner was running to the small, still body.
    Josepha rushed to her friend, throwing her arms around Warner. “Don’t,” she managed to say. Warner pulled away and finally stood over her child.
    Nenum, too, was beyond revival, head burned off by the visitor’s weapon. Nenum’s mother was silent, clenching and unclenching her fists, shaking her head, staring at Josepha with black, frightened eyes. Josepha opened her mouth and found she had no voice. Her knees buckled and she sat down hard on the ground, hugging her legs with her arms. Dimly, she saw Gurit go to Warner.
    Warner began to wail. Gurit held her. Aleph observed them with pale green eyes. Josepha drew her legs closer to her chest.
    Teno and Ramli were standing over her. She thought: We should go, I can’t keep them here with this, what do I say, how can I explain it? Fear swept over her and she found herself shaking. Teno reached out and held her hands until she stopped.
    Others, she knew, would be there soon. The robot had probably already signaled to them. The machine intelligence, having failed to protect them, waited on the hill, its head slowly spinning as it continued to