Free Harvest Moons by Melisse Aires Page A

the sunlight.
    Upon reaching her it shimmered and before
her was the finest looking man she’d ever seen, and she could see a lot of him
because Shimmers shifted in the skin. Dark hair waved near to his shoulders, which
were broad. Tall, well muscled. Long, sculpted legs and not a smidgen of flab
on him.
    The Shimmer looked at her husband’s dead
countenance.
    “He fell. On a rock.” No one need know
she’d shoved him when he took a drunken swing at her. And that she’d had to
stop him from raping the little six year old Synth, Ivy. Who would suspect a
small woman such as herself for having the strength to down a hulk of a man
like Hoggart?
    The nude man nodded. “I am sorry for your
loss, ma’am. You must be Mrs. Avila? We haven’t met, though I met Mr. Avila
several times.  Fallon Verdad,  head of Clan Verdad. Your near neighbors. I’m
also the territory councilman.” He held out a hand and she shook it aware of
how warm and large his palm, and how naked he was. She did not allow her eyes
to stray south, though she did want to.
    “I am Polly Avila.”
    He walked passed her and looked at the
hole she had scraped in the hard, rocky earth. “Your grave is too shallow, it will
attract  volves. I can deepen the grave and we have several casket shells. I would
be pleased to give one to you  for the burial, ma’am.”
    “That would be right generous. I have no
credits for such, nor time for the trip to town.”
    “Understood. I will send over my young nephews
to assist you with  the harvest. Your Synths are immature, correct?”
    “Yes. I do not have them doing the hard
labor. They are also keyed to Hoggart. They will need rekeyed.” Polly felt like
she was watching an absurd vid. She was talking legal matters with a naked councilman
over the body of her dead husband. A wave of dizziness swept through her and
she squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, reminding herself to breathe.
    “I will come over as soon as possible and
rekey them to your command. I assume you have control through Mr. Avila?”
     “ Yes I do, so there is no rush. Thank
you, Councilman. I do appreciate your taking the time to help.” She pulled a
small ceramic marker from her apron. They used them to mark crops. She had erased
the crop data and scribed her husband’s names and dates. “Sleep in the
Stars, Beloved Husband.” A lie of course, but it suited her that others
might think her marriage was an ordinary one, with warm feelings between them. 
“I made a marker for the grave.”
    “Leave that here and I will take care of
the rest. You and yours can plant an eternity bush here one day in remembrance.”
    “Yes. We will do that one day.”
    She grabbed her shovel and waited, knowing
it would look odd if she ran off happily back to her Steading.
    “I will leave you to say your goodbyes in
peace, and will return within the hour to bury your husband. Unless you have a
custom which requires your presence?”
    “No. No custom.” Where she came from
people of her class were thrown in the recycle bin. “But I would like to say
goodbye.” She was no actress but hoped her downturned face and quiet manner
disguised her complete lack  grief.
    Fallon Verdad shimmered back to full
horse and took his leave in a cadence of fast pounding hooves. Polly watched
for a moment. It was kind of him to assist her. All to the good to maintain
some form of neighborly relations with the Shimmers, since they held the
largest population count in the Celstar Mid-Territory. And she planned to be
here the rest of her life.
    A stunning handsome man, but man to be
neighborly with and not one thing more, no matter the temptation in his big blue
eyes or fine strong body. She was not immune to attractive men, it was probably
part of her coding to welcome men in her bed, and she refused to feel guilt of
it. But this was Celstar, not a crowded world city with all manner of vice. Looking 
held no dangers. Acting could ruin everything.
    One percent Synth made