Groundwork

[shadowdreamer]

[Summary: On a slow day in the Hollows, an old woman gets an unexpected visitor with a special project in mind.]

[Word Count: 832]

[Content Weight: Buoyant!]

 

There was a knock at the door, and Gladrys looked up from her knitting, raising an eyebrow. “Well, I hadn’t been expecting anyone,” the old woman mumbled to herself, setting her needles to the side and sitting forward. She stretched as she stood, joints popping with the motion, “But I don’t suppose that means  no one might’ve decided to come by.”

Peering through the keyhole in the door, she blinked a little at the sight through the glass. A little girl stood, holding the handle of a battered, old, red wagon. Pointy tipped ears stood out under a head of chin length, messy, straight brown hair, and golden irises peered up from beneath a pair of blue goggles sitting on the girl’s forehead. 

A smile came to Gladry’s face. “Oh, school must be running another community outreach event, how darling,” she commented to herself under her breath, opening the door. Smiling, she looked down at the child below. “Good morning, young miss, and who would you be?”

The girl blinked up at her, giving the remarkable impression of a startled owl, as she froze momentarily. As Gladry watched, the pre-teen visibly went back over her internal script, recalibrated- and then she was grinning right back up at Gladrys, offering a tiny curtsey.

“Good morning, ma’am! I’m Spark. I’m working on a project, to improve access to  the internet here on the outskirts of the Hollows. Your home is located in one of the recorded deadspots- would you be anim- anima- amima-” 

The girl paused, a scowl crossing her face for a brief moment. Turning her gaze up at the sky, she took a deep breath, cheeks puffing out as she blowed it out slowly. Gladrys couldn’t help but smile, as she watched, waiting patiently for the girl to gather herself and continue.

“A-men-a-ble, to me setting up an internet hotspot for your home? It would take a few hours, but it wouldn’t cost you anything, and it would let you talk to people easier, even just on the phone.” As the girl finished, she rocked back and forth, from the balls of her feet to her heels, watching Gladrys’ face. Beneath the smile and friendly demeanor, the anxiety was obvious, and warmth filled Gladrys’ chest.

Stepping back, she opened the door more fully. “Oh, of course, dear. Why don’t you come inside, have a bit of a sitdown? I’m guessing those are the parts you’ll need- you can just bring them on in, too, leave them here, in the foyer.”

Again, the owl impression- before the child nodded, stepping inside. The wheels of the wagon rolled smoothly, and as Spark pulled it inside behind herself, Gladrys realized they were much cleaner than she had expected- while there was a little bit of dirt, from simply being outside, there weren’t the layers that often build up on a child’s wagon from lack of maintenance. She let it slip from her mind, nodding to the den.

“You just go right on and have a seat, now, while I get us something to drink. Have you had your lunch yet?” At the girl’s owl-blink and quiet headshake, Gladrys stifled a small smile. “Then I’ll just make a plate of finger sandwiches, I was just trying to decide between those and some salad, anyway. The bathroom’s down the hall, if you’d like to wash your hands, now.”

As the girl nodded quickly and hurried down the hall, Gladrys shook her head with a smile, heading into the kitchen. “Such a shame, how shy youngsters are these days,” she muttered to herself, as she got down a loaf of bread and a plate. It was the work of minutes to put together the stack of sandwiches- quicker, still, to then cut them into finger sized squares. She had just finished arranging them into little circles on the plate when she heard the faucet turn off, and she nodded to herself with a satisfied hum at her timing. 

The child had just sat down at the coffee table when Gladrys came around the corner with her tray, plate on one end and pitcher of tea on the other. She sat up, eyes flicking around a moment- before they landed on the coffee table, covered in magazines, that she started stacking to the side without prompting. Gladrys’ estimation of the child ticked up another notch, as she sat the tray down in the clear space.

“Thank you, dear, that was very helpful of you. Feel free to eat your fill- I always make more than I can eat, even when I’m just feeding myself.” A flash of relief in those golden eyes- and the girl sat forward, taking a slice of sandwich. Gladrys pushed back her internal smile, silently pleased that she’d pre-empted that potential concern. Sitting down, the chair creaked under her weight, as she leaned back to get comfortable. 

“Now, Spark, was it? What would you need in order to set up this ‘wi-fi hotspot’, you mentioned?”