A darting shadow crossed Beacon's terminator into the permanent darkness of Night Side. It scurried along the base of the enormous rusted pylons and pipes, hesitating in areas where patches of light from various electric lanterns crossed each other. It moved through the constant drizzle and ever-present blackness, surefooted but wary, a small boy named Leighl.
Beacon's huge array of communications dishes was deserted, the maintenance crews gone for now, but the place was always monitored and, if he got caught, there'd be hell to pay.
shadow
blending into darkness
easy trespass
The area around the vast array was off limits, Leighl knew that. But he was on a mission. He pushed the back pack he was carrying under the decayed metal fence, then squirmed after it, deliberately heading for the microwave emitters.
His tattooed face and black forelock peered around a pylon, his steady gaze on the large dishes standing, like inverted white mushrooms, beyond the dented workshed.
The low hum of electricity filled the humid darkness. Leighl gulped in an oddly dry throat.
faded sign
a radiation icon
suddenly nervous
A long time ago--at least 2 standard years--Leighl's father had warned him against playing around the array:
"Those microwaves are dangerous. They kin fry a kid your size! I ever catch you near there, boy, you'll be sorry!"
Leighl didn't doubt it. He knew his father.
Still, the place held a morbid fascination for him. Tannen, Beacon's ex-mechanic, had once told him the same thing. That he'd known a worker who'd been careless while adjusting a dish, and had been cooked alive by its beam.
Leighl thought about the stories he'd heard. How could something you couldn't see, hear, or smell do that to a person? Were the grownups just jesting with him? He wondered.
He wondered about it a lot.
child's doubt
all warnings produce
more questions
Leighl climbed the tower beside the giant transmitter carefully. Feeling his way in the semi-darkness, his backpack digging into his thin shoulders, his movements fuelled by determination, he ascended.
When he reached the 3rd platform, the one which was 10 meters above the dish's present height, he stopped. He sat down to rest a moment, dangling his legs over the edge of the platform, studying the giant, upturned dish, it's vast white expanse splayed to the sky. It's moistened surface glittered in the scant star light. He surveyed the area from his vantage point, undetected by the monitors.
under dripping sky
the glow of a hundred discs
and a steady hum
His backpack lay open beside him, and Leighl fidgeted on the platform. His young curiosity demanded action and answers, but a sudden attack of conscience held him momentarily motionless.
He stared at the creature in his lap. The one he'd carried up here in his backpack. It's nose twitched, it's beady eyes blinked. His shock of dark hair fell over his face, hiding him from impending guilt, but he pushed it back, again impatient to get on with his experiment.
quest for knowledge
beyond consideration
determined
Leighl stood, carefully balanced on the small platorm, the timid creature in his outstretched hand.
One toss, and all of his questions were answered.
