ANGEL FALL I

Awakening

The first rays of dawn filtered through the tattered curtains, casting a faint glow on the peeling wallpaper of Greta’s rundown apartment. The room remained in a state of half-light as she lay in her creaky bed, wrapped in a thin blanket. Then came the distant sound of the 5 a.m train, growing steadily louder.

Greta groaned and clamped her hands over her ears.

As the train roared by overhead, the vibrations sent shivers through the apartment, causing the battered ceiling fan to sway ominously and a few more flakes of paint to drift to the floor.

Greta shot up from bed, the frame creaking from the sudden movement.

"Ugh!" she exclaimed in frustration.

She swung her arm out, intending to vent her anger at thin air but somehow her aim faltered, and her hand collided with the laptop sitting on the table across from her. Instantly, it was sent crashing to the floor, landing in a burst of shattering metal parts and glass.

Wide-eyed and horrified by her own clumsiness, Greta rolled off the bed abruptly. She surveyed the damage with a mix of despair and self-loathing.

"I can't just have a good moment ever, can I?" she said, holding her head. Then her eyes lit up at a thought.

In a hurried frenzy, she gathered her scattered belongings, not bothering to bathe or brush her hair. A quick glance in the cracked mirror revealed her disheveled appearance, but there was no time for vanity now. She grabbed a dwindling bottle of homemade deodorant—a concoction of liquid air freshener and a stray oil perfume she had found hidden away in a dusty corner.

With an impatient spray under her arms, she winced at the overly sweet scent that enveloped her. Then, without further ado, she threw a capful of mouthwash into her mouth, swished it vigorously, and spat it into the chipped sink.

Then she picked up the laptop pieces gingerly, taking her time on this part.

When she was done, she stuffed it in a cross bag and dashed out of the apartment.

As she stepped out, the cold morning air rushed to greet her.

She folded her jacket tighter around herself as she made her way down the narrow staircase and out onto the street.

She weaved past people and ducked through three alleys until she came to a road.

Then, not minding the angry shouts of drivers, she ran across the road, veering left into a shop barely in time to avoid an incoming truck.

“Trying to kill yourself, G?” Donny’s voice rang out once she entered his Repair shop.

Greta grinned as she dropped her bag on his counter.

“A life without some risk is a boring one”, she said. Then her face turned serious as she nodded at the bag.

Around them, apprentice boys moved back and forth like bees, each one assigned to his own task. Though one of them had stopped his work and was now staring at Greta.

The latter ignored him, her eyes coming to focus on Donny.

Donny regarded the bag for a few seconds before he whistled.

One of his boys came running.

When he arrived, Donny motioned for him to check the contents of the bag.

“Too big to check my stuff now, huh?” commented Greta, her eyebrows raised in disbelief.

Donny hissed, “It’s not like that, G. Let’s just say I learned from that Friday experience”.

Greta narrowed her eyes in confusion at first but they widened as soon as she realized what he meant.

“It was just one silly prank, Donny” said Greta, with a roll of her eyes.

“A silly prank?” Donny asked, his tone rising in accusation. “G, a bag of piss exploding in my face is a silly prank?”

“Ugh,” groaned Greta. “I’m sorry, okay? And it was Methylamine, not piss. Didn’t you say you were a science guy?”

Donny opened his mouth to make a retort but his apprentice interrupted him.

“This one’s really bad, boss” said the boy.

Greta sighed and covered her face with her hands. From the corner of

Donny pulled the boy aside and looked inside the now open bag.

He grimaced. Reflexively, Greta grimaced as well.

“Can it be fixed somehow?” Greta asked.

Donny sighed and shook his head.

“Might be time to get a new one, G” he said. “This one’s toast.”

“Come on,” Greta cried. “There has to be something.”

“I’ve fixed your laptop consecutively ten times now, G” said Donny. “Honestly meddling with the insides that much…it’s just bad and, not to mention, unethical. Might even give the manufacturer a heart attack”

Greta sighed.

Once again she caught the other boy staring.

"Who's that kid, Donny?" she asked, her tone light but inquisitive.

Donny frowned then followed her eyes.

"Oh him? He's a new apprentice. I just came in looking for work yesterday. One of them refugees from that city that got totaled in that weird disaster last week."

“Oh” Greta mouthed. She’d seen the story on the news. No one understood what had happened. All they knew was that the sky exploded and so did the city.

“He keeps staring at me though” said Greta, her mind coming out of its reverie. The kid's eyes made the hairs on her neck stand.

Donny chuckled and replied, “Probably hasn’t ever seen a red head before”. Then his voice softened as his eyes fell back on the laptop. “Your stuff’s gone now, G”.

Greta folded her arms and closed her eyes.

“You know I can’t get a fresh one, Donny” said Greta. “I don’t have that kind of money”.

Donny was silent for another minute. Then slowly he said, “There might be a way.”

Immediately Greta perked up. “How?”

Donny hesitated, then said, “If you can get me some parts from the junk site I could fix it up for you”.

“Yes!” Greta exclaimed and instantly hugged Donny over the counter.

When Donny had managed to extricate himself from her grasp, he retrieved a pen from his pocket and began to write something on paper, muttering to himself.

“These are the things I need” he said, handing her the slip of paper .

“Fine,” she said and started to leave, but Donny’s next words stopped her in her tracks.

“The new kid's coming with you” he said. “I need him to pick up other stuff for me at the site”.

Greta hesitated, watching the new apprentice cautiously as Donny gave him another list.

But she shrugged off her intrusive thoughts and motioned for the boy to follow her as she crossed the road and began her trek to the site.