Planet Purgatory by Benedict Martin Page B

her. As far as I knew, Harkness was one of the largest settlements on the “planet.” But it seemed strange to lie about something so … mundane. Maybe it was her age.
    “Anyway, we’ve been under siege by giant aliens. They’re horrible — one touch from their energy orbs and you’re reduced to a mindless zombie. And if that wasn’t bad enough, a pair of demons rolled into town offering protection in return for two of our settlers.”
    The old woman sipped her tea, her gentle smile belying the thoughts I knew were in her head.
    “You don’t believe me, do you?”
    “I think you’re confused.”
    She said it with such confidence I actually had to stop and retrace the steps that brought me to her living room. “No. I promised my dad I would find the SYS building, so I can ask them for help.”
    The woman’s smile never wavered.
    “Let me guess, you’ve never heard of SYS , either.”
    “I think you’ve had a difficult day.”
    I sipped my tea, returning the cup to the floor to resume fiddling with the Rubik’s Cube.
    “How do you survive out here?” I asked. “These woods are dangerous. You have no neighbors. Where do you get your supplies? And more importantly, how do you stay safe?”
    “Oh, I have everything I need right here. I have a little garden in the back. I’ll show it to you in the morning. You’ll like it. I grow my own potatoes, my own carrots, and broccoli, and cauliflower. Reginald supplies the meat. And he keeps me safe. Oh, I’d be lost without dear Reginald.”
    I pictured the goliath Eggman in his denim overalls. I’m sure he did keep her safe; I know I’d avoid breaking into any building knowing that ogre was inside waiting for me.
    “We do have an extra room. You’re more than welcome to stay. It would be nice to have someone else to talk to. We could read books. Maybe play some games.”
    Her offer proved oddly tempting, and I rested my head on the carpet, determined to complete one of the sides of the Rubik’s Cube. I was so close …
    “Look! I did it!” I exclaimed, showing her the side of little blue squares.
    “Good for you! Now let’s see if you can do two?”
    The old woman’s praise made me feel good, and I immediately set out to complete two sides. When I was a boy I could do it with no effort at all. It was just a series of twists and turns. I didn’t have to think. It was almost hypnotic, and amazingly, I could still do it.
    “Can you do three?”
    Now that was something I’d never managed to do. I was content with being able to do two sides, and do them quickly, but three always eluded me. Now my brother, on the other hand, he could do the whole cube. I remember how jealous I was watching him show off his Rubik’s Cube skills to my cousins. Sure, David can do two sides faster than anyone else at school, but Sam can do the whole freaking cube. I pictured his face, tongue out in frowny-faced concentration. It was funny how he used to do that. He’d stick his tongue out when he was doing his homework as well.
    How many years had it been since I’d seen him? Twenty? I remember I’d just turned thirteen years old, and Sam confided in me he’d had his first beer. He was almost fifteen, and he made me promise not to tell anyone. And I didn’t, until later that afternoon when Sam and I got into a fight over who got control of the TV. He was bigger than me, so naturally he won, leaving me no choice but to go tell Mummy that Sam drank beer with his friends. Probably every weekend.
    My mother marched right into the living room, asked my brother if this was true, and before he could he even answer she slapped him. Now Sam had a temper himself, and rather than apologize, or explain himself, he started yelling, calling her a bitch and me a little asshole. That was the first time he’d ever sworn in front of either of our parents, and my mother slapped him again, this time throwing the TV remote in his face.
    Mummy had snapped, and she chased Sam down the hall to