The Children Who Time Lost by Marvin Amazon

of her path and looked at both of us. After a nod, Amelia walked down the third path and continued taking small steps. I turned around after seeing Monique do the same. I walked down the corridor, looking back occasionally to see that Amelia was almost out of sight. Everything remained quiet, almost haunting. A hissing sound came. It sounded like gas being released from air vents. Then the light started to flicker. I stopped and looked up. It was only a section of the ceiling over me. A faulty light bulb? Really?
    I continued on and fought the urge to look back at what Amelia was doing. This was probably a test that only I could solve. A minute later, all the lights went out and I stood in darkness. I remained still, hoping they would come back on. I heard a clicking sound, like a light bulb on the verge of dying. I bit my fingernails and took a step back. Just then, the floor lighted up and continued to light up down the corridor.
    I waited, wondering whether there would be another sign, and then I heard footsteps. It was the unmistakable sound of high heels. The sound grew nearer and nearer before a woman appeared. She was definitely over six feet tall, with a long purple dress and thick blond hair. Her bright lipstick gave her a classy look, but her face was probably the most expressionless I had ever seen.
    It seemed to take forever for her to reach me. I looked into her blue eyes but didn’t say a word. She studied me like the Kysos and Lypsos back home did. It definitely wasn’t a typical case of a woman analyzing another woman. She walked to within inches of me. Her face almost touched mine. She didn’t look away or blink.
    “Hi!” I said. “Are you from here?”
    She smiled and circled me. I could feel her eyes boring through me every time she wasn’t in my line of sight. Whatever this was, it must have been part of the procedure, and I wasn’t going to speak again unless spoken to.
    “I see you’ve opted not to state the preferred gender of your child,” she said with an empty voice.
    I stared at her. “I’ll be happy with either a boy or a girl.”
    She stopped walking and tightened her face. “You’ve seen much pain, haven’t you?” She moved closer to me with her head tilted to the left, watching every blink I made and every twitch of my fingers. Her voice was without emotion, as if she were a cyborg programmed to say certain things. Maybe this was what the Kysos and Lypsos evolved to.
    “I … I guess so.”
    “You guess?” She moved closer. “Why is it a guess? You either know the true meaning of pain and suffering or you don’t. Which is it?”
    “I guess I’ve suffered as much as your average person.”
    “But you’re lying, aren’t you?” She moved closer still. I felt a lump in my throat. “What bothers you? Why does your heart still weep? As you stand here, I can sense guilt. Do you feel that you don’t deserve this?”
    “I … I …”
    “Because if you don’t want this with all your heart, there are many more who would take your place in an instant.”
    “No,” I shouted. “I definitely want this.”
    “Finally, some conviction.” She took a step back and introduced an unsettling smile. “So tell me. Why do you want to bring a child into your life? Twenty million dollars is a lot of money. Why would you give that up for a mere child?”
    I looked straight into her eyes and composed myself. “I don’t see any other option here. Money never truly serves anyone. It just leads to greed and selfishness. A child will bring happiness and prosperity. I don’t consider it a choice. I feel incredibly proud to be here, and no amount of money in the world will change the way I’m feeling right now.”
    The woman nodded, eyeing me from head to toe. But this time it wasn’t with a judgmental gaze. “I like you, Rachel Harris,” she said finally. She stepped beside me and stood in front of the wall to my left. After pressing her right palm against it, it shook. A bright red