“‘Yet’?” Purdil emphasizes.

  “They have eaten the beef I gave them,” I continue. “And some nuts, but that’s aside the point! Anyways,” gesturing to the bag, “what’s in that?”

  “Some Tteok-bokki,” Hae-on answers, suspicion laced in her tone. “It’s got fish though.”

  “...So?” I ask while raising an eye. “I can still eat it. Of course, if you’re willing to share.”

  “HAH!” she answers, ribbing Purdil in the side. “Told you she wasn’t vegan!”

  “Yes,” he grumbles. “You’ll get your $50 tomorrow.” He winces, complaining “Ow, my legs are aching.”

  “Oh of course!” I continue, opening the door wide open as the two follow in, noticing the other changes; mainly the singe and shock marks, as well as the water damage on parts of the wall. “I’ve been meaning to get paint so-” I stop myself. Purdil squints at the wall, seeming to observe the marks. “Is there a hole?”

  “No,” he answers. “Just very precise.” One of the Berems crawls by him and nuzzles his leg. He rubs its head – the creature lets out a low hum, a melody continued by the other Berems.

  “So, you’re just growing your own ants?” Hae-on comments, holding a Dilqui in her hands. “Well, creatures, but same idea.”

  “Oh perfect!” I continue, taking it from her hands and shaking it. Once squeezed, the Dilqui spits out a rush of cold water from its beak that flows straight into my now gargling mouth.

  “The fuck.”

  I swallow and add, “filtered! It’s obviously filtered.”

  “Uh-huh,” she continues, looking me over again. “You know, I thought these things were cute.”

  “What changed?”

  “You just treated one like a chug-jug.”

  “Point taken,” I reply as I motion to my lonely dinner table.

  Hae-on just shrugs. “C’mon Purdil,” she beckons, the man going over to the table as well. The two get comfortable in my seats as I pour out some chai into two other cups.

  “You think chai would go well with this?”

  “Mhm,” she answers. “Though you know, the tteok-bakki-”

  “She’s an Indian,” Purdil interjects. “Of course she can handle her spice.”

  “Bangladeshi,” I correct. My nails start digging into my hand now held tight. “It’s Bangladeshi.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll beat the insensitivity out of him,” Hae-on adds as Purdil laughs, his smile a little less genuine now. Genuine’s not the right word though; ‘regretful’ is more appropriate. I simply smile back.

  “You’re not wrong anyhow,” I laugh off, pulling out some frozen tea and heating it up in the microwave. I was saving that for Fi-fi, but I’ll just make more later; it’s not a big deal anyhow.

  … Though, now that they’re here, it’s less lonely.

  “Thanks,” I mumble, the two chattering away to each other. I take a seat, continuing to listen as they go on about previous hunts. I just smile along, still happy for once, to have someone to talk to. Happy that some people, even if they were strangers, choose to check in on me.

  “So,” Purdil asks, raising one of the Dilquis onto his arms as if it were a baby. Much like a baby though, it’s heavier than what he expected. “What’s with these things? Biology project?”

  “In a sense,” I admit. “Just the usual research on Hydra.”

  “Mm, I don’t think I’ve seen these things before,” Hae-on adds. “So in that sense, it’s ‘usual’? So what, they can water my plants.”

  “Oh, so much more than that,” I continue, pulling out my phone and wiping my mouth clean. I scroll through the videos saved up and find one of the Dilquis out in the backyard. “Yesterday, they managed to do this,” I add, playing it.

  The duo observe the little penguins walking up to a pile of mud, slowly sinking before pulling each other out. Once they do, they let out a cry (one I’m still trying to understand) that the other Berems respond to, spouting fire that hardens the mud. Even the Retegroans come in, pushing their spindly legs in and forming cracks that the Dilquis pry open.

  “Aren’t they amazing?!”

  “Huh,” Hae-on remarks. “Didn’t expect that. So what, they can communicate and… do landwork.”

  “Mhm,” I continue.

  “Also, what’s up with that spare lightbulb on the counter?” Purdil asks. “Doesn’t look damaged.”

  “Oh, it’s one of their finest tasks,” I reply eagerly. “Changing out a lightbulb!”

  “So…?” Purdil asks again.

  “I didn’t tell them!” I exclaim. “So that means they had to have recognized that it was broken, know that it burned out, find where others of them were, and install it properly! They even used the rubber bit of earbuds to get a better grip and not scratch it! Earbuds!”

  “Dang,” he whistles. “They really are smart bastards.”

  “Yeah, but they’re my smart bastards,” I proudly claim.

  “You’re lucky,” he replies. “I wish I could have young babies do my chores.”

  “Oh, I could lend you some,” I continue. “The sprouts in the backyard? That’s their young state, they’ll mature in a couple of days!”

  “YES!” Hae-on yells. “FREE CHILD LABOR!”

  “Please,” I beg. “I am not an advocate for child labor.” Looking at my fork, I realize something: “I don’t think they support child labor too.”

  “Come again? Did you have a local civil rights revolution?”

  “Yeah!” I snap my fingers; “Yesterday, I saw them organizing small pens and play areas in the bedroom, creating little pumps that the smaller ones drink from!”

  “Oh it gets worse,” Purdil jests. “They’re born from the Earth only to serve you refreshing drinks. It won’t be long until they’re working in the factories.”

  “That is a possibility,” I admit. “I’d need to get some metal, but we very well could have our own industrial revolution on our hands! The fire and water are perfect for pressure cannons and steam power. Though manufacturing the actual metal might be tricky if they don’t have a forge… then again they have been building a pool in my backyard as well as drying off some mud to form bricks.”

  “It’s only going to be so long until they crucify,” Hae-on snaps her fingers for a while, until she points at me. “… plant Christ.”

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  “Ginfu Christ,” I correct. “I’m choosing to name them Ginfu, like Fungi!”

  “That’s cute,” Purdil adds. “Much like your own face.”

  “I-uh,” I stammer, taking a gulp of cha. It scalds my throat. I’m left coughing and wheezing, Hae-on going to check on me.

  That was not worth it.

  “So, are we going to keep dancing around the topic with this beautiful woman, or are we going to get to the point?” Hae-on asks. She thinks I’m pretty?

  “Always a killjoy,” Purdil sighs. “Though, she’s right.” He looks over to me; I look back into his chestnut-brown eyes, losing myself as they playfully lead me on. “We’re unfortunately going to be gone for a while. About four days, nothing much.”

  “Mary needs some help with an overseas project,” Hae-on explains. I raise an eye: “She’s our supplier,” is what I get as an answer.

  “Meaning, don’t do anything stupid while we’re gone,” Purdil pleads. “Or do; just in your own home and not out there.”

  “What,” I jest, “Do you think that my house is going to burn down?

  Purdil merely looks at the scorch mark.

  “I have a fire extinguisher.”

  “Ma-ma?” One of the Berems asks, looking at Purdil.

  “Aww, did it call my name?” he teases, going down and scratching it by the chin. “My name is Purdil, got it?”

  “Purdil!”

  I stare. Hae-on stares. Purdil stares. We all stare at the Berem.

  “Purdil!” it repeats again.

  “Purdil!” the other Berems start chanting. “Purdil!” “Purdil!” Purdil!” “Purdil!”

  They’re joined in by the Retegroans and Dilquis, the house now filled with a cacophony of voices saying one name in a low voice of perfect English:

  “Purdil!”

  “Why does it know my name now?”

  “Wow,” Hae-on says, rolling her eyes. “They can’t even remember my name!”

  Hmm. “Hey, buddy?” I call out to one of the Retegroans, now swivelling their head to face me. “See her?” I ask, pointing to Hae-on, now flexing. “Her name’s Hae-on, ok.”

  “Hae-on!” it repeats, looking at me. “Hae-on! Hae-on!”

  “Hae-on!” the rest of the Ginfu start chanting, gathering around me. “Hae-on!”

  “Out of all the things a woman would take from me, I never thought my name would be one of them.”

  “OK OK!” I yell out. “No, I’m not Hae-on! She is!” Wildly gesturing at Hae-on, I repeat, “Her name is Hae-on!”

  “Hae-on!” they start chanting, now finally facing the right person; now prideful and smirking at Purdil. The man simply throws an ammo clip at her. Though, that does make me curious:

  “My name?” I query, prodding a Dilqui in its stomach.

  “Hae-on!” it answers. Hmm, so it currently remembers me as ‘Hae-on.’

  “Her?” I ask, pointing to the real one.

  “Hae-on!”

  “And him?”

  “Purdil!” So they can remember names… and associate objects with names.

  “Have you considered being a teacher?” Purdil asks, tossing one Berem into the air.

  I shrug. “I might need to.”

  A thunk comes from my ceiling; I look up, only to see a Berem’s body crash into the ground.

  “Oops.”

  “Someone’s not going to become her babysitter, now will he?” Hae-on mocks.

  “Oh shut up, Ms. ‘I’m going to leave the baby in the car.’”

  “HEY! It was for one minute! And I was filling up the gas!”

  “Uh-huh, sure…”

  “You little-!”

  “Do you have any children’s books?” I absentmindedly ask. “I mean, you seem to have a younger sibling, so-”

  “HAH! Nah, it was just a babysitting job. A, uh… very interesting job.”

  “She means that we babysat a fully grown man once.”

  “Oh, ok,” I shrug. “Bodyguard stuff?”

  “Mm, yeah,” she admits. “He was a real pain in the -”

  “Oop! Language!”

  “You can say ‘ass’,” I add.

  “Ass!” One of Ginfu repeats.

  What have I done.

  Though, there’s no cacophony; just silence this time, aside from chirps and hums.

  “Huh, looks like it thought you were talking to it.”

  “It did,” I murmur. How fascinating, honestly. Oh right, my name! “I’m Zabrina!” I add. “Me!” pointing at myself. “Zabrina!”

  “Zabrina!” the one Ginfu repeats, sending a fury of cries through the room and house. “Zabrina!” “Zabrina!” “Zabrina!” “Zabrina!”

  “You’re just building your own cheerleading squad, aren’t you?”

  “Don’t pretend like you wouldn’t want a hundred children cheering for your every move,” Hae-on jests. “I know my brother well enough.”

  “No, I’d just use them to get my sweets back.”

  “Mhm. Sure.”

  “They were my sweets, I paid for them!”

  “We share the same bank account!”

  “Pft!” I giggle, thinking about my own brother Jonah.

  Jonah… he’s happy at school still, right? What would he think if he saw me now? This…whatever this is? Am I his sister still?

  Do I even have that right?

  “...Sister?” Hae-on calls out, putting her hand on my shoulder. I look back up to her, then to the Ginfu I had dropped to the ground just a few seconds earlier. “Oh please, it will be like we’re never gone! And don’t worry, we can wire some money to you for the weekend, if you need it!”

  “That’s fine,” I wave off. “I’ll be fine! I’ve got some savings, I’m sure-”

  “Ack, savings,” Purdil curses. “Just treat this on the house.”

  “Surely I can’t-”

  “As long as you pay us a portion of the share these little bastards manage to get you, we’ll both be happy.”

  “Purdil!”

  “I’m thinking 10%. Each.”

  I give a short laugh: “25% each,” I reply. That’ll make my budget tight with Fi-fi, but I’ll manage; I always have. We’ve agreed to split our earnings 50-50, so this isn’t really anything new. I’ve always learned how to manage on a tight budget. She really did help me develop that, huh… thanks again, Fi-fi. You’ve always done so much for me.

  “Anyways, we better be heading off!” Hae-on adds, re-adjusting her rifles. “Mary hates waiting, so peace!”

  “See you both,” I laugh off as Purdil goes with her, waving back too. The smile doesn’t leave my lips for a while. Though, their thoughts of child soldiers are sticking with me; it might not be a bad idea to field test them and see what they do. The only question is how to get them in my car. I toss one of the red marbles in my hand, the one from the Berem glowing slightly flaming-red.

  The Berems have used these things – or more accurately, fed food to these marbles, which then produced seeds that the Ginfu planted into the ground. Even their root structures were different when I dug up some; the Berems had short thin roots, the Dilquis had even thinner ones, and the Retegroans had sharp and jagged ones. Though they did also try to plant them near the electrical line… Thank Allah they didn’t.

  For now, I’ve decided to label the marbles ‘Paweserns’ and the seeds ‘Edses’. It’s a bit odd, sure, but it’s cute!

  “Zabrina?” A Berem calls out, looking to me. Already, it seemed to be able to translate English to whatever… they’re speaking. Hydranian? Sure, Hydranian – let’s go with that. It looks at the small orb, then extends its head.

  And within a blink of the eye, it’s gone; or rather, its mass gets absorbed into the marble, with the only reminder of its existence being a simple ‘pop’. And with it, a single number:

  “1”, I pronounce in a language not from Earth. It must be the count of the creatures inside. It seems like this contraption is working as intended. … Yeah, I guess it would be a contraption. It’s not too dissimilar from our own TPPs (Temporal Pocket Pouch), when I look at it. Though, it’s a miracle that nature could replicate an otherwise scientific phenomenon.

  … Wait is it natural???

  Though, if this is working as is, then it’s likely that the old limit of 100 is being applied.

  Ok, weird how I know that. Still, that gives me some ideas… so long as the TSA doesn’t register as contraband. Though would it be contraband? It’s just a children’s toy at worst, right? So long as one doesn’t pop out of the ball. I might need to give them orders. Inner me, any thoughts on how many I should bring?

  Inner me?

  Great…