the hubbub of the various specialty items filled the din of the dimly lit storage room. The fragile light bulb swayed to and fro with the vibrations of the items, some playing, some lounging about.
"ey, you seen all them bee genes? flyin' off the shelves, they be. them fancy things get showered with adoration." a spines gene snarls into a rosette gene's ear. the tender and modest treasure gene shrank beneath the spines' rugged demeanor, whimpering an "uh huh", unsure of what it wanted.
"now you see me and my buddies, hex, paint, thylacine. you ever hear of 'em?"
the rosette gene cowered further, shaking her head no hesitantly.
"no, NOBODY hears of them, you know why?"
"we ain't good enough. not every gene is created equal, dearie." he looked off wistfully, pain and resentment in his eyes.
"you think anyone wanted to be born like this, spiky, rough, the last resort?"
"no. see, you're a sweet thing, you'll get out of here soon enough. but the rest of us..." he chuckled, shaking his head. rosette could smell his breath, riddled with cigarette ash and lost dreams.
"Well, at least we're better off than clown. Aw yeah, look at him huddled in the corner there. Tried to bring him food and a friend once, the lad yelped and ran away. lil idiot that he is."
the rosette gene could only listen, still trapped in her corner by the spines.
"nobody's ever comin' for him now, not with starmap in town. starmap's better than all of us." his voice dropped to a whisper, and the rosette gene thought she could hear fear in his voice.
"difficult, ugly, outdated, blan-"
he was interrupted from his own panic-ridden monologue by the sudden sound of the door swinging open. a skydancer steps down into the storage room.
"clown, darling? where are you? a customer is waiting to see you."
from the shadowy corners, the timid gene peeks out, gaze incredulous.
"t-they... they want... me?"
"yes dear, they do! come on now, your new owner is waiting."
"ey, you seen all them bee genes? flyin' off the shelves, they be. them fancy things get showered with adoration." a spines gene snarls into a rosette gene's ear. the tender and modest treasure gene shrank beneath the spines' rugged demeanor, whimpering an "uh huh", unsure of what it wanted.
"now you see me and my buddies, hex, paint, thylacine. you ever hear of 'em?"
the rosette gene cowered further, shaking her head no hesitantly.
"no, NOBODY hears of them, you know why?"
"we ain't good enough. not every gene is created equal, dearie." he looked off wistfully, pain and resentment in his eyes.
"you think anyone wanted to be born like this, spiky, rough, the last resort?"
"no. see, you're a sweet thing, you'll get out of here soon enough. but the rest of us..." he chuckled, shaking his head. rosette could smell his breath, riddled with cigarette ash and lost dreams.
"Well, at least we're better off than clown. Aw yeah, look at him huddled in the corner there. Tried to bring him food and a friend once, the lad yelped and ran away. lil idiot that he is."
the rosette gene could only listen, still trapped in her corner by the spines.
"nobody's ever comin' for him now, not with starmap in town. starmap's better than all of us." his voice dropped to a whisper, and the rosette gene thought she could hear fear in his voice.
"difficult, ugly, outdated, blan-"
he was interrupted from his own panic-ridden monologue by the sudden sound of the door swinging open. a skydancer steps down into the storage room.
"clown, darling? where are you? a customer is waiting to see you."
from the shadowy corners, the timid gene peeks out, gaze incredulous.
"t-they... they want... me?"
"yes dear, they do! come on now, your new owner is waiting."
you done did it clown, you made it in 2018.
