Chapter 2: Chapter 2
Jack appeared in the doorway. He took one look at the body and let out a gasp. “Oh no.” He rushed down to Cillian and dropped to his knees. Anguish encompassing his entire form, he studied the lifeless figure.
Cillian didn’t want to stare at it any longer. He carefully placed the head on its front paw-like hands and sat back in the grass. He glanced up at Henri’s face, and he saw she was crying. He took hold of her, turned her away from Lammy, and let her bury her face in his shoulder. “It’s gonna be okay, sweetheart.”
Smoothing down some of the spotted tentacles that adorned the creature’s back and head, Jack trembled. Gulping, “We have to call an ambulance”
“And tell them what?”
“The truth.”
“Right. Henri didn’t know any better. I’m sure they’ll understand.” His shaky voice didn’t inspire confidence.
Jack hesitated. “Would you understand if it was our kid?”
A shiver worked its way through Cillian’s body. He would be enraged. And what’s more, other humans would be, too. While the Monks and humans more or less lived peacefully together, there were still underlying tensions. People who thought the Monks didn’t belong here. Humans would potentially retaliate against the Monks in that scenario. Wouldn’t they want revenge? Or at the very least, justice?
He didn’t claim to understand what the creatures thought or what they would do. They weren’t human after all.
“Make Lammy come back!” Henri cried. He held her closer.
Jack stood up, pulled his phone from the back pocket of his jeans, and dialed 911. When someone answered, “Hi. Uh, we need help. A Monk child ate an apple that my daughter had, and now it’s hurt really bad. We think it might be dead. Can you send someone over?”
Cillian couldn’t hear what the operator said. Jack gave their address and replied, “Thanks. We’ll be here.”
Next, he dialed a long number. Monks did not use cellphones per se, but the adults often wore headsets that allowed them to send and receive calls. The two men had of course gotten Addy’s number in case of an emergency. This was certainly one of those.
He heard the phone ringing and then the telltale clicking of the Monks’ language. Jack cleared his throat. “Uh, hi, Addy.”
The creature switched to English. “Is this Jack or Cillian?”
“Jack.”
“How is Henrietta?”
“She’s fine. But listen. Something happened. We weren’t watching close enough, and Lammy ate an apple. We tried to help, but there was nothing we could do. Lammy’s—Lammy’s dead.”
There was a silence for a moment before a tortured wail came though the speaker. Jack moved the phone away from his ear as they both heard the pain of a parent that just lost a child. It would have been clear in any language.
“Addy? Addy, an ambulance is coming. Probably the police, too. Get here as soon as you can. I’m so sorry.”
He ended the call.
Time passed slowly. Jack and Cillian didn’t know what to say to each other, so they just waited. Henri continued to cry, and Cillian tried desperately to comfort her. Eventually, a cop car pulled up, and two women got out. With hands on their sidearms, they walked up to the body of Lammy and investigated the scene.
“An apple?” asked one of them.
Cillian nodded. “Just one apple.”
The officers inspected the body and concluded that Lammy was, in fact, dead. They began writing things down about the state of the little Monk while Cillian and his family watched. Shortly after, several Monk officers appeared and began speaking to the humans. Addy arrived on a specialized motorcycle-like vehicle that the wealthier Monks used. It jumped off and ran up to its child. Screaming, it held Lammy close.
“Which one of you was watching them when it happened?” asked the taller human cop.
Cillian gulped. “I was. But I didn’t see Lammy eat the apple.”
“Were you just not paying attention?”
“I was distracted,” he answered truthfully.
“Okay. Put your hands behind your back.”
“What?”
“This child was in your care when it died,” said one of the Monks. The other human officer went behind Cillian and handcuffed him. He was too surprised to resist.
Jack, on the other hand, had plenty to say. “Hey now, it was an accident. He didn’t do anything wrong.”
“He will be judged fairly.”
Jack approached Cillian and cradled his face in both hands. “Don’t worry,” he said with pain in his voice. “I’ll get you a good lawyer. I promise.”
“I love you.” He turned to Henri and repeated the sentiment. The officers walked him over to their car and put him in the back. He watched as they tried to comfort Addy and get a statement. He couldn’t believe he was being arrested. But then, he couldn’t believe there was a dead alien on his front lawn, either.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone