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Penny and Sally are clearing the table after dinner, the comfortable rhythm of their movements showing years of shared meals and friendship.
"That was absolutely wonderful, Sally. Thank you so much for having us," Penny says warmly, stacking plates as she helps Sally tidy up. "You really outdid yourself tonight."
"Oh, you're more than welcome, Penny. It's so good to have you here again - feels like it's been forever since we've had a proper visit." Sally chuckles, a lightness in her voice that's been missing for too long. "Though I have to be honest, John and Pat did most of the heavy lifting. I just played supervisor, telling them what to do and when to do it."
"Well, that's leadership right there - and you've always been the one to make things happen around here." Penny's eyes light up with genuine enthusiasm. "But Sally, I have to tell you, I am absolutely smitten with your new little one. Anahere, right? She's just beautiful, and the way she and Penelope have clicked - it's like they've been sisters their whole lives."
"I know exactly what you mean," Sally says, shaking her head in amazement. "This morning they were giggling and playing with dolls like a couple of second-graders - I actually had to dig Penelope's old collection out of storage. They went at it for hours." Her expression grows more thoughtful. "But then there are these moments where Anahere seems... I don't know how to put it... like she's carrying some kind of ancient wisdom. It's the strangest thing - one minute she's a carefree kid, the next she's talking like someone who's lived a thousand lifetimes."
"Funny you should mention that, Sally. Ben and I have both picked up on some unusual things about her." Penny's tone becomes more serious. "Why don't we move to the living room? We should probably talk about this. There might be more to Anahere than meets the eye." She pauses, then adds with a motherly smile, "And I have to say, I just love how you've got your 'little dolls' looking these days. They're growing into such lovely young women. With just Pat around, Penelope was starting to dress like... well, let's just say she needed a woman's touch. Nothing inappropriate - she's too innocent to even know better - but she definitely needed some guidance in that department. I'm so glad you're really back with us."
"Thank you for saying that. And I am glad to be back - truly back, I mean." Sally's voice carries a weight of recent grief but also newfound peace. "Even though I've been here physically these past months, after losing Joshua... I was just lost, you know? Completely non-functional. I know I'll never be exactly the same person I was before, and things with Pat will always be different now. But I'm finally at peace with it all, and I can actually move forward." She looks around at her dear friends as she prepares tea service. "I'm sorry your lives got put on hold while you waited for me to pull myself together. That constant chatter from the girls' room is music to my ears, by the way."
"Sally, it was absolutely worth the wait," Ben says with genuine warmth. "And can I just say, you look absolutely radiant these days. That hollow, worn-down look you had - it's completely gone. When I first saw you with the girls earlier, I honestly thought you were all teenagers hanging out together."
"Oh my goodness, Ben!" Sally laughs, actually blushing. "You're going to make me turn red as a tomato. But thank you - I have been working at it. Lots of exercise, lost quite a bit of weight." She settles into her chair with an amused smile. "Actually, Anahere mentioned something about being able to freeze her appearance at a young age. I might have to ask her for some pointers on that trick." Her expression becomes more focused as she looks around at her closest friends. "So, what's going on? Penny mentioned you've noticed some things about Anahere. Let's hear it."
Ben leans forward, choosing his words carefully. "It started when you and the girls returned from that arctic domain. You know I'm the host consciousness for this whole realm - usually it's completely subconscious, like breathing or your heartbeat. I don't even think about it." His expression grows serious. "But when you came through that conduit the other day, it felt like someone sucker-punched me in the stomach. Only lasted a second, but it was incredibly intense. The only other time I've experienced anything like that was during the great influx, when fifty souls arrived all at once." He pauses, studying Sally's face. "There's something inside that little girl that registers like thousands - maybe millions - of souls compressed into one small body. I'm curious what exactly we're dealing with here. I don't sense any danger, but the density is... well, it's significant enough that we should proceed with some caution until we understand it better."
"What do we actually know about her background before she arrived at level 5?" Pat asks, ever practical.
"Not a whole lot," Sally admits. "She told me her parents were academics - researchers working for some university in Australia in the early 21st century. They studied indigenous peoples, particularly the aboriginals. She mentioned having imaginary friends who taught her how to teleport, though that could have just been childhood fantasy." Sally's brow furrows as she recalls the conversations. "Her parents apparently made her stop talking about it because they were worried it would frighten people who wouldn't understand. But here's the thing - she'll be speaking with this incredibly mature, wise voice, and then Penelope will say something and suddenly they're both giggling like teenagers. It's like she's two completely different people."
Penny nods thoughtfully. "You know, with professional parents in that era, that actually makes a lot of sense. If she was pulled into their academic world as a child - busy, driven parents absorbed in their own research - she might not have had much of a real childhood. She could be desperately trying to reclaim that lost experience. Imaginary friends, wanting to be adopted into a family - these could be her way of finally getting to be a kid."
"That rings true to me," John adds, drawing on his own experiences. "A child forced into adult responsibilities too early almost always ends up being both - the overly mature little adult and the child who never got to properly grow up. I saw plenty of that in my time."
Ben continues his analysis. "Sally, you said when you arrived in her domain, you saw no evidence of human habitation, then suddenly there she was - just standing alone in the middle of nowhere. Is it possible she's the sole survivor? That her entire population, possibly millions of souls, somehow exists within her little body? That might explain the incredible density I'm sensing."
"I suppose anything's possible in this reality we're living in," Sally muses. "But that's not what I'm picking up from her. I don't sense multiple souls or any kind of deception. What I do sense is a very small girl carrying an enormous burden. And I suspect her being here, right now, has everything to do with that burden."
"Well, we're not going to solve this by sitting here speculating," Penny declares. "Girls!" she calls out. "Can you come in here for a few minutes?"
"We're busy, Grandma Penny! What do you need?" comes the response from down the hall.
"Listen to that - she's already protecting her new friend," Pat observes with amusement. "Doesn't want to share her for even a minute."
"We just want to get to know Anahere a little better," Penny calls back. "You've had her all to yourself all day - now it's our turn. It'll just be for a few minutes. Come on, get your little butts out here."
"Okay, Grandma," Penelope sighs dramatically as both girls appear in the living room. They settle cross-legged on the carpet, hands folded in their laps, both wearing the matching pajamas they'd picked out during their shopping trip to the City. They look slightly apprehensive, like children who think they might be in trouble.
"Alright, let me start," Sally says gently. "Anahere, sweetheart, I want you to know that you've made quite an impression here in Penny Lake in the short time you've been with us. Everyone in this room absolutely adores you." Her voice grows tender. "I'll admit, when you first said you wanted to adopt us, I was a little overwhelmed. But now? I think it's the most wonderful thing in the world. You're my little girl now, and I promise you, I'm never letting you go."
Anahere leans back on her hands, a radiant smile spreading across her face. "I was really hoping you'd say that. You have no idea how much that means to me."
"I want you to feel completely secure here, to know that you truly are secure," Sally continues. "But I think you might have some secrets you haven't shared with us yet, and we're all very curious about them. Can you tell us a bit more about yourself, your people, and most importantly, why you've really come here and how we can help you with whatever you need to accomplish?"
Anahere's expression grows thoughtful, then troubled. "I'm scared to tell you everything. I don't even know where to begin. I've always had this problem of frightening people away when they learn the truth, and I can't bear the thought of scaring you all off. You're so incredibly important to me right now."
"Don't you worry about that, sweetheart," John says with a reassuring smile. "After everything we've been through together, we don't scare easily. You just say whatever you need to say, and the only reaction you'll get is more hugs and kisses than you can handle."
Anahere's eyes fill with tears, overwhelmed by emotion. "Okay. Here goes." She takes a shaky breath. "Sally, remember when I mentioned having imaginary friends as a little girl? My parents were so consumed with their work that I basically had to raise myself, and those imaginary friends became my real family. They were the ones who actually raised me." Her voice grows more intense. "And remember when I said I read about you in the newspaper in Capitol City? There was a picture of you there. For so many years here with my people, I kept wishing and hoping that my friends would come - my imaginary friends. I was so desperately lonely. My parents aren't in my domain, and I'm completely alone. The others here are very traditional, not modern like me, not technologically inclined. I really belong in a domain like this one, or like Capitol City." "And then I see your picture and I'm thinking, 'Oh my God, there she is!' Sally, you probably don't remember this - or maybe in your timeline it hasn't happened yet - but my main imaginary friend when I was little, the one who was like a real mother to me... that was you." She stops, watching Sally's face anxiously, hoping for acceptance rather than rejection.
"Oh my God is right," Sally whispers, staring at Anahere as tears stream down her cheeks. "Oh sweetheart, you must have been so incredibly lonely all this time." Now Sally is openly crying, her heart breaking at the thought. "Come here, baby," she says, opening her arms wide. "You're home now, my darling. You're finally, truly home." Anahere climbs into Sally's lap, sobbing with relief, and Sally motions for Penelope to join them so she won't feel left out. They hold each other and cry together.
"This is so touching, isn't it, honey?" Penny asks Ben, wiping her own eyes.
"So how much longer is this crying session going to last?" Ben asks bluntly. "I've got more questions that need answers."
"You can be so insensitive sometimes," Penny chides him.
"Hey Penny, could you check the kitchen and see if there are any cookies or something sweet in there?"
"Ben! I'm not going to go rummaging through Sally's kitchen like some kind of scavenger. Besides, you're the host of this domain - can't you just manifest some sugar cookies?"
"I did. They're in the kitchen. Could you go get me one?"
"Oh, you're hilarious. I'm trapped in eternity with a comedian."
"We're okay now," Sally says, drying her eyes and giving both girls a final kiss. "Go ahead with your questions, Ben. And quit tormenting Penny."
"Alright, here's what I need to know," Ben says, focusing on Anahere. "When you entered this domain, I could physically feel your arrival. I see a sweet little girl sitting here, but I'm sensing a much, much larger presence. Do you have any idea why that might be?"
"Maybe," Anahere says carefully. "How big does it feel to you?"
"I can't exactly quantify it, but it's enormous. Actually bigger than anything else I've ever sensed in Penny Lake."
"Well, it should feel big. About as big as a planet, actually."
"A planet?!" they all exclaim in unison.
"As I mentioned before, my people are the designated caretakers of Mother Energy for the planet. Just like you, Ben, serve as the host consciousness for this domain, I am the chosen host for Mother Energy. I carry her within me. It's both my greatest honor and my heaviest burden." Her young voice carries ancient weight. "The time has come - the time is here - to bond this energy back to the planet so Mother Energy can finally return home. I am here to fulfill that purpose."
"How exactly do we accomplish something like that?" Sally asks, still processing this revelation.
"I will guide you through it, Sally. We'll travel to the planet together and perform the bonding ceremony. But first, another bonding must happen here. You need to reawaken your cybernetic friend - reactivate her completely. Then you must take her into yourself, just as I have taken Mother Energy into myself. After that, we'll go to the planet and merge with the biosphere the way you did before. Once our combined energy has integrated with the planet, we'll stay there for several days while everything stabilizes. Then you and I will return here. Earth Energy will be fully restored, your cybernetic friend will be restored, and our burden will finally be lifted. We'll be free." She grins suddenly, the serious little girl becoming a child again. "And then it'll be time to go shopping again!"
"You realize the Council is going to have an absolute fit if you two just take off and do this without consulting them first," Pat warns. "There are multiple factions with serious concerns about putting Nettie back into the planetary system, and they haven't even met Anahere yet."
"I understand their position," Anahere says diplomatically. "I'm prepared to address your Council. I also have concerns from my own people that I'll need to present to them."
"Can you share those concerns with us now?" Pat asks.
"Certainly. It's actually quite straightforward. My people are the First Ones - the original inhabitants. They want to return first and reestablish the ancient sacred sites. We want to restore ourselves to what we were when the technology people first encountered us. This time, however, we want to be true brothers and sisters with the technology people." Her voice grows stronger, more authoritative. "We are a fierce and warrior-like people, but there should no longer be any need for that bloodlust. The technology people are equally warlike - a consuming force that devours everything in its path. There should no longer be any need for that destructive hunger either. It's time for humanity to become one people - individually unique, but truly one family. We will prepare the planet, as we did long ago, for the return of the technology people, and together we will finally become united as one species."
"The Council is going to have a complete meltdown over that proposal," John says, shaking his head. "I can see that battle coming from miles away."
"You're probably right," Sally agrees. "But I have a feeling Anahere might just surprise them. When she first entered my life, she gave me absolutely no choice in the matter - just bulldozed right in and made herself at home." She smiles fondly at the girl. "I think she can handle the Council just fine. They'll shout and argue and complain and carry on like they always do. But at the end of the day, I predict Anahere will have them eating right out of her hand. That's exactly what I see happening."
"I'm completely exhausted," Penelope announces, stretching dramatically. "Let's go to bed, Anahere. You guys can save the world tomorrow."
"I'm right with you, sister," Anahere agrees, hopping up. The girls wave goodnight to the group as they head down the hall toward their shared bedroom, their voices already picking up the thread of whatever conversation had been interrupted.