The Sinners of Erspia

Helsey was put back in her drab brown smock while Nellie settled down to stitch the tucks in the ceremonial dress. Brio had taken the day off from his work and cuddled and hugged his daughter often, in a touching display of affection.

“You are attending the Festival yourselves, aren't you?” Nellie insisted to Laedo and Histrina. “After all, it only comes once a year."

Laedo assumed the years were measured by the harvests, unless Klystar had arranged a climatic cycle for Erspia-5, which was unlikely.

“Of course!” Histrina promised eagerly.

Fatalistically Laedo agreed. Some time soon he wanted to visit the planetoid's moon, but he was in no hurry.

Despite Histrina's apparent good behaviour, he kept an eye on her for the rest of the day. Once or twice he attempted to engage Helsey in conversation, but the child seemed to have developed a need to be no more than a foot or two away from at least one of her parents: a clinging desire more typical of a worried two year old.

As ever the Fongs were all hospitality, gladly including their guests in the midday meal, which was a lamb roast lovingly prepared by Nellie, accompanied by mixed vegetables and followed by a sweet pudding.

The afternoon became an idyllic family scene. Laedo more than once observed Brio wipe a tear from his eye as he watched his daughter being fussed over by her mother. Whenever Helsey looked particularly strained, Nellie would stroke her hair and whisper in her ear, at which the child would utter a relieved giggle, only to relapse into silent sadness shortly afterwards.

The regular work of the community finished early that day. Instead an activity was undertaken on a grassy field, on the opposite side of the village from Butterly Meadow. A platform was erected, overlain with a deep blue cloth. Meantime straw was carried from a barn and spread all over the field.

Consequently there was no congregating in the drinking hall that evening. Laedo and Histrina retired to the projector station, talked for a while, then slept.

The next day dawned warm and bright. There had been no rain to wet the straw or spoil the proceedings—a fact of which the villagers seemed to have been aware in advance. Brio had advised them that the main ceremony would take place at mid-morning. After that, he added, with a brief twinkle in his eye, the festival would begin.

Following a leisurely breakfast, Laedo and Histrina set off. The village was deserted, every door closed.

From the distance they could hear music, and on coming to the meadow, saw musicians on the blue-clad platform. There were two violins, a large wooden flute, and a type of harmonium. Though not played very expertly, the instruments achieved an organ-like effect, reminding Histrina of the sort of music that was played in the chapel in her own village of Courhart. The entire adult population of the village was by now trampling the hay that was strewn on the meadow, but surprisingly Laedo could see no children in the crowd. The musicians finished their session and were replaced on the platform by a plump, round-faced man in an untypical garb of scarlet knee breeches and purple waistcoat. Raising his face to the sky, he began to harangue in a nearly shouting voice.

"Lord Voluptus! We thank you for your many gifts! Forgive us our sins, and guide us so that wemay know your love in our hearts! Receive now the service of our little ones and bestow upon us

the pleasure of your beneficence!"

There was more in the same vein, and Laedo soon stopped listening to it. He noted that the moon, putative dwelling place of Voluptus, had moved directly overhead. At length the speaker concluded his prayer, lowered his head, and gestured into the crowd.

The only children to be present, Helsey and three others around the same age, were brought forward and lifted on to the platform, where they stood together in a line: two little girls and two little boys, all finely turned out in their special clothes. The gathering fell back, creating a space in front of the platform. Laedo could see the Fongs near the front. Their faces were pinched and strained.

Dead silence prevailed, until suddenly one of the boys began to blubber. The composure of the others broke at this. Helsey Fong imploringly held out her arms.

"Mommy! Daddy! I don't want to go! I want to stay with you!"

No reply came. The air around the children was misting, forming a bubble about each of them.

Amazingly, their feet lifted off the platform. They were levitating, like puppets being raised up on strings.

The movement was slow at first, but very soon it accelerated. The children were whipped up into the sky.

Towards the moon.

In seconds they had dwindled and disappeared.