The Change

Harry looked at the clock for the hundredth time in the past ten minutes and returned to the finished stack of work on his desk while sweat ran down his cheek. “So, you gonna do it or not?” A voice said from the other side of his cubical wall. “If you want to make it in time, you’re going to have to leave in like...”

“Ten minutes. I know, Brit. I don’t want to get my booty chewed out.”

A laugh sounded from his right, “A 35-year-old man saying booty... Oh man, how kids change someone.”

“Shut up, Steve.” Brit snapped, “You need to go now. You can’t know if you don’t try, right?”

Harry took a deep breath, steeled himself, and stood. “You’re right. I got this!”

“Atta man. Go tell that booty what for!” Steve laughed and gave Harry a fist pump as he passed.

The sound of clanking keyboards, frantic phones, and stress-filled sighs was blocked out by the sound of his own heartbeat thudding against his eyes. He knocked twice on the clear door. His boss, phone glued to his ear, waved him in. “Yeah. ... Yes. ... Uh-hu...” He gave Harry the finger. Harry nodded and stood there waiting as he was told. “YES! That’s what I’ve been saying!” Harry looked out the tenth-story window and, as always, marveled at the view. The sea of buildings and people put him in a trance every time. “Ha! HA! Ah, man!” His boss slamming the phone back into the housing jarred Harry back into the office. “You will not guess what just happened!”

“What, sir?”

“The proposal that I’ve been working on for weeks now?” He paused, waiting.

“Uh... Yes, sir.” Harry had no idea.

“Well... They took it! And loved it. Oh man, this is great.” He spun in his seat like a child, laughing. “So what’s up, Gyalls?”

“That’s great, sir. Well, I was just... I’ve been working a lot of weekends, and I’d like to leave early today to surprise my daughter by picking her up from school.”

His boss rapped on his desk, “You’ve been the one catching up all the reports over the weekend?”

“Well... yes. Brit, sorry, Nelson and I have, yes.”

“Those reports helped sway upstairs to go for my proposal.” He stood from his leather chair. “Sure, go on. You know what, you and Nelson can have Monday off as well.” He made a quick note and then walked over to Harry. “Say, how old is your daughter, again?” He reached out and shook Harry’s hand.

Harry turned the answer over in his head a few times, and the necklace hidden under his shirt seemed to triple in weight. “Her age, man! A father willing to risk asking for a long weekend should know his own child’s age.” His boss laughed.

“She’s... She will be five next month.”

A familiar pain flickered into his boss’s eyes for a moment, but he recovered quickly. “Well, then go on. Get out of here! Wouldn’t want to make you late and have you send her after me.” He forced a belly laugh out and leaned over to open the door.

A silver gleam from under his shirt caught Harry’s eye. He smiled and nodded, “Thank you, Mr. Tennsa. I really appreciate this.” He stopped halfway through the door and turned, “You know,” he whispered, “The Change was hard for many people.” Harry held out a business card, “There’s a group that meets once a week at the big church to talk about it.” Their eyes locked for a moment before his boss began looking up and down the empty hallway. “You know, just in case… if you happen to know anybody having to deal with it.”

Mr. Tennsa slammed the door and dropped the blinds, turning his glass door a solid black. Harry smiled, slipping his empty hand back into his pocket.

Harry looked at the break room clock and bolted. He took the stairs three at a time and burst through the basement door. His labored breathing echoed in the alleyway; he checked his watch.  At this rate, he should still make it there before she went to lunch. Normal business lunch rush wouldn’t be for another hour; with some luck, they’d be eating by the time the streets crowded. 

He entered the run-down old church only five minutes later than predicted. The middle-aged lady at the desk made him sign some papers, show his ID to confirm, and give them the security code his wife had set up—a process he thought was tedious but also necessary. 

“She’ll be out in just a moment,” The lady said, pulling Harry’s attention from the sparkling ruby dangling from a silver chain around her neck. “They just got to the lunch room, so she’ll have to go get her things.” She beamed just like the red stone.

“How do you..?” Harry started.

“Wear it so proudly?” she interrupted. This is a safe space. All of us who work here have someone going through the Change.” She held her smile, but Harry detected pity in her eyes. “Have you found anyone to confide in? Aside from your wife, I mean.”

“No... I just... Well, maybe. Someone did take a card from me today. Mr. Tennsa is all I know him by. Please, if he shows, will you tell me.”

“Of course. And thank you.”

“I’m trying. I’m just a worried father. I’m still worried someone will come after us…”

“Remember, there is a plan. That’s what they said.”

“Yeah. And they can shove that plan right up their…”

“Daddy!”

Without a second thought, Harry whipped around and caught the flying streak of yellow mid-leap. “AH! There she is! And how is my Little Bunny today?” He said, tickling her.

“Stop it, Daddy!” She squirmed, back legs kicking wildly in the air. He stopped, let her breathe again, but continued holding her in his arms.

With his girl still giggling, he turned back to the nun, “I’m sorry. I meant no offense. Please, if Mr. Tennsa shows up…”

She nodded, and the ruby bounced, “We’ll make him feel as comfortable as possible. Please continue to spread the word.”

Harry gave her a tight-lipped nod and headed out the door.

His daughter, Kearra, hopped out of his arms, sending her braids flopping this way and that. “I’m so happy you came and got me. Do you have to work this weekend?” She teetered her head back and forth, keeping the momentum of the braids.

He knelt to her level and loosened his tie. “No, I do not. And you want to know something else?” Her hazel eyes grew bigger than they already were, and she nodded furiously. “I don’t have work on Monday, either.” She twirled, and her candy yellow dress plumed up and settled back down.

“That’s fantastic!” She sprung back into his arms, and they hugged for a long moment. “Can I stay home with you?”

“Sure you can. I’m sure Mommy wouldn’t mind helping you catch up on the schoolwork.” He did his best to focus on her smile, how their hands felt clasped together, and his love for her. Because the pain of carrying this chain around his neck was burning a hole in his stomach. It just takes one wrong person to catch a glimpse. And… He took a deep breath. Her hair is getting so long.

“Run!!” Harry yelled at Kearra, “Hurry!!” The red light flashed as the numbers counted down. “We’re not going to make it!! Let’s GO!!” Her braids flopped wildly as she tried to catch up to him, her face red with effort. “Come on! Come On!!” He screamed. The red number flicked down, ‘5’. Harry reached a hand out for Kearra, “You can do it!!” She ran past him and pounced onto the sidewalk as the crosswalk sign flicked over to the red hand.

She bounced up and down, “I beat you. I beat you!”

“Barely. And only because I stopped to help you.”

She stuck out her tongue, “I didn’t need help.” He laughed and grabbed her up in another hug, making bone-cracking sounds as he squeezed her. “Hey!” She yelled in his face. He smiled with wide eyes. “Can we go get some popcorn? Chocolate Popcorn!” He could practically hear her mouth-watering.

“Where do you think we’re headed?” He said, setting her back down.

They walked the few blocks to the old-time candy shop. Harry still couldn’t believe that Old Man Tim’s shop had stayed open all this time, even through the Change, through everything.

The rustic shop was in sight when a woman’s scream sounded from a nearby alley. It was a scream of honest fear or pain or both. Harry froze, feeling the necklace’s weight again. There was only one outcome, and he dreaded it. The scream’s echoes faded in the fall air, and Harry did his best to forget he had heard anything. But as he feared, a tiny hand squeezed his.

“Daddy...” she whispered. The scream sounded out again, even more frantic than before, and he knew what he had to do. He nodded and knelt to her level; his eyes pleated to her determined ones. “There’s a purpose, remember.”

He nodded, and his vision blurred as he lifted the necklace over his head. His hands trembled as the amethyst began to glow. “Just...” he choked and kissed her forehead, “Just... Remember what they’ve taught you. Stay safe.” He blinked away the tears. “And remember... I love you.”

“I love you too, Daddy.”

He dropped the silver chain with its gleaming ruby around her neck and watched as The Change took control. Her two braids flattened and grew wider, her legs curved, and her feet elongated. After it was done, the large-eyed thing... Kearra... It’s still Kearra, stood level with him. Kearra flopped her huge ears back and forth, and her eyes smiled at him. Through all the worry and fear, pride grew and warmed him, “Go get ’em, my little Bunny.” He smiled as Kearra hopped and leaped toward the alley where the scream echoed from. “Purpose or not... At least she can make a difference in this world.”