Ani Was Writing

Mamma Mia: Chapter 7   The rise. The whip. The fall.   Arthur’s practiced tail whip lands just as well as the other ones. If he had a guess, he would say that he’s done this tail whip correctly at least one hundred times. It sounds like something Carlo would have been impressed by -if he wasn’t scrolling through chat rooms and informational rabbit holes on his communicator. “Why are you doing your ‘research’ out here again?” He asks Carlo after landing another tail whip.   Carlo stops fumbling with a list of information links. “Because my parents are going nosy about what I’m looking at. I don’t want them to know what I’m doing.”   Arthur comments to himself about his mother’s surveillance system as he retorts, “You know, the more you stay away from them while you’re doing that only increases the chances of them thinking your gaining stimulation from femoid pin posters from-”   “They already think that. I mean, not the femoid pin posters...

Mamma Mia: Chapter 6   Mia relaxes in her executive chair as the AMS press praises her choices. The Father himself sends her a communication personally thanking her -and Arthur- for bringing his son home safely and without drama. The rest of the press is all speculation: rumors and conspiracies the young Uccello dredged up, a lack of mind-saving medication, and a small inquiry about the legitimacy of the wild claims the young man made. Both the MWS and the AMS state that they do not tolerate babble of that nature.   She hears the library door open and sits up. She suspects it to be her son, but -to her relief- it is the doctor. “Dr. Khalil! This is a pleasant occurrence.”   “I am coming on unofficial business, Mia. May I sit?”   She nods eagerly and gestures to an open chair across from her. He sits and crosses one leg over the other. She relaxes into her chair again and slides a small dish of assorted sweets toward him. He holds his hand up gentl...

Mamma Mia: Chapter 5  “It starts with my father. It always does. My father -a long time ago- had a family. One wife -which is unusual for our syndicate- and a son. Me. Then something happened. He won’t tell me what, but it was important enough to get my mother -his first wife- out of the picture. And I don’t think she died. If she had died, there would be a record of it. But there is no record of her at all. My birth record shows a redacted black bar where her name should be. Then Mia -sorry, Mother Altamura - pops into the scene. Out of nowhere. Even the press says so! She first comes in as a writer and the new wife of the previous MWS Father. She marries him after publishing, then later on he dies of ‘natural causes’ and somehow she ends up being the Mother of MWS.   “It makes me wonder if I’m a child of two syndicates, you know? So I went to go look at Mia’s records, and she has records just as convoluted as mine. She has redacted information all over the place. It mak...

Mamma Mia: Chapter 4      The Feather stops an hour later. “Coordinates reach. Invitation to dock by unknown sender. Proceed?”   “Where are we?” Arthur asks.   “R7-SS42-S3172-ST3.” The ship reads out.   Carlo sits up. “Wait, aren’t those the coordinates for-?”   “What is the current timeframe for the coordinates?” Arthur interrupts.   “The current timeframe for R7-SS42-S3172-ST3 is September 12020.” The ship answers.   “No wonder our communicators don’t work.” Carlo sighs, “We’re in the Exile Ages!”   “It explains why our communicators are freaking out at the moment.” Arthur comments as he taps the computer screen. “How is this ship supposed to find him if we’re in the Exile Ages?”   The ship reels in and descends toward the planet below them. It instinctively camouflages itself as it enters the atmosphere seamlessly. “Can you imagine what would happen if this ship wasn’t as awesome as it...

Mamma Mia: Chapter 3 “I can’t believe we get to go into the Strings to find Alonzo Uccello!” Carlo drops into the co-pilot chair and puts his hands behind his head. He glances to his bored friend and pats Arthur’s propped legs. “Come on, Arthur. No need to have that frown. We’ll be there in no time.”   Arthur glances blankly to Carlo, then to the computer screen, then up to the lights sliding by as they travel. The long trips like this always get to him, especially when it has anything to do with his mom. It never fails. He could be off to save a deity in the Void; as long as mom was involved, all of the joy was forcefully removed.   “Hey, Arthur?” Arthur glances to Carlo, who is staring at Arthur’s resting communicator. “I think your being buzzed.” Arthur picks up his sphere and watches it light up. So many flickers of light, but one stands out: a red question mark near the center – a coded private message from an unknown number. Arthur sits up and tosses his commun...