They were 10 years old when the incident happened. Hiding in the woods to try to escape the abuse they endured in the orphanage, they'd come across an unusual sight. Half-buried in the ground was .... something. They didn't know what it was, exactly, but the three outside the object sounded distressed. They went to the three and found them to be not much taller than they were and they were like very large birds. The problem had been the ship, for that is what the beings explained it to be, had been caught in a storm and they'd had to land for emergency repairs. The beings though they'd be safer if the ship was somewhat hidden in the nearby dirt cave only to have the cave collapse and the beings couldn't dig out, they were not strong enough. The youngster thought for a long moment and asked the beings to wait. About an hour later, five children followed the first youngster carrying buckets and shovels. They'd snuck the supplies out of the garden shed while the abusive staff were having their annual poker night. By this time, most of them were far from sober.
While it took several hours, and a few rest breaks, the kids managed to help the beings dig out the ship and the beings were deeply grateful as they completed the repairs. The kids being there, for that, also was a boon as the kids, together, were strong enough to hold panels in place while they were permanently secured. With the help of the youngsters, the ship was repaired in record time. The beings then asked the kids what it was that they'd like in return. The youngsters, aged 10 to only 6, had only one wish. To leave this orphanage where they endured constant times of hunger and often were struck. Indeed some of the kids still sported some fairly large bruises. The beings nodded and said for the kids to be patient.
Not too long after this incident a much, much larger craft showed up. -- Anon Guest
Everyone wanted to adopt babies. As soon as you cleared four years of age, the chances of being adopted plummeted like a rock into a pond. Tae and Ollie knew this, they knew they were more likely to age out of Foster Care than get adopted out of it. It was a fact of life just like the fact that foster homes were generally shitty places run by horrible people that viewed every kid who lived there as a paycheque. Neither of them could point to the day they learned that the world was cruel. It was just another fact of life.
Just like huddling in the lee side of a boulder in the old abandoned quarry and hoping that the Old Man didn't find them this time was a fact of life. Just like holding their breaths as they held each other and listening to hear if his hollering was getting closer. Just like knowing when to run centred around how much the Old Man stank of cheap alcohol. This was, however, the first time that there were other small life forms huddled in the old quarry under the negligible shelter that one of the overhangs loaned them.
They looked like birds, but no bird on Earth had claw-like fingers extending from their wings. No bird on Earth had a head that big, nor such expressive eyes. No bird on Earth held on to another like Tae and Ollie held each other against the threat in the rain-soaked afternoon.
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