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“Sit…Down…please.” The radio crackled, carrying Tezuka’s thoughts as a bony finger beckoned Peg to approach. Against her better judgment she walked closer until she was standing over him.
Age had certainly caught up with Tezuka as his face was covered in wrinkles and his body deathly thin. The machines sang a cacophony of noise with pressure accordions wheezing and bellowing in rhythm. When Peg looked down at Tezuka his eyes looked at hers and she saw the eyes of a tired man who had many stories to tell but was running out of time to tell them.
“Who…are…you?” The radio continued.
“My name’s Peg York, I’m from the roots.”
There was silence for a few long moments before the radio crackled again.
“The…roots…interesting.”
“Now it’s my turn for some questions, why are you enslaving these beastlings? What was that woman talking about before you shot her down?”
The radio quickly flipped through stations, sputtering barely intelligible noise. It was silent before starting its speech again.
“Why…care…for…them?”
“I don’t need a reason, no one should be treated how you treat them.”
“You…are…a…Green…Thumb?” The radio spoke, ignoring Peg’s answer.
Peg raised an eyebrow, looking at the radio and then back to Tezuka.
“I don’t know what that is.”
Tezuka’s weary eyes widened, looking past Peg at the large balls of cotton that absorbed most of his ink. His eyes darted back to Peg and his body seemed to stir but not enough to let him move from the bed. His eyes softened, then closed and a smile crept across his face under his breathing apparatus.
“What…do…you…want…Peg York…?”
“I want to find Josie and get the Hell out of this crazy place.” Peg replied, turning on her heel to leave.
“What…do…you…want…Peg York…?”
Peg stopped in her tracks but didn’t turn around. “I said I want to find my friend and get out of here, are you deaf old man?”
The radio repeated the question again, and again until Peg finally screamed.
“I want to see my mom again!”
Peg gripped her fist as the words hung in the silent, empty air. The radio crackled and instead of the question repeating, it switched between different stations but each station shared the same thing. Laughter. The laughter grew louder and Peg wiped away her tears before storming out, leaving Tezuka behind.
As she exited the laughter from the radio stopped before crackling one last time.
“Her…daughter…the world…will finally…fall.”
The radio hissed and soon melted away along with all of the machines and wires connected to Tezuka. It continued to melt into a puddle beneath his bed leaving behind a room with 4 drab gray walls. Tezuka lay in nothing but a gown and thin blanket. His breathing was labored as he stared at the ceiling before shutting his eyes and passing his last breath.
When Peg exited the room she found herself in a different part of what was once Tezuka Park. Every building looked run down and devoid of any color. Even Sweet Street seemed more inviting. She noticed faint streaks of color and followed it until she found where Josie and Tezuka finished their fight. The multicolored Ink spread like a pool over the streets with Beastlings caked in color waking up. She passed through all of them and eventually found Josie lying unconscious. She kneeled down next to her, running her hand through her disheveled locks and smiled.
“I knew you could do it kid.” Peg said softly.
She then felt a grip against her shoulder, whipping around she saw that Gretty was standing over her, glaring before yelling.
“Who the Hell are yo-”
Peg leapt up, recognizing Gretty from the viewing orb and hugged her tight, thanking her over and over again. Gretty was taken aback before finally putting two and two together. She smiled and hugged her back.
“So you must be who Josie couldn’t shut up about.”
The pair of them checked on all the other Beastling’s they could and the ones still alive seemed good enough to leave on their own two feet. The group formed together and made their way out of the ruins of Tezuka park making their descent back to Megashine City
🌱🌱🌱
While Ida sat in her office, nervously smoking a cigarette she heard banging on the back door. She rushed to it, gripping a knife in her hands just in case but when she opened it there was a crowd of Beastlings with Peg standing in the center, carrying Josie in her arms.
“Hey Doctor, got any room?” Peg asked, smiling weakly.
Ida felt a tear come down from her eyes as her beak slowly turned to a smile under her mask. Without a word she stepped aside and welcomed everyone in.
Over the next few days Ida and Peg did their best to help the former prisoners along with Gretty who helped as soon as she was feeling back up to the task. The damage from the silver weapons and Tezuka’s ink had taken a toll on most of the Beastlings but Doctor Ida had just the right medicine to get them better in no time. Pretty soon many of the others were healthy again and Doctor Ida acquired what she wanted for years, some extra hands to help.
🌱🌱🌱
A week and a half had passed since the events at Tezuka Park and Peg finally felt like she had a moment to rest. Many of the Beastlings who were once prisoners had found ways to help around the clinic which also helped Doctor Ida find a few moments to kick her feet up.
While the other prisoners were back to fighting shape, Josie on the other hand was still recovering. After the Green Road Derby, fighting their way out of Wool Works and everything that transpired at Tezuka Park it all finally caught up to her. Her condition was stable but she hadn’t opened her eyes since the end of her fight. Peg found herself hiding away in Ida’s office, away from the commotion in the rest of the clinic. It was the only place with real peace and quiet where she hoped and prayed for Josie’s recovery.
“What a mess!” Ida groaned, opening the door and dropping a stack of papers on her desk. “If I knew having all these volunteers would result in this much paperwork I would’ve turned them away.”
Gretty had discussed helping some of the Beastlings find their way home amongst the Stalk, those without a home to go to decided to stay and volunteer at the clinic. Not just to help out but also for a chance to meet the young girl who helped them escape in the first place.
Peg chuckled and shook her head as Ida continued her rant but then she noticed the stack was beginning to fall. Without lifting a finger a potted plant on a nearby shelf extended its leaves out to push up against the papers, keeping them from spilling everywhere. Ida noticed this and stopped mid rant, staring at Peg wide-eyed who was just as shocked as her.
“You’re a Green Thumb?” Ida exclaimed in a hush.
“That’s the second time someone called me that, what the Hell is a Green Thumb!? Is that why I feel like I can talk to these plants and make them move?”
Ida was no longer listening, briskly walking to the window Peg was sitting near and slamming it shut along with the door to her office. She turned on her heel towards the bookshelf, pulling down a large wood crate. She rummaged through it, flipping through papers and folders frantically causing Peg to stand and watch with confusion.
“I had a feeling when you told me your name but I thought it had to be a coincidence…” Ida thought aloud, trailing off as she continued her search. “Of course you’re a green thumb, no one just has ‘magic cotton.’ What are the odds, I thought. It just had to be impossible.”
“Ida you’re not really making sense. What does my name have to do with anything?”
Ida stopped searching for a moment, pulling out an envelope and holding it up triumphantly in the air. She opened it and flipped through a stack of photographs before finding the right one. She shuffled over to Peg holding the photo up to her face before gasping under her mask.
“Leopold alive, it’s uncanny.” She whispered to herself.
“Alright this is getting weird.” Peg said, stepping back and swatting away Ida’s hand.
“Sorry sorry!” Ida replied. “But your mother, her name is Oleander isn’t it?”
Peg froze. She hadn’t mentioned anything about her mother to Ida or anyone else since she crossed the clouds. Even Josie, who had limited knowledge about Peg’s parents, didn't know their names. So how did this woman in a city thousands of miles in the sky know?
“I knew it!” Ida smiled before running back to grab the envelope she found. “I met your mother, over 20 years ago. She saved my life!”
To be continued