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Olya was once more exploring the Zone. She had found herself in a tight spot with the patrols, so she was laying low for a while. She looked around, and was sucked into another dimension.
"The fuck?" she exclaimed, floating in confusion.
"Calm, child of sunlight" came a voice. Before her appeared a great something: Some anthropoid-insectoid-rotiferoid with wings and arms and claws.
"What the fuck!?!" she exclaimed once more.
"Be calm: It is required" was the reply.
"Why am I here?" Olya demanded.
"You are appointed as prophet to bring things to pass" the something said. It reached to its forehead and drew out a stream of slime. With a flourish, the slime formed the figure of a young girl.
"Do you know this one?" spoke the something.
"No" Olya said.
"Seek her out" instructed the something, "She must eat the frozen fats of milk before the moon is hidden by its night".
"..The fuck?" Olya said, for the third time in this conversation. A beetly thing with a rotifer's tail appeared in the something's hand.
"This is your guide. It will find the child for you" explained the something, "Be warned: Nobody with two eyes may see the consumption". The beetly thing leapt onto Olya and disappeared into her palm.
"Huh?" said she, breaking the chain of expletives.
"I shall give you a share of my power to complete this task" continued the something, "You will be made proof of death and injury, given power to change your size and to conjure sounds, and taught the language of crows and honeybees". Not sure I'll need all that to get a kid to eat ice-cream Olya thought.
"Thanks for the powers, I guess?" she said to the something.
"These powers are required" replied the something, "Now onward with haste!". The something disappeared, and Olya fell to the ground in a heap. She got up and speedily returned home.
The next day, Olya decided that she may as well get her assignment done. So Olya thought How does this beetle thing go? She exercised her hand, twisting about experimentally, until she saw a ripple on her palm. With a delicate gesture, the beetle appeared above her palm.
"OK" Olya said, "So, can you find the girl?". The beetle clicked, and span about to point its tail. Olya moved her hand experimentally, and realised that the beetle's tail was acting as a compass-point. Wonderful she thought, before dismissing the beetle and heading out. She walked around the city, occasionally checking the beetle to direct herself. Quickly, she found herself at a playground. Makes sense, I guess Olya thought, and summoned the beetle again.
"So, where's that kid?" she asked to the creature. It pointed straight through the crowd, illuminating a single child on the playground.
"Gotcha" she whispered. She turned and wandered over to an ice-cream van to obtain the ice-cream.
"Hello" Olya began, "Can I get, uh, the flake ice-cream in a chocolate cone, with sprinkles". She payed, and the ice-cream man made the ice-cream.
"So, where's your kid?" asked the ice-cream man, as he handed over the cone.
"Oh, yeah" Olya said, "She's, uh, in the playground".
"O-K" replied the ice-cream man. Olya sped away to look for the child. With a quick flick of her beetle she located the child, who was currently playing hide-and-seek in a small bushy copse. At least it'll be easy.. Olya thought, sauntering around to the trees. Quietly she slid into the grove and, with her beetle, found the child hiding in the shrubbery.
"Hey, kid!" Olya began, "D'you want some ice-cream?".
"Huh? Who are you?" the girl demanded.
"Well, uh.." Olya began, "I'm with some very important people, yeah? They need you to come with me and eat this ice-cream".
"Oh, OK!" the girl replied.
"Right, so we need to be discrete" Olya replied, "Get down and eat this quick". The girl enthusiastically complied and quickly ate through the ice-cream. Olya let out a sigh of relief, and watched to ensure the completion of her task. It was only then she noticed the large angry man glaring down at her.
"Oh" Olya said, "Hey ther-". WHAM. Olya found herself laid out on the pavement, and quickly was surrounded by police.
At the police station, Olya was immediately brought for interrogation.
"So" began the officer, "What were you doing with that child?".
"Giving her ice-cream" Olya replied curtly.
"For what reason?" the officer demanded.
"I just wanted to spread a little kindness" Olya replied.
"To a child" the officer replied, "In the bushes of a park, while making sure to stay hidden".
"Well, when you put it that way it sounds terrible" Olya objected, "I was just being nice to the kid".
"There are less suspicious ways to do that" the officer stated. Olya decided it was about time to put a bit more truth in her story: "Someone threatened me" Olya murmured, "He said he would kill me if I didn't help him get the kid". I hope I'm as good an actor as I think she thought.
"What did this guy look like?" the officer challenged.
"Didn't see" Olya stated, "He had a mask on".
"What was he wearing? How tall?" the officer asked.
"He was pretty tall" Olya said, "I'm not sure what he was wearing, though".
"O-K" the officer replied, "We'll look out for him". Then the officer left. Later in the day, Olya was released from the police station and escorted home.
Olya's next day began with the sound of her doorbell. She groggily answered the door to see Anya on her doorstep.
"Hey" Anya said, "Can I crash here for a bit?".
"OK" Olya replied. Then she had an idea: "Just, can you do me a favour?".
"What is it?" Anya asked.
"Oh, it's just a small babysitting job" Olya informed. Anya merely stared back in confusion.
"Let me explain" Olya began, "To be brief, I've been tasked with making sure this one kid eats some ice-cream without anyone seeing it. What I want you to do is go babysit that kid and make sure that happens".
"And why do we need to do that?" Anya asked.
"The world will end" Olya said, "Maybe. I'm not really sure. Either way, you'll get some money".
"Oh, great! Money!" Anya said, "Sure, I'll do it. Where do they live?". Olya paused.
"That's a good question" she sighed.
"Welp" Anya said, "It wasn't a bad idea, at least". As Olya closed the door, she noticed a quiet rattling noise outside. She opened the door again and saw a pair of rooks chattering on the curb.
"Wonder what's up" the first rook rattled.
"She saw us, let's go" the other replied. Olya cleared her throat.
"Hello there" she then said to the rooks.
"What? She speaks?" cawed the second rook.
"I suppose so" added the first. Olya explained her plight to the birds, who happened to know the girl and her address.
"Thanks" Olya said, "Goodbye". She shut the door and returned to her usual human voice.
"Hey, Anya" she called, "I found the address".
Anya promptly arrived at the given address and rang the doorbell. The door was hurriedly answered by a woman, presumably the child's mother.
"Do you have a kid" Anya asked.
"Yeah.." replied the woman.
"Great" Anya replied, "D'you need a babysitter?".
"Uh, no" the woman said, and shut the door.
"Wait!" Anya said, "I, uh, don't you need some free time?".
"No, not really" the woman replied. Anya stammered, but then she had an idea.
"I could, uh, bring her to the arcade!" she exclaimed, "They got some new machines for kids, and I've got a free pass for the arcade. It'll be a fun day out for them. And I really need some cash".
"Hmm.." the woman murmured, "Let me talk to my husband". The door shut, and was reopened by a large, imposing man with a smartphone. With a click, he took a picture of Anya.
"Hey!" Anya exclaimed, "Why're you taking pics like that?".
"Our daughter almost got kidnapped yesterday" the man droned, "We're just taking some precautions". Anya paused.
"..Is this a bad time?" she asked.
"My wife thinks you're trustworthy" the man admitted, "Plus we have your face, and our kid has a tracker. Just keep her close". They exchanged phone numbers and discussed time and payment, then Anya and the child set off.
"Part one complete!" Anya mumbled quietly, before she whipped out her phone and called Dima.
"Hey" Anya began, "Want to come to the arcade".
"Eh, OK" Dima replied, "I'll meet you there".
"Cool" Anya said, "By the way, I've got a kid to babysit. I'll explain later. Bye".
"K, bye" Dima replied. At the arcade, Anya found Dima outside of the arcade.
"So, what's up with the babysitting?" Dima asked.
"Huh? Oh!" Anya exclaimed, "Well, Olya wants this kid to eat some ice-cream, but without anyone seeing it".
"That's.. weird" Dima stated.
"Come to think of it" Anya replied, "It is pretty strange. But Olya thinks it'll stop the end of the world or something, so we may as well". Dima only stared in response.
"She's not crazy!" Anya exclaimed, "I'd know if she was!".
"Well, OK.." Dima murmured, "Anyway, let's go". Dima headed into the arcade: Off to the side was a vending machine that dispensed special cards that gave free credits for all of the machines. It was expensive, but he didn't intend to pay. Instead, he pretended to slip a bill into the machine, and used his telekinetic power to operate the rollers and switches inside the machine. Then, he received his two free cards. He, Anya, and the child then headed into the arcade.
"You're so cool" Anya told Dima.
"Don't talk about that" Dima whispered.
"Sorry" Anya quietly replied.
"What'ya talking about?" the child asked.
"Nothing to do with you" Dima said harshly.
"Hey! She's just a kid" Anya protested, "Specifically, a kid that I'm responsible for!".
"I guess so.." Dima sighed, "Anyway, let's go play". They had a not-unpleasant day hanging out and entertaining the child with their free unlimited credits. Then Anya remembered something pretty important: "Crap! The ice-cream".
"You said a bad word!" the child chided.
"I can say that" Anya returned, "Anyway, d'you want some ice-cream? 'Cause you really need to eat some".
"Ice-cream?" the child smiled, "Yay!".
"Great" Anya said, "Let's go". They walked to the snack bar and Anya went up to the counter.
"Hey" Anya began, "Can we get some ice-cream?".
"Ice-cream?" the attendant spoke, "We don't sell ice-cream..".
"I've been here before" Anya replied, "You've always sold choc-ices".
"Oh, we do choc-ice" the attendant said, "Just not ice-cream". Anya groaned.
"OK" she continued, "Can we get a choc-ice?". The attendant went to the freezer, but returned empty-handed.
"We're out" they said.
"Out?" Anya replied, "Dammit! Do you have anything else with ice-cream?".
"Nope" replied the attendant.
"Really?" Anya exclaimed, "Fuck! I guess.. we'll get drinks".
"OK. What would you like?" the attendant said, "Maybe a soda float? Or a milkshake".
"What!?!" Anya yelled, "Why didn't you say that before?".
"Huh?" replied the attendant. Anya took a deep breath: "Look" she began, "What's in the soda float?".
"It's soda with ice-cream in it" the attendant explained. Anya stared in disbelief. The attendant stared back.
"OK" Anya sighed, "Can I get the soda float, without soda?".
"OK" the attendant said brightly, and prepared the 'drink'. Anya finally payed up, and took her ice-cream.
"Hey, kid" Anya said to the child, "Let's go". Anya led the child away from the snack bar and found a relatively family-friendly shooting game-booth hidden in the corner.
"Here's your ice-cream" Anya said, handing the dessert over, "Don't let anyone see you eat it". The child happily complied, and the rest of the day went on without a hitch. The only issue was the column of sharp-eyed ants that happened to be passing by at the exact wrong time.
Olya was once more exploring the Zone. She could hear singing in the distance, which she found was coming from a tribe of beautiful slug-women. But before she could make her move, a dreamy two-faced fish swam out of nowhere and blocked her path. Riding on its fin was the something that gave her task: "Prophet" it began, "Know this, your task is not yet done..". Olya awoke in a cold sweat.
"Damn" she groaned, "Guess I actually have to do something". She then returned to sleep. Morning came, she went to work, and in the afternoon she had an idea. On her way home, she took a diversion to the arts-and-craft store and picked up some felt and other materials. As she left, she ran into Anya.
"So" Olya smiled, "What'ya up to?". Anya groaned: "How do you keep finding me" she complained.
"Who can say" Olya said.
"Anyway" Anya said, "Why're you at a crafts store?".
"Buying crafts stuff" Olya 'explained'.
"But why?" Anya demanded. Olya paused.
"If you must know.." she began, "I've decided to try out making miniature costumes".
"Want me to help?" Anya beamed, "I love making doll clothes, and not to brag but I'm pretty good at it".
"Well" Olya began, "I guess I'll need some guidance". The two of them returned to Olya's home, and soon they began on their art. After coming up with an idea and a rough sketch, the two of them set to work on the costume. Olya didn't find it unenjoyable, but she wasn't sure if she'd try it again. At the end, they had made a rather cutesy miniature fairy costume. Anya proudly applied it to Olya's mannequin, and they were done with the costume-making. Later on at night, Olya put her idea into action: Silently, she retrieved the mannequin and brought it to her room. She stripped down, and used her recently-gained power to shrink herself to the scale of the mannequin. Having altered her size, she clothed herself in the scaled-down costume. It fit her well, and was not that uncomfortable. I guess I have a pretty generic body Olya thought. She checked herself in the mirror: The costume made her just as a story-book fairy, with a mask and bonnet to disguise her identity. She returned to her usual clothing and size, packed up the costume and her plan, and set out into the night.
A short walk later, she arrived outside the child's home. Luckily for her, the windows were open and the house was all dark. Swiftly, she put her plan into action: First, she hid herself in a nearby house's yard, next she shrank herself and stashed her clothes, before she put on the fairy costume and shoved her bag under a garden chair. Now, it's show-time she thought. Olya made her way to the house, swiftly climbed up the creepers on the wall, and hopped through the window into the child's bedroom. This feels creepy.. Olya thought ..Well, too late now. She tentatively wandered to the sleeping child, and, with a gulp, jumped onto the bed. The child stirred awake at the disturbance.
"Hello" Olya began, "I'm, uh, the ice-cream fairy?". The child's eyes grew wide.
"You're a fairy?" the child exclaimed.
"I guess.." Olya said, "Anyway, you ne-". The child grabbed Olya and leapt out of bed, and flipped on the lights. For the first time, Olya got a good look at the child's bedroom: It was much like any other young girl's, except for a large collection of strange bugs locked in jars.
"W-well" Olya continued, "You, uh, need to go eat some ice-cream..". The child ignored her, instead directing her attention to a large empty jar.
"What are you doing?" Olya asked. Instead of answering, the child tossed Olya into the jar and closed it up with a gauze binding. They then shut off the light and returned to bed.
"Well, shit" Olya said. She weighed up her options: Returning to her usual size right there, without any clothing, would not go very well for her legally. She considered leaping through the gauze, but she wasn't sure how strong it was. As she thought, she noticed a low buzzing come and go above her. Worth a shot she thought, before turning her voice to the tongue of bees: "Hello?". The buzzing turned and flew at her jar.
"What are you?" the buzzing honeybee replied.
"A.. friend" Olya answered, "Now, would you help me out here?".
"No" the bee said, "There's an invisible wall keeping us in".
"What th- Oh" Olya replied, "I think I know a way past that thing. But first, I need to get out of this".
"I cannot help you" the bee said, "my knife is not for cutting fabric". Knife? Olya mused, "Look, there must be something sharp in here. Why not look around a bit?". The bee buzzed away, and a flew minutes later returned empty-basketed.
"I found nothing sharp" the bee explained.
"Well, what did you find?" Olya demanded. The bee listed off many oddments, such as sharp needles, glass, and a red-tipped stick.
"Wait, what was that stick again?" Olya asked.
"It was long, with a red tip like a book scorpion and a white spot on the end" re-explained the bee.
"Bring it here" Olya said, "I think I have an idea". The bee left, and returned clutching a matchstick.
"Great!" Olya exclaimed, "Now, just push down and rub it on the top". The bee followed the request, and after a few tries the match burst into flame, burning open the gauze. The bee dropped it with the apian equivalent of a yell, and Olya leapt from the burning hole.
"Now deal with the wall" urged the bee. Olya hopped over to the windowsill, followed intently by her insect companion.
"OK" Olya began, "Show me your problem". The bee buzzed over and landed on the window.
"You see the white bit underneath?" Olya continued, "Go under it". Tentatively, the bee followed, and escaped from the room in a hurry. Olya looked out into the night, and noticed the moon above was but a narrow crescent. Seeing this, she had only one thing to say: "Oh, fuck".
Olya's next day began with stress. She barely had a day left for her monster-given task, and she was fresh out of ideas. While checking the news, she found an interesting story: The child she was tracking had been kidnapped and was being held for ransom by a local gang. Seeing this, a plan formed in her head. Quickly she prepared what she needed and headed out. With the aid of her knowledge of the city and the beetly thing in her hand, she swiftly neared the gang's headquarters. The building was obvious to her, and she soon found an unguarded entrance to sneak in. With little effort she slid through the building like a ghost, avoiding all notice until she tripped over a wire and fell with a loud bang.
"Shit" she cursed, lying in defeat as she was grabbed and dragged away. Immediately she was bound, gagged, and blindfolded, before getting picked up and carried deeper into the building. An uncomfortably long walk later, Olya was roughly dropped onto a chair, and her blindfold was ripped off. Olya found herself in a wide open room filled with armed guards. Stood in front of her was a red-haired man in rather extravagant clothing.
"So.." the man began, "You're the snoop". Olya grunted into her gag.
"Well, we don't tolerate snoops here.." the man continued. He then withdrew an ornate sword and pointed it at Olya. Olya looked around hurriedly, and noticed an open window. Well.. Olya considered, It can't get worse. Using her recent powers, she summoned the sound of a gun-shot right outside of the window. The effect was immediate: Panic filled the room, and a volley of bullet flew in the air. A tense firefight broke out, thus leaving Olya unattended. Hidden in the confusion, she took this opportunity to try and escape. First, she hopped off the chair and crawled over to a dropped blade to cut herself free. Now mobile, Olya crept along the floor, and slid through a door into an unlit room. In the room, she found the child, tightly bound but otherwise unharmed. Olya checked the room, shut the door, and freed the child.
"It's OK, I won't hurt you" Olya reassured as she pulled the binding from the child, "Just don't scream, alright?". This helped calm the child, somewhat. Now, the ice-cream.. Olya thought. Her eye wandered, until she realized where they were: That being, a small pantry, including a chest freezer. Olya sprang over and threw the appliance open, and immediately saw her saviour: A small tub of barely expired ice-cream.
"Quick, eat this!" Olya said, thrusting the tub at the child. The child complied in a mix of fear and hunger, while Olya watched with relief. At a final bite Olya felt a soft chill flow from her hand, before her beetly guide emerged for one last goodbye, before fluttering away through the wall.
"At last, I'm done with it" Olya sighed, "Now, we just need to deal with the armed kidnappers".