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Message-ID: <63519asstr$1441707002@assm.asstr-mirror.org>
From: Albert Speer <meatbot777@gmail.com>
Subject: {ASSM} Rat Girl (pedo, Mg)
Lines: 1691
Date: Tue, 08 Sep 2015 06:10:02 -0400
Path: assm.asstr-mirror.org!not-for-mail
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Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories.moderated,alt.sex.stories
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     Title          : Rat Girl

     Author      : MeatBot

     Keywords : pedo, Mg, sci-fi

     Date         : 20150902

     Mail          : meatbot777 at gmail dot com

     http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/MeatBot/

     A man in a bleak future meets a young girl who lives on the street.

     Disclaimer :

Copyright by the author. Permission is granted to archive, repost, or
publish in no-cost or low-cost archives, periodicals, anthologies of this
type of material if unaltered and attributed to the author. This is a work
of fiction. The author does not condone any sexual activity among persons
under 16 in real life.

This is a work of fiction and any resemblance to reality is accidental and
would be damn surprising. Be warned that this story may involve explicit
descriptions of sexual activities, including some defined under law as
"Weird Shit". Do not read this story if you believe that fictional
characters should not have fictional sex, or if you are less than the age
of consent in your social or legal group, or if you live under a
repressive, totalitarian regime in an out-of-the-way place such as the USA.
If you like it, I did it. If you hate it, I didn't. If it offends you, it
was a misprint. If you want to sue me, I don't exist. Sue the internet
instead. Nobody's twisting your arm. Leave if you don't like crap like
this. These are just words, people. Just words.

Be warned, this is a goofy, infantile, poorly written, disgusting and
depraved story with bad punctuation, bad grammar, and lots of misspelled
words. I am not an English major. Deal with it. This story is all made up.
I know it's kinda sappy, and I apologize. It's just the way it came out. I
don't speak a word of Chinese either, so blame Google if I fucked up. And
please don't eat rats, people. If you don't like this shit, go read
something else. Don't bitch at me. You have been warned.

This story is graded <TAME> compared to some of the shit I've read in this
group.

This story is what happens when you have too much free time at work.


                              --==+==--


I first saw the rat girl one breezy dark September morning, when I was
hurrying to work. As I neared my building, I stepped off the sidewalk to
avoid a large pack of feral kids coming towards me, loud, boisterous and
dangerous looking. I was early enough that almost no one else was on the
street, just me and the kids. I carefully avoided meeting any eyes, I know
the rules of the street. I got out of their way and tried to appear like I
was ignoring them.

Behind them, as I stepped back up on the curb, came a young girl, her left
hand clasping the tails of maybe half a dozen large rats. She was shaking
them vigorously, so the live ones wouldn't climb up their tails and bite
her. Her hand were protected, at least, by what looked like an over-sized
chain mail glove made of tiny steel rings. A few more dead rats hung by
their tails from a rope around her waist, as did several cages made from
wire that I assumed were rat traps.

She wore a dirty pair of jeans, ripped and and full of holes, and a thin
cotton t-shirt with a Peacenik emblem on it, the shirt just as
dirt-streaked and filthy as her jeans. She had no shoes, but her feet were
wrapped in rags, tied up with strings. I felt for the girl, I knew her
story without asking, it was obvious she was a street kid, probably living
on her own in a hole in a wall somewhere. I tried to guess her age, it
could have been anyway from nine to twelve I figured. She wore nothing
under her shirt, and I was excited to see her hard little plump nipples
poking through the thin cloth. As grubby as she was, and maybe because of
it, she looked sexier than hell to me.

On impulse I stepped right in front of her and stopped, digging in my
pocket, and pulled out a tiny gold coin, the Chinese stuff, a fiver. She
had stopped abruptly when I blocked her, a frown on her face, her mouth
opening. She stopped frowning when she saw the money, though, and a
beautiful smile burst over her face. It was worth five kiloyuan just to see
that smile. And gods, she was beautiful, my heart ached to think of this
child, homeless and alone, and what might happen to her. What had probably
already happened to her. I stared at her little round dirt-smudged face,
and just fell in love.

I knew she was just one, one sad little street kid, one of hundreds of
thousands. Millions, all over the world. The Haaraba, the Mideast Meltdown,
coming on the heels of the Post-America race war had helped to severely
deplete the supply of twenty, thirty and forty-somethings... the parental
age. Mostly all that was left was the very old and the very young. And a
few like me, that had somehow avoided the die-offs. Or kill-offs, call them
what you wish.

She opened her mouth widely, and nodded, raising her tongue. I understood
what she wanted me to do. I carefully dropped the coin into her mouth under
her tongue, and she said, "Xie xie." Thank you. She bowed slightly, and I
bowed in return, smiling at her. I let her pass, and went up sixteen
flights of stairs to my office.

I didn't think of her again until I was walking home that evening. I
wondered where she was, what she was doing. Maybe she wasn't homeless, I
thought, maybe she lived with her parents or a parent, and just helped earn
money by catching rats. I knew what she did with the rats without thinking
about it, that was another reason I rarely ate from street vendors. The
street vendors would pay her for the rat, and the city paid her a few dozen
yuan for each tail she turned in. Still, it was not a job I envied her for.

I hunkered down for the night, my door locked, and felt safe and secure in
my tiny apartment. It was the only place I felt safe any more, I didn't
even feel safe at work, I knew the feds could show up at any time and drag
us all off to jail or internment. The legality of my job was in question,
basically, and waiting on a judge to decide. If anything, I just hoped to
avoid jail, I could always get another job. Jobs are hard to come by
nowdays, true, but my education was my single greatest asset. One way or
the other, my future depended on it.

A few weeks passed. I saw the girl a half dozen times, and gave her a coin
each time. She accepted the money with pleasure, and no embarrassment,
which pleased me. Another week passed, and I finally saw her again. I had
gotten off work early, the power had gone out and stayed out. I had
followed the crowd down the stairs and into the street, and I decided to
follow a group of my co-workers and go soak up a little sun in the small
park that was near our building. I usually avoided things like parks, but
there is safety in numbers. I followed, and we waited while a few people
bought some food from a street vendor. I thought of that mass of squirming
rats in Ratgirl's hands, though, and my stomach turned a little.

We commandeered some benches, and sat. As the afternoon wore on, I got
bored, and finally decided to go home. I said my farewells, and started out
of the park, after looking for any sign of danger. As I headed down the
sidewalk, who should appear from the mouth of an alley, but Ratgirl. I saw
her see me peripherally, and then turn to meet me. I'm sure it was a
natural reaction to asses any danger I might pose. I was smiling at her by
then, and I saw that she recognized me from her smile.

"Hi, lang leui!" I said, my hand going into my pocket. Shit. I only had two
tens, and they should have last me until Sunday, when I got paid. I already
felt a kinship with this girl, though, and wanted to give her something. I
wanted to help her. I made a promise to keep a five with me, for when I met
her next time.

I think the ten impressed her, though, and it was worth it to me. She
looked around to make sure no one was watching, and then stuck the coin
under her tongue again. I laughed... a good a place as any, I suppose...
her pocket couldn't be picked this way, and if she was threatened she could
just swallow it, assuming she wasn't squeamish when it came time to
retrieve it. Although... in this city... I knew the streets were full of
hoods and gangsters who'd think nothing of ripping a stomach open to
retrieve a few coins. Even a sweet young stomach like this.

"Have you eaten?" I asked. "Lunch? Can I buy you lunch?"

Her expression became more guarded, then. She looked at me, almost puzzled,
I thought.

"Why?" she finally asked. It was the first time I'd heard her speak, and I
fell in love with her all over again. Her voice was soft and low, sounding
more like an adult woman that a little girl. I wondered again how old she
was.

"Why what?" I said, wondering how to convince her I just wanted to be
friendly. "I need to eat, too. I would enjoy your company. Would you join
me?"

She thought for a moment, and then slowly nodded her head. "Street. Or a
place with windows."

I understood. She would feel safe with me, a stranger, outdoors, or in a
public place. I didn't blame her. I smiled at her, and we set off down the
street. I wanted badly to put my arm across her shoulder, or better yet,
hold her hand, but I didn't push it. I wondered if she'd touched rats this
morning, she didn't have on her gloves... I'd give her a chance to wash her
hands, at least.

We stopped at a public fountain and she did just that, washing her hands
and arms, and even splashing her face and scrubbing it. Her clothes were as
dirty as they'd been the other day, but at least she looked clean beneath
them. I washed my hands, and led her to a little restaurant that I ate at
regularly.

Li Jing, the trueblood that ran the place, smiled when he saw me. His face
became puzzled, though, and he frowned when when he her following me.

"You stay. She go," he said, motioning her to leave.

"No, she's with me," I said, shaking my head. I hadn't thought of this. She
did look like a little street urchin, though. I looked at the early
afternoon crowd, all business people and upper class folk. I hated for her
sake that she was so filthy. It's not her fault, people, I wanted to
announce.

"She rat girl," he said, saying the obvious. I nodded.

"Yes, but she's with me," I said again. Li Jing looked skeptical, but he
was polite at last, and pointed to a table next to the kitchen. I waited
for her to sit, and seated her, getting a perplexed look from her, and then
sat myself. We looked at the menu. I already knew what I wanted, but she
seemed to be unsure.

"How much?" she finally asked. I knew what she meant. How much would I
spend on her?

"Bao bei," I said, "choose anything you want. Please."

She gave a "are you shittin' me" look, and nodded her head. I wondered for
a moment if she could read, if the menu made sense to her. She seemed to be
reading it, so I decided not to embarrass her by asking. A minute later she
nodded, and showed me what she had chosen. I went to the counter, ordered
and paid for us both, and sat back down, returning with drinks.

"He didn't want me in here," she said. "Thanks for standin' up for me."

"No problem," I said, smiling at her.

"I catch rats in his kitchen, but he didn't want me eating here."

That did seem a little unfair, and I felt for her. I sighed.

"Wu ai," I said, "would you tell me your name? May I ask?"

She giggled at that. "Of course," she said. "My name is Lotus." Ah, I
thought, pleased. A beautiful name, for a beautiful girl. I was entranced
with her. Even though she was a dirty little street child, I was proud of
her, proud to be seen with such a beautiful girl. I knew that every one
else in the restaurant would look down on her, especially if they knew what
she did for a living, but I loved her for being herself. For being so
wonderful and beautiful. I hungered to see her, freshly scrubbed and
dressed decently.

"I am Lee," I said. "Lee Wildstromb."

"Are you a trueblood?" she asked, and I shook my head, laughing to myself.
Did I look like one? And with a name like mine? Hell no. I have to admit, a
time or two I'd spelled my name Lei, for what advantage it could give me.
Some people bought blood, though they were still looked down on by true
truebloods.

"No, just partial, on my mother's side," I said, and she nodded.

"I'm a mei shenme," she said, and it was my turn to nod. She'd just said
she was a nothing. She was a something to me, but I knew what she'd meant,
she meant she had no Chinese blood flowing in her veins. Our new masters
extended favor and privilege to those of Chinese ancestry.

"Don't feel bad," I said. "I'm basically a nothing too. Not everyone can be
so fortunate."

She smiled. "It don't bother me," she said.

"Where do you live?" I asked, hoping not to offend her.

"Near the dump," she said. Shit, I thought, that was was King's Point, god
knows how many miles away. That seemed like a dangerous journey to make
every day, through the worst of Queens, all the way to Brooklyn.

"I have a hole, a hidey-hole in Queens," she expounded, "I stay there
sometimes, when I don't wanna walk all the way back."

I nodded. I hated to pry, but I wanted to know more about her. I wanted
some reassurance about her.

"Do you live with parents?" I asked, wincing at what seemed like a very
personal question to ask such an obvious street kid.

She shook her head, "Naw..." she said. "I don't got no parents. I live with
my girls."

I wasn't sure what that meant, I assumed she meant girlfriends. She hadn't
seemed offended, at least, at my prying, and it hadn't seemed to upset her
to talk about her situation. Good.

"Bao bei," I said, "See me tomorrow afternoon, outside my building at five.
You know my building? Where I first saw you?"

She nodded. I continued. "Come at five, and I'll buy you dinner. I think
I'll have a fiver left over for you, too."

She regarded me, once again, with some perplexity. She finally spoke.

"Why?" she said simply.

"Why what?" I asked, "why am I doing this?"

"Yeah," she said.

"I like you. I want to be your friend. I want to help you." I examined my
motives. I was actually a bit unsure what I was trying to do. Where did I
think this would lead? Was I simply that altruistic? Did my subconscious
have something a little more sinister planned?

She was silent. She took a sip of tea, appearing to be deep in though. My
name was called, and I retrieved our food, and brought it to the table.

She ate like she was famished, and I realized she probably was. She
finished every scrap of what she'd ordered, and then looked at my plate.
I'd finished, and pushed it away, with still a sizable amount left. She
cocked her eyebrows, asking without talking, and I laughed and nodded.

"Take it, Bao," I said, and she giggled. She took the plate, and wolfed
everything down. Jeezus, I thought. In spite of the way she stuffed
herself, her table manners weren't that bad. She knew how to use the
sticks, at least. I'd seen kids in the street eating like animals before. I
knew that there was at least one coin under her tongue, and I wondered how
she could eat without swallowing it. I suppose she'd gotten good at it.
And, I had noticed, it didn't seen to affect the way she talked.

We made a little small talk, and she told me that she'd actually gone to
school a few years, when she lived with her grandfather. But, sadly, he had
passed away, and she was forced to live on the street. She showed me a
small locket that she was wearing, beneath her t-shirt, that he had given
her. It touched me, it was all she had left of him, all she had left of a
man that had loved her. I hoped he had loved her, at least.


                              --==+==--


The power was off at my apartment, also. I couldn't watch my programs
tonight. I picked up a book I was working my way through, but it didn't
satisfy me. Plus it was pretty dark by then. I finally threw the book down
in disgust, and sat there in the dark, my feet up on the coffee table.

I missed the girl, already. I barely knew her, I had the most tenuous of
links with her, and I missed her. I wanted her here with me, I wanted to
hear the mellifluous sound of her voice, and feel her warmth as she sat
next to me. I wanted... I wanted a lot of things from her. What was I
trying to prove with her? How entangled with her did I want to get? There
were few complications, at least... no angry parents or curious teachers...
as far as I knew, social services didn't exist in this city anymore. She
almost seemed made for me, made for the things that the darker parts of my
brain whispered to me.

I confronted that. I did, I admit, I did want her. I wanted to hold her in
my arms, and whisper to her. I wanted to feel her beside me, in the night.
I wanted... I sighed, remembering her slim form beneath the clingy
t-shirt... I wanted to touch her. I wanted to taste her. Shit, I thought.
I'm in love with a rat girl.

That gave me a moment's pause. Rats. Every day, she handled rats, dead ones
and live ones. Rats were the nastiest of the nasty, maybe even dirtier than
roaches. I wondered how much danger she was in from picking up various
diseases from the nasty little bastards. She seemed healthy enough, no
rasping cough, no open sores on her body, that I could see... The first
thing we do, I told myself, is a visit to the doctor, and get that girl
checked out.

The first thing? I was already thinking like I owned her. Was that even a
possibility? She'd seemed cautious, today... she almost seemed like she
knew what I wanted from her, deep inside... had she run into that before?
Had somebody before me tried to pluck her, tried to harvest her like a
succulent piece of wild fruit. Had someone else wanted to taste her, like I
did? Had they, even?

How, I asked myself, how can I get her back here? To my place. How could
she say no, if I asked her to live with me? She lives at the dump, for
god's sake. This place should seem like a mansion to her. Running water,
indoor plumbing, even electricity... on occasion. I realized I'd already
accepted the fact she'd say yes, that she'd live with me. Slow down, I told
myself. Stop, in fact.

Would she still be a rat girl if she came to live with me? Hell no, I'd
insist... I'd send her to school, I'd let her be a little girl... I could
give her that. I wanted to give her that... among the other things I wanted
for her. From her. I sighed again. Even without many complications on her
part, it did get complicated. I knew that I could support us both, though.
Assuming my job held out, assuming I wasn't made an example of and sent to
serve some symbolic jail time. I knew, at least, that the two of us could
live comfortably on what I was making, at the moment. You can't plan for
everything that life throws at you. If she'd say yes, I'd try, at least.
I'd try to shelter her, as well as I could.

Now, the problem was getting her to say yes. Getting her to agree. I
wondered what she really thought of me. She seemed to like me, well, she
tolerated me well, at least she had today. Was I rushing this too quickly?
I felt pressure, though, I felt like every day I wasted was a day that
something could happen to her, out there on the street. A day where she
could just disappear, and I'd never see her again. My heart ached at the
thought. Tomorrow, I thought, I need to ask her tomorrow.


                              --==+==--


By now I was seeing her almost every day, as October loomed on the horizon.
I gave her a pair of shoes that I found in a resale store, and was
delighted at the sheer joy with which she received them. I enjoyed her
company greatly, and looked forward to seeing her every day. Each morning I
walked to work, through the half-deserted city, rotted and collapsing
buildings towering above me. And I wondered each day if I'd see her. I
worried about her. Alone, it seemed, living on the street or in a garbage
dump... how cruel life seems, when... when I could take care of her. I'd
love to take care of her. I hungered for it. I wondered more and more how I
could make it happen. How cruel and unfair life is. I felt for the girl,
she deserved more, more than scrabbling a living amidst filth and disease,
catching rats. I felt a new purpose in life, and it seemed to revolve
around her.


                              --==+==--


It was cold, that day. Cold and overcast. I dug out my medium jacket, and
hurried off to work. I met her, in the street, before I went up to my
office. I almost felt like she was waiting for me. I made a date for lunch
with her, and all morning I worried about her, if she was warm enough. All
I'd seen her wearing was a t-shirt that morning. Maybe one day I could take
her and buy her a jacket or something. I'd raided my rainy-day fund this
morning, just in case I saw her. I anxiously waited for lunch, dragged my
brain out of the machine, and headed down the stairs.

I didn't see her at first, then she came out of the alley a hundred feet
down the street. We met, and to my great pleasure, after a slight bow she
hugged me. I was pleased also to see a heavy jacket on her now, though torn
and dirty.

"Mr. Lee," she said, and I shushed her, telling her to call me just Lee.
She nodded. "Just Lee. You don't have to buy me food every time you see me.
Or give me money."

"I know," I laughed, "but I gotta eat, too. And you're good company. And I
like doing stuff for you."

She smiled. My heart skipped a beat, every time she smiled. I loved her, by
now, in a way I can't begin to describe. I know I fall in love to easily. I
had spent my whole adult life seeking love, and but never having it
reciprocated. At least not with the strength I gave it. My marriage had
been a reckless, spur-of-the-moment affair, that ended after two years of
hollow loneliness and occasional rage. I am not sure if I can ever trust a
woman again... and after thinking that, I thought... a little girl? You'd
trust a little girl? How could she do anything but break your heart,
eventually?

All that rushed through my head, all that and more. I promised myself to
think some more about it, tonight. Right now, right now I just wanted a few
simple minutes in her company.

We walked on down the street. On impulse I gently took her hand, and she
cuddled her little fist inside my larger hand. I could feel the heat from
her body, in her hand. I am touching her, I told myself, at last... at last
I'm touching her. It wasn't enough, but it was a start.


                              --==+==--


We left the street vendor's, and walked back towards my office. I didn't
really know where to go from here with her. I wanted to talk to her badly,
but I didn't want to push her so hard I pushed her away. I hoped she was
beginning to trust me, though.

"Tomorrow?" I said hopefully, and after a second's pause she nodded her
head.

"Tomorrow," she replied, and we parted company. I wondered if she was going
to hunt rats, or if she was done for the day.


                              --==+==--


We sat in the park, and ate our greasy burritos. I hoped and trusted I
wasn't eating rat meat. When we had approached the kiosk, I'd ask Lotus if
she ever sold to these guys, and she giggled and said no. Rat or not, it
was good, at least.

I asked her about her job as a rat catcher, and she was eager to talk, she
told me more than I ever wanted to know. I asked her how she ever got
started doing it.

"Well..." she said, "after my grandpa died, I had to do somethin'. I mean,
I could live at the Jesus House, and eat there once a day... but I feel
better havin' a real job. And this was somethin' I seem to be good at."

She told me a friend had introduced her to the occupation, and taught her,
as she put it, the way of the rat.

"Rats are smart," she said, sticking her hand into the large pocket of her
ragged coat. I wondered what she had in there. "Rats are smart as people,
in some ways. You just gotta know their habits, and their ways. And, you
gotta be quick."

I nodded.

"Sometimes I gotta crawl back inside pipes, or steam rooms an' shit. That's
the only part I hate, when I'm on my hands and knees, 'cos it's hard to
protect my face. I've seen people get bit in the face before, by rats."

"You ever been bit?" I asked. I remembered the Bubonic Plague, from the
middle ages. She shook her head.

"I got a glove, a steel glove that a butcher gave me. That helps. I've had
them bite me, but it don't go through the glove."

A bus rattled and wheezed by, causing us both to stop and stare. Sometimes
days went by, without seeing a motorized vehicle. I wondered what the
occasion was, but the windows were blanked out, and we couldn't tell who
was in it. Probably riot cops or maybe immigration... nobody else could
afford fuel, these days. Well, the garbage trucks still ran... the city
would be uninhabitable, if not for them. Most of the traffic in the city
was foot, with the occasional horse or donkey pulling carts. There were
enough of them that you had to watch your step. Although... just like
Ratgirl catching rats, you often saw street kids collecting the shit,
whether to sell or what I have no idea. What else do you do with shit?
Fertilizer, I suppose.

I heard a commotion about that time. A man hurriedly strode past us, fear
in his face. Behind him, just a few dozen yards away, came a crowd. A crowd
of kids, of children. My asshole slammed shut. I feared packs of street
kids, because kids or people in general seemed to behave differently when
they were in large groups, when they outnumbered you. Mob mentality. I
hated being caught in the open by packs of anything, kids or young men... I
knew my life wasn't worth shit to them. I should have seen them half a
block away, and gotten the hell out of there. But I was distracted,
distracted by my sweet little ratgirl. I wondered if I'd die for it.

"Hey, shi dan..." a boy said, approaching me fearlessly, "give us some
money."

Shit. I was afraid now. I knew I could take down a single boy easily, but
there must have been ten more behind him, now gathering in a half circle
around us. And more girls, and the girls looked as scary as the boys. Hell,
I'd killed an Arab once with my bare hands, when I'd been in the army in
Iran. I'd spent two years in Tabriz with the UN, after Jerusalem had been
nuked. I was older now, though, older and outnumbered. If I would have been
alone, I would have flung some money on the ground and ran. I'd actually
done that, in the past.

"No, piyan," I heard a confident, loud voice say beside me. Once again, I
puckered up, out of fear for her. How could I protect her, when I didn't
even feel like I could protect myself?

"What? Don' you fuck wit' me, Ratgirl..." the boy said, laughing. Lotus
stood, and moved over in front of me.

"This my jiba. We talkin' 'bout shit. You, you beat it."

"Cao," the boy said. Fuck. He laughed and shook his head. Then his
expression became harder, angrier.

"Don' fuck wit' me, Ratgirl... you know my reach... I snap my finger, you
die..." he motioned and a tall rangy boy stepped forward. "'Dis the
snake... you know da snake, right? You don' want me to put da snake on you,
do you?"

"You guys don' fuck wit' me..." said Lotus. "I got magic, you seen me, down
at the arena... you seen me do shit..."

"You got magic but we got steel," said the boy, and flicked a knife open,
spinning it around his fingers and thumb in a practiced movement, though I
did see him flinch once. I had stood up by then, because I felt like Lotus
was placing herself in danger for my sake. It was obvious to me that she
knew these guys, but I still felt like they were extremely dangerous. And
she was just a little girl.

"You ain't got shit," said Lotus, and from out of thin air a large rat was
suddenly in her hand. She flung it at the boy and although he tried to jump
out of the way, the rat struck him on the chest and hung there for a
moment, sinking its little claws into his shirt. The boy screamed, actually
he squealed like a girl, and danced backwards, his knife clattering to the
sidewalk. He pawed at the rat until it dropped to the ground and scurried
away.

I don't know if the boy was the leader of the pack or what, but he sure
didn't get much respect from his troops after that. The whole herd burst
into hysterics, slapping each other on the back and slamming their bodies
against each other. The crowd seemed to break up, then. Some of them went
to sit on a nearby patch of grass, lighting up joints and laughing loudly.
The boy approached us, shaking with rage.

"Someday, chang fu, someday I kill you. I ain't kill you now, 'cos you a
kid. I kill you when you bleed."

"Fuck off, Dien," said Lotus languidly, dropping to her knees. "Chipo!" she
called loudly, and the rat scuttled up to her. She picked it up and it
disappeared back into her clothes somewhere.

The whole thing seemed to be over, we walked away, although it was hard not
to look back and see if we were being followed. I didn't want to feel a
knife thump into the middle of my back.

"Lotus," I said, when we were a comfortable distance. "I worry about you,
out here... by yourself. Come to my place tonight, you can sleep on my
couch. I'm scared that guy will hurt you."

She laughed, "Dien?" she said. "He's full of shit. Didn't you see him cut
himself, when he was spinning that knife? He's a wannabe... and he's...
what's the word? Inept?"

"Yeah..." true, the kid didn't really come across like strong leader.
"Lotus... what'd you mean, you have magic?"

"I know some moves... I can fight... my grandpa taught me some karate
shit... Akido, really... a mix of styles, he called it."

"Yeah," I said. Knowing that didn't make me less concerned for her. I mean,
god, to me she was just a little girl. "But still. Come home with me.
Please. Let me take care of you."

She laughed at me, but it didn't hurt my feelings. "You take care of me? I
was takin' care of you, back there. They would have robbed your ass, if I'd
not been there."

"I know, and thanks," I said. I didn't feel like she was taking me
seriously. I almost didn't feel like she had realized what I was asking her.

"Lotus. For real. Come stay with me, tonight, at least."

She stopped, and we stood there on the sidewalk. The brisk autumn breeze
blew trash and papers around our feet. I wondered how she survived the
winters, in this godforsaken city. I wanted her to survive the winter with
me, in my warm apartment. I'd keep it warm, for her, if she'd stay with me.
I usually bundled up, and turned the heat down, to save money... but if she
was there, I'd keep it warm.

She stared at me, into my eyes, a deeper and more penetrating gaze than she
had given me before. Her eyes were brown, the ubiquitous brown that almost
everyone's are nowdays. They were deep pools, hypnotic and mesmerizing. I
almost squirmed, in her gaze, I felt like she was reading my soul, and she
could see the deep lust I felt for her. I hoped she could see the love,
too... I felt, I hoped... I hoped that the love was the strongest.

"What you really want from me?" she said softly, never blinking, never
looking away.

"Bao bei," I said, my heart in my throat. I felt like this was do or die.
"Bao bei, I... I love you. I want you to be safe and happy. I think... I
think I can do that for you. Please come live with me, please."

"What will I have to do?" she asked. I understood implicitly what she
meant.

"Nothing, darling. Nothing you don't want to. I will not touch you, if
that's what you wish..." I felt like I was being honest. I wouldn't. Would
I? I would try my hardest. How, I asked myself, how could I hurt a child?
One who had surely been hurt so many times before? I couldn't. I admit,
though... I admit I had hopes, that she wouldn't mind me... eventually
touching her.

She finally sighed. I knelt on the sidewalk before her, to be on her level,
though she was slightly above me when I did kneel. She took a step forward,
almost hesitantly, and I forgot everything I'd said about not touching her,
and folded my arms around her and hugged her to my body.

She laughed, and patted me on the back. "Okay," she said, "just tonight.
We'll try it, just tonight."

I was happy, that was a good start. I stood, took her hand, and we walked
toward my office. I got her promise to meet me at the foot of the stairs,
that evening.


                              --==+==--


My apartment is small, barely six hundred square feet in the old
measurements, I'm not sure what it is now. Metric is still difficult for
me. I unlocked the four deadbolts, and ushered her in. She seemed to be
impressed by the place, and I admit, it is nice, I've fixed it up over the
years.

"You got a 'puter..." she indicated my computer, on its little desk.

"Yeah," I said. "It's not a Eso..." I used an Eso at work, I wished to hell
I could afford one at home. Actually no one I knew had one at home, they
were still pretty goddam expensive.

We settled in, I fixed some soybean steaks, to celebrate and she gobbled
hers down, and half of mine. I just laughed at her. No wonder she was so
skinny. She acted like she was starved most of the time. I promised, if she
became mine, to put an end to that.

Now, the tricky part.

"Bao Bei..." I said, squatting to be at her level, as she sat in a kitchen
chair. She raised her eyebrow inquisitively.

"I wanna throw you in the tub," I said, "and then we'll go down to the
laundry room and run your clothes through a cycle or two. Okay?"

She gazed at me, almost slyly. I think she knew what was on my mind. She
finally nodded, and followed me to my little bathroom. Actually, I didn't
have a tub, just a small shower. I turned on the water to let it warm up,
the water heater was way down in the basement, four stories below us. It
takes a while. I had planned on leaving the room when the water was
correct, but before I could go she already had her shirt off, and was
dropping her jeans. I tried my damnedest not to stare at her, but I was
entranced. She just smiled at me, and sat on the toilet and peed.

She was grubby, true. Her arms were streaked with dust and grime, and her
neck was almost black. Even her nose had a smear on it. The rest of her
body looked fairly clean. Her body. Her perfection took my breath away. She
was incredible. I could see her ribs, and her abdominal muscles stood out
under her sleek skin. Her skin looked like it was vacuum-formed onto her.
She had no breasts, just two slight swellings, and those nipples... god,
those nipples. Like two little brown grapes, perched on her upper chest. I
could imagine what they would feel like, in my mouth. Incredible.

I had caught a moment's glimpse of her smooth, plump little mons... and it
just blew my mind. My cock was harder than steel, by now. I was almost
breathing in gasps, I was so turned on. My mouth was watering, even. I
could just imagine what she probably tasted like right now, god knows the
last time she'd taken a bath... I'd do it, I thought... I don't care... I'm
sure it's not that bad. I'm sure she tasted like heaven, dirty or clean.
Patience, I told myself. Be fair. Let her decide. Patience.

The water finally felt warm enough, and she disappeared into the shower and
shut the door. I sat on the toilet and waited for her to get done. I was
glad she didn't seem to have any reservations about me seeing her naked. I
gathered up her clothes, just her jeans and shirt, she had worn no
underwear. On impulse I turned her jeans inside out, and buried my face in
the crotch. God, words cannot describe. It was an incredible, strong pussy
smell, mixed with honest sweat, and a few other odors I can't describe. It
was the most sexual thing I'd done in years, smelling a young girl's
smells, almost from the source. I went into my bedroom, freeing my cock,
and within moments I ejaculated mightily, spraying the shit all over my
wooden floor. My face was buried in her jeans again, sucking in her
wonderful smells. I mopped up, exhausted, and finally heard the water turn
off in the bathroom.

I put my dick up, went back into the bathroom, and held a towel out to her.
I wrapped her up and hugged her, putting my face in her hair, smelling her
fabulous clean scent. Her hair was beautiful, short and golden brown, and I
rubbed the towel into it, drying it as best I could. I wanted to give her a
chance to let it grow out, if she wanted. I was sure she kept it short
because of the places she had to crawl, in her job as a rat catcher, but I
already planned on putting an end to that shit.

"Come on," I said. "Let's find something for you to wear, and we'll go wash
your clothes."

I found a nice flannel shirt, and buttoned her up in it, it was long enough
that it was almost a dress. It turned me on to think of her bare bottom
beneath it, and I was hungry to get a peek.

I started to grab her jacket from the back of a chair, and remembered the
rat. She giggled at me when I recoiled, and pulled the rat from a pocket. I
got a hand towel from the kitchen, and she made him a little nest for him
on the floor beside my computer desk. I trusted her faith in his ability to
behave, and off we went down the stairs to the laundry room. Then we went
back upstairs to retrieve some coins, and then back down. We sat and talked
while the machine cycled, and she told me more about her life with her
grandfather. It was sad that she lost him, when he was all she had, and she
needed him so badly. My heart went out to her, again and again. I was angry
at fate, or maybe at god, if he existed, for allowing tragedies like that
to happen to sweet young girls who deserved so much better.

The washer finished, and we took her wet things back upstairs and hung them
from a wire to dry. I could have used the dryer in the laundry room, but
the washer was expensive enough as it was. I washed my own laundry in the
sink, but her clothes had been so dirty I felt like the machine was best,
at least for the first time.

I pulled a chair over for her, and we sat in front of the computer and
watched a few shows. She seemed mesmerized by them, and gave them her full
attention. I wondered if she'd ever been around vids in the past. Surely...
I mean everybody had a screen, nowdays. Well, everybody except street kids.
When I started the third show, it was intense and violent, and she
surprised me by crawling into my lap. It was heaven to sit there and hold
her warm body, to wrap my arms around her and hug her to me. I had never
been happier. If this is all there is to it, I told myself, it's enough.
It's almost enough.

We had a snack, and finally it was bedtime. I fetched a blanket from the
closet, and got her bedded down on the couch with a pillow from my room.
She had yanked the flannel shirt over her head without unbuttoning it, and
she stood for a fraction of a second, naked, her back to me, before she
crawled into the bed. Her little bottom was the most staggeringly beautiful
thing I'd ever seen in my life. My heart ached with the beauty of it, and
all I could think of was burying my face in it. I groaned, and she looked
at me.

"What?" she said.

"Nothing," I said. "Darling. Goodnight. I love you." She smiled
enigmatically.

I turned all but the desk lamp off, and crouched beside her for a moment
before I went to my bedroom.

"Are you okay here, darlin'? Do you feel safe?" I asked, and she nodded.
"You know you can leave anytime you feel like you need to. Just turn all
the deadbolts."

"I... I don't wanna leave..." she said, and I nodded. Good. I didn't want
her to, of course, but I didn't want her to feel trapped in here with me,
either.

"Mr. Lee," she started, and I stopped her again and told her just to call
me Lee. "Lee... thank you... thanks for everything..."

"You're welcome," I said. "What are you gonna do tomorrow?"

"I got a building I gotta do," she said. "I promised. It's usually not bad,
but it takes a while. They got cats, and the cats help me... Lee? Can I
leave Chipo here? Because of the... the cats?"

"Sure," I said. I leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. "Just be
careful, darling. I'll see you in the morning."

She smiled, and snuggled down into the couch. I went to bed, dreaming of
her soft body as I wrapped it in a towel, her delicate scent in my
nostrils. And that little butt. Jeezus, that little butt.


                              --==+==--


I awoke with a start. Stealthily, wordlessly she crawled into my bed,
underneath the sheet, and cuddled up next to me. I turned and took her,
wrapping my arms around her body. I think she was already asleep by then. I
put my face into her hair, dying of happiness, and at long last I think I
actually even slept.


                              --==+==--


I awoke, with a beautiful, naked young girl in my arms. It was all I could
do to drag myself out of the bed. I retrieved her clothes, and brought them
to her, and watched her nakedness with hungry eyes as she dressed. I fixed
us some scrambled eggs for breakfast. She fed Chipo, and we got ready to
leave.

I rooted around and finally found my spare house key. I tied it on a
string, and placed it around her neck.

"Honey," I said, "any time you wish, come back here. When you get done, you
can meet me outside my building and we'll go eat, or I'll come back here
and get you. Consider this home, okay?"

She solemnly nodded. I hoped she thought of it as home already. We
descended the stairs, and she followed me to my office. At the foot of the
staircase, I turned to her.

"Please be careful, Bao," I said. "I couldn't stand it if something
happened to you."

She smiled and leaned into me. I leaned down, and our mouths met for a
fraction of a second, the sweetest kiss I'm ever received. My heart sang. I
was happy, as happy as I'd been in my whole life. I'm aware of what danger
lurks in happiness. I know how quickly it can be taken away. But that day,
that moment, I was truly happy. I felt young again, young and in love.


                              --==+==--


I didn't see her at lunch. I'd hoped she'd show up, but she didn't. I
waited for her at the foot of the stairs, and finally went and got
something to eat. Nor was she there late that afternoon, when I got off. I
trudged home, anxious to see her, to know that she was alright. And she
wasn't there. I looked for a note from her, anything. And Chipo was gone,
that showed me she'd at least been back here some time today. I couldn't
imagine where she was. I felt put out, that she was gone and I didn't know
where. I wasn't really mad at her, but I was hurt a little. An hour later,
I fixed some dinner, and sat at my table morosely. I was really starting to
worry, now. I sat down at the computer, and scanned the news for accidents,
feeling foolish. Nothing. I jumped when I heard the scrape of a key in the
lock.

"Oh, Bae..." I said, my heart sinking when I saw her. Her face was smeared
with grime and blood, and her knuckles were bloody. I grabbed her and
hugged her to me, almost crying.

"What the hell happened?" I finally asked, holding her away so I could look
at her. She was grinning like a monkey, in spite of a bloody lip and an
almost-black eye.

"It was nothin'," she said, "just takin' care of some old business..."

"Who?" I asked, "who did this to you?" I was angry, now.

"The Snake," she said. "Dien put the Snake on me. I busted the shit outta
his nose, too. I think I broke it."

"Damn!" I said, burning. "Because of..."

"No!" she said. "It din't have nothin' to do with that day in the park.
This was old business. From before I knew you."

I still wanted to crush Dien's windpipe. And the Snake. That kid needed
exterminating, seriously.

"Darling," I said, hugging her again. "Don't ever do shit like that without
letting me know, first. What if something had happened to you?"

"Lee," she said. "You don't understand. I can take care of myself. For
real."

You think that, I thought, but I didn't want to insult her by saying it out
loud. I just held her. I felt like I'd almost lost her, I knew how savage
street fights could be. But I wondered. Could a kid, a kid like her, really
fight an almost grown man, and come out on top? Had she really broken his
nose?

"You broke his nose?" I asked. "For real?"

"Hell yeah," she said. She brought the heel of her palm forward slowly, and
touched my nose with it. "If you're open, I can break yours too."

"He was that open?" The Snake had looked like a capable fighter, to me. A
real street fighter. I was surprised a little girl could take him down.

"Well..." she said, "Chipo was bitin' his toes, about that time. He was
dancing around like a little ballerina..."

I laughed. Jeezus. Still, no wonder I worried about her.

"Is it over?" I asked her. "Or will they be out for blood now?"

"It oughta be over. The Snake won't hold a grudge, he's not like that. But
Dien might."

Shit. We didn't need enemies... there were enough bad guys out there
naturally, without creating more...

I took her in the bathroom, and scrubbed her face, careful of her lip. She
took her shirt off, and I washed the blood out of it, and hung it up to
dry, giving her one of mine to wear. I was so jarred by the events of the
evening I barely remembered to stare at her sexy little nipples.

"Come on," I said, "we're going to the store. Let's get you some decent
clothes, so you have more than one pair to wear."


                              --==+==--


I wondered what she'd do, that night. If she'd sleep on the couch again.
About nine o'clock, I asked her.

"Can't..." she said in a tiny voice, "can't I sleep with you from now on?"

"Of course, darlin'," I said, overjoyed. We bustled around, and got ready
for bed. A little early, but I was looking forward to it. I was eager. We
brushed our teeth, I had purchased her a toothbrush today, also. And... I
wasn't crazy about this idea, but she needed them... I'd bought her a dozen
pairs of panties, too. She was wearing a pair, now, in fact, as we prepared
for bed. She was still sexier than shit to me, topless, her fat little
nipples were fair game for my prying eyes. Somehow, so far, I'd managed to
keep my hands off her. I promised myself again to hold back, to let things
move at her pace, if they moved at all. Whatever she decided she wanted,
I'd do that for her. It was only fair.

I turned out the light and we slid under the sheets. I felt her turn to
face me, and then she scooted into me. I wrapped my hands around her, and
pulled her against my chest. I could feel her breath in my face, and it was
the single most sensual moment in my life for some reason.

"Lee..." she whispered. I made a noise. She continued. "Thanks again... for
everything. Thanks for understanding."

I wasn't sure what she thought I understood, but I nodded. My face was just
inches from hers. I didn't move, I very carefully didn't move, but it
seemed like to me she was moving. She was getting closer and closer to me.
In the dim light, I watched the approach of her face to mine.

"Lee..." she said again. I felt her lip brush mine, as her mouth moved.

"What?" I said quietly.

"Do you really love me?"

"Darling..." tears welled up in my eyes, and spilled down the side of my
head. "Darling... I love you more than life... I love you, I love you... I
cannot describe how much I love you... thank you, thank you for letting me
love you."

Her voice was soft. "I think I love you, too. I dunno what love is, really,
but I think I love you."

I moved, then. I moved barely an inch, and pressed my lips against hers.

It was a sweet kiss, and I had no desire to end it. Neither, it seemed did
she. I have no idea how much time went by, but we finally broke apart,
almost panting. Again we met, and again. Her breath was hot in my nose, her
saliva was hot in my mouth, and her body was hot in my arms. I squeezed her
tighter and she giggled.

We just kissed and kissed, that night. Finally, after what seemed like
hours, I could feel her getting slower and slower, and at last, as my lips
still touched hers, I realized she was asleep. It took me a lot longer.


                              --==+==--


That was our routine, for the next few weeks. Every night, she crawled into
my arms, and usually went to sleep with my lips against hers. Evenings were
pleasant, we'd sit on the couch, once again with her usually in my arms,
and watch the screen. I was used to the feel of her, in my lap. I loved her
all the more for not being afraid to be touched.

And we talked. We talked for hours, sometimes. More and more of her story
spilled out of her, the disasters and sadnesses of her young life, and the
rare happinesses. How she could keep her sweet attitude through the things
that had happened to her left me wondering. And she seemed so accepting of
life, so ready to believe things would get better. She made me ashamed, at
times, of my cynical personality.

She told me of multiple rapes, beatings and a thousand other indignities
and assaults that she'd suffered, while living on the street. For a female,
especially a young female, living on the street was an almost open
invitation to every male she met. How she came to trust me so quickly I'll
never understand. I fervently promised never to let her down, it seemed
that everyone else she'd ever met had done just that. I wanted to be the
exception, I wanted to be who she'd remember with kindness, years from now.

I was happy with her in my arms. I forgot all my problems, even the crap
going on at work, and just held her. I could have been happy the rest of my
life, just holding her.

Actually, things were going fairly well at work. The judge had ruled we
weren't violating the Chinese Fair/Free Trade Agreement, that agreement
that wasn't actually very fair or free. Our product was being well received
by the market, by people looking to harness the power of the new systems. I
owned a reasonable percentage of the company, and stood to make out pretty
well in the next few years. Maybe all the time and effort I'd put in would
be worth it. I hoped so.


                              --==+==--


A month had gone by. Our existence was idyllic and peaceful, almost. The
madness of life outside the walls of my apartment seemed far away, as we
passed the evening inside. And weekends with her were wonderful.

She was going out to catch rats less and less often, and I was pleased. I
pleaded with her to stop altogether, we didn't need the money, and it still
seemed so dangerous to me. Just the places she had to go, much less the
danger of the rats themselves. It seemed hard for her to give up, for some
reason... I never really figured it out. I don't think she out and out
enjoyed doing it, but it seemed like she thought that it's just what she
did. Or maybe it was the thrill of the chase. I just didn't know, but I was
pleased to see it tapering down.

I was having more and more ideas about her, about how I thought her life
should go. Sometimes she agreed, and sometimes she didn't. One evening as
we sat on the couch, I tried to talk to her about school.

"Darling," I said, "Bao. Listen. I make a good living, for the two of us.
You don't need to catch rats any more, but you do need something to occupy
your time while I'm at work. You told me once you'd gone to school? Would
you consider starting it up again, where you left off?"

She got a funny look on her face. I called it her "I don't want to
disappoint you, but..." look. I'd seen it before.

"I dunno..." she finally said. "I just don' think there's much they could
teach me."

I laughed. She did kind of think she knew everything, that was one thing
about her personality that charmed me. She was a bit arrogant, in a
loveable girlish fashion.

"Think hard on it, Bao," I said. "Darling. Look at me. I'm where I am
because of my education. It's fixing to pay off, with the Eso project. You
are smart, probably smarter than I am. You just need that paper that says
you are."

"What paper?" she said, puzzled.

"A diploma, from a good school. Let's get you through school, and then
we'll choose a nice college... you'll benefit from it, the rest of your
life. I admit, things have gotten crazy here in the states... but a good
education is still the best investment in your future."

"Okay, I said I'll think about it," she said, and I stopped pushing. I'd
ask her again, in a week or two, what she'd decided. I had tried to make
school sound fun to her, telling her she'd make friends and stuff like
that. I hoped I'd gotten through to her.

"Lee..." she said.

"What?"

"How long... how long can I live with you?"

"Oh, darling..." once again, tears flooded my eyes. "Forever. It's up to
you. I hope it's forever, though. I love you and I want to be with you."

"When I... grow up... do you think you'll still love me?"

"Bao..." I wasn't sure where this was going. "Lotus. I'll love you forever.
I can't not love you. Every day I love you more. When you're grown up, I'm
sure I'll love you so much I'll probably burn up. Please... understand... I
love you, now and always..."

She nodded slowly. "If you love me that much," she said, "why don't you
wanna marry me or somethin'? Isn't that what people in love do?"

"Darling... I'd love to marry you. I can't yet... there isn't much law
left, in this town, but old men marrying little girls is still frowned
upon..." she giggled, and I smiled.

"You aren't that old," she said, and I nodded.

"I'm still old enough to be your daddy," I reminded her.

"I wish you was my daddy," she said.

"I can be," I said. "Just let me. I can be."

"If you become my daddy, won't I have to stop sleepin' with you?"

I sighed. Why did it always have to get complicated?

"Darlin'," I said, "technically, you are correct. But we have a very
unusual relationship. We sleep together, but all we do is sleep. I think
it's okay. I don't think we're even bending the rules slightly... not
yet..."

She giggled. "Will we ever?" she said.

"That's up to you, darlin'," I answered. She looked thoughtful.


                              --==+==--


That night, we crawled in bed, and I took her in my arms. We whispered
silly things to each other, and she giggled. Our lips touched for an
instant, and then again, longer. And longer still.

She was different, though, tonight. I felt it from the start. She was more
aggressive, almost commanding. I could feel the heat, from her. I could
feel her... dare I say desire? I don't want to make it sound like what
happened is all her fault. But I felt her need.

I slid my trembling hands down her back, and for the first time I cupped
her sweet buttocks. I gently squeezed, and she giggled into my mouth. I
kneaded and rubbed her plump bottom, and she squirmed and sighed in my arms.

"Do that," she said, in a rare moment when our lips weren't locked
together. "Lee. Do that."

I did that. I played with her little ass, making up for lost time. I slid
my hands down inside her panties, and touched her smooth bare skin. I was
turned on like I'd never been before, and this time I didn't try and hide
it from her. I felt her leg pressing against my hard cock, and I wondered
if she could feel it. If she knew what it was. Of course she did.

I had waited almost two months for this, I had patiently bided my time.
Now, she was within my reach. And I felt like she wanted it as much as I
did. I forced myself to go slow. Her skin was soft, pliant... and almost
hot. I loved the feel of her body in my arms... more than loved it, I
craved it, now and every moment of the day. I wanted to die with her in my
arms. I just squeezed, and sought her mouth with mine.

We had rolled over, and she was comfortable on top of me. I rubbed her
back, and squeezed her butt. She giggled. I put two fingers in the elastic
of her panties and slid them down a few inches, and she giggled again.

"Lee..." her breath was hot and aromatic in my face. Toothpaste, mostly.

"What, darling..." I said.

"Are you gonna..." she said, and paused.

"What?"

"Are you gonna take my panties off?"

I sighed, and kissed her again. "No," I said.

She frowned, a petulant look on her face.

"Why?" she asked. "Don' you like me?"

"Hell yeah I like you, I love you," I said, "but if your panties are comin'
off, you have to do it. We're only gonna do things you want, darling."

She nodded seriously. She lay her head down on my chest, a blank expression
on her face. After a minute or two she raised back up, and looked at me.

"I keep waitin' to see the real you," she said.

I laughed. "What do you mean?" I said.

"I know you want me. I can feel it. I see you lookin'. And I been around. I
know what it's all about."

I nodded. She went on. "People wanted me before. People took me even, you
know that, I told you the shit that's happened to me."

I sighed. "Darlin'," I said, "I won't lie to you. I do want you, I want you
more than life. I want to smell you and taste you. I want to lose myself in
you, in your sweetness." I kissed her again, and she smiled and nodded.
"But I don't wanna do anything you don't want me to do. You deserve that,
you should be the one to decide. What I want don't matter, it's about what
you want."

She lay back down on me. We were silent for a minute.

"I ain't never had nobody ask before," she said. I could feel her breath on
my bare chest.

"Honey, you don't gotta decide anything, not tonight, not until you want
to," I said, squeezing her. "There's no time limit on it. Let's just do
what you want, as you want it."

She nodded. She crawled up my body, until her face was in mine. She touched
her lips to mine for an instant.

"Thank you," she said simply, and lay her head down next to mine. We just
laid there for a while. I could feel her breathe. My hands were still on
her butt, but I didn't do anything. Oh well, I finally thought. If this is
what she wants.

But she sat up, and scooted back, until her crotch was directly over my
now-soft penis. She ground into me, then, deliberately, purposefully. There
was no mistaking her intent. And the smile on her face... coy, seductive.
The naughty Lotus had come out to play.

And play we did. I won't bore you with details... I will mention, in my
defense, that I did not penetrate her, not with my penis, at least. I kept
it in my pants, that night. But it was the sweetest, sexiest most wonderful
night I've ever had, and it seemed to go on forever. Her taste was...
indescribable. It was everything I'd hoped for, and more. I almost
literally rubbed the tastebuds off my tongue. She was sweeter than sugar. I
couldn't get enough.

At last, exhausted, we just laid there. I was on top of her, my shoulders
on her thighs, my head sideways on her stomach. Her hands were in my hair,
just moments earlier she'd been holding my head by my ears, using them for
handles. She must have had a dozen orgasms, we'd both lost count. I finally
realized she was asleep, and crawled up next to her and held her. I loved
her more that instant than I ever thought I could love anything or anybody.
She was my life.


                              --==+==--


"'Lo?"

"What?"

"Where'd you get Chipo? Tell me about him."

"Heh. He was just a wittle baby wat, when I got him. I killed his momma,
and felt bad for him. He just looked so cute, his eyes were still closed
and he din't have no hair. I felt bad for him for some reason... usually I
just pop the baby's necks... but it seemed so sad that she only had one,
and now she was dead. I took him home and dripped milk into his mouth with
my fingertip. He grew up... and you know the rest."

"I don't know the rest. Why do you keep a rat for a pet, when you kill
rats? Isn't that kinda weird?"

"I dunno... I hate them usually, but I love him... and he helps me
sometimes. He draws them out. My girlfriend Beth says he's a Judas rat, but
I don't really know what that means."

I laughed. "Judas was a biblical figure, famous for... uhm... for his
betrayal of someone he claimed to love..."

"Yeah, that's like what she said. Anyway, Chipo's my best friend, along
with you. He's been with me for probably two years. I think he's getting
old, for a rat, though."

"Probably..." I had no idea how long rats lived. I felt bad to think of him
dying, I knew how much she loved him.

"I'll just find me another one when he dies..." she said. Well, maybe it
wouldn't tear her up that bad. After all, he was just a rat. I looked down.
Chipo was peering up at us, out of his nest. Maybe he recognized his name
being spoken. I laughed. She turned in my lap, and looked at me, puzzled. I
pointed down at the rat. She made a kissing noise with her lips, and he
scrambled out of his nest and climbed up the leg of her jeans. She cradled
him in her arms, and baby-talked to him. I laughed and shook my head. We
sat there a long time, me holding my ratgirl on my chest, and her holding
her rat on hers.


                              --==+==--


They had a big party, at work, to celebrate our first hundred billion in
sales. It was on the edge of town, in a fancy hotel. The company rented a
taxi, and shuttled people to the hotel from our office. Lotus had never
ridden in a car before, and she gripped my hand in a death grip, but she
laughed with glee when we hit sixty kilometers for a brief instant. She
looked so beautiful, we'd visited my favorite resale shop, and bought her a
nice dress, the first I'd ever seen her in. She looked more than beautiful,
she looked drop-dead gorgeous. I'd painstakingly crafted a story, drilling
it into her, that she was my long-lost niece, daughter of my sister who had
recently passed away. There was enough truth to the story that people that
knew me fairly well should believe it, I hoped. She was the star of the
banquet, and she had a great time. I watched her, whirling across the dance
floor, my own boss leading her, and was amazed, remembering the dirty
little street kid of just two months ago. I was proud of her, and loved her
more than ever.

Later we sat at the main table, as a steady stream of associates passed by.
One man, an older gentleman with whom I'd had harsh words with in the past,
stared critically at her.

"You look just like a little girl I used to see every morning outside the
building," he said grumpily. "A dirty little girl who killed rats."

Oh shit, I though. You old bastard. But Lotus just smiled and shook her
head.

"I would never touch a nasty rat!" she said. "Well, I understand, to
somebody your age all kids probably look alike. Don't feel bad." He glared
at her and moved on. I wondered why more people hadn't recognized her...
then again, I went in pretty early... maybe she had been gone by the time
most of my co-workers started up the stairs.

We feasted and talked, and Lotus danced with damn near everyone there, even
the girls. The party finally wound down, and we all had a good time. I
rented a room at the hotel, we spent a carefree night of wild passionate
licking, and walked home the next morning. When we got into our
neighborhood, she pointed to an abandoned building, maybe ten stories tall.
All the windows were broken out, and the doors kicked in.

"That's where Dien and the Southside Kids live," she said. A sullen-looking
girl sat in the doorway, smoking a joint or home-made cigarette. Lotus made
some kind of sign with her hands, the girl passed it back, and then she
stood and walked towards us.

"Lee, Chelse," said Lotus, and I nodded at the girl.

"God you look cute," said Chelse. "I never saw you in a dress before. I
din't recognize you at first."

"Yeah," said Lotus. "We had a party to go to."

"Hey," said Chelse. "Dien's put a number on you. He's called blood on you."

"For what?" said Lotus, bristling.

"For what you did to the Snake," said Chelse.

"Shit, he can't do that. The Snake can, but he can't," said Lotus. "That
ain't the way it works."

"The Snake's laid up. His nose is as big as a cucumber. He's up in the
eyrie. I gotta walk his food up the stairs, and his shit back down. It
sucks."

"Yeah, sorry," said Lotus. "Sorry I busted his nose, but he was kickin' my
ass."

"Yeah," said Chelse. "Anyway, just thought I'd let you know. Lay low for a
while."

"Thanks," said Lotus, clasping the girl's arm as the girl clasped hers in
return. The girl returned to the doorway.

"Well, shit," said Lotus as we walked away. I was nervous, I felt like we
were in enemy territory. I expected a mad mob of kids to assail us at any
moment. She went on. "I gotta see Dien, I guess. I gotta straighten his ass
out on that shit. I hit the Snake fair and square."

I didn't mention he'd been distracted by her pet rat eating his toes. I
shook my head.

"Lotus, don't you dare," I said, "Don't you dare walk into that trap. Don't
even meet them on the street. Stay safe in the apartment. I couldn't stand
it if anything happened to you. Please."

We stopped in the middle of the garbage-strewn street, and I hugged her.
The chilly wind blew a piece of metal on a building, and I jumped at the
noise. Being outside made me nervous, there were so many threats nowdays.
The danger of losing her made my heart ache.

"Lee," she said, "it won't end if I don't settle it. Don't worry 'bout me,
though. I can take care of myself."

It didn't reassure me any that she seemed to have a few friends in the
gang, as evidenced by the girl back there guarding the door. I still
worried for her. We trudged on home, me thinking furiously of ways to guard
her against what seemed like a whole world of threats. Can we ever be safe,
in this world? It didn't seem like it.


                              --==+==--


In spite of being afraid of the outdoors, we couldn't stay inside forever.
One reasonably warm Saturday we walked South, down to the ocean. We stood
on the seawall, and looked out over the chilly, choppy water.

"What happens if this wall breaks?" asked Lotus.

"We'd have to get used to standing in water up to our knees," I said,
laughing. "Plus, the basement would flood and we'd have no hot water. And
probably no electricity and no gas."

"That'd suck," she said. "You ever been on a ship?" Far out to sea, we
could see a giant freightliner, stacked high with truck-sized boxes of
cargo.

"No," I said. "I'd love to, but what few cruise ships run nowdays are super
expensive, they have to have PT boats and minesweepers and shit to guard
them. Maybe we can do it someday, though, if this Eso app really takes off."

"Yeah, that'd be cool..." she sighed. Now I wanted to do it for sure, for
her sake. More than anything in this world, I wanted to see her happy. I
wanted to make her smile.

"Lotus, honey," I said, "if things pan out, with the Eso machine, maybe we
can get out of this godawful town. Maybe we can go to Europe or Asia or
somewhere, where life isn't so cheap. Where you can grow up, like a normal
kid. Where we can be happy."

"Lee," she said, turning to stand right in front of me. I wrapped my arms
around her and bent my face down to hers. She stared into my eyes. "If you
ain't happy here, you won't be happy there. You gotta be happy, first. Then
you can worry 'bout where you wanna be."

Yes, I thought, a lecture about happiness from an eleven year old expert.
Sigh. I knew she was right, though. And... I stopped and pondered my
situation. Shit. Actually, I was happy. I could be happy anywhere, if I
could hold her in my arms every night. She was my happiness, not where I
was. I would be happy to hold her, forever. Oh, dear god, I thought, if you
exist, let her love me when she grows up. Let her still love me. If you do
nothing else for me, let her still love me. I squeezed her a little tighter.

I sighed, she laughed, and we went back down the stairs to the island, two
feet below sea level.


                              --==+==--


We lay in bed, giggling and talking. I kissed her, and slid down her chest,
stopping for a while to suck on a hard little nipple. She giggled some
more. I slid down further, leaving a trail of saliva to cool in the frigid
air of our bedroom. I felt goose flesh on her upper arms, where I held her.
I stopped at her belly button for some more licking. Heaven lay below me. I
bent down for a quick sniff, and god, I almost ejaculated. She smelled
wonderful tonight, I knew she hadn't had a shower last night or this
morning. There's just something about a day or two that just kills me. It
makes the incredible more incredible. I loved it. I tongued her navel some
more, getting more giggles.

"Lee..." she whispered loudly. I said, "Mmph!" and felt her hands on my
head. She finally grabbed my ears and pulled me back up to her face.

"Lee!" she whispered, her breath hot in my face. "What?" I said back.

"I wanna..." her voice was soft and seductive. I was harder than I thought
possible. She just did that, to me.

"I wanna... I wanna see it!" she ended with a kiss. I sighed. I knew this
moment would happen someday. I felt her touch me down there for a brief
instant. I didn't know if I could stand it. I felt like we were turning a
corner, in our relationship, if we did this. What would be next? Could I?
What would she ask me next? What would she want? I had some serious
wrestling to do, with my conscience.

"C'mon!" she touched me again, holding her fingers against my hardness a
little longer this time. I sighed again. What baby wants, baby gets.

"Honey," I said, "get up and turn the light on."


                              --==+==--


I got home that day a little early. I wasn't too worried that she wasn't
there. But in an hour, I was worried. Shit, I thought. Where could she be?
A heavy, thudding knock on my door didn't help any. My heart went into my
throat, and I flew to open the door.

I recognized the girl instantly, in spite of the mass of bruises that her
face was. What was her name? Chelsea? I yanked her in the room, and almost
shouted at her.

"Where's Lotus!"

"Shit, you gotta hurry!" She said, crying. I left her alone for an instant,
running into my bedroom, and grabbed my laser off the bedstand. It wasn't
the greatest weapon in the world, but it was better than nothing. It was
more than just a pointer, it was almost six watts in power, and just a
split-second flash of it would blind a person for minutes if not hours. I
wished to shit I had a gun, but nobody had guns any more. Plus the penalty
for having one was instant death. Still, I wished...

"Are they in the building? What'd you call it? The Eyrie?" I said, sucking
in air, trying to calm myself down. She nodded.

"Come on," I said, grabbing her hand. We flew down the stairs, and headed
up the street. She was jabbering, trying to tell me what happened, but I
didn't hear a lot of what she said, my head was full of worry for Lotus.

At the door Chelse stopped, though. "I'm not goin' back in there," she
said. "'Bye. I done my part. I'm goin' to my momma's." She turned and
headed up the street. I charged into the building.

Five minutes later I found them, in a large central open area on the fourth
floor. I surprised them, Dien was making out with a girl while some of his
soldiers laid around, flipping knives into a couch. They all jumped at the
noise I made coming into the room, and Dien leaped to his feet, fumbling
with his zipper.

"Where is she?" I said loudly, and most eyes flicked to Dien.

"You fuck up, comin' here," he said. "You crawl outta here, you ain't gonna
walk."

He stepped towards me. I had my laser in my hand at shoulder height, and I
nailed him right in the face with it. His retinas lit up like blue fire. He
screamed, dropped the knife, and bent over double with his hands on his
eyes. I know it wasn't fair, but shit, I was outnumbered, on their
territory. I don't know what else I could have done.

Several of the boys moved for me, and I swept the laser across them. The
chaos was satisfying. Within moments they were stumbling around, running
into each other, or just freezing in place if they were smart.

"You fuck!" screamed Dien. "I can't fuckin' see!"

"Where is she!" I shouted. He just stood there. I approached, seeing two of
the boys I hadn't blinded yet run from the room. Dien could tell I was
approaching him from the sound of my voice. He crouched, his hands up like
a boxer, but I knew he couldn't see anything. He wouldn't be able to see
for hours, probably.

I popped him right in the nose, just like I imagined Lotus had done to the
Snake. He screamed and folded. What a wimp, I thought. I felt a moment of
sympathy for him, but I squelched it.

"Where the goddam fuck is she!" I shouted again. I kicked him in the neck,
while he was bent over double, blood pouring from his nose.

"She's upstairs!" a girl shouted in panic. "She's in the eyrie, with the
Snake!"

I nodded thanks, and headed up the stairs.


                              --==+==--


This time I crept. I kicked my shoes off and crept up the stairs as fast as
I could creep. At last there were no more stairs, and I felt like I had
arrived. I moved carefully down a hallway. I could see daylight through a
large pair of double doors. A few feet inside the doorway, her crumpled
bloody body lay. I stopped sneaking.

As I approached, I could see her chest rise and fall. She was still alive,
at least. I strode into the room. The Snake leaped to his feet, a cup of
something spilling on the floor. He was at least as tall as me, and thin
and wiry. I guessed his age to be late teens or early twenties. He just
plain looked like bad news, the scars on his face told me this wasn't his
first fight, by a long ways. His face was long and thin, with short wiry
blonde hair on his head. He looked like his nickname, he looked like a
dangerous snake. With some satisfaction I looked at his nose, still swollen
and red. It looked like it still hurt.

"You made a mistake coming here," he said, his voice was soft and low,
almost cultured. I nodded. He raised a knife slowly, coming towards me. He
held the knife like a knife fighter would, not in that clumsy stabbing
fashion that Dien had used. I raised my laser.

"What the fuck is that," he said, sneering.

"It's a laser," I said. "I'm going to blind you."

He laughed. A girl's voice shouted from the door. "Snake! He'll do it! He's
blinded everybody downstairs! He beat the shit outa Dien!"

He just looked at me. Then he slowly began coming forward again. I flicked
the laser on, but he turned his head in time. Shit, I thought. I still felt
like, though, at some point he'd have to look at me if he was going to
close with me.

"So the fuck what," the Snake said. "So you beat up Dien. A baby could beat
up Dien, he's a dumbshit pussy. I ain't gonna be that easy."

He leaped at me from ten feet away. His knife slashed straight out at me,
and I danced out of the way. He was good, but there's almost no defense
against the laser. You just have to look, at some point, if you're going to
charge somebody. I finally flashed him after two more lunges, and saw him
slow down and look around in panic. I really blasted him good, then, when
his blind eyes swept across me. He flinched and stumbled backwards.

"You fuck!" he shouted, his cool demeanor finally cracking a bit. "That's
fuckin' unfair! Fight like a man!"

"Yeah, you dumb fuck!" I said, coming in from his unarmed side and kicking
him square in the nuts with a half-spin kick. "Beating up a little girl...
that's how a man fights?"

"It wasn't my fault," he wheezed, bending over, cradling his crotch. "Dien
put a contract on her... I was just doin' my job." I chopped him hard on
his neck, almost breaking my hand. I was out of practice, this was my first
fight in almost twenty years. And, he was right, it probably wasn't fair...
but shit, life ain't far.

He had dropped to his knees when I chopped him, but he still stared blindly
around, trying to figure out where I was. I thought about kicking him in
the stomach, but I had a better idea. I carefully reached out and flicked
his nose hard with my middle finger, and he collapsed on the floor,
screaming. I know that shit hurt. Now that the fight was over my attention
focused on Lotus. I turned to her, and almost shouted to see a girl
crouching over her. I ran the few steps to her side, ready to kick the
girl's ass.

"She's still alive," said the girl, looking up, holding Lotus' hand. I was
reassured about her intentions. I knelt beside Lotus. She was pretty fucked
up, I realized, bruised and cut. Slits had been cut in her cheeks, and a
huge gash was in her nose. Deep cuts were on her forearms where she'd tried
to defend herself. The pool of blood she lay in looked pretty large, to me.
I wondered how much blood a person could lose.

"Franklin is still open," said the girl. "And Elmhurst, so I've heard. But
you gotta pay cash in advance, remember."

Fuck, that wasn't a problem, I had a debit chip implanted a few weeks ago.
I could get cash, surely the hospitals had ATMs. I stood and leaned down
and gently took her in my arms. She mumbled and her eyes flickered open.
She smiled when she saw me, closed her eyes again, and I felt her relax
against me. I didn't look forward to those ten flights of stairs. Beside
her lay the small lifeless body of Chipo, and I almost did cry then,
remembering how he'd defended her in the past. I wondered if he'd died
doing the same.

"Thanks. And you need to get the fuck out of here," I told the girl. "I'm
coming back and burning this fucker to the ground." I headed down the
stairs, Lotus in my arms. My shoes. Where the hell were my shoes.


                              --==+==--


The trip to Malaysia was fun, as fun as a cruise would have been. We ate at
the Captain's table every night, and Lotus was the main attraction.
Everybody on the ship was in love with her. Everybody had to ask about her
scars, of course, and she ate that shit up, her stories got more and more
grandiose until she was kicking the asses of a roomful of bad guys. Even
her nose was healing nicely, they were making great strides in plastic
surgery nowdays. And I knew that medical care was even better in Singapore.
The last time we talked about it she was a little reticent, I think she
wants at least a few scars, she told me once she thought it made her look
like a "bad-ass." And what little girl doesn't want to look like a bad-ass?
Her internal injuries were healing slower, but her doctors gave her the
green light to leave the country. Getting her a passport was a bitch and
took several months, in spite of the palms I was able to grease. Being rich
does have its perks.

I have an option on a apartment in some high-rise in Singapore, and we'll
get to live there a month before I have to decide to buy or not. The
elevators even work, in Singapore. Actual immigration into Malaysia is as
difficult as any other Asian country, but as long as I'm there spreading my
wealth around they'll tolerate us. And, amazingly, I can still work for the
corporation through the net. Packed in the belly of the ship, with our
other baggage, was my very own Eso, compliments of the company.

I never went back and burned the building. I thought about it, but I didn't
need to bring more trouble down on my head, and I finally decided that just
letting the kids live like they lived was punishment enough. I kept an eye
out for any of them on the street, though, for the two months we were
there. The girl that helped me take Lotus to the hospital came to see her a
few times, and told us that the gang was pretty much broke up, and that the
Snake had disappeared completely from the local scene. I had hoped to thump
him on the nose a time or two again, but it didn't happen.

We stood at the rail outside our cabin, and I held her against me, looking
out over the water. The future ain't what it used to be, I thought. I put
my head down, and kissed her on top of her head. I loved her. If I'm gonna
be remembered for anything, let it be that. I loved her.


                              --==+==--


IF YOU LIKED THIS STORY, LEAVE ME A COMMENT. HELL, LEAVE ME A COMMENT EVEN
IF YOU DIDN'T LIKE IT. THANKS FOR READING.


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