It hummed a long and steady static that felt oddly satisfying. At first, Berlin couldn’t tell where it was coming from, but then it hummed a little more. She looked around the garden, familiar with almost every weed and plant. As she got closer, it dripped. The sound that came from it was as if a drop of water had fallen in a cave.
Nuzzled at the base of a bush, she finally found it. She wanted to touch it and refrained at first, mesmerised by how it glistened. It appeared light, and when she finally reached out, it fit perfectly in the palm of her hands. She could barely feel it, so she clasped it tighter with her fingers, afraid it would leap away.
“Hectre!” she called out, stunned.
Once she adjusted, she took a better look at it. Her chest and head immediately felt heavy. It felt like it had been raining for days on one of the warmest days. The sun peered through the huddle of trees surrounding them, and Hectre rushed over from where he was digging.
“What’s wrong?” he asks.
“I don’t know”
“What do you need?”
Berlin turned to face Hectre more directly, showing him what she had picked up.
“It’s beautiful” he exhaled.
“What is it?” Berlin replied.
Hectre shrugged and moved his hands closer to hers. The device dripped again but this time louder; so piercing that Hectre quickly covered his ears.
“Put it down!” he yelled.
Berlin looked at the device puzzled and curious.
“I can’t” she whispered.