There was an eerie silence over the dinner table as Charlie’s mother Elena slowly cleared up the evening meal. A distant sound and a low rumble gently shook the room as her father Adam gently put a hand on his two daughter’s shoulders’.

“How was school today?” he asked nervously, desperately trying to ignore and distract them from the sounds coming from the horizon as his wife hurried to put the dishes away. Mimi looked at her big sister, a single tear trickling down her cheek. Ignoring the question she looked up at her father with tears in her eyes and asked, “are we going to be ok Daddy?” Adam sighed and scooped Mimi up onto his lap and pulled Charlie in as well. “I don’t want you girls to worry, there are Star Fleet ships on the way and they will come and make sure we are safe. Until they get here we have each other and that’s all we need. The fighting is a very long way away and we’ll be safe here…” Adam said softly as he kissed the two girls softly on the forehead. Elena moved to join them and wrapped her her arms around them all. “Let’s get an early night shall we?” she suggested as she picked Mimi up from her husband’s lap, shooting a look of concern in his direction. With an almost imperceptible nod, Adam passed Charlie over to Elena who took them into the bedroom. As soon as they were out of earshot, Adam opened a comm line.

=^= This is Lt Adam Bailey of Ajilon Prime calling any ship in range, we can’t hold out much longer, please send help! Please, I have to get my family to safety! Please respond…is anyone there? =^=

Having put the girls in their room, Elena came back and buried her face in her husband’s shoulder. They stood momentarily in silence, the faint rumbling from explosions providing a disturbing symphony to their embrace. Adam let out a deep sigh and cupped her face with his hands. He gently kissed her forehead and sighed again. After a few moments he spoke in a barely audible whisper. “…I have to go…I have to defend the colony…” his voice cracked at the prospect of leaving his beloved family but he was torn between them and his duty. He swore an oath to Star Fleet and as hard as it was for him, that had to come first. Elena said nothing but nodded slowly, knowing that he had to do his duty. They both knew it was more than likely a suicide mission and this would be the last moment they spent together.

As Charlie snuggled into her bed, Elena came and perched silently on the end of the bed, softly weeping. Checking that Mimi was asleep, Charlie crawled up into Elena’s lap and held her tightly. “It’s not safe here any more is it Mummy?” she asked, her little voice quivering. Elena wiped a tear away and shook her head. “No sweetheart, it’s not safe, but Daddy has gone to help the other officers keep us safe and soon we’ll be on a starship so we can find a new place to live, you have to be brave for Mimi though…” she answered, laying Charlie down in her bed. As she got up to leave, Charlie grabbed her arm. “Please Mummy, stay here with us…” she wept softly. Elena smiled gently and snuggled up next to her in the bed. She sighed and pulled the cover up over both of them. Charlie tensed as the sound of the explosions getting closer broke the silence and Elena hugged her close and began to stroke her hair.

“Shall I tell you about Bluebell Wood again?” Elena asked, trying her best to keep her voice calm despite the rising fear. Charlie nodded and cuddled in closer.
“When I was a little girl, my Daddy used to take me to this beautiful wood where the ground was covered in thousands of bluebells. There was a little stream running through the middle of the wood…” Charlie smiled as she closed her eyes and began picturing the story her mother had told her many times before. Whatever scary thing was happening, they always took a mental trip to Bluebell Wood and somehow everything was better.

Charlie woke with a start to the smell of burning. Her eyes stand from the acrid smoke and she could barely see in front of her.
“…Mimi?…” she coughed as she stumbled across to her little sister’s bed. Mimi was huddled under her blanket, shaking like a leaf and weeping. “It’s ok Mim, I’ll look after you…” Charlie spluttered through the ash, remembering her mother’s instructions to be brave for Mimi. She gave Mimi a cloth for her face and put her up on her back as she stumbled out into the corridor. The house was slowly filling with smoke and it was hard to see anything. “Mummy?! Daddy?!” Charlie frantically called out as she slowly made her way towards the door. Just before she reached the exit, she tripped over some debris and slammed into the wall, nearly knocking herself out. Amidst the throbbing in her head, Mimi’s cries and the smoke burning her eyes, Charlie’s little frame couldn’t hold out as she slumped to the floor with her terrified sister on her back.

Moments later, the strong hand of a Star Fleet officer plucked them from the floor of the decimated house and held them in his arms. As Charlie’s eyes fluttered open momentarily she could have sworn that she saw a figure coming out of the corridors amidst the flames but before she could reach out, a transporter beam enveloped them and they found themselves on a transporter pad. After a few moments to realise where they were, Charlie pushed past the nurse that was quickly approaching to scan her and ran to the transporter chief.

“We have to go back! My mum and dad are still down there!!” she screeched as she started randomly jabbing at buttons on his console. The transporter chief gently tried to move her away but she elbowed him in the stomach causing him to briefly double over in pain.
“No!! We have to save them!! Please!!” she begged, her urging sending her into a coughing fit. As she tried to hold on to the console, her legs gave way and she was quickly caught by the nurse who scooped her up into her arms.

“Please…” she murmured as her little body went limp from exhaustion.

• Charlie Bailey (Age 8)