Challenge Redux

TITLE: Of Boys and Fireflies
AUTHOR: mishbloom
CHALLENGE: #1--Childhood
CHARACTERS: Mal, Serenity
RATING: G
WORD COUNT: A little long...I hope no one minds?
COMMENTS: I actually wrote this for my Serenity Secret Santa over the holidays, but I really love it and wanted to share. Hope y'all enjoy it too.
DISCLAIMER: Joss is Boss, and the 'verse belongs to him. He just lets me meddle every once in a while.



The first time Mal ever set eyes on a spaceship, he was barely out of toddlerhood. His mama hadn’t thought him up for a trip into town to that point…or maybe it was simple as she didn’t think he’d behave. Not that he was a bad child…just troublesome and apt to end up under people’s feet. Politer folk would have said inquisitive. His mama said nosy.

He was a quiet child, not overly boisterous, although time would change that trait and make him into a normal everyday rough-and-tumble boy. But at not quite four and a half, Malcolm Reynolds was merely interested in the world around him…maybe a bit too much for a mother’s comfort.

It was a bright, sunny afternoon when they pulled into the yard at the feed-and-tack store where Lucinda Reynolds would barter several smoked bits of beef for goods that were needed ‘round the ranch. Behind the store, on the outskirts of town, lay the space docks. Not too many ships landed on Shadow in the course of a regular day, and this one was no different. A pair of transport ships had put in just that morning. Nothing special and clearly rather worn around the edges.

But the two shiny metallic hulks that sat side-by-side caught the young boy’s eyes and mesmerized him. “Mama,” his little voice strained to reach his mother’s ears over the noise of the feed store. He reached up and plucked at the shirtsleeve. “Mama? May I see the ships?”

His mother hushed him, already hailing one of the vendors who would cart her beef into the store for some serious negotiation. “Mal, you have to be quiet now, son. I’ve got some tradin’ to do and most like it’s gonna take a little time. Set yourself down over there on one of them hay bales where I can keep a good eye on you.” With that his mother turned to the man who had come to unload their wagon. “Yeah, go on and take the whole batch of it on in. I aim to stock up some supplies this trip…’fore winter gets here.”

Mal obediently made his way to a hay bale by the fence of the yard. From where he sat, he could watch his mother walk up the steps, onto the porch of the store, and just inside where a big counter was set up for traders to do their business. Quick as a wink she was deep into talks with one of the big burly brothers that owned the place.

The little boy was in awe of his mother. She was smart and quick and kept a tight rein on all matters concerning their ranch. When her husband had died shortly before the birth of her son, Lucinda had gone from overseeing daily life around the ranch house to daily life on a 4000-acre spread with nearly 1000 head of cattle and various other livestock. They had 40 extra mouths…from the cook, housemaid, and 3 boys hired to help with the extensive gardens to 35 men who bunked at their ranch, worked as Lucinda needed, and sometimes hired out to neighboring ranches for extra work. Not one of those 40 people would have failed to jump if his mother had demanded it.

Under normal circumstances, not obeying his mother’s directive would have been unthinkable. But Mal shot a look over his shoulder at the docks…then at his mother, who was far too distracted to really pay him any mind. He slid carefully off the hay bale. Another quick glance at his mother…and he was off around the bales, under the fence, and headed across the short plain separating the feed store and its yards from the space docks.

The first ship was short and rounded, some sort of interplantery transport. He barely gave it a second look. As he approached the second ship, a tall man wearing a long brown coat came down the ramp. He was issuing orders right and left to crewmembers who did as instructed. The boy watched openmouthed as the man stopped not two feet from him, watching through narrowed eyes to make sure none of the people from his ship shirked their duties.

Finally satisfied that everyone was doing what they ought to be, the man pulled a cigar out of his pocket, put it in his mouth, lit it, and gazed around. His eyes passed over the top of Mal’s head twice before he glanced down and saw the child. He realized quickly that the boy was drinking in the sight of the ship, and the man stepped to his side. “Ain’t you never seen a spaceship before, son?” His speech was rough, but the voice was kind.

Mal swallowed hard and shook his head. “Uh-huh. My mama never brought me to town before.” His blue eyes danced over the clean lines of the ship, from the long narrow head and neck down to the bulky midsection and over the tail where the reactor core lay. “She’s awful shiny, sir.”

The man smiled broadly. “Yeah, she is.” One dark eyebrow rose as he looked around behind the boy. “Say your momma’s here too?”

Mal nodded, eyes never leaving the ship. “At the store.” He gave an impish little grin. “I ain’t supposed to be here. She’ll whup me good when I get back. But…I had to see her.”

A gentle smile crossed the man’s face as he watched the boy watch his ship. “My momma whupped me a time or two for not listening. It’s awful hard sometimes, ain’t it?” Another nod. “Well I s’pose I ought to run you on back to her.” A quick emphatic shake of the head. The man grinned knowingly. “But…if you like…I don’t s’pose she’ll whup you much harder if I show you around.”

Mal’s eyes went wide. “You’d let me see the inside? Really?” His little voice was high-pitched with excitement.

The man held out a hand to the boy. “Best be careful though. Watch your footin’. Some of the gangways are a little long in the leg. I don’t aim on havin’ to explain to your momma why you took a tumble in my ship.” He winked at Mal. “She might whup us both.”

Mal never forgot that glorious half an hour onboard “Bella Rose”. “She’s a Firefly,” the man informed him. “The best ship in the ‘verse.” He ran gleefully ahead of the man, who introduced himself as Captain Nate Samuels. His small hands caressed the shining metal bulkheads and trailed lightly up the handrails. He ran in circles around the little common room and sank deep into the pilot’s chair on the bridge. Captain Nate took him into the engine room and let him rest his cheek on the outside of the engine block, while the mechanical heart of the ship thrummed softly through his body. For a moment, Mal was almost certain he heard the ship whisper his name. And then they were off to explore the shuttles.

All too soon Mal’s mama found out he’d moved from his ordered spot. She sent several of the store clerks out searching for him. It was bad luck for Mal that he and Captain Nate came down the cargo ramp just as Lucinda herself marched across the open prairie.

She whupped him all right. But late that night, after his tears had dried and his mama was safely tucked into bed, Mal crawled from beneath his covers and stuck his head out his bedroom window. He counted the stars he could see and wondered where in the cosmos “Bella Rose” might be now. “Someday,” he whispered to the night breeze. “Someday I’m gonna have me a Firefly.”

* * * * *

The new mechanic had gone off to her quarters to settle in. Bester had decamped, mumbling and grumbling about “secondary grav boots” and “rad couplings”.

Zoe and Wash had taken themselves off for a quiet dinner before they left the planet on their way to Paquin. Mal wondered just what might be up there, but Zoe’s business was her own. As long as she stopped fidgeting about Wash being their pilot, he didn’t care what the pair did.

Serenity was quiet. The only noises were the soft squeaks and creaks that came with age. Her engine hummed softly as she settled for the night.

Mal made his usual rounds of the ship before heading back up toward the crew quarters to turn in. He came up the stairs from the infirmary…and stopped at the door to the engine room. He stood, watching the spin of the turbine, knowing that they were lucky to have found the girl.

A slight breeze whispered through the ship, bringing the scent of the night air deep inside. It wafted into the engine room and kissed the captain’s cheek. Mal closed his eyes and smiled. Then, with a quick glance to make sure no one else was around, he stepped over to the engine block, placed his cheek against the housing, and let the hum of the engine sweep through him.

And for moment, Mal was almost certain he heard the ship whisper his name….