Descending Road - THE SENSI AND THE POSTER by Dana W. Paxson

THE SENSI AND THE POSTER

1560 4D

Annie and I went back to doing cleaner work after that. We had to avoid the Fandarinns now, so it got complicated when we had to drop loaded body bags and slip into a closet every time the weirds came by. I took to wearing a face-covering visor a lot, and Annie let her hair grow down over her face, and that helped. But it got stony-old in a few months, so I decided to make a career move. Maybe a better one this time.

The dumbest things get you started, and the Mantis Man was a perfect example. This time I decided to try for a legitimate job that wasn’t cleaning or cooking. Things got rolling with the sensi.

I was in my cubb watching Astranixeda doing some coll history. I’m Hejji, so it wasn’t my coll, but the Astrans do great shows, full of the best music streams and singing, and I couldn’t turn it off. Then the police recruiter came on.

“You don’t know what’s in you yet,” he said, with the bustle of the streets at Aswal Narr behind him. “But we know what’s in you. You’re smarter than these folks know. You’ve got power buried in you like lava, just waiting for you to tap into it. Come talk with us, and we’ll help you tap that power. Come talk with us, and we’ll show you a future for yourself, your family, and your friends. A future you can grow into.”

The scene behind him shifted to show a line of young City police recruits standing tall, smiling, sharply dressed in their blue and silver, looking proud. He continued, “If you’re like our friends, it’s not enough just slinging food or running a shop or grinding stone every day. It’s not enough just waiting for trouble to grab someone you love. Our friends here found a way to make things better. They went blue. They found a place, they found friends, and they found meaning. Come talk to them. You’ll be amazed at what you can get and what you can give.”

Smiles all around. One smile expanded to fill the sensi screen as that great Astran music came up. It made me want to jump up and run off to Teshill Slope where the recruiting cubby was, until I thought of how Annie would laugh at me.

Story List	SURPRISE ME	Author Page
USER SURVEY	PUZZLE ME	MAKE ELM MARK

HOVER Lucida Bright BARE	HOVER Lucida Bright FULL	HOVER Palatino Linotype BARE
HOVER Palatino Linotype FULL	HOVER Times New Roman BARE	HOVER Times New Roman FULL
PAD Arial BARE	PAD Arial FULL	PAD Lucida Bright BARE
PAD Lucida Bright FULL	PAD Times New Roman BARE	PAD Times New Roman FULL


	THE SENSI AND THE POSTER 1560 4D Annie and I went back to doing cleaner work after that. We had to avoid the Fandarinns now, so it got complicated when we had to drop loaded body bags and slip into a closet every time the weirds came by. I took to wearing a face-covering visor a lot, and Annie let her hair grow down over her face, and that helped. But it got stony-old in a few months, so I decided to make a career move. Maybe a better one this time. The dumbest things get you started, and the Mantis Man was a perfect example. This time I decided to try for a legitimate job that wasn’t cleaning or cooking. Things got rolling with the sensi. I was in my cubb watching Astranixeda doing some coll history. I’m Hejji, so it wasn’t my coll, but the Astrans do great shows, full of the best music streams and singing, and I couldn’t turn it off. Then the police recruiter came on. “You don’t know what’s in you yet,” he said, with the bustle of the streets at Aswal Narr behind him. “But we know what’s in you. You’re smarter than these folks know. You’ve got power buried in you like lava, just waiting for you to tap into it. Come talk with us, and we’ll help you tap that power. Come talk with us, and we’ll show you a future for yourself, your family, and your friends. A future you can grow into.” The scene behind him shifted to show a line of young City police recruits standing tall, smiling, sharply dressed in their blue and silver, looking proud. He continued, “If you’re like our friends, it’s not enough just slinging food or running a shop or grinding stone every day. It’s not enough just waiting for trouble to grab someone you love. Our friends here found a way to make things better. They went blue. They found a place, they found friends, and they found meaning. Come talk to them. You’ll be amazed at what you can get and what you can give.” Smiles all around. One smile expanded to fill the sensi screen as that great Astran music came up. It made me want to jump up and run off to Teshill Slope where the recruiting cubby was, until I thought of how Annie would laugh at me.