They’d been walking for fifteen minutes when the sun finally disappeared below the horizon. A full moon shone like a white beacon in the evening twilight. Engella marvelled at its beauty, untouched by colonists or mining corporations. Most of the lunar surface had been sold to multiplanetary companies in her time. All she could see from her bedroom window back home were the vast lunar cities; covered in lights.
At the heart of a small wood, they came to a clearing. Engella emerged from behind an oak tree to see a small cottage covered in ivy. A wooden fence surrounded an immaculate garden. Rose bushes enclosed the neatly-mowed lawn.
“Home, sweet home,” Annys said as she unlocked the door. The wood burner still had a few glowing cinders trying to hold on. Annys picked up a pair of tongs and placed some coals on the fire. She stuffed in some newspaper and tossed in a lit match. Flames licked about and the paper quickly turned to a mini inferno. The coals began to glow and Engella relaxed as the room warmed.
“That’s better,” Annys said, closing the door. “You can’t stop shivering, dear. Maybe you need to put on something warmer.” She left Engella to enjoy the fire for a few moments, before returning with a pile of freshly-ironed clothes.
“Change into these and then we can have a cup of tea together. The spare room is up the stairs, on the left. In fact, why don’t you stay for dinner? You must be hungry.”
“Oh yes, I’d like that.” Engella went upstairs. Switching off her hologram, she changed out of her late twenty-first century outfit into the clothes Annys had provided. She used her cloak to conceal her blaster, and placed them both in a cupboard under the sink.
Engella returned to the warmth of the sitting room and took a few moments to relax. Annys cooked up a meal of smoked haddock, potatoes and broccoli. Engella gobbled it up quickly.
“That was delicious!” she said as she finished her plate. Annys cut a large slice of apple pie for dessert and served it with cream. Engella salivated as it was placed in front of her. She had not tasted anything so good for as long as she could remember. This was real apple pie, made from real apples. Not the synthesised food she was used to in her time.
“It’s getting late, dear. I know you don’t want to talk about your situation and I’m not going to make you. But do you have somewhere to stay tonight?” Annys said as she cleared away the plates.
“I don’t have anywhere, no.”
“Okay, well. That’s it then. You’re staying here. The guest room is already set up. Why don’t you go and take a bath? You look like you need to relax!” She smiled and Engella looked away shyly.
Engella thanked her new friend, said goodnight and went to her room. After cleaning up, she lay on her comfy bed and couldn’t believe how her luck had finally taken a turn for the better. New Shanghai felt like a very long way away. Then she remembered that it didn’t even exist yet. Was there an old Shanghai in this time? She wondered what it was like, imagining the people that lived there, before drifting into a deep slumber. She dreamt of the beach, sandcastles and her parents.