your self is not from the future , she considered – so she decided to say instead, “I mean, tell me who you are! Tell me who I’ll be one day.”
“Be who you are now,” Future Key told her. “Then you’ll know more about me, as you come to know more about your self.”
“But I don’t really know who I am now,” Key said rather piteously.
“You are more than Key the vampire,” Future Key replied. “You are Key growing into a woman.”
“But I can’t grow anymore,” Key objected. “I haven’t grown in a hundred years.”
“Growing also means maturing .”
“What does maturing mean?”
“It means,” Future Key said rather sagely, “growing up without growing older.”
“When will I grow into who you are?” Key asked.
“Soon,” Future Key said.
“That’s not soon enough.”
Future Key nodded. “Yes, I remember how eager I was to grow up, to escape Despair.”
“I don’t like being in this dungeon,” Key said.
“Neither did I.”
“How long ago were you here?”
Future Key looked around the dungeon with a mixed expression of nostalgia and disgust. “It seems like I was here just yester-night,” she said.
“Can you help me escape?” Key begged.
Future Key turned sad and serious. “I wish I could,” she replied softly. “But I can’t.”
“Is Old Queen Crinkle stopping you?”
Future Key scoffed. “Not anymore.”
“Are Raithe and Crudgel stopping you?”
“They’ll never be a match for who you’ll become.”
“I want to be you now,” Key said.
“I wanted to be me, too,” Future Key responded. “I’m glad I am who I am. But to be who I am, I had to be how you are now.”
“I don’t understand what that means.”
“Neither did I,” Future Key said. “But you can understand it this way: The suffering you’re going through now is necessary and important.”
“It’s not important to me,” Key remarked.
“It’s important to me,” Future Key replied. “If you want to be who I am, then you have to be how I was.”
Key thought for a moment. “How did you get in here?”
Future Key grinned again, her vampire fangs flashing. “You’ll learn soon enough,” she said a little waggishly.
“If you’re not here to get me out,” Key said, “then why are you here?”
Future Key pointed to Key’s birthday dress. “You’ve been wearing those same clothes for one hundred years,” she said, “ever since you turned nine years old.”
Key studied her birthday dress. It was tattered and torn, unwashed and filthy, practically falling to bits. It had lost its white luster years ago.
Future Key then reached into a pouch on her belt and took out a circular device. Fitting perfectly into the palm of her hand, it was silver with black swirling lines carved into it, and a bright sapphire in the center.
She gave it to Key, and Key marveled at it as Future Key pointed to the device and said, “Open it in the evening when you rise from sleep. Wear whatever it gives you for the night. Open it again in the morning before you go to bed. Let it have whatever you’re wearing. Wear whatever it gives you. Use it every day. It will never run out of steam. It will never misread your needs. And it will never give you the same outfit twice, unless you ask it to do so.”
Now in the palm of Key’s hand, the circular device was no bigger than a large, thick coin. Turning it over, Key saw more swirling lines, like curlicue symbols, and she got the impression that it was some sort of strange language. But as she studied the back of the device more closely, she actually did see words engraved in beautiful gold lettering: The GadgetTronic Brothers, Est. ∞ .
“What is this?” Key asked, holding the device toward Future Key.
“It’s called,” Future Key said, “a Crinomatic.”
“It makes clothes?” Key asked.
“You’ll see,” Future Key replied with a cheeky grin as she leaned forward and lightly touched the sapphire in the center of the
“Be who you are now,” Future Key told her. “Then you’ll know more about me, as you come to know more about your self.”
“But I don’t really know who I am now,” Key said rather piteously.
“You are more than Key the vampire,” Future Key replied. “You are Key growing into a woman.”
“But I can’t grow anymore,” Key objected. “I haven’t grown in a hundred years.”
“Growing also means maturing .”
“What does maturing mean?”
“It means,” Future Key said rather sagely, “growing up without growing older.”
“When will I grow into who you are?” Key asked.
“Soon,” Future Key said.
“That’s not soon enough.”
Future Key nodded. “Yes, I remember how eager I was to grow up, to escape Despair.”
“I don’t like being in this dungeon,” Key said.
“Neither did I.”
“How long ago were you here?”
Future Key looked around the dungeon with a mixed expression of nostalgia and disgust. “It seems like I was here just yester-night,” she said.
“Can you help me escape?” Key begged.
Future Key turned sad and serious. “I wish I could,” she replied softly. “But I can’t.”
“Is Old Queen Crinkle stopping you?”
Future Key scoffed. “Not anymore.”
“Are Raithe and Crudgel stopping you?”
“They’ll never be a match for who you’ll become.”
“I want to be you now,” Key said.
“I wanted to be me, too,” Future Key responded. “I’m glad I am who I am. But to be who I am, I had to be how you are now.”
“I don’t understand what that means.”
“Neither did I,” Future Key said. “But you can understand it this way: The suffering you’re going through now is necessary and important.”
“It’s not important to me,” Key remarked.
“It’s important to me,” Future Key replied. “If you want to be who I am, then you have to be how I was.”
Key thought for a moment. “How did you get in here?”
Future Key grinned again, her vampire fangs flashing. “You’ll learn soon enough,” she said a little waggishly.
“If you’re not here to get me out,” Key said, “then why are you here?”
Future Key pointed to Key’s birthday dress. “You’ve been wearing those same clothes for one hundred years,” she said, “ever since you turned nine years old.”
Key studied her birthday dress. It was tattered and torn, unwashed and filthy, practically falling to bits. It had lost its white luster years ago.
Future Key then reached into a pouch on her belt and took out a circular device. Fitting perfectly into the palm of her hand, it was silver with black swirling lines carved into it, and a bright sapphire in the center.
She gave it to Key, and Key marveled at it as Future Key pointed to the device and said, “Open it in the evening when you rise from sleep. Wear whatever it gives you for the night. Open it again in the morning before you go to bed. Let it have whatever you’re wearing. Wear whatever it gives you. Use it every day. It will never run out of steam. It will never misread your needs. And it will never give you the same outfit twice, unless you ask it to do so.”
Now in the palm of Key’s hand, the circular device was no bigger than a large, thick coin. Turning it over, Key saw more swirling lines, like curlicue symbols, and she got the impression that it was some sort of strange language. But as she studied the back of the device more closely, she actually did see words engraved in beautiful gold lettering: The GadgetTronic Brothers, Est. ∞ .
“What is this?” Key asked, holding the device toward Future Key.
“It’s called,” Future Key said, “a Crinomatic.”
“It makes clothes?” Key asked.
“You’ll see,” Future Key replied with a cheeky grin as she leaned forward and lightly touched the sapphire in the center of the
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