A Festive Exchange

Ruby pressed the doorbell and waited on the chilly doorstep of her sister’s townhouse. Footprints in the snow showed that she was not the first. She saw movement through the obscured glass as her identical twin, Amber, opened the door. Her familiar face was immaculately made, her ginger hair a mass of curly flames.

“Ruby! You’re here.” She leant close. “Mother’s doing her thing, and dad’s three sherries in. Safest bet is to find Toby.”

Ruby smiled. “Thanks for the heads up. Wasn’t sure what to bring.” She held up a plastic bag with a bottle of wine, a bottle of Coke, and a tub of sweets.

“Looks good,” said Amber, taking the bag and ushering Ruby in.

Damp warmth hit Ruby in the chest, and she unbuttoned her heavy coat. 

“Auntie Ruby!” a high-pitched voice called.

Ruby turned to greet her approaching niece, barrelling down the hall, felt tip pen in one hand, a bag of chocolate money in the other. The little girl had a knitted jumper of a big-eared dog wearing a Christmas hat. Likely a Nanny-knit — one of many skills Ruby didn’t inherit from Mother.

She scooped the girl up and swung her around. “Hello, pudding.”

“I’m not a pudding.”

“You like pudding, though, don’t you?”

“If it’s banana.”

“Ah. In that case, I shall call you Banana.”

“Nooooo! I don’t want to be a banana.”

Ruby plopped the girl back on her feet. “Catch you!”

Little legs propelled the girl back into the living room as fast as they could.

Amber excused herself to the kitchen, and Ruby spent an extra few seconds preparing. Her brother-in-law, Nathan, stepped into view.

“Oh, hello,” he said, immediately uncomfortable. “Thought it might be you.”

“Did your daughter shouting my name give it away?”

A forced laugh. “Something like that.”

They both stood awkwardly before Nathan moved out of the living room doorway. “I’m off to the kitchen. Can I get you a drink?”

“Sure. Is the kettle on?”

“Always.” He gestured at the living room. “I’ll bring it through. Good luck.”

She took another breath and headed in.

***

The living room forced its way into every one of Ruby’s senses. A small room crammed with four adults, two children, and a pug called Scooter. Nearly a quarter had been sacrificed by a massive Christmas tree, which shed handfuls of needles every time someone brushed against it.

A tall man straightened from leaning against the mantlepiece. His rosy cheeks suggested he was regretting his cosy red wool sweater choice.

“You must be Ruby,” he said. “Angela has been telling us all about you.”

“I bet she has,” muttered Ruby, looking at Mother. “Alright?”

Mother pursed her lips. “Yes. We’re fine.” Her tone made her a liar. “You come alone?”

Ruby sighed. Ten seconds was all it had taken. “Yes, mum. Just me.”

“What happened to that girl? What was her name?”

“Zoe.”

“No. Not her. The one with the half-shaved head.”

“Zoe.”

“I thought Zoe had the tattoo?”

“That was Natalie, and that was three years ago.”

“It wasn’t! I’d have remembered.”

“OK.” No point in arguing. She nodded to her dad, who rolled his eyes behind his wife’s back. Ruby noticed that his eyes took a moment to stop rolling. She turned back to the other man, who had moved to stand by a seated woman of sizeable proportions. Ruby threw a smile onto her face.

“I don’t think we’ve met?”

The man answered for the woman. “No. We live next door. Amber invited us because she worries about the noise the dog and children make. We don’t mind. It’s lovely to hear them.”

Judging by the woman’s expression, Ruby doubted that was the case. She was fortunately rescued from further conversation by Toby, her three-year-old nephew.

“Auntie Roobs. Come.” He wore two halves of different dressing-up clothes, currently making him Spider-Spaceman. He grabbed two of Ruby’s fingers in his tiny hand and dragged her toward a massive pile of freshly opened presents. “Build rocket?” Without waiting for an answer, he upended a box of assorted bricks.

Ruby spent twenty minutes content with a cup of tea and the important construction project. It would have been perfect had she not had to listen to Mother give a secondhand account of Ruby’s life. Her PhD in Architecture and the construction of a new theatre of her design were absent from the account. Her previous love interests were included, all jumbled up and wholly misrepresented.

The lack of any grandchildren, due to her ‘preference for women’, was mentioned often. Mother had never understood how identical twins could look so similar yet be so different. Amber had met a lovely man who worked in the same office as her at a nice family-run accountancy practice. Married with two children, Mother was never out of their house. Ruby knew that Amber was not entirely happy with this arrangement.

As Ruby’s apparent lack of direction was being discussed, Amber leant around the dining room door and announced Christmas dinner. Everyone murmured approval and headed for a meal where personal space was no longer a thing.

***

Ruby gladly offered to help wash the dishes. Mother had blessedly chosen other topics of conversation, even allowing other speakers. Ruby had barely spoken but had enjoyed her sister’s food. Trying different recipes and occasionally baking was something she enjoyed. No one knew that, but it saved her from being judged for yet another waste of her time.

Nathan handed her another dripping plate, which she mopped with a tea towel. She spotted Amber enter the kitchen.

“Hey.” She held up the towel. “This one’s a bit damp.”

“No worries.” Amber pulled open a drawer and handed over a fresh towel. “That reminds me.” She vanished from the room for a few seconds, returning with a small box. It was about five inches square, dark blue with intricate lines and silver symbols. Clearly a box with a lid, it was tied shut with a red velvet ribbon, including a bow. “This came for you yesterday.”

Ruby frowned, accepting the box. “Someone sent me this here?” Then she smiled. “Is this from you guys?”

“Absolutely not. We’ve been itching to know what it is. It arrived via a bike messenger late yesterday.”

“Christmas Eve? By bike?”

“Yup.”

She turned it over in her hands. “Who the hell knew I would be here?”

Amber shrugged. Nathan was leaning against the sink, drying his hands. “Open it.”

Ruby looked around the box. “Who’s it from?”

Amber stamped a foot. “Maybe it says inside. Open it!”

“Alright. Alright.” The velvet was soft. Expensive. The box looked like it should have been light, but it had a heft to it. The bow came undone easily, and the lid smoothly slid up. All three peered forward as the inside was revealed, only to immediately lean back again as a small cloud of white mist drifted out of the box, evaporating as it fell.

“Must be dry ice or something,” said Ruby. “Cool effect.” Once the mist had cleared, it revealed an almost empty box with a silver compass in the centre. Odd lettering appeared engraved around the circular bevel. Moving the box around didn’t seem to disturb the object. “Must be magnets.”

Amber’s eyes were glowing. “Get it out.”

Ruby did as she was asked. The compass was cold, smooth to the touch, and very heavy for its size. It offered no resistance as she pulled it from the box, and it appeared to settle perfectly into the palm of her hand.

Amber took the empty box and began examining it.

Ruby examined the compass more closely. It was perfectly smooth on all sides, even the ‘lettering’ was neither engraved nor raised. She tried to make sense of the markings, but there was no writing or language she had seen before.

“What’s it say?” asked Nathan.

“No idea. Can’t read it.”

“May I?”

“Sure.” She went to hand it to Nathan when something made her jerk her hand back. Nathan looked confused.

“Sorry,” said Ruby. Her thoughts were momentarily clouded. “Can I just look at it a bit more?”

Nathan raised his eyebrows but nodded.

Amber peered at the strange object. “You’ve no idea who might have sent this?”

“None whatsoever.”

“No secret admirers at work? Or the gym?”

“The gym! Ha. No. As for work, I don’t see anyone and absolutely nobody knows where I live, let alone where my sister lives.”

“Someone does.”

Ruby bit her lip. “Fair point.” She turned the compass over in her hand. Nothing on the back. Turning it again, she watched the needle move. “Hey. At least it works.”

Nathan leaned in. “Sort of.”

“What?”

“Well, that’s not North.”

Ruby immediately agreed. Her architect’s brain always took note of where South was. She swivelled on the spot, and the compass tracked the same direction the whole time. “It seems convinced otherwise.”

Mother wandered in.

“What’s going on in here? Seems very quiet?” She spotted the compass in Ruby’s hand. “What’s that,” reaching out.

Ruby snatched her hand away and hissed, “It’s a present.”

“Alright. No need for that.” She turned to Amber. “Your son is having a bit of a meltdown. I think batteries might be involved.”

“No worries,” said Nathan. “I’ll sort him out.”

Amber stroked her husband’s shoulder as he passed. “Thanks, love.”

Mother stepped right up to Ruby. “Let’s see it, then.”

“No.”

“What do you mean, no?”

“Just add it to the list of things you can get annoyed about.”

Mother opened her mouth to speak, but Ruby moved away and cut her off.

“I’m going for a walk.” She held up the hand gripping the compass. “See where this takes me.”

Amber glowered at Mother before responding lightly. “No worries. Don’t be gone long. We’ve got pass the parcel.”

Ruby grabbed her coat and stuffed an arm through it, opening the door in the same motion. Cold air cleared her head and refreshed her senses. She was soon down the path and glad to be free.

***

After several breaths of crisp air, Ruby laid the compass in her palm. She watched the needle drift smoothly to a stop. She checked her watch and mentally noted thirty minutes’ time. Considering Mother, an hour’s walk seemed just on the edge of reasonable.

Twenty minutes later, Ruby stepped onto the high street. The compass had not behaved as expected. It was as if it were pointing at something nearby, not the planet’s axis. The needle moved as she walked down the nearly deserted Christmas afternoon street. Taking a bearing, she saw that it stayed tracked on the castle mound.

Ruby crossed the road and headed for the ruined walls of the town’s tourist attraction. Built eight centuries ago, the castle had been ruined only a hundred years later. It had never quite given in to nature, and a heritage organisation had rescued it.

The compass was unfailing in its direction.

A part of Ruby wondered what she was doing, following this gift to who knows where. However, it was a beautiful day, and she was in public. She was intrigued by the mechanism; clearly, electronics and GPS technologies were involved.

She arrived at the gated entrance of the castle. Locked, of course.

“Guess I’ll have to come back when they’re open,” she said aloud. She glanced at her watch. “Nuts. Amber’s gonna kill me.”

She was about to phone her sister, but something made her glance at the compass. The needle was not pointing directly at the castle but slightly to one side. Frowning, she began walking along the path that circled the castle mound. The compass rapidly changed direction a minute later, pointing at a plain steel door in the hill. The door seemed a little out of place, almost painted onto the side of the hill. She looked from compass to door and back again. Waving her hand around confirmed her destination.

A nice walk into town was one thing. Opening strange metal doors was another.

It wouldn’t hurt to look, though. Right?

Someone she knew had set this up as a gift. They had gone to some trouble. It would be a shame not to find out what was at the rainbow’s end.

Ruby walked to the door, half expecting something to jump out at her. Instead, she just found a steel door with a handle. No lock. Just a handle.

Odd. Great big public building like this. Unlocked door.

She knocked.

There was no ringing sound. It was like hitting rock.

A few seconds passed. “Sod it,” she said and grabbed the handle.

The door opened inwards smoothly with barely a touch.

A well-lit corridor awaited her. Multicoloured strip lights encouraged her gaze down the passageway, which moved in a pattern and led into the hillside. The floor, walls, and ceiling were all polished and bright, making the entrance look like an expensive Santa’s grotto.

Ruby looked back at the empty town and thought of the hot family household she had left behind.

They won’t miss me for a few minutes.

She stepped in.

As soon as she crossed the threshold, the lights went out, and the door slammed behind her.

Darkness.

***

Everything was blurry. Sound, sight, even touch. Ruby blinked her eyes until clarity returned. She was looking through a semi-transparent material, beyond which unrecognisable shapes moved around. Looking down, she found she was standing in a cylindrical cubicle. It wasn’t cramped, but it was sealed entirely around her. She went to turn, but she couldn’t. There were no restraints, but her body was stiff from the neck down. Her hands were resting on silver metal posts with rounded tops. She could feel the contact, yet not move a single finger. Concern grew, and she was about to cry out when a man’s face peered at her from outside her containment. A blurry motion suggested a reach to one side, and the entire front half of Ruby’s prison slid soundlessly into the floor.

Blinking again, she surveyed the room. At least five other pods similar to hers were arranged around the edge of a roughly circular room. The others were all closed, their contents invisible beyond fog or smoke — not a good sign.

“Ms. Wilson,” said the man. “Welcome to our habitat.”

“Habitat? What’s going on?”

He smiled. “Questions. Humans love questions.”

Humans. Another bad sign.

The man showed Ruby’s compass in his hand. “Such a simple thing.” The needle spun slowly. “The curiosity of your species is remarkable. You can’t resist a puzzle. It makes collecting you,” he gestured at the pods, “so easy.”

She frowned as she processed the man’s words. “Collecting? You’re collecting…people?”

He nodded as he paced a little. “To be fair, we only hold on to you until we have all we need.”

Ruby’s mind raced. “What are you taking? Blood?”

The man laughed. “Oh no, Ms. Wilson. Not that.” He stepped up to within inches of Ruby. “We take everything.”

Before Ruby could form another question, movement revealed an odd, off-green humanoid creature coming into view. If Ruby could have moved backwards, she would have. Instead, she was forced to stand still as something vaguely human in shape, floating a few inches off the floor, silently drifted over to her. The man stepped neatly to one side just as it arrived. It stopped exactly in front of Ruby, only a foot away.

Seen so close, the green-tinged surface of the creature moved. Swirling patterns of different shades rippled like marbling paint floating on water. Ruby couldn’t help but be slightly hypnotised.

The movement suddenly froze, and the creature became entirely monochromatic. Then, a rapid transformation took place as if watching CGI in real life. Within a few heartbeats, Ruby watched a face form as if sculpted from soft clay. With rising horror, she recognised her mirror image resolve. Before she could think, the creature was her identical twin — even more so than Amber.

The eyes snapped open.

Ruby let out a yelp in response.

Her nude duplicate stepped back and nodded to the man. Then, smiling at Ruby, it walked off toward a pile of familiar clothes on a table.

Ruby glared at the man. “What’s going on? What is that?”

The man looked at the creature. “That is Ruby Wilson.”

“I’m Ruby Wilson.”

“No longer, I’m afraid. That Ruby Wilson will return to her family and enjoy the festivities.”

“They’ll never believe that thing is me!”

“You’d be surprised. You live alone. You work from home. You have simple hobbies and many, oh so many, predictable routines.”

“That doesn’t make me.”

“No. The rest we obtained a few moments ago.” He gestured to a distant padded table with a large device above it.

“I don’t understand. Why are you doing this?”

The man ignored her and smiled at the new Ruby as it came to stand beside him. “Are you ready?”

“Absolutely,” said new Ruby, in Ruby’s exact voice.

They both regarded their prisoner for a moment as if examining a portrait on a gallery wall. Fear crept up Ruby’s spine.

“Time to sleep,” said the man, reaching for the pod controls.

“What?” said Ruby. “Why? No! When do I get to go home?”

The man paused, nodding toward the duplicate heading out of the room. “You are going home,” he said.

The pod door rose from the floor. Seconds later, Ruby watched as the man strolled away, disappearing from view as tendrils of white smoke began filling the chamber.

As the fumes put Ruby to sleep, she had just enough time to wonder who would win pass the parcel.