6. Life Loggers

Sotho had never done it before: leave Slumberland. At first, he didn’t understand why, when he hated the cursed place so much. Then he remembered he was a sloth and lacked the stamina to walk that far.

Now, though, his legs moved energetically and led him to the border. Where the trees lost their rainbow colors and the spider web in the sky was replaced by a gray emptiness.

He had a bad feeling about these new humans. They’d tried to rip the Curse from the pillar for a while, but it kept returning. Then they tried to destroy the pillar itself, but it didn’t budge.

The men eventually left. They visited a square, metal building in the distance. It was covered in lights and regularly spit out armored humans. From Sotho’s vantage point, they seemed ants leaving their anthill.

Next to that large building was a much smaller building. Countless humans queued before it.

The trees didn’t just grow barren here, they were often completely gone. Both buildings stood in an empty clearing of stone and mud. The only memories of trees were low stumps that were used as chairs by exhausted workers.

His claws grabbed the branch overhead to—

Someone pulled him back. He twisted and hung eye to eye with Lothan.

“Go away,” said Sotho. “Today is a bad d—”

“Ghsjshjs said you were going to spy on people,” he said.

Sotho’s hart sank. Another name he’d forgotten and could never hear again.

Lothan fiddled with some dead leaves and jumped on the same branch, causing it to bend even further.

“Sounded like a fun adventure for my lazy slothfriend and me, right?”

“You want to burn our friendship for that? Hanging from a branch and watching humans? Go away! Save it for a better time!”

“And when will that come?”

They watched the busy humans in silence. They often entered yellow machines. As soon as they were activated, the entire valley buzzed as if an earthquake was coming.

“You called me a traitor and almost erased Mindy far too early,” said Sotho. “I don’t want a fun adventure with you!”

“Oh come on, slow snail. That is so long ago. Forgive and forget? I see you were right now, and, and—”

The next machines activated. Their low, teeth-clattering hum made Lothan briefly lose his grip.

His voice vibrated with the machines. “You’re right again this time. The others think the men will release us from the Curse; I think they just want to steal it.”

“We talk too much,” said Sotho. “I see you too often! Go sit in another tree!”

Lothan crushed the leaves in his claws. “I don’t want to sit in a tree by myself anymore!”

Sotho agreed. The voice in his head screamed it. Lothan was his best friend because they’d played in the same tree when they were young. Raced to the top of the Flowerwall. Tried to take the slide in the reverse direction, or flat on your belly—the reason why Lothan still missed some fur around his navel.

No! Don’t think about that! It will only burn their friendship faster.

Sotho jumped from the tree and neared the human camp. Lothan followed.

“I think … shouldn’t we keep our distance?” squeaked Lothan. “Or we’ll ask that white panda again! To help us! Yes, let’s do that, stay here. Ismaraldah! Ismaraldah!”

“She didn’t seem to like this place,” said Sotho with a growl. “I understand.”

The humming machines moved. In the eyes of a sloth, their movement was incredibly quick. Their black caterpillar tracks crushed the dirt as they neared the trees surrounding Slumberland.

One moment, an ancient tree stood proud and tall; the next moment it cracked and fell to its death on the floor.

One moment Slumberland was safe behind a wall of overgrown forest; the next moment it had an open wound that humans exploited.

Now they drove straight at Sotho and Lothan.

The friends grabbed each other and swung back onto the branch they’d just—the branch was gone too. They stumbled over a tree stump they hadn’t seen, which made them roll down the hill like a wheel of fur, visiting all corners of the clearing. They narrowly avoided a yellow machine, but were too late to avoid the next one.

The human inside panicked and smashed a red button. The machine shut down. The sloths bumped against the side and sank deep into the wet dirt. They heard some screaming and footsteps, but nobody came close.

They had ended up near the queue of people before the second, smaller building. Two young children were the only ones brave enough to approach the sloths and stick out a hand. The slots, though, were too afraid to accept it. A few workers took pictures of them and ran into the main building.

“Next!” yelled a voice.

The woman at the front of the line smiled and stepped inside. Did felling trees make them this happy? Why couldn’t they just leave Slumberland alone?

Cheerful letters on the building walls spelled “Wish Fulfiller”. It seemed misplaced, as if a carnival attraction had fallen from the sky and landed in a war zone. A drawing of gold coins, and a very long number next to it, also graced the wall.

A female voice rang from crackling speakers.

“Reminder: please keep your wish ready and pay in cash.”

“Dad? Dad?” said a panicked girl. “My wish—what was it again? I forgot! I forgot!”

“You wanted to be the best dancer in the world, dear. I am going to wish that our family will be in good health forever.”

“And they can fulfill that?”

“All the previous customers swear their wish came true. However silly or bizarre! For that price, yes, I’d expect my wish to be fulfilled.”

The sloths were quickly forgotten by the impatient, waiting humans.

“Well, this was a nice adventure,” said Sotho. “The human’s intentions seem clear to me. Until next time. If it ever happens.”

Sotho’s final sentence scared himself. Lothan was left behind, shoulders drooping. He reached for his friend to turn him around, but was distracted.

A flash. A glow. Time seemed to slow down, and then raced ahead again without mercy.

Sotho crawled through the mud. A clock made of Dragonwood suddenly lay in the grass. Ismaraldah stepped out—but this time she wasn’t alone. A sun badger followed her and waved at them. Then the poor fellow seemed about to throw up and sought support from a wall.

“Ah, must be in the right place now,” she said cheerfully. “This must be close to the fixed point.”

She allowed the sun badger some time to adjust. Ismaraldah herself hopped into the larger building.

Sotho and Lothan followed as if the Goddess of Time were a magnet. They briefly paused to glance at each other, waiting for their friend to leave or fall asleep. To save their friendship for some other time. Both of them, however, really didn’t want to miss what was about to happen.

The panda climbed to the balcony using a drainpipe. The sloths followed with relative ease, as their claws were made for this.

Ismaraldah pattered over a layer of gravel and pushed herself against the wall, next to a large window. The sloths followed noisily and could barely hide their massive bodies.

Through the window they saw the two men from before. Grayman sat in a large chair, behind a desk covered in dead trees. Mostly in the shape of paper, although glassman had also put some specimens from special trees inside boxes and pots.

“I’ve studied the histories again, sir,” said glassman carefully. “I think the forest is part of a protected habitat of Sloths. Although it’s odd that nobody even knows the place.”

“So?”

“We’re not allowed to enter, less so cut its trees.”

“Nonsense! Whoever follows those rules, man? Give it two years, and all humans have left in their spaceships anyway.”

“That’s a very optimistic view about the state of our technology, sir.”

“That glowing sloth diamond is mine. Did you see their wooden structures? Those branches high in the sky? I am certain they hide endless treasures. However we get a hold of them is irrelevant.”

“I understand you need to earn your money, sir. Food to eat and a roof over your head. But—”

Grayman burst out in laughter, as if his entire body couldn’t believe what he’d heard. “Man, I own five mansions. I could buy the entire bakery.”

“Forgive me, sir,” said glassman. “But if you already have enough wealth, why do you desperately seek more?”

“My glassy guy, if you’ve already seen so many trees, then why did you want to visit this forest?”

Glassman grabbed the door handle and mumbled: “If I’m not quick, there might not be a forest to study at all.”

Ismaraldah left the window. The sloths looked at her expectantly, for they hadn’t understood a single thing of what was said.

“I give you a crucial mission,” she said. “To sabotage the operations of these humans and chase them away.”

“Spend even more time together!?”

Sotho created distance between himself and Lothan. He didn’t want to forget his friend forever. He wanted to go on adventures, yes, but later. When the humans were gone, Slumberland safe. When he had the energy to do anything. But this way—

Lothan sighed and trudged to the balcony’s edge.

The sun badger came up then. He looked beter and warmly embraced the panda.

Ismaraldah kept her stern gaze on Sotho.

“Animals received the ability to look ahead, into the future. To really think about the consequences of their actions. Humans received this skill more than anyone else. It made them inventive, brought them this far. It also made them a bit more unhappy every single day.”

Sotho was not in the mood for a lecture from a time traveler. His life was cursed enough as it was. “But you’ve seen what happens if we see each other too—”

“Yes, yes, yes, that is likely your future. But are you dying right now? Are you hating life and hating friendship right now? Is it impossible now to have an adventure or properly talk to your friends and family?”

Another wave of memories and gut feelings made Sotho feel like he was drowning. It made his heart race and his eyes search for the comfortable sight of his best friend. Just now, Lothan jumped from the drainpipe and crept through the shadows behind the “Wish Fulfiller” building.

But … he’d called him a traitor! And worked against him! And … and … and so what?

Was he actually hating his friend right now? Did he actually dislike being with him now? Was he actually too weak or too forgetful to do this mission right now?

He swung from the drainpipe too and yelled at his friend. It was time to sabotage a few humans.