This Ain't Your Mama's Broken Heart

Mark and Lily loved to explore caves. That's how they met, she saved him from drowning and from a hefty fine when he went behind the "do not cross" line in a cave that was said it reached the center of the world. 

Lily taught science at the local high-school after she gave up speleology to raise a family. Today Mark brought Lily back to the famous cave for their fifteenth anniversary, and together they would cross the line again. He knew she died to do that, both from the care with which she avoided discussions about speleology and the passion she showed once she joined one. In truth he also had a hidden motive. Fifteen year ago he narrowed down to two the tunnels with the odds to be the longest. When Lily pulled him up dripping and sputtering, he just happened to pick the wrong tunnel. Today he would not do the same mistake again.

Mark signaled Lily to sneak under the yellow ribbon. They hid under the rock they remembered well then entered the research gallery concealed behind it.

Mark pushed a rock protruding from the wall. He answered with a smug smile Lily's silent query and entered the narrow tunnel behind it. He pulled a skateboard from his backpack, turned its switches on and motioned at Lily to sit in front on him.

"So that's what you were doing in the garage for the last fifteen years?"
"Yeah, this skateboard knows every curve, cranny and rock in this tunnel."

The skateboard flew with precision down the tunnel and landed without grace on a wooden box. The box crashed under them with a wailing screech.

A voice made Mark jump and Lily's eyes glow.
"It's gone."

There was a silent wail in it, carrying a heavy sadness, like a call of a mother for her lost baby. Lily looked around with concern, until she noticed a child-size figure crouched near the remains of the box.

Before she could reach him, another voice boomed:
"Welcome, we were expecting you, although not for the next five years. I am Kithri."
"About the time I needed to perfect the landing." Mark thought ruefully.

The creature barely reached Lily's shoulder, and his hair was liberally sprinkled with gray, like Mark's.  Lily whispered to a baffled Mark.
"They're gnomes."

Lily turned to Kithri.
"What happened to him?"

"Oh, he lost his experiment. Come, I can't wait to see the skateboard and hear how you figured out we're here." He looked with admiration at Lily, and Mark's eyebrows shot up.

An apologetic smile crept on Lily's face.
"This was my fifteen year project. We must ask Kithri and his friend for forgiveness. We unwittingly destroyed his work. We are sorry."

The other gnome was slowly rocking back and forth, and looked at them with mournful eyes.

Mark offered.
"We'll help him rebuild the box." 

Kithri shook his head.
"That is impossible. He worked on it for more than a decade. We believe no two things are identical. Whatever you build it would be something else. For us, it is gone. We understand it was not intentional. Come we have much to discuss."

Mark and Lily followed Kithri in a marvelous garden, where a table covered with food and drink waited under a large tree.

Kithri asked them about their projects. Mark was delighted to hear Lily talk about how she found out about the gnomes. Between her work, the children and the house, he didn't see her so enthusiastic about something since... goddamn since they left the cave fifteen years ago. Then Kithri listened enraptured about his skateboard. Mark never told Lily about his aborted studies. He didn’t regret it; however, it felt good to share his success with someone who could understand.

Kithri's questions boosted Mark's confidence. He looked at Lily, and he knew their lives would change. She told as much to Kithri.

"Oh, I can't wait to publish all this research."

Only a fleeting shadow passed over Kithri's eyes before he offered to show them the Gnomes' most famous projects.

Mark and Lily moved to follow Kithri when they heard a trembling voice.

"My name is Delfre and I demand satisfaction."

Kithri sighed and explained.
"We nurture our projects and make them unique. We don’t take notes; we use what we learn to make a different object. Every day, we add something, we teach it, as we say. When it is ready, we find a good home for it. To destroy a project is a crime, and the perpetrator must win a challenge or pay with something of his own."

Delfre interjected.
"I loved this project; it 's only fair they pay with something they nurtured with the same love and care as I did, for as long as I did."

Lily froze and slowly turned to Mark.
"Does he want our children?"

Delfre lost the tremor in his voice, and its volume rose as he spoke.
"They cannot leave before the contest ends, they cannot use even a pencil ...."

Mark gathered Lily in his arms and held her while she sobbed quietly. Kithri led them to a room in his house where they fell asleep, exhausted.

They woke up behind the rock hiding the research gallery. Mark gasped and asked Lily.
"Why did he let us go?"
Lily murmured with confusion in her voice.
"Gnome."

"Kithri knew we couldn't  win, not without paper, pencil and computers, even if you worked on your project for fifteen years, and you knew every detail. I remember every piece of data I gathered. For many years, I followed every measurement, trace, artifact or foot imprint. I used what others wrote, and in turn I’d publish..."

With every word, Mark could see her features change as the reality sunk in. There would be no books or articles published on this subject. Lily's face contorted in pain at the choice she had to make. He could only whisper:
"Gnome"

Their debt was paid.