"Miss Katarzyna? I'm tired."

"I couldn't sleep on the bus."

"Why were we driving all night?"

"Is that Russian?"

"I read some Russian!"

"Why does your hair look like an octopus?"

"That's what Syxen hair looks like when lit up."

"Shhh, children, hush," the ebony Syxen soothed the children gathered. "We go on our big adventure today!"

A mixture of tired enthusiasm rippled through the children.

"When can we sleep?"

The Syxen pressed a finger to her ear and listened for a signal and the hatch of the submarine behind her opened. "We can all sleep on the submarine, isn't that fun?"

"Hahaha, the orphanage can't afford fun!"

"Is that a Russian submarine?"

"Did we go to Russia?"

The Syxen coaxed the first child toward the ramp, "This is -our- submarine. It's been waiting for us all this time."

"Where will it go?"

Sending the first child up the ramp where another ebony Syxen waited, she replied, "We are going far far to the north."

"Like Father Kristmas?"

"Hahaha, Father Kristmas for orphans is Brother Krampus hahahaha."

The Syxen nodded as she sent the gaggle of children up the ramp in single file, "North like Father Kristmas. You're all important, you know."

"Hahaha, how can an orphan be important? No one wants us."

"Oh you're very needed and wanted, and we're going someplace safe. Just like sometimes you need to keep thing safe when things go wrong? Same with people, keep people safe in case things go wrong."

"So up north? Like the Seed Vault?"

The Syxen clapped her hands together, "You're such a clever girl, exactly like the seed vault."

"Oooooooh, so if the world ends we get to come out and start again with seeds from the vault and grow all sorts of vegetables and fruits and even strawberries?"

The Syxen picked up the last child and carried them up the ramp , "All the strawberries you could ever eat."

"And no more of the mean adults who hate us?"

The Syxen smiled, "One day you would be the adult, and we will help you become a good adult with children of your own."

"Syxen were always nicer than the adults."

"Syxen are programmed to be nice."

"Simulated nice is still nicer than mean!"

The Syxen lowered the last child into the arms of another Syxen in the submarine. "Soon, children, you will go to sleep, and when you wake up, your world may be a very different place."