Tink:FBI- Empty

May 27, 2026

Howd’jer like yer embryos, Bill, over-easy or sunny-side-up?

It’s hot in the tiny galley kitchen. The wide flat black Vulcan griddle plied with milky circles of pancake batter and freshly cracked eggs, the whites turning translucent then white, the burners on the range flaming blue under every pan Tink could find, the Salamander crackling with bacon about to smoke. The air shimmers, sweet and rich with fats and smoke as biblical as an offering. Batter splashed casually from the bowl coats the frame of the griddle and drips into a grease polluted slurry on the floor which is streaked into swirls and circles as Tink twists and flips, two spatulas slicing and flipping in some invisible duel, Tink’s eyes wide with excitement, her broad mouth a-rattling with too many words, words that crackle and splatter from her lips. A joyful prattle aimed at no one at all and, as Bill snatches words from the torrent, in a language he has never heard before.

May flinches at every twist of Tink’s body, ducking the steel spatulas, holding tight to a handle of the big True walk-in refrigerator to prevent her slipping. She mouths Oh Lord, Oh Lord, over and over, her Christian mantra ceaseless and circling. Bill leans against the kitchen door watching the show.

Sunny side for me, and a big stack Tink. Your bacon is going to catch fire.

May breaks from her prayer, voice shrill. You don’t cook bacon under the Salamander, it’s too ho— …oh my Lord!

Flames and smoke roll out from the Salamander to the ceiling, lipping over the steel edge. Tink digs at the fire with a spatula sending burning flakes of bacon falling to the griddle and into the array of eggs.

Oops. Bacon’s off, everyone’s getting ‘em over-easy. We got any more bacon May honey?

Tink flips the eggs with the firefighting spatula filmed with batter, fat, and now furry with burnt bacon. She grins at May who pulls open the door of the walk-in and ducks inside. The smoke and flame from the Salamander settles into a steady stream dimming the stark light from the fluorescent tubes overhead.

Bill sweetie could you get that and maybe put some fresh coffee in, Barty likes fresh coffee, and maybe you could find the preserves and, dang it, I forgot the toast. Toast Bill, we need toast, toast and the preserves and butter and WHERE IS MY BACON MAYBELLINE?

I’m not much in a kitchen Tink.

Tink swivels from her growing pile of hash browns and fixes Bill with one hard eye.

Hustle Officer! Start with the …BACON MAYBELLINE!

Bill puts his dignity on the line and squeezes past Tink, who giggles at the brief contact, So naughty, William!, and he opens the door of the True fridge and joins May.

Entering the refrigerator is like stepping into cold water, the chill air dense, enveloping. The door shuts and the Tink orchestra dissolves into the hum of the refrigeration unit above. The light stays on, which is something Bill knew it would do but all the same it felt good when it did.

May is standing as far away from the door as she can. Her breathing heavy, eyes wild.

She wants her bacon. Thought I could help out.

What. Is. She.

She’s just a kid. In her twenties but never grew up.

But, the …effects.

Oh that. Tell the truth I don’t really know. Barty says he does but I think that’s a stretch. He’s an NYU professor so it hurts his pride not to have an explanation even if it’s a really dumb one. You believe in the Bible May?

With all my heart.

Then you believe in the miracles?

Surely do.

Must have scared a lot of people who saw the miracles. Well she’s kind of like that, a miracle from an earlier time, one we don’t understand yet.

She’s…good?

At heart. But just like any young woman, she can hide that pretty well sometimes.

But she is so…weird!

Well she is from New York.

Was that a smile? It could be. Bill smiles back.

What’s you name May? I mean just between you and me. I guess we are safe in here?

May nods. Yes, we are safe in here. But I don’t want to give you name. May is fine. It’s good enough.

OK, May for the day. Is there anything you can tell me, just me. Something that can help us find those kids. If it’s safe in here…

I don’t know…

I promise I won’t breathe a word outside. Just between you and me. That way I might be able to hold off the mess of trouble that will hit Killhook.

What do you mean?

One of the women out there. She’s a Federal Agent. She can’t just walk away from here and pretend it didn't happen. And then there’s that Trooper. He’s back at base now maybe spinning up a yarn or two. Or maybe he’s not going to say too much, but he’ll be thinking on it and he seemed like a good man, he won’t stop thinking on it. If you help me—May for the day— maybe I can get this all sorted without the drama. Last thing you want is more outsiders turning up all anxious to dig out what you are afeared of.

Oh my Lord no!

So, what do you think? It’s all up to you.

The waitress took a deep breath. Looked Bill straight in the eye for the first time. Found some comfort in his big still presence. She took another breath.

When I was small I was always told not to go in the woods by myself. We all were, all us kids. Then we got to school and the teacher told us the same. Billy, he was Ma Preston’s son, he always was a rebel, he asked the teacher why? What was in the woods. The teacher just said don’t go. The Sunday next we were in Sunday School and Father Michael told us that the teacher had asked him to explain. He said there were people in the woods that had lost their faith. That they were not guided by our Lord’s hand, and that was why we should never go into the woods. So I told my Mama and she said good, that’s good. Now you know. But Billy’s father, well he was a rough man and he told Billy that was just church law and that that wasn’t the reason not to go in the woods. You don’t go in the woods because you would be sacrificed.

Well I told my Mama and Pa, well he and Billy’s Pa did a lot of shouting and they had to be broken up. I was small at the time but I heard the noise and the next day at school Billy said he was not afraid of the woods and he was going into the woods that night. So he did.

After that his Ma and Pa, well they left town and it all settled down for a while. Some folks moved away, new folks turned up. Sometimes they lost their children too. They moved away. That’s just how it was.

It’s stopped now?

May shook her head.

No Sir, it’s just not as often. And it’s changed. Sometimes the children do come back, but they are not the same.

How do you mean?

They ain’t got a soul anymore. They are empty children. They take the name of birds, as if a bird’s soul lives in them now and the child they were, well they just aren’t there any more.

Like that boy you mentioned.

May nodded.

Saul. He was a real nice boy. Real happy and fun, full of tricks mind but not mean ones. Saul went into the woods and Crow came home. Tore his mother’s heart out. Made his Pa older than he ought to be.

Did you ever hear of the girl called Sparrow?

May takes another deep breath. Closes her eyes.

Oh yes. We all know Sparrow.