Later that night, after I returned home, I received a message from Thorn. He wanted to know if I would be willing to read one of his recent works, a short story.
I typed an enthusiastic, “YES!” in response.
How strange it was that I’d spent six months of Incorporation with Thorn and we’d hardly even exchanged pleasantries. I think a “hello” and a few head nods had been the extent of our communications. But after one night spent away from the Guardians, trainers, and instructors, he decided to speak to me – five whole sentences and one goodbye. I was intrigued.
My mind wandered back to the missing book. It angered me that the title had been removed before I’d had time to reach the end. I could easily put my mind to the task of imagining my own ending, but that book had been different from the others. It hadn’t been as predictable. It didn’t seem like it was trying to reaffirm my trust in Concord. It was simply telling me a story… a story that interested me greatly.
I opened up the library so I could search for a new story to read, until Thorn sent the file over and I was able to read his. As I scrolled through the book cover images, waiting for one to catch my eye, a notification appeared on my tablet. Download Complete.
But I hadn’t selected a title to download.
I switched screens to check my download folder and found that Lost on the Way to the Beach was back on my tablet. I smiled with glee. There must have been a glitch in the system that caused the book to disappear. I was just glad it was back and I would be able to finish it. This was one story that I was actually looking forward to reading all the way to the end. I had no idea what would happen to that little girl… and I wanted to know!
I clicked on the file and it opened up right where I had left off before. My place had been bookmarked. I snuggled back into the pillows and covers on my bed and began to read.
The woman took the little girl’s hand, urging her to move faster, wishing that those little legs could keep up. They needed to get to the beach. The boat would be waiting there, but not for long. She’d been warned. The window of time was a small one. If the boat didn’t make it across the electronic barrier in time, it would be forced to stay for another thirty days, which would surely lead to the Captain’s capture. An unauthorized boat wouldn’t go unnoticed for long.
The woman quickened her pace. She knew the captain would not wait for more than ten minutes, and if he saw anything suspicious he would leave immediately. She had to get them to the beach. This was her only chance. They were taking the girl away from her soon. Even if the Captain was willing to return after thirty days, when the barrier was down once again, the girl would be gone and all would be lost.
They ran through the forest. The woman didn’t know how long it would be until her absence was noticed. She wasn’t allowed to take the girl out for more than an hour or two at a time. Even though she was known to all as the girl’s appointed caretaker, she was watched, she was always watched. It had been a mistake coming to this place and agreeing to this post, because it certainly wasn’t a marriage.
I rested the tablet on my lap and closed my eyes, trying to picture the scene I’d just read. To me, reading a story was just as good as watching a video… better even, because I could imagine the scene the way I wanted to. That woman and the little girl were right there in my head, running from one thing, toward something else. I could see the desperation in the woman’s face. I imagined that frantic energy traveling down her arm and flowing into the little girl.
The little girl must have felt the urgency of the situation. She probably didn’t know how important the beach was to the woman. Maybe she wasn’t even aware they were heading toward the beach. I tried to remember if I’d read anything earlier in the story about the woman informing the child of their destination. The beginning of the story came flooding back to me. The woman had only told the little girl that they were going on an outing and that they’d be away longer than usual. The little girl was happy about the outing. She liked the woman so much.
My tablet beeped, jarring me out of my thoughts, informing me that Thorn had sent his story. I closed the book and downloaded the file. When I went back to the book a minute later it was gone again. “Ugh!” I half sighed, half exclaimed aloud.
I wondered if it was worth getting myself invested in a book that was going to disappear and reappear with no warning. I pushed that story out of my mind and opened Thorn’s. I was determined to give him my feedback as soon as possible.