by Beth Hoyer
and went back to the community center for flying classes by the same route while on a horse. As for the community center it was the usual auditorium that I showed up.
There were fifteen people in the class. Most of them were talking to each other ignoring me. I feel left out and I’m feeling depressed. The teacher was Jeff Soldatev himself who arrived on the stage clapping his hands to attract attention.
I had to lip read what he said which was “I have books here for you to study and read.”
He gestured with his left hand and a puff of smoke appeared and then there were books, actually booklets like blue college test books. Well, the students got in a line with me last because several students cut in line in front of me and ignored me when I tried talking to them. I could see Jeff had a pity look on his face when he saw me. Then I received the booklet and left the community center or auditorium. I passed by Jayna who looked at me with narrowed eyes. Then the fog appeared as I left the “community center”. I saw Vladimir who came up to me and gave me a rope to hold. Then the rope pulled me thru the fog to the opening of the arch and I found myself walking thru it like I was being pushed. I walked thru the arch and I walked home in the snow. I read the book. It was very confusing and seemed to use technical terms with long words. Plus it looked like someone wrote down the words instead of print. It was very weird. I miss Sue. I’m sorry that she’s pregnant and married.
The phone rang. A wall light flashed to let me know the phone rang. My day got good. On the phone was Vladimir. He told me Luke came with his deaf son Bruce. He has a son that is deaf?! I was shocked Vladimir invited me to come over next to Sue’s. I walked over to Vladimir’s house and I rang the doorbell. A boy about around my age answered. He’s taller than me. He has brown eyes and long blond hair pulled back in a ponytail. He seemed interested in me by his eyes. What a hunk and he was wearing black hose, boots, and a white tunic with white sleeves.
He said “Hello” in sign language.
I said “Hello” back in sign language.
We introduced each other. I learned his name was Bruce. I like him. He invited me inside the house. I met his father Luke who is like Vladimir that they could be twins. They seem happy to see us together. We spent the rest of the afternoon talking to each other in sign language. Bruce asked me questions about the century I was from. I asked him about the twenty second century. I had dinner with the Arkovs, which was pasta. After dinner Bruce walked over with me to my house. He kissed me goodnight on my right hand. I watched him leave to his house. Then I went inside the house. I went to the phone and called Sue and she was home. I told her about meeting Vladimir’s descendant Bruce. We spent an hour talking on the phone because Sue wouldn’t let me sign off, Hmph. I think I'm in love with Bruce. He seems smitten with me too.
In Love,
Elizabeth
January 31, 2101
Dear Anne,
Brunch was a strawberry pop tart I found left lying in the kitchen. I can’t wait to drive a car. I checked the computer. There’s a store that sells food and practical stuff. The store is next to the community center. It has stuff such as clothes, cleaning ware, entertainment stuff such as videos, games and music. I tried to call Sue on the phone but received no answer. I guess she’s busy. I wandered around the house. I went to the basement. The light blinked. I went upstairs and discovered the lamp was blinking for the doorbell. I went to the door and saw Bruce through the keyhole. I opened the door and said “Hello” in sign language. He asked me if I could go out to lunch with him and his father in the car, which I accepted. Then we walked to his house to the car which was red colored. The car flew over the town to a parking lot. There was a restaurant there called Winchester. It's named after a town on Earth. I told Bruce I would have to get a job to pay for items from the store.
Inside was a big stone room with people dressed as jesters complete with bells, and they were doing tumble tricks. One guy got on the table and did a one armed handstand while talking to some people who were dressed like Bruce and Luke. The guys the jester talked to seemed angry about something. The waitress came also dressed as a jester in green with tights too and took our orders and tumbled off.
Lunch was sandwiches with French fries. During the restaurant some guys dressed in tunics and hose got up and did some sword fighting. Luke grabbed the both of us and held our heads down that I couldn’t see more. All I could sense was a fog filled up the area and the men with swords were gone. Luke got up and paid the check then we left.
After lunch they drove me to another parking lot with a stone entrance. Luke told me it was a store named Cherrio. I went in with Bruce and I saw something that resembled a big warehouse like one of those stores complete with ladders and people. I looked to see people were doing a little jump before flying in the air to grab something from a metal shelves. Then they jumped down and bounced like they were wearing some kind of harness. Also the people were dressed in medieval outfits. It was very weird. I saw a sales employee which eerie reminded me of myself because she was tall as Zoya and had short brown hair that was seemly fake behind a counter. She introduced herself as Anna and wouldn’t give out a last name but I asked her if I could work here.
She told me “We’re Hiring.”
I got an application, which I filled it out. Bruce helped me with the questions. The application was similar to the one I filled out at Earth for the store Bradlees.
The sales lady told me “We’ll give you a call soon.”
I left the store with Bruce. His dad drove us to my house. Bruce kissed my hand again. He seems to be in love with me. I kind of like him too. I watched them through the window enter Vladimir’s house. I guess that’s where they’re staying. I went downstairs to the basement. I looked through some boxes. Most were empty of stuff. The same thing happened again. I felt like I was led towards some boxes which I found had food which I carried upstairs to the kitchen. I put the food away. While I was in the kitchen I got a phone call from the Cherrio store from Anna.
Boy they worked fast. They liked my application. I was told they wanted me to start work tomorrow morning for eight hours. I have to get up early which means going to bed early. I finished putting the food away. I tried to call Sue again but received no answer. I wonder what the heck she is doing now. I’m curious. I called the community center. I got Jayna. I told her about getting the job at the store. She was seemly too sweet as in forced happiness for me. I asked her about Sue. She told me Sue and Kurt has gone on a honeymoon. They will be back in a few days. I thanked Jayna and signed off. Then I went to eat dinner. I read my novel until I felt like I needed to go to bed. I have to get up early in the morning. Good night.
Yours,
Elizabeth
February 1, 2101
Dear Anne,
I felt tired. I felt during the night that someone was poking and prodding me. It felt like claws. I also had another dream of a grey wolf. I was the grey wolf running in the snow in the forest. I couldn’t hear a thing and I saw another wolf like me who I played games with like a game of Tag. Weird.
I got dressed dressing in the same outfit which I found was the only thing in my dresser. I left a message for Bruce on his answering machine. I told him I got a job from the store Cherrio. Then I had a hard time finding the store through the fog but the ghost grabbed by left hand and led me to a stone entrance with the words “Cherrio” on it. I walked inside and I saw the sales lady I saw before she gave me a red apron with the words “Cherrio” on it which I put on over my outfit. Anna then led me to the Children's area which was baby clothes, and girls’ clothes. The area was an aisle with two large metal shelves and some stuff on both sides. The children’s area was a mess but work was fine. I had plenty to do. I put away children’s merchandise by grabbing the stuff on the floor and went up the step ladders to hang them. There were mostly two long shelves full. The customers who came were dressed in different outfits of medieval England but they were messy. I wonder if they were doing it on purpose becau
se I saw some laughing as they pulled girls and baby clothes off the racks. They jumped to the clothes and grabbed an item and then drop it on the floor before flying to another item.
Bruce came by during my break time. I had two thirty minute breaks I went to the break room in the back of the store where I met Bruce there. Bruce and I talked in sign language about what I’ll do after work. He invited me to dinner at his house. We chatted for a bit then he left. I felt sad. I met my coworkers today. There were five people besides me working in the store. I saw Anna who was six feet tall with the fake brown hair who eerie reminded me of Leslie Sasa my boss from Bradlees. Sigh I forgot to mention that detail above because her features seemed fuzzy whenever I looked at her. Then one time she was talking to a customer and I got a look at her and saw that she reminded me of my former boss from Bradlees and also reminded me of myself. Anna was dressed in all green like she was an elf. I’m not sure what’s her job was but it seemed to be a store greeter because I saw her run up to children and do acrobatic tricks in front of them. The other employees I met were Helen Yulien an Asian woman dressed in a white kimono that had green tree designs on it, Helen's husband Nathan