00460110

—–

“There there, what’s the problem? Why are you crying?”

“I-I’ve lost my car key! (sob!) I don’t know how I’ll ever get back to my apartment without walking through a dangerous stretch (sniff) of town. My AAA membership has just run out,” she explained further. “Aa-and the taxi strike.”

“Calm down,” I say. “Tell me what happened.”

She pointed over the rail. “Down there. In the water (sob sob!). I was just reaching into my pocket for my phone… I shouldn’t have had my key out. I don’t know what I was doing! (sniff sniff sniff)”

“Okay, just relax. I’ll go get it.”

—–

—–

“Oh thank you SOO much! You’re a life saver… literally. I could have been murdered going home through those streets. And worse!

“Here. Let me give you something.”

“Just the bright smile on your face is reward enough, thanks,” I say to this.

“I insist. 500 eddies okay?”

—–

You’re a middle person, I think while walking up and checking the time on a fresh video (BD). Like the Gimp before. Like the Wellsprings monks more recently. “Hi,” I say to her. “Remember me?”

She turned to face me squarely. “Get away from me you creep,” she exuded with some venom, then returned to her phone. NPC, I think. Memories don’t continue from video to video, perhaps from within the same video.

“Down at the end of the pier. Remember?” I tried again, making her start tapping rapidly on her phone.

“Calling the police. NOW.”

“Okay, okay.” And I walked away. Back toward the pier, peering over it to see if I can catch another glimpse of that rock island. Something very important about it. Ghost.

(to be continued)