Chain Story #2
The rain was falling harder now. Daniel pulled his coat tighter around him as he hurried along the empty street. Finally, he reached the small, brown building that was his destination and quickly opened the door to go inside. A small bell jingled as the door closed behind him.He stood a moment, letting his eyes grow accustomed to the dim light in the room. The familiar smell of the musty old books reached his nostrils. The room was filled with shelves full of them, not to mention those strewn about on the tables and piled on the floor.Suddenly, a voice came from the other side of one of the shelves, "So there you are Daniel. You're later than usual. I was beginning to think you weren't coming."The words angered him. He always came. Always.
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"Well here I am now let's get this over with." Daniel snapped.
"You're a little feisty tonight aren't you?" replied the voice. "Well here it is." He saw the package slip between some books. He grabbed it quickly and shoved some money through to the other side. He turned and raced out of the store back into the rain. He ducked into the next bar to make sure the package contained what he wanted. He sat at a booth far in the corner and pulled his hat down further to cover his face. He didn't want to be seen here, he couldn't be seen here. The waitress came over, smelling of beer and smoke. "What'll it be?" She asked. "Just a Coke." Daniel replied. "Alright, suit yourself." She replied, and sauntered off toward the bar. Daniel turned the package over and over in his hands afraid to open it.
As he examined the package, Daniel isolated voices in the room. There were too many. He couldn't risk opening the package here. He stood and with his head down, he walked quickly out of the bar. Daniel headed toward his home. He finally reached his destination and, taking the steps two at a time, climbed the four stories to his small apartment. He pulled the key from his pocket, and after checking to make sure he hadn't drawn any attention to himself, unlocked the door and entered. He turned and locked the door securely. He removed his hat and coat and threw them aside. He stepped over the chinese food containers that lay on the floor and cleared the newspapers off the couch before he sat down. He held the package in his lap for a moment, taking in its weight, size and shape. He knew it well. Daniel took a deep breath and began to pull off the brown paper wrapping.
As he did there was a knock at the door. “Who could that be?” Daniel wondered aloud. He shoved the package in his pocket and went to the door. “Who is it?” He asked. There was no answer so Daniel turned around and started back toward the couch. There was another knock. Daniel started to feel nervous. He grabbed his coat and hat and ran into the bedroom. Quickly finding his stash of extra money and fake ID’s he jumped out of the window and landed with a thud on the fire escape below. Shaking off the jolt he made his way down the fire escape as fast as he could. He could hear the sound of the door being jarred from its hinges and people shouting and running around his apartment. As he reached the ground he glanced up to his window. As he did he saw someone look out. The man in the window saw him too and soon there was more shouting. The man in the window jumped out onto the fire escape after him. Daniel ran as fast as he could down the alley. He turned down the next street then the next hoping to lose the man in the maze of streets and alleys. Soon he could run no more and he paused. Gasping for air he listened for sounds of pursuit. There were none. He began to make his way back toward the safe house. As he walked he kept one hand in his pocket close to the package he had risked his life and freedom for.
He didn't need to open the package now to know what was inside. If they were after him, he knew he had the right one this time. With the help of the mysterious person in the old book shop. It was chance that he had found the place- or was it? Daniel had never seen the person who worked there, only heard their voice. He shook these thoughts from his head and hurried along his way.
Daniel's destination was an abandoned warehouse on a corner in a less populated part of the city. He approached cautiously, watching from a hiding place across the street for nearly half an hour. Finally determining that it was safe, he crossed the road and went in. He made his way up to the third floor, and to a small room near the back that used to be an office of some sort. He ran his hands over the desktop to clear some of the dust. He pulled out the package, laid it down, then removed his coat and hat. He slowly and carefully unwrapped the brown paper. He stared at the book. It certainly didn't look like anything special. Faded dark brown leather made up the cover. One word in a dark brown ink was written across the front. "TRAVEL"
He gently ran his hand across the word. Carefully he opened the book. The inside was cut away and inside there was a key and a picture. He picked up the key and noticed it had a number on it, 3475. The picture was of a woman in front of a house. The sun was shining and the yard around the house was green. The house was white with blue shutters and a blue door. The number on the house was 467. The woman looked like she was about Daniels age when the picture was taken. She had long wavy brown hair and looked very tall and thin. “This must have been taken before the war,” he mumbled as he looked at the picture. “What does this mean? I’m no closer now than I was before!” He placed the items back in the book and shoved it back in his pocket. He began to pace around the room coughing as he kicked up the thick layer of dust on the floor. “I’m getting nowhere with this,” he said to himself. “I wonder if Mason would know anything about this.” With that he gathered his things and started out of the room.
Daniel's mind was racing as he began down the street. He had thought for sure that this was the book. But it was just another "clue". Perhaps Mason would have a fresh idea.
Suddenly, Daniel stopped in his tracks. They thought he did have the real book- that's why they were after him. If they thought he had it, that means they wouldn't be looking for it any more. They would, however, be looking for him. He thought quickly, then began to move. Daniel first went to a post office and quickly scribbled a note to Mason in their secret code. He mailed it and then carefully made his way back to the one place he felt sure he would find the answer.
The street was quiet when he arrived at the book shop. As he stepped inside, he heard the familiar jingle of the little bell. The voice spoke, "Ah, here you are, Daniel. I've been expecting you." As she spoke, she stepped out from behind the shelf where she usually stayed. She was an elderly woman. Her face was wrinkled with age, but Daniel could tell that at one time she must have been quite lovely, and there was something familiar about her. He stood, stunned.
"Well, don't just stand there. Come and get what you've been looking for." she smiled and motioned towards the back of the store. Daniel followed silently and in wonder. When they reached the back of the store, the woman turned and faced Daniel. "It is time now, for you to begin your journey." With those words, she stepped aside to reveal a table with a small book sitting on it. The book was identical to the one in Daniel's pocket. He looked again at the woman. "Go on." she said. Daniel reached out to take the book, but as soon as his fingertips touched it, a bright white light shone all around him. Daniel cringed and raised his arm to shield his eyes. In a moment, the light was gone and Daniel lowered his arm. His legs gave out beneath him as he took in what was in front of him. He sat on the ground and stared in disbelief at the house from the picture- just as it looked in the picture. He wondered what trick the woman was playing on him, and took the photo from his pocket to make sure he was in fact seeing what he thought he was seeing. It was the house. He looked again at the picture. The woman- it was her! The woman in the picture was much younger, but it was definately the woman from the book shop. Daniel laughed out loud, for he didn't know what else to do.
Meanwhile, Mason recieved an urgent note from the postman. He opened it and recognized the code. It was from Daniel, but what did it mean? It was only an address.
He went to his computer and pulled up the address. It was an old bookstore. He ran his hand through his thick dark hair as he thought about what it could mean. He scanned the description of the store and noted the directions. They must have been written before the war though, most of those streets no longer existed. Still, Mason was an expert at getting around the broken city. He gathered a few things and headed off to the bookstore.
All of a sudden Daniel realized that he must look out of place here. Just as he had this thought he heard a loud noise behind him. He turned around quickly and leaped out of the way just in time. Daniel stared in amazement as the car swerved around him and drove off. As he recovered from the shock he again thought about how he looked. He would have to get some new clothes and clean up if he wanted to blend in here. He looked around and noticed that one of the houses had clothes hanging outside. No one would do that in Daniel’s world, the clothes would be stolen. Fortunately for Daniel this was not his world. He snuck over to the fence beside the yard, glanced around to see if anyone was looking, and quickly sprang over the fence. He jogged over to the clothes and looked them over. Most of them were children’s but there were some pants and a few shirts that looked about his size. He grabbed them all and sprinted back to the road. All he had to do now was find somewhere to change. Down the road he spotted a group of trees. Not very many, but enough for him to hide in for a few minutes. He strolled down the street trying to look as though he belonged there. Soon he reached the trees and changed into the new clothes. A pair of jeans fit him best and a black shirt that buttoned down the front. When he was done he sat down for a moment, thinking about the best way to approach the house and the woman. After a while he decided that being direct was the best approach. He got up and wandered back down the street toward the house. When he was almost there he noticed a car pull into the driveway. A man got out and walked into the house. Daniel suddenly felt nervous. Did the man live there? He decided that going to the house when the man was there wasn’t a good idea. He walked back down the road until he reached a house with a For Sale sign in the yard. It looked empty so Daniel snuck around to the back of the house and easily broke through the lock. He toured the house and found that one window faced the woman’s house. He spent most of the evening watching and waiting for the man to leave.
Daniel finally decided that the man would not be leaving that night. He found a corner and made himself as comfortable as he could. He fell asleep and dreamed strange things. Finally, he awoke to light streaming in the windows. He roused himself and went to look across at the woman's house. As he watched, the young man came out, followed by her. He was dressed in a Navy uniform! He spoke to the woman for a few minutes, then hugged her and got in the car and left. Daniel watched the woman. She stood on the porch for a few minutes looking in the direction the car had gone, and then she walked back inside and closed the door. Daniel decided that now was as good a time as any to go and talk to her. He was anxious to figure out exactly what had happened. In the meantime, Mason found the book shop. He walked in, announced by the ring of a small bell on the door. He looked around the room, it was dark and full of shelves of books. A woman's voice came from somewhere in the back, "Can I help you?" Mason paused a moment, not sure what to say. He finally spoke, "I'm...looking for my friend. I thought he might be here." The woman behind the shelves answered, "He was here, Mason. Would you like to follow where he went?" Mason started, "How do you know my name?" he asked. She laughed. "You must go to the table in the back," she said, "You will find your answer there." Mason walked toward the back, looking down each aisle as he passed them, but he did not see the woman. His eyes finally rested on the book, which still lay on the small table. He couldn't believe it- it was real! He had helped Daniel seek it for three years, but had always supposed it to be a myth. He stared for a few minutes and then reached out to pick it up. As soon as he touched it, a bright white light shone all around him and when it was gone, he stood on a street- just in time to see a woman welcoming Daniel into her house. Daniel had knocked on the door, and when the woman opened it he studied her face. She had smiled and said, "Daniel! I'm so happy you've come!" His mind raced- how could she know him? He let his surprise show, and she laughed a beautiful laugh, then invited him to come in. Daniel readily accepted. The picture did not do her justice- she was the most beautiful woman Daniel had ever seen. His thoughts wandered to the woman in the book shop. It was hard to believe they were the same person, but he was sure of it. He stepped into her house and she closed the door.
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