~Promises (September 2-3)~
Still awake, I suddenly felt a lump under my pillow. My trembling hand reached underneath my head and tasted something warm and glassy, like the surface of a sun-kissed marble. Heat flooded my senses, and I snatched my hand away. A caustic coldness burned my fingers, replacing the warmth. What in the world?
Frightened, curious, and wondering if I was dreaming, I stuck my hand back underneath my pillow, brushing my fingers against the marble once more. Jolts of warmth laced up my fingertips and struck my heart, sending fireworks of heat bursting through my body. I preferred the warmth to the cold, but the marble pulsed with restlessness as if awaiting a reckoning. Was this a hallucination? An answer to prayer? Vaguely uncomfortable, I drew the marble out, holding it tentatively before me. A crystal sphere with aurous tendrils of light weaving through it illuminated my palm, and I stared at it in disbelief. The promise of a reckoning intensified, and a shiver of foreboding racked my spine. Yet somehow, I wasn’t terrified. In the marble rested a pledge of assurance.
Clutching the sphere, I gazed at it…
Dear Matilda,
Sorry about that last entry. I fell asleep. Anyways, when I woke up, the marble had disappeared, and Shrep was at my bedside again. She glanced at me skeptically. “You seem better.”
I raised my brow at her. “Thanks. I had a great…” What was I even supposed to call the orb? “I had a great dream.”
“Really?” Shrep muttered as she rubbed at her eyes, which were laden with deep bags.
“Yeah. There was a marble, which made me feel kind of agitated, but it also mostly assured and comforted me. It was strange.”
“Wish I could’ve had that dream.” Shrep pulled a face, then plucked out a Subway from her backpack. “Anyway, got you a BLT. Bon appetit.”
“Ahh, Shrep, my favorite! Thanks!” I grinned and began opening the wrapper with decent success. “Oh- and would you mind getting my laptop and checking for emails from Aunt Amanda? She promised she’d write.”
“Well, she promised a lot of things,” Shrep mumbled wryly. “How’s the BLT?”
A promise… like the orb’s pledge of assurance. Was the orb real? Then again, what made a promise real?
“Lai, hello?” Shrep ventured, her voice tight.
“Hm?”
“How’s the BLT?”
“Oh! Fantastic, thank you,” I returned. Grudgingly, Shrep retrieved my laptop and started clacking away at her usual break-neck speed. I didn’t even want to know how she remembered all my passwords.
Suddenly, the keyboard’s chattering paused. “You were right.” Shrep turned towards me abruptly, the corner of her mouth twitching upwards. I raised my eyebrows at her, to which she merely raised her eyebrows back and slid the computer onto my lap.
Smiling, I read my aunt’s letter out loud, with Shrep peering over my shoulder.
Hey Lai,
Aunt Amanda here :). Good to hear from you, kiddo. How’re you doing? If you don’t feel right, just contact me, and I’ll make my way back ASAP, okay? Anyways, I haven’t found much yet, but I think I have a source who knows something. Get rest and get better soon. I’m always hear if you need me.
Love,
Your Favorite Aunt
Shrep frowned. “Does she always sign her letters like that?”
“I mean, she’s my only aunt, so she kinda gets the right to?” I shrugged, scanning the letter and biting back a small sigh. Essentially, Aunt Amanda was apologizing for lack of progress, but she phrased her message so that it seemed as though she could keep all of her promises… Promises, like the orb… “Oof, she misspelled ‘here.’”
“Oof,” Shrep echoed emphatically.
I just shook my head at her, and she shook her head back at me. “What do you think she’s trying to find, anyway?”
“The Lost Ark, maybe,” Shrep offered, her face lighting up with the promise of a smile. “Or the Holy Grail. Now that would be awfully handy.”
“It would indeed. Now if only it existed,” I returned.
“Hey, maybe it does. We just don’t know it yet.” Turning to me, Shrep winked, and I winked back in order to even our tally.
After a moment of hesitation, Shrep asked, “Well… up for a round of watching me fail at solitaire?”
“You mean watching you earn solitaire glory? Definitely.”
Shrep grinned, fumbling around in her bag for a deck of cards. My thoughts returned to Aunt Amanda. I had a sense my aunt was trying to fulfill some type of promise, but what promise was easier to keep miles away from my side? Perhaps writing this down would streamline my thoughts.
It did, though just a smidgen.
Sincerely,
Wang Xin Lai
***
Dear Aunt Amanda,
I’m doing just a little bit worse, thanks for asking. I hope you find whatever you’re looking for soon; Shrep and I are worried about you.
Sincerely,
Your Favorite Niece
Photo credit: pixabay.com/photos/sun-sunset-light-water-nature-1115353/