Dear Diary,
I’m so glad I have you back. I ducked behind an old door into an Updweller cave when I heard someone coming. The boards that covered it were actually pretty loose so I slipped between a couple and through a large hole at the bottom of the door.
The cave looked abandoned and dusty and filled with old boxes full of Updweller junk. Hue-men sure do leave a lot of stuff lying around when they’re done with it. Mostly I found old clothes, but other things too. I don’t reckon I know enough about the Hue-men to tell you what was what, but some of it looked to be busted up toys or some sort of weapons and tools. They were mostly made of the same material as Miri’s flashlight. It looked smooth like stone, but kind of soft and came in all sorts of colors.
It got pretty bright outside so I figured it was as good a time as any to get cozy in my new hole. The boxes of old garments made for some pretty good bedding and before I knew it I conked out.
When I awoke The Sun still loomed above the city in its frightful brilliance. My throat felt drier than Gurk’s beetle bread so I reached into my pack for the waterskin. That’s when I noticed you were gone, Diary.
I’m sorry. I must have dropped you when I hid. I didn’t mean to. I flipped out for a while. I mean, I know you’re just a bunch of paper, but you’re kind of like my only friend, too- you know? I lost Dru. I didn’t want to lose you too.
I tossed open my pack and went through its contents over and over, but you weren’t there. I’ll admit it, Diary. I cried. OK? It’s stupid. You’re just a book, but you’re the only thing I have right now.
After crying and searching pointlessly for you among the Updweller crap that litters this musty old cave for what seemed like forever I just fell to the floor, exhausted.
Then I heard a knock at the door.
An Updweller called my name. They said they had my book. You, Diary. They had YOU!
I got up onto my knees and listened at the door. I didn’t understand why someone was talking at me. The voice confused me at first. It was a person. Well, an Updweller anyway. They talked through the door like they knew me. Like I was a friend of theirs.
I managed to answer. I asked how they knew my name. The stranger looked in through a crack in the boards. All I could see was their eyes. They looked like kind eyes; the eyes of a concerned person, not an angry or hateful one.
“Is it really you?” they said, “And are you ok in there?”
I was a little confused at all the questions the Updweller was asking me. Of course I’m really me. Who else would I be? They acted like they knew me. That was before I learned that they had been reading you, Diary.
“I’m not hurt, if that’s what you mean.” I said back to them.
“Well, that’s good.” they said, “My name is Sam, by the way. Can I come in?”
And that’s how I met Sam. They’re about my age and have darker skin than the other hue-men I have met. Sam has a really soft voice and their hair is in tight little black curls that they wear cropped really close to their head. Between the two of us we were able to knock the boards off the door enough to open it. By then the Sun had started to duck over the edge of the Upworld.
“Oh no.” said Sam, “My mom will be home soon.”
I winced a little at that word, “mom”. Probably because I hadn’t seen mine in so long.
“Wartha,” Sam said, “would you like to come up to my apartment? I have sandwiches and we can hang out a bit. You’ll have to hide in my room so my mom doesn’t know you’re there. You don’t have to stay long, but I just have a lot I want to talk about.”
I started to feel weird. Like there was nothing I’d rather do than grab you and run past Sam. They were nice to me, but I’d been on my own so long. I wasn’t sure I could deal with getting to know another being. What if they turned out to be terrible? Or what if they were great and we became best friends and then something horrible happened and I lost them. I don’t know if I could bear that.
I didn’t really think all of those things at once. I just kind of felt wary for a second. But my curiosity won over in the end.
“Sure. I’ll come up to your...apart-meant. I don’t know if I am strong enough to fight any sand witches, though.”
“You don’t fight sandwiches, Wartha. You eat them.” said Sam. When they saw my face they added, “Oh, no. They’re just a kind of food. Not real witches!” Sam laughed really hard at that part and so I smiled a little.
“Well then.” I said, “Let’s go!”
No comments:
Post a Comment