“More drawings?”
Curtis gestured at the papers she held.
Abby looked down at the pages and willed her hand to stop
trembling. The three pages of code drawings seemed to shimmer and shiver with a
life of their own. “Yes. Three pages. From Friday, Saturday, and last night.
They’re pretty … they’re … pretty well done, I’d say.”
But Curtis was no longer listening. He waved the papers she’d just handed him and
almost shouted with excitement. “These are amazing. Way better than the first
drawing you brought us.”
Abby stifled a small grin, but she had to agree. The
drawings outclassed her scratches a million times over. “My friend developed
instant artistic talent.”
“I’ll say.” Curtis shuffled the pages back and forth. He
shook his head slowly and muttered “wow” over and over. Finally he looked up at
her. “Miss D, thanks for getting so many. Now we have four to compare. We’ll
see if there are any repeated patterns or sequences of symbols. Your friend is
great to share these with us.”
“No problem.” Oh God, I’m such a liar. Of course there was a problem, and not just because she was lying
to Curtis. My friend. How lame was
that? The mere existence of the pages was the real problem. Some nights the
clickings chattered incessantly in her fillings, almost driving her crazy.
Those were the nights of very little sleep. The weekend had been eerily silent.
That was a new phenomenon since Friday, no clickings, instead Coder Guy had
begun leaving the pages filled with drawings. Either way—no escaping the code.
A while back, she’d grown tired of sharpening the pencil she
used each night and replaced it with a pen, which was now almost out of ink.
She’d have to remember to get out a new one tonight. Or maybe not? What would
happen if there was no writing utensil?
“What’s so funny?” Curtis asked. Abby hadn’t realized she’d
laughed out loud. The lack of pen wouldn’t stop her night visitor. She stifled
another burst of laughter she knew bordered on hysteria. Truth was, much as the
pages of code scared her, she’d be devastated if no more came. The
person—being, alien, Coder Guy—was an integral part of her life now; his
existence had established a rhythm that kept her balanced. Or so she thought.
Maybe she was completely off her rocker.
Whatever the case, she didn’t want to lose that contact.
Coder Guy’s presence warmed her, kept her from feeling alone and lonely. Oh,
man, I am losing it here. Really
losing it.
~If you like what you read here, be sure to check out Darlene Jones’s EMBRACED, for the whole
story. To learn more about this author and her writing, visit www.emandyves.com and be sure to
come back tomorrow for and in-depth look at one of EMBRACED’s major characters.
