“Sorry, I’ll slow down. Most of the letter is an exact copy of what Stanford would send prospective students. The end, though, is a message. Professor Renkontu Min is not a real name. Renkontu Min means “meet me” in Esperanto. It’s an old language created in an attempt to provide a politically neutral way of communicating between nations. Obviously didn’t work, but my sister and I picked it up as a way to talk without my parents knowing what we were saying. They hated it, but never even found out what language we were using. Anyway, the second part is the location, the Cielo-Ponto building. Cielo Ponto means “sky bridge.” You know the sky bridge that tourists can visit in the massive AMS building downtown?”
I nodded, the pieces starting to come together in my head.
He continued in a rush. “Well, my sister and I played on it for hours at a time. Kinda nuts if you think about it, but my parents were always in meetings there and we had free rein of the whole tower. An armed guard would just follow us around everywhere we went. It became one of our favorite spots.”
“Wow, that’s awesome. Your weird, super involved plan, that is. But how will she know when to meet you there?” I knew the answer must be obvious.
“At the bottom I list Professor Renkontu Min’s phone number, of course!” Shin produced a shiny new cellphone from his pocket and winked at me. “I just put this number down. I had to hire a voice actor to record the voicemail, just in case my parents call to check. If Mae calls, I’ll pick up and we can set up a meeting.” His face was lit with an insane joy and his arms were open wide. “I’m awesome, right?”
“You are. Wow. How much did you spend on all of this?”
Shin shot an eyebrow up and looked smug. “Like I’d tell you. A lot, though, but worth it. My parents can cut me off from their lives if they want, but not my sister. She’s everything to me.”
I reached out and offered him a fist bump. “I’m proud of you, Shin. This needed to happen. Not sure if you didn’t just do the most paranoid and overly involved way of contacting her, but if it works, I’ll be happy for you.”
“I think it will.” He slipped the papers and his phone back into his pocket then changed the subject. “So, you said something about Ultima?”
A grin stole across my face and I took a deep swig of the latte. This was going to be a fun night. “I might have. Why? Did you bring your A game?”
“Yes, and I’ve done my research. I think we should try Ultima III: Exodus. Shouldn’t take us long to grind through. Then it’s my choice again. I’m thinking we try something from the early Playstation X releases afterward. Have you played any of the Call of Duty games?” I nodded and he grinned savagely. “Well then, when we beat your janky Ultima, we are going to play the classic CoD 20: Fall of Tehran. It’s insane. You get to play both sides. The sheer gore is incomparable! You down?”
“Oh yeah,” I said, smiling despite my general lack of interest in first-person shooter games. “If you promise not to whine when I beat you, I’m game for anything.”
5: “But then a sight she'd never seen made her jump and say, ‘Look, a golden winged ship is passing my way.’”
— Johnny, The Bard of Towers
HANA
After too many hours of serious gaming and three Mate Lattes, I logged back in. Pachi was sleeping peacefully, and I tiptoed to avoid disturbing her.
As I approached my sleeping roll next to her, she surprised me by lifting a wing as she’d promised. Welcome back, sister. Let’s sleep. The night is cold, and I have plenty of warmth for you.
Without a moment’s hesitation, I lay down next to her, my oak bearskin cloak enough of a barrier between me and the cave floor. It was hard, but I’d gotten used to sleeping it rough, though I was not at all sure whether or not I would be so comfortable in the real world. Either way, my avatar was cozy, and I pushed myself further into the velvet fur of Pachi’s belly. Her wing fell down over me, and I was soon fast asleep.
My head thunking to the ground woke me, and I squinted at the morning light that was blaring into the cave. Dear God, I’d need to invest in some blackout curtains.
Pachi was slinking away, and even as I watched, she launched herself from the cave mouth and flew out into the valley.
Pachi’s voice called back to me, her tone monotone, almost annoyed, Your snoring is excessive, small one. I am going to find something to eat. I’ll be back soon.
I sent her a mental growl, but my wits were not with me. I watched her form shrink in the cool morning air for a few moments, then decided to walk down to the stream to freshen up.
After splashing myself in the frigid water, I ate a quick meal and turned to the day’s plans. There was a ton to do, and I was itching to get started.
I needed to have a fire if some of my other ideas would work, so I decided to start there.
Returning to the cave, I began digging a wide, shallow pit in the center of the space I had. The cave was around twenty feet deep, a bit wider at the mouth. The fire would go somewhere in the middle.
I brought in the stones I’d gathered and lined the pit. Then I used the loose soil and mixed it with the dirt I’d dug out. The mud it made was gritty with sand but had enough clay to make it strong. It would be perfect.
After a few trips to the stream to
