Summer 01

[mightythinice]

[when it clicks on, have a face full of dirty red headed kid. She looks absolutely delighted by the fact that the console works, and her words seal the deal]

Holy shit, this thing really works?! This is so fucking cool! So, I turned this on and everyone else can hear me, right? This thing’s like a mass phone call or… Oh, wait. Is this what it was like being on TV?

[she pulls out a book from her backpack]

Well, I’m reading a book about anti- gravity… It’s impossible to put down. Pfff. Okay, okay, I won’t read my good ol’ pun book to everyone, but if you ever need a joke, let me know.

Also, I’m looking for someone. His name’s Joel, he’s kind of older, brown hair, talks with a pretty thick Texas accent.

And if anyone knows where I can find a bunch of books in English, that’d be awesome. Last place I went to, they were all in this fucking weird script! No good if you wanna actually read something, you know?

Comments

[unetrustworthy]

There's more than one store.

Which Sector did you try?

[mightythinice]

Not sure. What are the sectors called? Like sector one, two, three?

[unetrustworthy]

[A light shake of the head.]

No. They're named after different elements. There's Earth, Metal, Water, Fire, and Wood.

[mightythinice]

Ohhhh, then this one's probably wood. Lots and lots of wood and trees here.

[unetrustworthy]

That would make sense.

I get books over at the Metal Sector. They have more variety.

[mightythinice]

Well, sign me up! How do I get there from here? I've got money to spend, and I'm gonna spend it on books and food.

[unetrustworthy]

You can walk. It takes a while, but it's not so bad if you're used to it.

[Which Midii clearly is.]

Be careful about how much you spend right away. They're not going to give you more. You have to work for it.

[mightythinice]

Work? Like, work-work? A job? Pff. I got this.

[unetrustworthy]

You sound confident.

[mightythinice]

I've picked up a trick or two about surviving on the land. I mean, it might be different because we're on a turtle, but I'm not gonna let my chance to get lots of books and lots of food slip away because I'm worried about money!

[unetrustworthy]

Food doesn't last forever, though. Especially not if you eat it.

If you know how to survive, then you should know how to ration, right?

[mightythinice]

I do! Geez, you sound like the people back home.

[she glances away from the console]

Ration cards, take care of your supplies... Geez, it's okay to live a little!

[unetrustworthy]

[There may or may not be a reason for that; Midii hardly feels offended so much as she's vaguely surprised by the older girl's attitude.]

You have to stay alive in order to do that.

But if you insist you're alright, then there's not much I can say that would make you change your mind, is there?

[mightythinice]

Well, this is the land of dreaming and death, right? So either I'm asleep and if I die I wake up.. or I'm dead, and there isn't much point.

I'll figure something out, either way, the money they gave me isn't gonna last forever. I might as well spend it on what I want.

[unetrustworthy]

That's what they say. If it's a dream, though, it feels very real. And I can still hear my heart beating when I close my eyes. Dead people can't have beating hearts, can they?

[mightythinice]

I dunno.

We don't really know much about death from the other side, do we?

[unetrustworthy]

[Her lips press together tightly. Not entirely sure how to answer that, considering recent events.]

Not...really.

[mightythinice]

Yeah...

Anyway, this downer talk is too much. What's your name? I'm Ellie.

[unetrustworthy]

I'm Midii.

Do you mind if I ask where you're from, Ellie? You mentioned English...European or American?

[mightythinice]

American! Never been to Europe. Heard about it, though.

Where're you from?

[unetrustworthy]

Western Europe. Specifically, the Southern French region.

[mightythinice]

That's really cool! What's it like over there? I only just left Boston pretty recently myself.

[unetrustworthy]

The countryside used to be really pretty. I'm not sure what it looks like now; it's been a while since I've been home.

[mightythinice]

From being here, or from something else?

[unetrustworthy]

Both.