CHAPTER 18: Sober Intoxication

CHAPTER 18: Sober Intoxication

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12-Oct-2018

Dear Annie,

'Worse than inadequate.' That sounds like a crossword puzzle and an unrestrained critique. I thought my responses were satisfactory to give you an idea about my unabashedly attractive physical characteristics and unique personality, but it seems my feelings weren't conveyed effectively.

Clearly, I need to improve my ability to answer your easy questions, and I must rectify this failure immediately.

You say you have no image of me in your mind- let me fix that real quick.

There. You might find it hard to believe, but I watched myself in the mirror this morning and drew this portrait with my own artistic hands, quite accurately if I do say so myself. However I'm not very good at drawing hair, so you must pardon me for that singular flaw.

I am amazed at how well I was able to capture the details and subtlety of my appearance. You're welcome.

Ella scoffed, then sighed and then smiled, and seeing the humour in the whole thing she laughed. She should have known...shaking her head she read on.

Space-time quantum entanglement? Wow! Far-fetched? Yes, a bit. But not if you've been watching way too many sci-fi and romance movies (My guess- The Lake House).

Unfortunately, I'm interested in studying about it and I'm unfortunately a science student (though not quantum physics), so if I ever try to question such a thing people would only think I'm doing some research, no one will suspect that I've lost my mind, and even if I do go crazy, it's just an occupational hazard, actually considered quite normal. It does sound incredibly difficult though (If only I had the eye of agamotto and the tesseract), but argumentatively, if I really was in a different space and time, I'd definitely try to breach it, for your sake.

You keep giving me so many reasons to.

Ella couldn't help the grin that took over her face and she read further.

I wish to share your hiding place with you, maybe even find new hideouts together. The frond you sent my way is so fascinating, so delicate, it smells of wet earth, of fresh and clean nature and you're right it's almost... magical. I can close my eyes and imagine the jubilant viridescent fronds swaying gently with the soothing winds, with water sloshing close by, keeping the soil nourished for the ferns to flourish in their aesthetic flamboyant manner. You take me on a resplendent journey so often, so easily, anything I could write would probably pale in comparison.

I feel like I don't notice and appreciate everything around me as much as I should. You always force me to acknowledge a lot of things I normally wouldn't. Thank you.

Give Archer my greetings when you meet him next. He sounds like he may have been born in the wrong century. I feel like I should show respect to this furry little being. Is it weird that I imagine Archer to be wearing a hat and tailcoat with a walking stick in his paw?

I'm trying not to chuckle in the library and it's hard. I'm pretty sure the tall guy sitting in the corner glared at me like I killed his pet tarantula.

My day was dull and tedious until I got my hands on your letter. I'll not put you to sleep with all the mundane happenings of today, but I wanted to write something. Anything to send your way. Writing to you, reading your replies and then picking up my pen again to write back, it's addicting in its own way. Like sober intoxication.

I'm sorry I never give you any straight answers, but you asked me one question so carefully and I want to soothe your curiosity.

My brother and I... we used to be very close, he's two years older than me and I always looked up to him. I went to him for every doubt every answer, I used to tell him every little thing and if there was something I couldn't figure out I was sure my brother would and he always used to.

A few years ago my parents divorced, and my brother didn't know the main reason why, only I and my mom knew and we didn't tell him because he was very close with dad and I didn't want him to hate dad like I did and so I didn't tell him that dad was having an affair.

A couple of years after their divorce Mom wanted to get remarried to this guy she met and my brother was against it, he gave her a lot of grief for leaving dad for some guy much less qualified, it spiralled out of hand and mom told him the real reason behind the divorce.

My brother grew mad at me when he realised I knew and purposely kept him in dark when I share every little thing with him, he apologised to mom and felt guilty but he never did forgive me even after I apologised to him multiple times. This drove a wedge in our relation that hasn't been mended to this day. I avoid going home at all costs because it always turns into a fight and I leave disheartened.

Sorry, that was a downer, but I wanted to give you an honest answer. so, that's the story of why I'm not on good terms with my brother. I wish it all resolves someday, but it seems unlikely.

The song you recommended is now stuck in my head. And I'm not complaining. I've heard a few songs from Coldplay, but not that one, to be honest listening to repetitive upbeat hip-hop is my guilty pleasure and I haven't been listening to many other things these days. The song you suggested reminded me to revisit my own music, It sure puts you in a state of mind. You should listen to 'The trapeze swinger' by Iron and Wine. Do let me know what you think of them. I'll wait for your thoughts.

Sincerely,

Elliot

PS: Here's a bookmark, so you don't lose the page you're on.

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After reading the letter Ella felt sad to think he had to go through so much but eventually, she smiled to herself as she sat in the library and re-read his letter while listening to the song he recommended on her earphones. Her hand glided along with the intricate design of the bookmark he had enclosed within the envelope, with the words "Just One More Chapter" printed on it in a quirky white font on a dark blue nebular background.

She was listening to the soothing music of 'the trapeze swinger' for the third time when her friend Jay came over to her, making her pause the song as she pulled the earbuds out of her ears, giving him her attention.

"Do you have any books about killing?" Jay suddenly asked, showing up at Ella's workplace while she sat quietly behind the library desk and made sure everything was in order. He was playing 'the customer', he does that from time to time. Whenever he visits the library and she's there.

There was this one time her boss caught her there in the library whispering and quietly laughing with Jay and to save her from being reprimanded, he came up with this scheme, it actually worked, albeit her boss was suspicious of the duo. Ever since he's kept the tradition alive.

"You mean like mystery thrillers?" Ella frowned up at him as she played along with his gimmick.

"No. More like how to commit a successful murder and not go to jail for it." Jay clarified, amusing Ella, she knew it was another one of his dramatic complaints.

"Understandable. Jail food is truly distressing." She said, nodding up at him.

"Yes, hence the need for this unavoidable secrecy..." He trailed off, sounding bored.

"May I ask who's dying?" Ella raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"Patrick ate all my ice cream and didn't immediately replace it with more." He huffed as if he was truly disappointed in his roommate.

"That's intolerable! He totally deserves to die." Ella said exactly what he wanted to hear.

"I'm glad someone agrees," Jay said, feeling quite pleased.

"Well yeah, But how about after my shift we both go get some ice cream and let Patrick live another day?" She thought she could do with a sweet frozen treat.

"Tempting offer..." Jay considered.

"Do you know where Nora and Daniel are? They might want to join us..." Ella said.

Jay scrunched up his face, looking adorably like a kid forced to eat his vegetables, "They are probably sitting in the cafeteria giggling over a bunch of memes only they can understand."

Ella smiled, "I'm guessing they refused to tell you what was funny."

Jay pouted, "Apparently it's an Asian thing." He grumbled. He hates to be left out of a joke. "I'm not dumb enough to not understand a meme!"

Ella thought that Daniel and Nora would disagree but wisely kept her mouth shut. Instead, she looked at the clock that said her shift was over and right on time she saw Leah walking in through the doors, she picked up her bag. "Let's overdose on sugar and maybe get a brain freeze."

"The scientific term is sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia." Jay said as they fell into step.

Her eyes widened as she looked at him with disbelief, "You just made that up."

"Of course not! I read that somewhere....you know my mind stores a plethora of useless facts." He defended, making her laugh.

"Can't argue with that."

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