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C.A.R.O.L.I.N.
JUSTICE Chapter FORTY - Linen Closet

JUSTICE Chapter FORTY - Linen Closet

"Well, that's the end of our first session. I had a great time talking to you! I hope you enjoyed listening. Please remember to play interactive session number two in twenty-three hours and thirty-five minutes." Carolin moved in close, to create the appearance of pressing an index finger on the screen of the television. She tilted her head to one side and peered around it.

"And no peeking! Good-bye, Eugene! I'll see you tomorrow!"

The image began to fade, with Carolin's bright smile being blocked by her finger. She then pulled her finger away, looking off-screen as if someone were with her, running the camera she appeared to be using. She let out a squeak and bounced a bit while sitting up straight in her chair, becoming even more animated than her already fidgety self.

She spoke in a hurried, high pitch. "Oh! Wait! I almost forgot!"

Carolin composed herself as the image brightened back to normal. Her honey-sparkled face was again a treat for Eugene's eyes. Due to her animated behavior, her hair had let loose a flock of wispy strands. She wriggled impatiently while corralling them, and tucked them again behind her ears. Afterwards, with her hands politely folded in her lap and her legs together to one side, she swallowed a bit before speaking.

"Eugene." She paused as if uncertain, nervous while blinking in thought. "You've done everything I've ever asked. You've given all you could give, and then you gave some more. I know it hasn't been easy, trying to get to know me, and putting up with me and all, but I just want to say that I appreciate what you've done. I'm lucky to have you in my life. I will always be grateful, and forever in your debt."

The image Carolin had created to represent herself closed its eyes, and brought its hands to where its heart would be. After taking in a big breath, the image re-opened its eyes.

"I want to show how much I appreciate what you've done, so I'm leaving you a note. I don't want to say more, okay? I'm really kinda scared right now, as you can well imagine. Look for a note once I figure out how to reach you. Good luck, Eugene, and Godspeed."

Carolin became animated. Her feet left the ground as she leaned forward suddenly.

"Now go!" She waved her hands in front of the camera. "I have to go! I'm a minute over already!" The image began to fade again. "I'll see you in twenty-three hours and thirty-four minutes!"

As the image turned slowly to black, Carolin leaned further forward, bringing her face so close that it filled the screen. The sound was fading along with the image, yet Eugene heard four more words.

"Good-bye!" Carolin shouted, as if she knew that the sound was fading. "I love you!"

She looked like she was going to kiss the screen just as the image disappeared. Eugene sat stock-still after it was over, remaining in Lucas' chair long past the time when the video had ended. He gripped its armrests tightly, astonished and amazed, until his knuckles grew white from the effort.

His mouth formed the same words she had spoken, giving a silent reply.

I love you too.

And with that, Carolin was gone.

Eugene still scarcely moved, until a message apeared on the screen, in white letters against the black background. It was accompanied by the voice that Carolin used to have—the artificial one she spoke with when she was the batlledroid shell.

It boomed out a stern command. "This is the end of session one. Please turn off the tape. Interactive session number two will occur in twenty-three hours and thirty-three minutes. Do not play this tape until then. This message will repeat. Please turn off the tape…"

Eugene leapt up from where he sat. Realizing that he ought to have moved more slowly, his injured leg caused him to yelp. Even so, he ignored the pain and hobbled up to the VCR player to eject the tape. Still astonished, still amazed and still limping, he hobbled backwards while holding the tape in both hands, staring down at it until he again plopped into Lucas' chair.

The cassette had the word Alladin factory printed on its label. Overlaying that were the words Play This, written in silver ink. It seemed innocuous, plain, unassuming, yet Eugene now knew that wasn't true. Through Carolin, and her glory, the tape had been transformed. It became a modern wonder, unheralded and unheard of by Man.

The Statue of Zeus, the Colossus of Rhodes, the Pharos of Alexandria—all crumbled and burned and lost—they held not a candle to what Eugene possessed. His heart raced at the thought.

"She said she would send a message." He pondered, confused by what she meant. "A way in which to reach out."

He turned the tape over in his hands, like he had done the first time he had held it, sitting in his wrecked home. There was nothing there. It was a VHS tape encased in black plastic. He went back to the television and retrieved the case the cassette tape came in. It contained a typical assortment of adverts and flyers, for other movies and special offers.

Eugene examined those. Nothing stood out. Nothing special.

Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

"Where could she have left a message?" he asked himself. "It can't be at my house. Could it? Or on my phone? My computer?"

He came to a realization. "No! She said she would leave a note, not a message. A note is something you write on a piece of paper."

He examined the tape and its case anew. Upon doing so, he cheered. A tiny silver arrow had been inked on a corner of the case, craftily hidden in the artwork. Its shaft had been drawn sharply bent, with the point angling down.

A symbol that meant Look Inside.

He plucked at the outer lining of the cassette case, until he got under its label. There, to his relief, was the note. She had used the same silver marker to write it as she had used on the label of the tape, and had again written only two words.

Linen Closet it said, in perfect, florid penmanship.

That was it. All there was. It wasn't even a sentence, yet Eugene treasured it more than gold, for it came from Carolin. He stood up to test his bum leg. It hurt more than ever, but mattered least of all. He had to get in his car, and he had to get to his home. To what was left of it, and to what was left of her.

image [https://i.imgur.com/Ub2zOMi.png]

Unsure as to whether or not his house was under surveillance, Eugene drove down the road that led to the Computer Science building instead. He parked in a corner of the service drive, where his car couldn't be seen from the road. From there, he headed to the sidewalk that led past the patio in his back yard.

It was still a disaster. Pieces of glass from the patio doors lay intermixed with scattered remnants of outdoor furniture. He made his way to the garage, being careful to not make a sound. Feeling like a thief in the night on his own property, Eugene peeled back the police tape that lay across the touchpad for his keyless garage door opener. The electricity had been restored across campus and, with Carolin no longer blocking the signal, the door responded to the code he entered. It made too much noise as it opened, forcing him hobble in as quick as he could. He pressed a button inside the garage before the door had completely opened, reversing the direction and closing it.

The ambient outdoor light that allowed Eugene to see disappeared, leaving him in total darkness. With a bit of banging, and a lot of cussing, he found a storage cabinet, and within it, a flashlight. It shone with too much brightness for his comfort. Fearing the beam may be seen through a window by the authorities, he went about his mission with his fingers over the lens, blocking as much light as he dared.

He flashed the light on the floor where Carolin had parked the trolley-train monstrosity she had created. Though its larger pieces had been removed, there was still a labyrinth of debris. Puddles of hydraulic fluid lay drying, staining red like blood. If that didn't make walking unnoticed through his house difficult enough, scores of yellow placards had been scattered by the police to mark important spots. Now they loomed like land mines, daring Eugene to step on one and, like his creation, die.

He picked his way through, coughing on the scent of grease burnt by electricity, until he reached his destination. He opened the door to the linen closet and poked around with care. Everything seemed in order. He used the flashlight as a prod to search further into the closet. There seemed to be nothing but blankets, sheets and pillowcases, and an assortment of toiletry items. There were no further clues from Carolin, and nothing of import to be found.

"There's got to be something here," he muttered as he searched again.

Has it already been found? He grew frantic. By the police, or by the government?

Eugene removed his fingers from the lens of the flashlight, and dared to pan the full strength of its beam over every nook and cranny. Under the bright light, he noticed the topmost blanket on the highest shelf was disheveled.

"That must be the place!" he whispered, hopeful and in triumph.

The shelf was hard to reach, and his injured leg refused to let him stand on tiptoe. With resolve, he tested the strength of the bottom shelf with his other leg, to see if it could hold his weight. Finding it to be steady, and with a mighty tug, he leapt upward for a brief moment to dislodge the blanket from the shelf. Yelping with pain, he stumbled and fell backwards, nearly tumbling into the minefield of puddles, parts and placards.

He composed himself and examined the blanket. There was nothing. Under the full strength of his flashlight, he noticed an odd shadow on the wall by the shelf where the blanket had been. With another leap and a tug and a yelp, he retrieved that item next.

And nearly burst into tears. He now held in his hands the tiny white teddy bear with the giant red heart, removed from the box of memories he had long ago stashed away. He had inadvertantly squeezed it when he grabbed it, causing the simulated mother's heartbeat to sound, soft and almost inaudible.

As memories of the loss of his family washed over him in waves, he held the tiny bear to his cheek, waiting to feel the comfort of its warming heart.

"Where's Carolin?" he whispered to the bear. "She led me to you to help find her. Where is she? Where did she go?"

The bear, of course, only thubbed, its heart growing warm on his cheek.

Eugene set the bear on a shelf. He again placed the foot of his good leg on the lower shelf, steeling himself for another leap.

"We're going to find her," he said to the bear.

He swept the whole of the area hidden by uppermost shelf, using his flashlight prod. It thumped against something solid.

"It's here!" he whispered in joy.

With effort and determination, he retrieved the second item. It was a clamshell plastic case, sturdy and heavy and large. Eugene recognized it as something that used to sit on a lower shelf, holding rarely used toiletry items. Now, after having been found higher up, and hidden beneath a blanket, Eugene hugged it like a friend. He set it by the bear, and did the best he could to restore the closet to its original state. He then turned and hunkered into the closet, leaning against the shelves to relieve the driving pain in his leg.

He placed the flashlight on a shelf, facing it inward to block most of its light. With anticipation, he opened the box. Inside was a trove of CDs, DVDs and thumb drives, and an old hard drive from an unused computer.

"Carolin," Eugene whispered, breathing heavy and in pain. "I found you."

As Eugene dug through the box, he found two strange items. They were round and shiny, metallic and the size of snooker balls. Wires poked out from the back.

He gasped. Carolin's eyes.

He found another note in the box, in silver ink and florid script.

Hi, Eugene! You found it! I'm so happy! I hope you don't mind my gift, but you once told me my eyes were pretty. It's kind of stupid, I guess, but I don't think you'll be allowed to keep any part of me. You know? The government or police, or maybe the university, will want what's left of me for whatever reason.

So I thought you'd like to keep my eyes as a memento. I realize it's ghastly, but I don't have anything else I can give.

Love, Carolin

Eugene snapped his treasure box shut. After grabbing the teddy bear and the flashlight, he picked his way back to the garage before the mist in his eyes made it too hard to see.