***** Vol.1 Chap.34 Farewell letter to George *****

Loud noises outside the crate jolted Kristin into her consciousness. The time was close to eleven in the morning. She had slept almost the whole morning away. Carefully she guessed if the talkers are close to her crate.

“Not this crate. I am looking for my ultra-sensitive sound recorder. The crate should be marked MIT and Sound Recorder.”

“Is it this one?”

Someone tapped on her crate.

“No, come over here. They put all my crates on this end of the hold.”

The conversation faded away and their arguments no longer interested her.

Feeling a little hungry, she quietly took out some more dried fruit and water. For a change from her hectic life on land, she took her time and enjoyed every bite of her food. The dried dates tasted so good to her and she wondered why she had not bought more before. She had some macadamia nuts. They were rich in minerals and, right now, rich in taste as well. Even the water seemed tastier than the delivered water at her apartment. She vowed to change to another water delivery service if she ever got back to her apartment. Though she restrained herself from drinking too much water so to avoid the need to go to the bathroom.

After an enjoyable brunch in her hidden nest and refreshed by her sleep, she continued to formulate a viable plan to get to her sub and launch it without detection, or at least without Jonas’s prior knowledge.

First, getting there would be tricky. Guards might be posted at all the major doors leading to the lower decks and upper decks. The guards on the upper decks did not concern her since she had no intention of going to the control room or visiting the captain. The sub was stowed on the lower deck towards the stern and she did not know how many guards she had to pass to get to the lower deck.

She sat there trying to recall the layout of the ship. In her recollection, there was a large chimney leading to the lower deck from the kitchen. If she escaped to the kitchen, perhaps the chimney would let her access the lower deck. That seemed a viable option. She tried to consider other escape routes, but decided that the most direct route was to use the chimney.

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The second major task, once she got inside the sub, was to launch the sub, preferably by remote control. That was one thing that she fought hard for and the very thing that Jonas did not like. In the end, she won the battle. Mentally, she retraced the required operations in her head to get the sub into the water.

That is Plan A, a somewhat workable plan. What about Plan B? After racking her brains, she came up empty-handed regarding Plan B. Plan A better worked since there was no backup plan.

All the planning made her tired. She would need all her energy for the escape, so she tried to close her eyes for another brief nap but often interrupted by various scientists coming down unpacking and unloading their instruments. At least, she was thankful for no close calls. No more guards came down to the hold again for the day.

What next after launching the sub? She had no clue. The sub’s range, limited by battery power, would not take her far. Besides, the oxygen level would deplete in two hours’ time. Her prospect afterwards seemed dismal.

What would happen to her next? Not even the faintest idea. For all she knew, she may not make it to the sub. Even if she launched the sub, would she be able to return? Braced with much uncertainty and in the event her safe return might not materialize favorably, she felt a sense of responsibility to take care of her apartment and the fish in the aquariums. Right now, the only person she could turn to was George. She took a piece of paper and wrote a brief note to George.

George,

I don’t know how to thank you for everything you have done for me in the past months. You are the best, best, best friend I have ever met and the only genuine friend I ever have, particularly in this time of need. By the time you read this letter, my fate would have been sealed.

This is my last request. Here is the user ID and the password to my bank account. Please close my bank account and use the money to pay for any rent due on my apartment. The rest of the money is for your retirement. If you want to use my apartment, please do so, or else just give a 30-day notice to vacate for me. Everything in my apartment is yours. Please dispose of whatever you don’t want in any way you see fit. I have only one wish, however. Please do not give away my fish. Promise me you will keep my fish until they die of old age.

I am not sure if I will ever be able to see you or contact you again. If not, I just want you to remember that you are a great and honorable person, and don’t let anyone tell you that you are not.

Kristin

She took her apartment key and enclosed it with the letter. She sealed the envelope and tucked it in her backpack.

Relieved, happy, unloaded, and ready to meet whatever laid before her, a deep sense of purpose in her life gushed up in her mind, though she had no comprehension of what that purpose was. Deeply convinced that she was in the right place and at the right time, she just had to wait. For now, she would wait for George. But deep inside, she was waiting for something else, something grand, something spectacular, something eternal, perhaps her destiny.