The Oak Hotel - Watty Awards 2013 Finalist

Chapter Nineteen - The Note

Chapter Nineteen

The Note

They stepped from the elevator out into the main lobby of the Autumn Harbor Library.

“How is this possible?” Kayleigh whispered.

Lincoln, on the other hand, was calling out for Ms. Ruttier.

“Hold on there,” Creek said, smiling, “We’re not in Autumn Harbor. We’re still beneath the Cinema.”

Lincoln turned to him.

“It’s a reproduction,” Creek added.

“This isn’t our library?” Kayleigh asked, confused.

“Well, it is and it isn’t. Come over here and I’ll show you.”

He led the children to a study cubicle. Sitting on the desk was a paper-thin laptop computer. Lincoln recognized the desktop graphic. It was the same as the computer he and David had managed to boot up back in his brother’s makeshift workshop.

Creek sat down before it and Lincoln and Kayleigh pulled chairs up next to him at either side.

“Stitch used this to store and cross-index information. It’s the most advanced computer that’s come through any of the bubbles. It can access any signal in this hemisphere of the planet and automatically download information into its own memory. Most of what it gets comes from Traders passing through.”

“Do you know about David’s computer?” Lincoln asked.

“Your brother was never supposed to get his hands on something so powerful. Fortunately, Sheenie found out and made contact. I would have liked to give them updated information about Atoth before they went back, though. Who knows what they’re walking into.”

“Does this one work by voice, too?” Lincoln asked.

“Yes,” Creek replied. “Stitch named it Taira Han, after his mother. So… Here we go.” He leaned slightly forward. “Good evening, Taira. It’s Creek.”

Kayleigh looked across at Lincoln and smiled at the politeness with which the man spoke. The voice that answered was similar to that of the computer David put together, though more refined, as if this computer was older and wiser.

The words VoicePrint Confirmed ran across the top of the screen.

“Good evening, Shipmaster Creek. How may I help you?” it asked.

“I’d like to introduce you to my friends,” Creek said. He turned to Lincoln and said, “Just tell her hello and say your name.”

Clearing his throat, Lincoln spoke first, “Hi, Taira Han. My name is Lincoln Torres.”

“Welcome Lincoln Torres.”

“Hello, Taira,” Kayleigh said next, “I’m Kayleigh Lambert.”

“Welcome Kayleigh Lambert.”

“Taira,” Creek said, “could you please pull up all the information we’ve collected on the Pandiments.”

“Of course.”

The screen dimmed. Behind the cubby, floating in the air, a flat rectangle of light appeared. Lincoln guessed its dimensions to be about six feet long by four feet high. The computer seemed to pass its display over to this new, larger area. On the floating screen appeared many virtual folders broken down into different categories. All of them concerned Pandiments: Basic Pandiments. Earliest Pandiments. Forgotten Pandiments. Kayleigh and Lincoln scanned the screen in wonder, wishing they could read it all at once.