Chasing the Stars

Chapter 4: Jerusalem

The next day on the plane, Isaac asked me to read some of An Imperial Affliction. I agreed, and pulled the book out of my bag.

“‘As the tide washed in, the Dutch Tulip Man faced the ocean: "conjoiner rejoinder poisoner concealer revelatory. Look at it, rising up and rising down, taking everything with it." "What's that?" I asked. "Water," the Dutchman said. "Well, and time."'”

...

We finally landed in Jerusalem, right when the sun was dipping below the horizon, and headed straight to the hotel. Upon getting the key cards to our rooms, the man at the front desk slid a tan envelope toward me. "It's been waiting for you," he said. I raised my eyebrows in suspicion, and was also not entirely sure if I had deciphered his English correctly, with his accent and rushed talking and all. Smiling sort of gratefully, I walked away and headed toward the elevator, where everyone else was waiting for me. All of us quickly deposited our luggage in our respective rooms, and sitting on the edge of my bed, I tore open the envelope. Inside was a note from Gus, written in his messy, slanted, kind of wonderful handwriting.

Hazel Grace, I'm so glad you made it to Jerusalem. Honestly, when I was here, I wasn't sure if I would like it. As in, this place is full of religious history, and I just believed in a capital-S Someone who lived capital-S Somewhere; that's not really something that I thought the overly religious people here would appreciate. Maybe I was just being stereotypical. But, my advice to you is: a) don't make that same mistake that I did, the religious aspect of this place was quite pleasurable, and b) head to the Israel Museum, and in the Givat Ram neighborhood is where you'll find the next clue, a place in which there are hundreds of books--maybe a library? Good luck, Hazel Grace, and best wishes.

Yours,
Gus

I tucked the letter back in the envelope and rushed into Isaac's room unannounced. He was lying on his bed, still but still breathing, and I couldn't tell if he was asleep or not.

"What is it, Hazel?" He asked. Okay, he's definitely awake.

"I know where we have to go tomorrow," I said.

"Sounds great. But please go sleep now, I'm jetlagged and exhaused and feel awful and I'm sure you do, too."

"Yeah. Night, Isaac."

He nodded his head and shifted onto his side, turning away from me. I retreated back to my room, and eventually fell asleep.

Day 2

In the Givat Ram neighborhood, there was a section of the Israel Museum there called the Shrine of the Book. Located there was the Qumran Library, and I knew that's where the next clue would be. Mom and I searched among the fiction book shelves, hoping that Gus would've left the clue in a copy of An Imperial Affliction, but we weren't sure. After all, Gus was kind of unpredictable.

"Found it!" I whisper-yelled to her, waving the book manically. It was hidden on the underside of the shelf, with a small letter attached to the inside cover.

...

Walking out of the library, Mom and I found everyone else sitting on benches outside. I sat down next to Isaac and read the letter out loud.

Congratulations, Hazel Grace. You're quite good at this. Or maybe my hints give away too much. Either way, more pages of AIA's ending are inbetween the pages of this special copy of the book. It's signed by the ever-so-wonderful and always-very-drunk Peter van Houten. Not that he's particularly special or famous in any way, and that you would need or want his signature, but nonetheless, he signed it. Now, for the next clue: The city of love, light, and cinema. Easy enough? I hoped so. You're smart, Hazel Grace; you probably already know where I'm talking about.

Yours truly,
Gus

An Imperial Affliction: the Aftermath

-----Anna's Mothers POV-----

The funeral service was over, and Anna's body was lying in a casket, being buried by piles of dirt, the amount of contact between my daughter and I lessening with each mound of dirt, something becoming smaller as another became larger. The Dutchman gave my shoulder a tentative squeeze, and then looked at me with a reserved smile.
"Time," he said. "Time will heal this."
"I hope you're right."
He guided me toward his car, and I got in then sat down, unmoving. Reaching over me, he buckled my seatbealt and I gave a miniscule nod in return. My mind, thoughts, and entire being were elsewhere; I thought about how I would never see my daughter again, only through pictures and flashes of memories, but knew that she would always be my daughter, and that death cannot get in the way of relationships. Just as my dead mother is still my mother and the Dutch Tulip Man's deceased family is still his family, Anna, my daughter, is still my daughter. Dead or alive.
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hi i'm ayeaugustus and liz insisted that i write this chapter so that's what i did. here you go, i hope you like it. if not, that's cool too. either way, vote for it, comment, and all that good stuff. ok goodbye friends i am gone