by E. L. Aldryc
It was early in Madilune, but it was early afternoon on the sunny side of the Alps. The house was at the edge of a forest above an ancient road. This was a green, green country, with far more trees than houses. She left the feï and stepped out onto the dewy grass in the shade of the apple tree. People didn’t do house calls anymore. But this wasn’t a matter that could be discussed over holographic messages.
The house was brown, tall, and full of glass surfaces. She was seen before she reached the door, but she still let the house AI scan her and alert the resident. She waited at the door for a long time, but Elodie knew it would open. She could even see him on the other side, debating with himself and pretending that he wasn't home. Elodie was patient. This had to be done delicately.
Frederich looked like he hadn’t slept either and when he finally opened the door, Elodie knew she did the right thing.
“I messed up,” she said. It was a sentence that had the greatest chance of granting her entry.
“I believe you.” Frederich moved aside to let her in. Elodie took each step carefully, checking the futures to see if any word or thought of hers had changed the infinitesimal chance of success since she last checked.
Frederich led her to a glass-encased dining room, and Elodie sat down at a dining table with an homey assortment of snacks and napkins. Did he set this up? He did. He definitely did.
“What do you want? Coffee? Tea? I have some really bad herb liquor?” Frederich asked, and Elodie refused. The quicker she got to the point, the better. He finally sat down next to her with a three-second variance from her prediction. The chances dipped to zero. Then they re-emerged.
“I think I can fix it, but only if you tell me everything you know,” she said.
He sighed and moved a tray of biscuits closer to her.
“It’s gonna take a while.”
Stay tuned.
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Thank you, stay tuned, and never take your eyes off the Universe of Infinite Wonder.
A Friendly Note From the Publisher
This book is a fruit of over fifteen years of research into more than two million timelines, which wouldn’t be possible without the many helpers Infinite Library has been able to enlist for the project. A special thanks goes to His Majesty the Crown Prince Leeriath of Nenuari who helped get the facts, hailing from a world you’ve never heard of – but one day, you might.
Before his involvement In 2018, The Infinite Library attempted to publish an ambitious account of the events around the year 2363, but it all went wrong too quickly. That account has been pulled and archived. Don’t look for it. We’re serious.
To prevent a future disaster, the historical facts that fill the gap between Earth’s present and the events of My Friend, the Gifted have been omitted after careful consideration.
One of our associates from the timeline in which this story takes place has summed up our reasons for it quite nicely. ‘The more you know, the less you’ll do to get here.’
© E. L. Aldryc 2020. All Rights Reserved.
