(continued from last entry)
...Only to find possibly the most confusing letter I've ever read. It seemed to be a dialogue written in blue and red, but directed at me. It seemed to be an invitation, but also an argument at the same time...
“Dear potential arbiter,” it began in blue, “you are being invited to an examination to determine your aptitude and desirability for an esteemed position in arbitration services with one of three organizations,” after which it immediately shifted to red.
“Attendance is mandatory!”
Then, in blue again, “No, it is not. Your attendance is requested so that we may determine--”
“Tell him there will be free food, or prizes, or something!”
“But, there will not be any such thing...”
“Say it anyway! He'll be more likely to come!”
“I'll say no such thing. You realize, of course, that he'll be able to read this entire exchange.”
“Damn it... Can we start over?”
“No.”
“Jerk...”
“As I was saying, we would like to determine which organization you would fit with best, if you are interested. Of course, we shall also answer any questions you may have--”
“Woah, I'm not so good with the question stuff...”
“Do shut up, please? There's a good man. Anyway, if you attend, all your questions will be answered, including why that man stopped you on your way home, and why your friend was given money to take you out to dinner. There will be a small test or two, but if you decide to join one of our groups, the benefits will be worth it, I assure you.”
“You'll become rich beyond your wildest dreams!”
“You just never quit, do you?!”
“Well, he could become rich...”
“Look, are we done here? The sooner I can get away from you, the better...”
“You need to tell him where to go, asshole.”
“Oh, yes, of course...”
After that was a detailed set of instructions on where to go. Not an address, mind you, but a full set directions, starting from the moment I stepped outside. It documented how far to go before turning, how many stairs to go up or down, when to cross the street, even where to watch out for piles of refuse that may otherwise have been stepped in. Most of it was in blue, but there was the occasional correction in red where blue forgot or miscounted something. After this was a bit of parting text that blue seemed to think was necessary.
“We hope to see you here soon, as the meeting is at 12am.”
“Only 45 minutes to get here, you'd better hurry!”
“Look, he doesn't even have to come, why are you being so pushy?”
“Oh, he'll come. If he doesn't, he'll die!”
“He isn't going to die if he doesn't come!”
“You don't know that! He might... Why do you always have to ruin my fun?”
“Why can't you take this seriously?! For the love of... You know what? Never mind. Let's just get this finished before he gets back, ok?”
“Don't worry, we've got plenty of time. And he'll come, because he's curious.”
“You'd better be right.”
“Am I ever wrong?”
“I hate you so much...”
“Turn off your computer before you leave. Wouldn't want anyone slashing it, or whatever that's called...”
“It's called 'hacking', you dolt.”
“Whatever. Don't forget, you've only got 45 minutes to get here! Startiiinnng...now!”
At that point, the letter ended abruptly, no signatures or anything. I reflexively looked up at the clock to find that it was, in fact, 11:15 pm. Only 45 minutes to midnight.
Creepy.
I considered staying home, just to show whoever it was that had left this odd diatribe in my room who was boss. Unfortunately, Red was right. I was curious. I grabbed my jacket and headed out, remembering to turn off my computer. They were right, I didn't want my computer hacked. There wasn't much chance of it, but just in case... I also remembered to lock my door. I didn't want to be robbed, either.
I began following the directions carefully, reading the next set of lines by the shallow yellow light of each street lamp I passed. They were very accurate, and saved my shoes more than once. Very considerate of them. Creepy, but very considerate.
As I reached the end of the list of twists and turns, I found myself in a park area that actually wasn't very far from my apartment. A look at my watch confirmed that it was, in fact, very near midnight. I actually recognized the place. If they had just told me the name of the place, it was only a 15 minute walk...
About that time, I noticed a fire truck go barreling down the street, away from my apartment. The lights weren't on, so they must be done with whatever they had been doing. Looking down that street, I could see a few tow trucks collecting car shells from the remains of what looked like a multi-car accident. A number of medical units were there too, I saw, as well as police. So, if I had taken the straight route from my place to the park, I would have been going down that street about the time that...
Things were just getting creepier and creepier. What sounded best right then was a few drinks and a few hours of sleep. I didn't have to work in the morning, so if I headed home now...
But no, I was already there. May as well see what this was all about. I began looking around the area for...well, I didn't know what. I figured I'd know when I found it.
Not long after that, I came across three men in suits of three different colors. Anyone who's been paying attention up to this point can probably guess which three.
That's right, there was Blue, Red, and between them was a man in Green. They hadn't noticed me yet, so I approached them...
(to be continued)