EXISTENCE

Continued From Part V

July 31 (nine months earlier)

Anna said goodbye to her husband and daughter before hanging up. Accelerating to 75 miles per hour, Anna set the cruise control and turned on her music app so that she could listen to music as she headed south on the I-15. Her mind rehearsed the events of the previous day and night. Her sibling had conspired to exile her and to make it very clear that she was considered an interloper.

Anna's heart began to ache as she recalled hearing her own words parroted back to her. Wells repeated comments she had made to her baby sister, Elaina, in confidence. The betrayal was so brutal. Elaina had looked away when Anna searched her eyes for any evidence of malice. LeAnn had brought up old wounds that Anna had spent years trying to reconcile. There was so much anger and hatred in LeAnn's seafoam green eyes.

Whereas, Gabriel's expression was of surprise. It seemed that he had no idea that his fellow cohorts were out for blood. And Marie just sat looking smug as she nodded in agreement to everything that LeAnn and Wells had shared. Anna sobbed as her mind began to unravel the true purpose of this Family Council. Her chest heaved over the strain of the overwhelming emotion. Suddenly, Anna felt her body lunging. A clash of metal and shattering glass rang through the air. Searing pain raced through her body and then nothing.

The next day, the headlines read:

Deadly dust storm another reminder of extreme heat and drought scorching West.

The National Weather Service in Salt City issued multiple "significant weather' advisories in a series of tweets for central Uta, warning of the potential for half-inch sized hail, heavy rain and wind gusts of up to 55 mph in Millard and Sevier counties.

Those strong winds whipped up dust in central Utah and then the unthinkable happened: Eight people died in chain-reaction collisions on I-15 involving at least 20 vehicles. Another 10 were injured, some critically.

The next day, August 1, Anna's father died.

While waiting for Syn Valet to return from the airport with her son, Anna sat down at the computer to write. It was difficult. The events of the past year resurfaced as patchy memories. Some commingled with ideas for her novel. She wanted to write the truth about the past year, but she didn't want to hurt anyone. She wanted to make the offenders and contributors to her pain and loss pay. But she wanted to honor her father. So she wrote of the events metaphorically, adding fantasy and magic. Depicting the real evils in fictitious villains and devastating natural disasters. Even the environmental dome that covered the city in her novel was a representation of the anti-gravity field that surround her home. It was both a protection and a prison. A reminder of great loss.

[Keyboard Clicking]

- Scene of the Earthquake/the shattered Nightjar - (will add this later)

If only they had listened to the warnings. If only he had been able to abate the disaster until after his daughter was of age. If it hadn't been for the quick thinking of specialists, engineers, and scientists, the entire world would have been destroyed. The question now was how were they going to piece the world back together. Elrond knew what needed to be done and he had the power to make it happen. However, he did not have the skill or the gifts to execute the plan that had been put in place centuries ago. Rules had been broken to ensure that this plan could move forward. His family and that of his wife had blended together. There were others of different sects that had done the same. Eventually, they would be able to blend all four. But they needed to wait.

[BING]

Incoming video call from Pelham Grenville Wodehouse.

"Hello, Pelman."

"Hello, Anna. I thought I would call ... you know..."

"Pelman, it's okay. I was about to call you. I am sitting at my computer right now trying to hash out the story. And, you know me, I have to get everything just right."

"Anna, I have been thinking about your story and everything that you have been through and thought that maybe you would like to take a break."

"What? Wait. I am not ready to give up on this story. I have things I want to say. I have an idea and want to know what you think. Would you like to hear my ideas?"

"Sure."

"Well, as you know, the main character is quite complex and in this novel, I want to share the infrastructure of the society, or rather the government, and maybe a closer examination of her father and how close they are."

"Okay..."

"It is important to understand the political infrastructure. The dynamics of which are the cause of a geological disturbance. An earthquake causes the planet to crack apart, changing the view of the night sky for many inhabitants of the northern hemisphere. There is also a class system that has caused unrest in the region. The main character, Arwen, is the solution to the current environmental and social issues."

"And?"

"There is an old world government that is controlled by the elite, designated by a rigid class system. This class system prohibits certain marital alliances. Certain races are designated for certain professions. There are individuals who oppose these designations, including the main character's father who has elite status and a great deal of power in the government as well as in society. This man has the ability to make changes - yet he knows that these changes can not occur until his daughter reaches adulthood. His daughter has special gifts that will enable this needed change."

"Well, it sounds like you got things under control. How about you send me a couple of chapters by the end of next week?"

"I can do that."

"Well, have a great weekend, and enjoy your kids."

"Thanks, Pel! Bye!"

Anna sat staring at her computer screen. Her mind began to wander back to the time spent with her dad. She got up from the desk and walked over to the mantle. Next to the picture of her dad was a cedar box in which she kept mementos. She carefully picked it up and sat down on the sofa, wrapping herself in the cobalt blue sherpa Lorina had given her.

"Alexa, please turn on the fireplace, low fire. Please play my dad's favorite song."

Almost heaven, West Virginia

Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River

Life is old there, older than the trees

Younger than the mountains, growin; like a breeze

Tears began to stream down her face. Oh, how she missed her father. Opening the cedar box, she began looking at pictures her mother had saved. Her favorite was of her as a baby climbing into her father's lap as he played the guitar. The next one was of her sitting on the guitar, resting on her father's lap. Both pictures, showing off her father's beautiful beaming smile. AGainst, she knew she was loved.

Beneath the pictures of her and her dad was a yellowed envelope with her name scribbled in blue ink by her father's hand. Raising the flap, she removed the note inside and smiled:

I knew you would be out in the garden today,

so I picked up some new tools and

sent them home to you.

Love,

Dad.

She continued to leaf through the items in the box and at the very bottom she uncovered a journal her father had given her to write her poems in. She flipped through the pages remembering the moments when she wrote each one - growing sadder and sadder. The last poem she wrote was the day she was told her father had died. All the pain of that loss flooded her soul and she felt like she would explode. Every word in the last poem expressing the exquisite pain that lingered even at this moment.

PART VII