Blue Light Special

Audra wove through the oppressive crowd trying to get to the subway steps. She was late. Late for her meeting, and late with the new chapters of her book. She had been having this crazy block with her latest book. She truly thought it had something to do with the weird dreams she had been having for the past month, but she couldn’t seem to write a word she liked. And this morning she was exhausted, she had stayed up all night to push something out just to appease Janet, her ever pushy agent. It wasn’t like she was falling down on her job. She had put out a book a year for the last three years. It was just the fact that everyone was clamoring for this sequel had Janet’s panties in a wad.

Audra was so caught up in her thoughts that it took her a moment to notice that the street had gone eerily quiet. She looked up to see how much further she had to push through the crowd that’s when she saw she was alone. Completely and utterly alone. There wasn’t a person around or a car on the street.

“What the hell?” Audra spun in a circle as the silence descended over the once-bustling intersection like a heavy blanket. She walked over to the closest storefront; one of the busiest coffee shops on this block and it was totally deserted and the screen on the television in the back corner was just white snow. Audra’s stomach was clinched into knots and her mind involuntarily went back to a B movie from the '80s: Night of the Comet. She shook her head and turned to head back towards her apartment to wait in what she hoped to be a safe place. That’s when she saw her.

The little girl. She couldn’t have been more than seven standing in the middle of the empty street. She was jumping up and down and waving her little arm vigorously at Audra. Audra glanced around; even though she knew was the only person out there, and lifted her hand giving a small wave back. That seemed to be all the encouragement the little girl needed because she took off running full speed toward her. All Audra would make out was the blur of her body and then she felt tiny arms wrapped around her waist in a tight hug, making Audra drop her bag to the ground.

“I told him it would work. I told him, I told him, I told him.” The little girl mumbled into Audra’s stomach as she nuzzled into her. If Audra wasn’t mistaken, she was actually sniffing her, and then her thoughts were confirmed with the girl’s next comment. “You smell so good. I love that smell.”

“Uh, sweetie? I think you may have me mixed up with someone else. I don’t think I know you…”

“I don’t have you mixed up with anyone. You smell like green apples and honey with a little bit of coconut.” The little girl looked up at her with a smile and eyes that were identical to the ones Audra looked at in the mirror every morning.

“Who are you?” Audra grabbed the girl by the shoulders and held her at arm’s length to study her face.

She shook her head. “I can’t tell you and I don’t have much time.”

Audra watched as the little girl reached into the pocket of her black coat and pulled out a small black book and a piece of bright blue paper. “Take this book to the address on the paper. Today. You have to take it before midnight tonight or everything will be ruined.”

“I don’t understand. What will be ruined?” Audra said just looking at the book and paper in the little girl’s outstretched hand.

“Just take it. I don’t have time to explain. But you’ll fix everything when you get to the address by midnight.” There was a loud ringing noise in the sky that made Audra look up but made the little girl wince. “I have to go, my time is up.”

Audra went to reach for when she saw her in pain. “Oh my god! Your nose is bleeding! Let me help you.”

The little girl shook her head violently. “No, the only way you can help me is by taking the book to the address. Please, mom, just take the book.” She shoved it at Audra forcing her to grab it or it would’ve fallen to the ground. “I love you! I’ll see you soon.”

Audra stood there in total shock and confusion watching the girl run full speed into a bright blue light that flashed so brightly Audra had to cover her eyes. At that same moment, she felt herself being yanked backward hard and pulled into something hard.

She heard a deep voice in her ear. “Are you alright? Were you hit?”

Audra looked down at the black book and blue piece of paper she held in her hand. She absently answered the questions that were asked of her. “What? Oh, yes. I mean, no. I…yes, I’m fine. No, I’m not hurt. I wasn’t…What?”

She finally looked up into a pair of grass green eyes when she heard a deep chuckle. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“I asked were you hit by that bike messenger when you stepped off the curb?” Mr. Green eye deep voice said with a smile.

Audra shook her head unable to form a clear sentence so shaken by the events of the last few moments and the sexiest man she had ever seen looking down at her.

He tucked a curl behind her ear, “Glad to hear it. Be careful beautiful.” And he walked away with a smile.

Audra stood there in a stupor for a good three minutes before she was bumped into by a rude woman and told to go stand somewhere else if she wasn’t going to walk on the sidewalk. She made her way back to her apartment ignoring her non-stop vibrating phone. Janet could wait. She had just had the most bizarre experience with a little girl who had identical eyes to her own and called her mom, but Audra had never been pregnant before. Audra was also pretty sure she was the dumbest woman on earth because she went dumb and mute when the most handsome man on earth called her beautiful. Was she sure she hadn’t hit her head? No, she couldn’t have, because the little black book and the blue piece of paper with the address were in her hand. What in the hell had happened?

By the time Audra had gone through the whole episode for the twentieth time in her head as she sat on her couch the day was one and it was pitch black outside. She glanced at the time on the large wall clock over her dining room table.

“Oh shit!” Audra jumped up and grabbed her phone pulling up the map app to type in the address. It would take her 40 minutes to get there and it was already 10:45 pm. She was ordering an Uber as she was walking out of her front door the black book and blue paper tucked into her back pocket.

After “helping” her Uber driver to yell at the other drivers on the way cross-town in Friday night traffic it actually took closer to an hour to get to there. Audra got out of the car when it stopped on the corner of the street she had given to the driver. She pulled out the items from her back pocket and she swore the gold letters on the blue paper glowed brightly on their own for a moment. Audra looked around to see if it was a trick of the street light or just her overly stimulated brain. She shook her head and start down the street looking for the address.

“Well, this must be it,” Audra mumbled to herself as she came to a blue door the same color as the paper and with the exact gold numbering. 727.

She reached out to knock and the door opened of its own accord. Audra took a step back and glanced around to see if someone else was on the street watching her. Once again she was completely and utterly alone. The quiet darkness on the street was creeping her out more than the door opening by itself.

Audra took a breath and pushed the door wide enough to slip through. “Mama always said I was the adventurous one.” She said to herself as she tried to take a look around the dim room she had entered and then jumped further in as the door slammed behind her. She quickly turned and pulled at the handle. It didn’t turn, wiggle or budge.

Great. Audra thought to herself and leaned her head against the door. Curiosity just may have killed this little cat tonight.

“Can I help you?”

Audra jumped at the quiet voice that came from behind her and spun around to face an older gentleman in thick glasses with bushy white hair. He wore a hunter green cardigan over a dark brown button-down shirt and navy slacks. They stood staring at each other for a few moments.

The gentleman finally waved his hand in front of her face. “Are you okay miss?”

Audra shook herself out of her daze. What was wrong with her today? “No, I mean yes. Yes, I’m fine.”

“Okay. Well, welcome to Harlow Secondhand Books. I’m Jefferson Harlow. Can I help you with something?” The older man said again slower this time.

That’s when Audra noticed all the bookshelves. She was so in her own head about the weird crap going on in her world today she didn’t even notice the basic things around her. Like shelves full of books.

She nodded her head. “Something very strange happened to me this morning that lead me to be in possession of this.” She held out the little black book, “and I was told to bring it here or something was going to be ruined. I didn’t fully understand…”

“Oh thank goodness! You brought it!” Mr. Harlow took the book she proffered.

His smile lit up his face. “You have no idea how important this is. JONATHAN! Jonathan, bring the reward!” He yelled as he turned and walked toward the back of the store and motioned for her to follow.

“Reward?” Audra asked confused.

Mr. Harlow looked back at her. “Yes, dear. The $20,000.00 for the return of this little book. It’s worth more than you will ever know.”

Audra’s feet were moving on their own because her mind was trying to figure out who would offer a reward for the return of a book. And a $20,000.00 reward at that. “Are you sure you didn’t mean $20.00?”

Mr. Harlow chuckled. “No, my dear, Audra. I meant what I said. Let me get my grandson. Jonathan!” He called out again.

Before Audra could ask how he knew her name, she heard a familiar deep voice coming from around the last bookshelf toward them. “Yes, Grandfather.”

“You.” “You.” They both said at the same time and couldn’t help the smiles that spread across their faces as grass green eyes met mahogany brown in the way they were supposed to all along.

Neither noticed the older Mr. Harlow winking at the little girl with her face pressed against the store front glass. Or the bright blue light she skipped away into with her brown eyes shining in delighted success.