Quarter for your thoughts
"Hey, there's a message in this
bottle."
Kai looked up. Jenine held up her
beer. Sure enough, a piece of paper floated near the bottom. There
was some writing on it.
"Looks like a fortune. Drink up
so we can read it."
"Don't be silly. It would stick
to the inside of the bottle and we'd never get it out." She
drained her water glass, poured the beer into it, fished out the
note, and laid it carefully on the table. She leaned forward to read
the tiny letters that almost completely covered the paper.
"Where is that girl with our
food?" Waiting for Jenine to puzzle out the note reminded Kai
how hungry he was. "Carla! Can we have more chips and salsa?
The hot kind. And more beer."
Jenine frowned. "It's hard to
read. The font is weird. Anyway, it starts 'Don't tell anyone the
contents of this note.'" Her voice trailed off.
"And then?! Is it like a chain
letter? If you don't do what it says your dog will be repossessed?"
While Kai was talking, Jenine was reading. Then, she carefully
folded the paper in half and tucked it in her pocket.
Now it was Kai's turn to frown. He
leaned forward and whispered loudly. "Your nipples are hard.
Only two things do that and I don't think you just read some
beer-note sex. What's going on?"
Jenine whispered back, so quietly he
could barely hear her. "It's a prediction. We should get out
of here. Now." She stood up.
"No! What? Why do you believe
that stupid note? I'm staying right here till I get my chimichanga."
"Wherever that note came from,
they knew things. About me. I think it's real." She backed
away from the table, motioning to Kai to get up.
He leaned back and folded his arms. "I
want my lunch."
The window exploded inward and a red
Ford F150 plowed into the table and Kai. Jenine screamed and jumped.
She ran to the truck, but when she got
there she could see that Kai's entire chest was crushed. She stood
up and turned around just as a police officer ran in. He was tall
and broad-shouldered. His eyes were the color of the summer sky.
"Hello Officer Smith," she
said. "I've been waiting for you."
"Have we met?"
"Not really."
"You're bleeding. Sit down, I'll
be right back."
"I know," she whispered.
Publ. Daily Cabal 2008
The end
