Correspondence

CHAPTER 3 – III

It was a hot, muggy day in July when Urissa’s letter to Glendan arrived. It had been a month since Abe Sir’s untimely demise and Glendan knew that Urissa was rallying her revolutionary friends and acquaintances that she had made in her radical circles. He felt immense sorrow for Urissa’s loss – not because Abe was such a great guy; he was fine – but because Urissa hurt so badly. Having now found love in his own life he had a deeper appreciation for what loss she must be dealing with. Yet this empathy for her was also counterbalanced by his sense of prudence. He did not know the extent to which Augustina was involved in Abe’s death, however he did know the extent to which Augustina was involved with unsavory characters throughout his old hometown. Taking him on meant taking on an army and he feared that Urissa, no matter how competent, would get hurt.

Then there was Geryman. Their older brother had become close with the Augustina clan over the past few years. If things escalated it would increase the tensions already felt between the siblings. People in all walks of life back in Seattle were being made to take sides – the proletariat activists against the tycoon, his friends, and their business partners. Which side would Geryman take? Siding with his family didn’t seem like a given, yet siding with Augustina felt unconscionable.

Further sorrow would be inevitable if Urissa continued down her path of vengeance. After multiple back-and-forth correspondence with his ‘baby’ sister, it was clear that her intentions were steadfast. Glendan knew he had to be with her – if not to talk some sense into her, then at least to help manage the blowback. He feared that he was getting Carenf caught up in something dangerous. And yet, throughout their copious conversations on the matter Carenf had always displayed enthusiasm. She very much felt drawn into this conflict.

(Glendan) I’m afraid Urissa will do something dumb
(Carenf) She is in the right and something must be done
(G) You say that; do you know what that means?
(C) I believe I do; I have seen this all played out in my dreams
(G) That’s Victor’s nonsense, I need something more concrete
(C) Do you deny that it’s a challenge we must meet?
(G) You are right that we can’t just sit idle
(C) We’ll take this head on; let’s pack for Seattle

They each wrote to Urissa to inform her of their intentions. It seemed to Carenf like a good time to put her new energy-transfer techniques into practice, in a minor way, in her letter. She transferred a minute amount of herself into the fiber of the paper, hoping to convey an emotional sentiment that words could not express.

She then met with Victor to let him know she must leave, worried about what he would say. She had grown to think of him as a cross between an eccentric father figure and an idiosyncratic teacher. Victor knew this to be true. He had wanted more time with his protege, yet he suspected they would be together again. He had taught her much. Now she needed to learn more of herself, by herself. A shock of excitement shot through him as she walked out the door of his bookstore for the last time.

This feeling, more pure than hate
More enduring than a Heavenly gate
Not yielding like a sound
This lightness won’t ever let me down