Carlie’s Chapter 5—Dear Tiger: I Miss You
LAST WEEK, Simone decided to open her package. This week shows what happened when she did.Chapter 5 – The Package
From: Boarder 9652—Simone MichaelsDate: Sunday, 25 August 3049
Dear Tiger
You have to know by now that I haven’t had time to either post your letter, or look inside the package. Someone set me an extra assignment to make up for the excursion I didn’t go on. Nice of them—NOT!I only dropped your letter in the mail center this morning, when I went down to breakfast. Hope it gets to you safely. I’m still grounded, but the others are off to town for the day. It’s a semi-supervised day out. Marrietta was beside herself when she worked out I couldn’t’ come. Anyway, a teacher is escorting them into town, but then leaving them to shop on their own, before meeting up at a set time and place for lunch, followed by the movies, or afternoon recreation in one of the fun parks. After that, they’ll get back on the bus, and wait for everyone to get their name ticked off on the roll, and then it’ll be back to the school caf for dinner. What a stunning end to the day.Marrietta’s been leaving me alone for most of the week, and one or two of the other girls talk to me whenever they think she’s not looking. It’s not an instant friendship, but it’s a start. Now, before the sorters get to reading my last letter… what’s inside this package?GREAT STARS AFIRE, TIGER!!!!You should see what’s inside this parcel—and, yes, I’m using speech software to write this letter, while I look.Anyway, Mum sent me these four stone jars—and they haven’t even been opened. There’s some kind of clay seal covering the seam where the lids join the rim of the jar it’s stuck to. Now, if there’s one thing I remember from what mum and dad taught me—and from last week’s lesson on handling planetary artefacts—it’s not to break any seal, until you’ve isolated the container in a properly prepared lab.All sorts of disasters happened to early exploration teams, and around seventy-five percent of them could have been avoided if the teams had been taught to handle artifacts the way they do now. Of course, the reason they handle finds like these jars the way do now is because of the disasters that have occurred before.Anyway, each jar is sealed inside its own padded clear-bag, and that’s the way they’re going to stay until I’ve had a bit of time to go over mum’s notes. You should see them, Tiges, they look like they’re made of single pieces of some kind of smooth, polished stone, and the clear-bags make it hard to read what’s been written on the outside of them.It looks like some kind of gold inlay. I don’t understand the symbols, but the style looks familiar. You’d love this, Tiger. It’s just the kind of thing that’s right up your career path. I’ll send you a vid. Just give me a sec to set up the head cam.Right. You got it? Cos here we go, again.Setting these jars aside, and moving onto the next, carefully wrapped part of the parcel, we come across—OH RAYS, I am in so much trouble!These look like the Petri dishes we’re using in science class, and the stuff growing on them is absolutely incredible. Problem is, Tiger, it’s grown so much that the bag around the Petri dish is threatening to split—and, Tiger, it’s growing in what should be a vacuum, or a severely limited air space, at best. I mean, it’s thriving, and I don’t think it should be doing that. What if it’s some kind of virus, or bacteria? Or mould?Remember Janus 7?What was mum thinking? She’s got to know about plagues, and new-colony sicknesses. What made her send this stuff to me? THESE are going straight back in the box. There are six of them—four different colours, all different shades.Wait, wait a minute. I’ll check the box before I go stuffing the growing stuff back. Don’t want to miss anything, now I’ve gone this far.Yes! There was a palm pad in there. It’s got dad’s initials on it. You know, this probably holds more notes for the Petri dishes and jars. I’ll just put it over here, and see if there’s anything else.Wow… guess what, Tiger? There’s a birthday card. They didn’t forget me after all. This was a good thing, Tiger. I should have opened it ages ago.Okay, that’s the lot. I’ll put the Petri dishes back first. I want those little suckers as far away from me as possible. Now, the jars.Ah… Tiger? This letter might take a little time to get to you. I think one of the bags might have burst. I’m not sure which one, and I’m not taking chances. I’ll just hit the emergency buzzer. There’s stuff on my fingers. Ugh, now there’s stuff on the letter… and the buzzer. Give me a minute, and I’ll wipe it off.Well, that didn’t work. I’m guessing they’ll never let me send his letter. Maybe, they’ll be kind enough to scan the start of it, and send you the voice transcript and the scans, so, if this letter looks a little funny, don’t let it bother you. The company won’t send out contaminants. You should be okay.I really should go wash my hands, but I don’t know what this stuff would do the pipes. I mean, where would it go? And how much of it am I going to spread around the rooms here, if I start wandering about?Wait! I can hear someone at the door. This is really weird, Tiges. I can hear voices, and some sort of siren. Marrietta is going to be so annoyed, when she finds out I’ve got her quarters quarantined. Because I think they’ll seal the entire building, and all her stuff is in her room.Sorry. Shouldn’t laugh. But I’m so terrified, right now.The door’s opening. Yep. It’s the men in white suits, and don’t you dare laugh at me, Tiges. We both knew they’d come for me some day. Funny thing is, Tiges, one of them looks like my mum inside the helmet, and I swear I can see dad coming in with her. Looks like I’m gonna be okay. I’ll write you when it’s all over, Tiges.
Write me back soon.
Lots of love
Simone
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The complete series is available as short, individual ebooks, and will become available as an omnibus, later this year. In the meantime, you can find them on this blog, until one week after the last chapter in the last book of the series has been posted, at which point this series will be taken down, and a new series serialised on site.
books2read.com/u/4Awrze
books2read.com/u/mgrxdR
books2read.com/u/4DoG8D
books2read.com/u/b5Mng1
books2read.com/u/3GYBla
books2read.com/u/4782k8
From: Boarder 9652—Simone MichaelsDate: Sunday, 25 August 3049Dear Tiger
You have to know by now that I haven’t had time to either post your letter, or look inside the package. Someone set me an extra assignment to make up for the excursion I didn’t go on. Nice of them—NOT!I only dropped your letter in the mail center this morning, when I went down to breakfast. Hope it gets to you safely. I’m still grounded, but the others are off to town for the day. It’s a semi-supervised day out. Marrietta was beside herself when she worked out I couldn’t’ come. Anyway, a teacher is escorting them into town, but then leaving them to shop on their own, before meeting up at a set time and place for lunch, followed by the movies, or afternoon recreation in one of the fun parks. After that, they’ll get back on the bus, and wait for everyone to get their name ticked off on the roll, and then it’ll be back to the school caf for dinner. What a stunning end to the day.Marrietta’s been leaving me alone for most of the week, and one or two of the other girls talk to me whenever they think she’s not looking. It’s not an instant friendship, but it’s a start. Now, before the sorters get to reading my last letter… what’s inside this package?GREAT STARS AFIRE, TIGER!!!!You should see what’s inside this parcel—and, yes, I’m using speech software to write this letter, while I look.Anyway, Mum sent me these four stone jars—and they haven’t even been opened. There’s some kind of clay seal covering the seam where the lids join the rim of the jar it’s stuck to. Now, if there’s one thing I remember from what mum and dad taught me—and from last week’s lesson on handling planetary artefacts—it’s not to break any seal, until you’ve isolated the container in a properly prepared lab.All sorts of disasters happened to early exploration teams, and around seventy-five percent of them could have been avoided if the teams had been taught to handle artifacts the way they do now. Of course, the reason they handle finds like these jars the way do now is because of the disasters that have occurred before.Anyway, each jar is sealed inside its own padded clear-bag, and that’s the way they’re going to stay until I’ve had a bit of time to go over mum’s notes. You should see them, Tiges, they look like they’re made of single pieces of some kind of smooth, polished stone, and the clear-bags make it hard to read what’s been written on the outside of them.It looks like some kind of gold inlay. I don’t understand the symbols, but the style looks familiar. You’d love this, Tiger. It’s just the kind of thing that’s right up your career path. I’ll send you a vid. Just give me a sec to set up the head cam.Right. You got it? Cos here we go, again.Setting these jars aside, and moving onto the next, carefully wrapped part of the parcel, we come across—OH RAYS, I am in so much trouble!These look like the Petri dishes we’re using in science class, and the stuff growing on them is absolutely incredible. Problem is, Tiger, it’s grown so much that the bag around the Petri dish is threatening to split—and, Tiger, it’s growing in what should be a vacuum, or a severely limited air space, at best. I mean, it’s thriving, and I don’t think it should be doing that. What if it’s some kind of virus, or bacteria? Or mould?Remember Janus 7?What was mum thinking? She’s got to know about plagues, and new-colony sicknesses. What made her send this stuff to me? THESE are going straight back in the box. There are six of them—four different colours, all different shades.Wait, wait a minute. I’ll check the box before I go stuffing the growing stuff back. Don’t want to miss anything, now I’ve gone this far.Yes! There was a palm pad in there. It’s got dad’s initials on it. You know, this probably holds more notes for the Petri dishes and jars. I’ll just put it over here, and see if there’s anything else.Wow… guess what, Tiger? There’s a birthday card. They didn’t forget me after all. This was a good thing, Tiger. I should have opened it ages ago.Okay, that’s the lot. I’ll put the Petri dishes back first. I want those little suckers as far away from me as possible. Now, the jars.Ah… Tiger? This letter might take a little time to get to you. I think one of the bags might have burst. I’m not sure which one, and I’m not taking chances. I’ll just hit the emergency buzzer. There’s stuff on my fingers. Ugh, now there’s stuff on the letter… and the buzzer. Give me a minute, and I’ll wipe it off.Well, that didn’t work. I’m guessing they’ll never let me send his letter. Maybe, they’ll be kind enough to scan the start of it, and send you the voice transcript and the scans, so, if this letter looks a little funny, don’t let it bother you. The company won’t send out contaminants. You should be okay.I really should go wash my hands, but I don’t know what this stuff would do the pipes. I mean, where would it go? And how much of it am I going to spread around the rooms here, if I start wandering about?Wait! I can hear someone at the door. This is really weird, Tiges. I can hear voices, and some sort of siren. Marrietta is going to be so annoyed, when she finds out I’ve got her quarters quarantined. Because I think they’ll seal the entire building, and all her stuff is in her room.Sorry. Shouldn’t laugh. But I’m so terrified, right now.The door’s opening. Yep. It’s the men in white suits, and don’t you dare laugh at me, Tiges. We both knew they’d come for me some day. Funny thing is, Tiges, one of them looks like my mum inside the helmet, and I swear I can see dad coming in with her. Looks like I’m gonna be okay. I’ll write you when it’s all over, Tiges.
Write me back soon.
Lots of love
Simone
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The complete series is available as short, individual ebooks, and will become available as an omnibus, later this year. In the meantime, you can find them on this blog, until one week after the last chapter in the last book of the series has been posted, at which point this series will be taken down, and a new series serialised on site.
books2read.com/u/4Awrze 
books2read.com/u/mgrxdR 
books2read.com/u/4DoG8D
books2read.com/u/b5Mng1
books2read.com/u/3GYBla
books2read.com/u/4782k8
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