SAM
“Umgh, he’s getting too big for this,” Rhoda groaned as she crawled out of the porter with Filly in her arms.
When Cora and I'd explained what we’d been up to in Pitch’s room, Nanna said she wanted an audiobook version of Unknown Cosmos to listen to when she went to sleep. In an entertaining mood, Cora suggested we read the book to her. I agreed, thinking it would be nice to spend more time with Nanna.
We followed my grandmother into the townhouse for a night cap.
Rhoda trudged upstairs to put Filly to bed, and Cora and I went with Nanna to her mother-in-law suite. It had a small kitchenette/living room and bedroom and bath. A door leading out to the back porch was its crowning feature, and Nanna loved it.
“There’s an ice-berry herbal tea if you’d like to try that, girls. I’m gonna brush my teeth and put on pjs, so make yourselves comfortable,” Nanna instructed.
“Yum, that sounds good,” Cora said, rifling through the teas.
We cued up the electric kettle and filled our mugs. The tea smelled wonderful, and the purple color in my mug made it an experience, not just tea.
Cora plopped into a lounge chair, tapping away on her pad, I joined her. “I’m sending Pitch my recordings from Red Rocks. I bet he’ll love them, and I don’t want to publish this as an album now. BUT—I’ve got an idea, Sam.”
I blew steam from my mug towards her, raising my brows in invitation.
“What if, somehow, we can put the songs ‘Dream Walker’ and ‘Weave With Stars’ into your book Time Sleuths?” she asked.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
My face broke into a grin, “I bet Bitsy will love that! We can do it with the web serials, for sure! I guess you’ve gotten over the idea that your fans are gonna find out you’re a weirdo—oh, wait, Cor!”
I grimaced, “How sexy should the book be? I haven’t gotten to that part yet. . .”
She laughed, “Just make it up. Or sprinkle a little real life in there, if you want. I don’t care. Earth is gone, as far as I’m concerned.”
“Ooookay,” I giggled. “I’ll get creative. Thanks for wanting to cross-promo your music—“
“Are you kidding me, Sam? We’re in this together,” she laughed. “We’re both going down! Taking on the Tech guild,” she rolled her eyes.
“Alright, girls,” Nanna called. “Do you mind reading to me? I’m gonna get under the covers.”
“Come on, Sam, let’s put Marjorie to bed.” Cora headed to the bedroom, and I followed, tea in hand.
“I get chapter one,” Cora said, opening the first page of Pitch’s story. “Oh boy, it’s a spicy one! This won’t put you to sleep, Marjorie.”
“You gonna read, or just yap at me all night?” Nanna griped playfully.
Chuckling, Cora got started, and boy oh boy, were we in for a shock.
“Is Pitch making this up?” Nanna wondered. She looked tired against her stack of pillows, but her voice was strong.
She had every right to ask that question—mermaids?
“I can’t even begin to speculate what Pitch knows,” I started, but Cora cut me off.
“I doubt he made this up. Maybe he dreams it; we don’t know. Read the next chapter, Sam,” she prodded me.
I turned the page and got to read how Peydran died, was consumed by a windy vortex and a song, and was reunited with his husband Ren in another world. Well now, that was a story.
It was everything Cora wanted, wasn’t it?
She’d said in her Time Sleuths chapter that she wanted me to help her find the other world, and it looked like we had instructions now—sort of.
“Nanna, do you want to read the next chapter to us? It’s Nayth, and I know how much you love him,” I asked, handing her the pages.
She grinned, “Let’s see what he and Ryst are up to now, shall we? Maybe we’ll find out how Pitch is getting these stories from the other side. That man knows so much more than he lets on, doesn’t he?”
“Maybe that’s why he never says anything,” Cora mused. “Why would he talk when all of this is in his brain?”
“I definitely want to know what else is in that mind of his. Ready?” Nanna asked, and we nodded.
Then my grandmother read me a story for the first time in decades.
