Sunday, April 30, 2006

The Jace Letters, Part Two

In which Sandy hears back from 11-year-old Jace Murphy.

The Jace Letters

by Karen Funk Blocher
© 2006 by KFB

Part Two


Subject: Re: Why I'm not there
Date: 4/30/2005 1:55:23 PM US Mountain Daylight Time
From: JaceFace
To: NotaBeach


Aunt Sandy!

Is this one of your stories? U r a good writer, but your scaring me a little. Where are u really? We expected you last weekend. You didn't show up, and we never heard anything until now. Mom called your cell phone, but it said it was unavailable. She left a voicemail on your home phone, too.

Just tell us where you really are, ok? And that your allright.

You missed a pretty good party last weekend. I got a high-tech spy kit and an Aragorn action figure. But the best present was a pink iPod!

Jace


Subject: Re: Why I'm not there
Date: r0tu2ru0ru0r
From: NotaBeach
To: JaceFace

Jace--

I accidentally sent my email before I was ready. Sorry about that. Now that I've received an email reply from you, I know that Gabby was telling me the truth. Nothing else about the Internet works on my computer now, but at least I can write to you and get an answer.

But I told you. It's not a joke or a story. I really have been kidnapped, even though it doesn't make sense, even though I don't know why.

All I know is that I was just arriving in Sedona for the night when a tanker truck suddenly pulled out in front of me. I remember hitting the brake and yelling. I don't remember a crash, or anything like that.

Then I woke up here. Wherever "here" is. There's a cut on my forehead that doesn't seem to want to stop bleeding, but I'm fine otherwise. At least, I think I am. Maybe I was in an accident after all. Maybe I've had a concussion. Maybe I'm really in a coma, and this is all a dream.

It doesn't seem like a dream. It's weird and lonely and depressing, but it feels real to me.

If it is real, this isn't a hospital. There's just me and the woman I call Gabby, and Gabby won't let me leave. That's kidnapping, regardless of how I actually got here.

Jace, dear, I don't want to criticize. You know I love you, and I'm grateful that you answered my email, even if it scared you. But as a former English major, I have to tell you that you need to work on your writing skills a little bit. I'm glad you dropped the "texting" abbreviations after your first few sentences. It's much easier for an old fogey like me to read what you have to say if you write real words, not just letters. You also confused "your," which means "belonging to you," with "you're," which means "you are." And "all right" is two words, not one. "Alright" as a single word seems to be gaining acceptance now, but that is not what I was taught in school when I was your age..

Please understand, I'd be glad to hear from you even if it was all in lower case Pig Latin, but I'd much rather know that my goddaughter is literate. Fair enough?

Well, I'm off to bed, assuming that I'm not already asleep. I'll write to you again tomorrow.

Love,
Aunt Sandy


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1 comment:

Bea said...

Karen, this has quite an abrupt beginning... goes straight into the action... mysterious. Who is this Sandy and why would anyone want to kidnap her? One would suspect that she is wealthy. But it doesn't sound a like a typical kidnapping... the accident and all... like maybe someone thought about taking advantage of her situation... or she really is in a coma and imagining the entire scenario, which is not likely your way of creating a plot! So, I haven't even finished reading the Heirs of Mavarin and already you tease me with the Jace Letters. Aiyeee! BEa