Connection

“Hello? Can anybody hear me? Hello? Hello?”

“We’re here!” Anna Jane said. She reached for her radio.

“We’re here. Do you copy?” the girl asked. The radio crackled on.

“Oh good! You can hear me!” the voice said. Anna Jane had a confused look on her face.

“Um… who are you?” she asked.

“Oh, my name is Linda,” the other girl said. “It’s nice to talk at last.”

“Linda… Linda… Linda…” Anna Jane mumbled to herself.

“We’ve never met,” Linda said. “But I did see you outside once.” Her tone became serious.

“Listen, I don’t have time,” she said. “You are in the world I created.”

“What do you mean?” Anna Jane asked.

“I made the world you are in right now,” Linda said. “Do you remember how you met the creature?” The other girl took a moment to think.

“What do you… Oh you mean George?” she asked.

“Yeah, sure,” the other girl said. “George escaped into our world and found you.” Linda coughed. Static crackled through the air.

“Are you okay?” Anna Jane asked.

“I’m so sorry,” Linda said. “I don’t have long. So I will spit it out. I am going to die.”

“What?” the other girl asked.

“I might not with this surgery,” she said. “I might live after it. I don’t know.”

“I don’t understand. Why are you telling me this?” Anna Jane asked. Linda sighed.

“I want you to finish your quest,” she said. “You have to find Chronus before I die.” Her tone sounded sad.

“If I die, you’ll be trapped there forever,” she added. Anna Jane paused.

“So, I have to find Chronus if I want to get home?” she asked at last.

“Yes,” Linda said. There came another pause.

“I have to go,” she whispered. “My nurse is here. Goodbye.”

“Huh? Linda?” Anna Jane asked. “How do we find Chronus? Are you still there? Hello? Hello?” All she got was crackling over the speaker. Then it went quiet. Anna Jane stared at the speaker in her hand. Did she just talk to god? Anna Jane took a look at her party sound asleep. Even George was floating while asleep. Anna Jane looked at her speaker again.

“Linda…” she said to herself.

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The nurse knocked on Linda’s door.

“Linda? Linda, honey,” she said. “Are you okay?” The little girl turned her head.

“Yes!” she said. The nurse walked into the room.

“You ready for your surgery?” she asked.

“Uh-huh,” the patient said, nodding.

“What happened in your world today?” the nurse asked. Linda grinned.

“She’s still in the sky,” she said.

“Think they will find Chronus soon?” her nurse asked.

“I hope so,” Linda said. She held her hand to her chest. Anna Jane, I wish you luck, she thought.

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Anna Jane looked up at the sky. She already knew what she needed to do.