Daily Writing Challenge, Day 2
This matches up with one of Don Saúl’s maps, bunch of underground tunnels,” said Celia suddenly. “Oh! Are you okay?”
Celia the bookstore clerk stood behind her, as if she’d been reading over Tuatara’s shoulders. That in itself was unusual—Celia avoided interactions with customers so much that Doña Salvatierra, the owner of the store, had placed a sign at cash register which read, ‘Ring doorbell for assistance.’ Tuatara felt her pain.
Tuatara was not okay, but that had little to do with the way she’d fallen off the bench outside the bookstore. She brushed herself off quickly.
“These are maps from Miyabí,” she said as she bent down and took Celia by the shoulders. “And these aren’t underground, they’re—”
Celia’s eyes flashed with recognition.
“Las Ruinas Celestiales,” finished both at once.
“You know about las Ruinas Celestiales?” Tuatara was practically bubbling. “Why didn’t you ever say so? I have sooo much to share about them, aaah, but no one ever wants to listen and now you do!”
“Aisle 32A, second floor,” said Celia, more wistful than Tuatara thought warranted. Tuatara filed that away for later consideration; other things were more urgent.
“And you said Don Saúl had similar maps? Of underground tunnels?” Tuatara started to pace. “With the tela cósmica menor in Miyabí, that might make sense. Have we talked about the telas? Oh Pescador, I have to tell you about the telas. Aaaah but I’m getting ahead of myself! I’m just so excited to talk about this with someone!” She turned to Celia. “So why were you reading about Miyabí back then? Some fancy magia university assignment? Tell me, tell me all about it!”
Celia was quiet for a long moment, as she walked to the bookstore entrance.
“Celia?”
Celia opened the door. Without looking back, she said, “No, I wasn’t assigned anything to do Miyabí.”
“Then why do you remember where the book even was?”
Celia sighed, still not facing Tuatara.
“Well, I might have spent the majority of one month in an insomniac daze reading through every book I could find on theory of the telas cósmicas.”
That sounded like her friend, as Tuatara come to think of Celia over the months visiting Doña Zenaida’s bookstore.
“…Because of a profound existential fear that I would never be able to enjoy life unless I proved to myself beyond a doubt that our world is in fact truly real and that I’m not just a brain in a jar being controlled by an evil scientist monster god and that everyone I know is actually just figment of said evil god’s manipulations, rendering all my hopes, dreams, joys, and loved ones no more significant that a child’s dolls.”
Tuatara cringed. That, sadly, also sounded like her friend.
Originally written 4.1.2024
