Nebulous
Road to Answers
The next time Sam made it to the library, he looked up the blog posts that Naomi had found for him, easily finding the right website. He saw with some excitement that there were more posts and he read through them quickly.
He knew with more certainty that this person knew exactly what he was going through.
He just had to figure out who she was, see if he could get in touch with her somehow.
He searched over her blog, looking for any information. He clicked on the username that accompanied each post and was brought to a profile that was bare except for a name: Lila. No picture, no location, nothing else to indicate who she was.
Sam decided to search the date he had returned again, to find the articles about the other people who had gone missing like him. He added ‘Lila’ to his search, hoping something would come up.
It took some scanning, but soon he found a short simple article giving him even more information. Her name was Lila Kinney and she lived in Andromeda, NY.
He looked up the town next and found it was only about 6 hours away. Definitely not a day trip, but not out of reach.
He rubbed a hand over his face before grabbing a piece of scrap paper from the pile provided by the library and one of the short yellow pencils. He scribbled down Lila’s name and location, and knew that he would have to go find her.
There was something pulling him in this direction and he knew the idea wouldn’t leave him. He knew somehow that he wouldn’t be able to find peace until he could physically meet someone who understands what he was going through.
---
“I’m coming with you.”
“No,” Sam said, pressing the phone closer to his ear. “I don’t think it’s a good idea, Naomi.”
“Why?” she asked. “Give me one good reason.”
“You’re engaged to my brother.”
“This isn’t a romantic getaway.”
“Well this doesn’t concern you,” he tried again. “I need to do this on my own.”
“Bullshit,” she laughed. “You don’t need to do this on your own. You need me there. You need someone who knows you to be there.”
“I don’t, Naomi,” he said. “I want to do this by myself.”
“If that were true, you wouldn’t have told m about it.”
Sam sighed and he knew Naomi was smiling on her end of the phone.
“I’ll see you tomorrow bright and early,” Naomi said after a moment. “And then we can go to Andromeda together.”
Sam didn’t object this time.
And true to her word, Naomi was knocking on the door of his parent’s home at 6:00 a.m. the next morning. He smiled nervously at her when he opened the door. He knew if they had still been together there wouldn’t be that wariness he felt about the trip, but either way he knew he had to get to Andromeda, NY. He had to find this woman.
If Naomi wanted to help, despite his reluctance at first, he was now glad she was willing to help him. He needed someone who wouldn’t be so invested in finding Lila, who could ground him in his search.
Before he knew it, they were on the highway, hopefully driving to answers, and if not answers, understanding. The proof he had found online that he was not alone in all of this was no longer enough. He needed physical proof. He needed to look directly into the eyes of someone who truly knew what he was going through.
He was sure he would never find happiness, no matter what he found, but at least he was trying. He wasn’t just going to sit around for the rest of his life and just hope that maybe one day answers would just come to him.
---
It was bright, now. Whiteness and cold surrounding him. It was oddly silent, except for a whimpering sound coming from somewhere to his right. He turned his head, seeking the source of the sound: a woman huddled in the corner of the room, within arms reach of him. He hesitated for only a moment before resting a hand on her shoulder.
“It’s okay,” he said quietly. His voice sounded loud in the small room. He wasn’t even sure why he offered her comfort, though. They both knew it was pointless. There was no comfort here. Just starkness and cold and hopelessness.
Seeing someone else though, someone who was here with him, gave him a spark of hope, just barely there, that things might be fine after all.
The woman wiped at her face before turning to look at him. He couldn’t help but think that despite everything, she was beautiful.
“What’s your name?” he asked. She opened her mouth to answer, but before she could speak Sam was waking up in the car, Naomi shaking him awake.
“We’re here,” she said.
He knew with more certainty that this person knew exactly what he was going through.
He just had to figure out who she was, see if he could get in touch with her somehow.
He searched over her blog, looking for any information. He clicked on the username that accompanied each post and was brought to a profile that was bare except for a name: Lila. No picture, no location, nothing else to indicate who she was.
Sam decided to search the date he had returned again, to find the articles about the other people who had gone missing like him. He added ‘Lila’ to his search, hoping something would come up.
It took some scanning, but soon he found a short simple article giving him even more information. Her name was Lila Kinney and she lived in Andromeda, NY.
He looked up the town next and found it was only about 6 hours away. Definitely not a day trip, but not out of reach.
He rubbed a hand over his face before grabbing a piece of scrap paper from the pile provided by the library and one of the short yellow pencils. He scribbled down Lila’s name and location, and knew that he would have to go find her.
There was something pulling him in this direction and he knew the idea wouldn’t leave him. He knew somehow that he wouldn’t be able to find peace until he could physically meet someone who understands what he was going through.
---
“I’m coming with you.”
“No,” Sam said, pressing the phone closer to his ear. “I don’t think it’s a good idea, Naomi.”
“Why?” she asked. “Give me one good reason.”
“You’re engaged to my brother.”
“This isn’t a romantic getaway.”
“Well this doesn’t concern you,” he tried again. “I need to do this on my own.”
“Bullshit,” she laughed. “You don’t need to do this on your own. You need me there. You need someone who knows you to be there.”
“I don’t, Naomi,” he said. “I want to do this by myself.”
“If that were true, you wouldn’t have told m about it.”
Sam sighed and he knew Naomi was smiling on her end of the phone.
“I’ll see you tomorrow bright and early,” Naomi said after a moment. “And then we can go to Andromeda together.”
Sam didn’t object this time.
And true to her word, Naomi was knocking on the door of his parent’s home at 6:00 a.m. the next morning. He smiled nervously at her when he opened the door. He knew if they had still been together there wouldn’t be that wariness he felt about the trip, but either way he knew he had to get to Andromeda, NY. He had to find this woman.
If Naomi wanted to help, despite his reluctance at first, he was now glad she was willing to help him. He needed someone who wouldn’t be so invested in finding Lila, who could ground him in his search.
Before he knew it, they were on the highway, hopefully driving to answers, and if not answers, understanding. The proof he had found online that he was not alone in all of this was no longer enough. He needed physical proof. He needed to look directly into the eyes of someone who truly knew what he was going through.
He was sure he would never find happiness, no matter what he found, but at least he was trying. He wasn’t just going to sit around for the rest of his life and just hope that maybe one day answers would just come to him.
---
It was bright, now. Whiteness and cold surrounding him. It was oddly silent, except for a whimpering sound coming from somewhere to his right. He turned his head, seeking the source of the sound: a woman huddled in the corner of the room, within arms reach of him. He hesitated for only a moment before resting a hand on her shoulder.
“It’s okay,” he said quietly. His voice sounded loud in the small room. He wasn’t even sure why he offered her comfort, though. They both knew it was pointless. There was no comfort here. Just starkness and cold and hopelessness.
Seeing someone else though, someone who was here with him, gave him a spark of hope, just barely there, that things might be fine after all.
The woman wiped at her face before turning to look at him. He couldn’t help but think that despite everything, she was beautiful.
“What’s your name?” he asked. She opened her mouth to answer, but before she could speak Sam was waking up in the car, Naomi shaking him awake.
“We’re here,” she said.