The comfy pillow top sucked the couple into its dreamy grasp, slowing their breaths and muting the knock of their heartbeats. Just for a few seconds…
In fear of losing the night to an early bedtime, Vicki reached over and pushed her husband’s arm until he rocked back and forth.
“I’m up, dear.”
She continued.
“I’m up,” he said louder.
“We have to motivate, or we’ll both fall asleep.” She swung her legs off the bed first. “Come on; get up. I’ll shower while you get the pictures ready.”
By now, Jerry had eased himself into a sitting position on the edge of the bed, his eyes still closed. She walked over to his side, grabbed both his hands and pulled him to his feet.
“My camera is in my purse.” Vicki gestured toward the desk.
She disappeared into the bathroom, ignored the tub, and stepped into the shower stall. She fiddled with the hot and cold knobs until the water temperature was perfect. She stood still, letting the drops massage her neck and back as she recounted the day in her head. Those thoughts produced a smile. She lathered bath gel across her arms and belly but stopped at her breasts. There, she traced a straight line across her chest a number of times before snapping out of her trance. She continued showering and washed away whatever remaining desire she might have had for sleep. She then wrapped her short, black hair in a fluffy white towel and slipped on an equally soft robe before exiting the bathroom.
“I feel so much better,” Vicki announced as she approached Jerry from behind.
He sat at the desk, browsing through a photo organizer on his laptop. He had plucked photos one by one and dragged them to a desktop folder titled Piper.
She leaned down and let her arms rest on his shoulders. “What pictures are you thinking of using?”
“There are a bunch of good ones, but I’ll show you the ones I think are the best.”
He clicked on the folder, and it sprang open. “This first one is of you and Piper on the ferry.”
“Oh, yeah, that’s a good one. We look like we’re having fun.”
“Here are the two of you eating cotton candy at the pier. It really shows off Piper’s beautiful, hazel eyes.”
“Indeed.”
“This one is from our hike in Muir Woods. You two were trying to stretch your arms around a redwood tree. Remember that?” he asked, twisting his head around.
“Those trees were so tall.”
“But I think what will really seal the deal here is the video.”
“I’m glad you recorded this time around.”
A black rectangle popped up on the screen, and a moment later footage of a young woman with a ponytail began to play. She walked on a trail while looking up at the trees around her. Every now and then, she would playfully look back at the camera. “Why are you filming me? You should be filming your wife in all this beauty.”
“Oh, it’s just that we’re both having such a wonderful time with you,” said a male voice off camera. “I want this for memories. Isn’t that right, dear?”
“Absolutely.” Another woman’s voice could be heard outside the frame. She stepped into view and hooked arms with the young woman. “Trust me, Piper; he has a ton of pictures of me. It’s nice not having to be the focus of his lens.”
“You both look great,” said the male voice.
The young woman let go an innocent laugh. She appeared unaware of her beautiful Mediterranean looks. Her long locks started with dark roots until right above her shoulder, where they began to lighten into perfect, washed-out surfer strands at the tips. She stood tall at six feet even and sported long, graceful limbs. The cut-off denim shorts and gray, San Francisco Giants T-shirt she wore complemented her naturally olive complexion, and her cross-trainers perfectly highlighted her slender calves.
The three had left the paved path of the park, where most visitors spent their time, and ventured on to one of the many trails that crisscrossed the surrounding forest. Forty minutes later, and without passing a single other hiker, they reached a beautiful clearing and rested. Birds could be heard talking to each other while the leaves rustled every so often from the gentle breeze — a calmness foreign to most city dwellers.
“This reminds me of growing up in Ohio,” Piper said from the screen. “It was so quiet there — only the sounds of nature. Nothing more.”
“This is the part we’ve been waiting for,” said the man as he poked his finger at the volume button on his laptop, maxing it out.
Piper had been looking straight up toward the trees while slowly spinning around. As she turned toward the camera, the older woman entered the frame with her right arm cocked back. She firmly planted both feet before swinging her arm around in a wide arc as hard and as fast as she could, driving a small hatchet directly into Piper’s chest. Thunk. The force nearly toppled the young woman, but the older woman grabbed her shirt and steadied her before backing out of the frame.
Piper’s eyes widened as she looked down at the instrument buried deep in her chest. Her bottom lip trembled as a dark, red stain spread from the hatchet and across her shirt. She took a few quick breaths, looking straight into the camera. A moment later, she dropped to her knees. The camera followed. Still, she focused on the lens, unable to speak and barely breathing.
She reached out with one arm, her only way to convey the two words her mouth no longer could: Help me.
And then she fell.
The camera followed as she hit the ground on her left side, her eyes still gazing at the lens.
One breath. Then another. Then nothing.
Jerry closed the video window and looked up at his wife.
“Bravo! Excellent work, my dear,” Vicki cheered. “I love how you followed her to the ground. Brilliant.”
“I couldn’t have done it without you. You have a great arm. And that disguise — I love you with longer hair.” He stood up, grabbed his wife by the waist, and gave her a kiss. “But Piper is the real star, a wonderful participant.”
“Shall we upload before dinner?” Vicki asked.
“Yes, of course. I’m very excited about this one.”
Jerry sat back down and clicked on his Games folder, then on a dragon icon. The screen went black before a gold and red, animated dragon appeared, snorting a few breaths of fire before morphing into a logo with the title “Chasing Chinatown.”
He entered a password, and a few seconds later, a map of the world appeared with a waypoint in Toronto and San Francisco connected by an arced line. Two cartoon turtle avatars dressed in nautical outfits appeared in the upper right-hand corner over the words “Team Carlson.”
“Just think; six months ago we were bored and looking for adventure. Now we’ve logged five thousand miles and left our mark in two major cities, all thanks to this little program.”
There were five links to the left of the map: Attractions One through Five. Jerry clicked on the third and started uploading photos. Within a few seconds, the transfer was complete. A confirmation message appeared, followed by another stating that their content was under review.
“I hate this part — the waiting.” Vicki took a seat on the bed and leaned back on her hands.
The wait seemed like an hour, but only thirty seconds had passed before the screen erupted into fireworks and the word “Congratulations!” appeared. After the light show, the header titled Attraction Four turned from red to green. Jerry clicked on it, and a graphic of a paper scroll appeared. It unraveled, revealing a message: Good fortune comes in many forms. Find the right one for your next clue.