The Storyteller by Aaron Starmer Read Free Book Online

anyone besides us and Ms. Kern.”
    â€œSo I’m the least important member of the family, then? Less important than Ms. Kern.” I think I said it to bug him, but when the words came out, I started to actually feel them. Like, Yeah, why does Ms. Kern get more information than me? Because it’s her job?
    Dad gulped back his words for a second and started to shake his head, but then stopped. “We love you. So, so much. And don’t think for a second that we don’t, even if we sometimes get consumed with Alistair’s problems.”
    â€œHow can I have anything bigger in my life than Alistair’s problems? How can anyone?” I was shouting the words by this point.
    Dad’s job is to set people at ease, to give them a place to point their confusion and rage. But he didn’t do his job. All he did was shrug.
    EVENING
    I finally tore open the padded envelope addressed to Jenny Colvin. How could I not? I haven’t mailed the thing, after all. I still intend to. A promise is a promise, but the promise had nothing to do with not listening to it.
    There was a tape inside, but nothing else. The label on the tape read: PLAY ME . I slipped it into my Walkman and lay down on the bed. The sound was fuzzy at first, and then Alistair’s voice filled my ears.
    â€œGreetings and salutations, Jenny,” Alistair said. “I hope this recording finds you and finds you well. You’ve gotta be wondering what it’s all about, so I’ll get right to it. You have been chosen, Jenny, out of … well … You’re the only qualified candidate for this job. Do you know where the Steerpike Fountain is? Of course you do, it’s a few blocks from your house. Every day at two p.m., I will open a portal there. When you’re ready, step through and you will enter the Captured Worlds of Aquavania. It’s where the rivers lead, where daydreamers like you have been trying to get for ages, where the swimmers go.
    â€œAn atlas and spacesuit will be waiting for you there, which will help you get to Quadrant 43. I’ll get you as close as I can, but even I don’t have control of everything. I’m still learning how to use my power. In Quadrant 43, you’ll board a space station where you’ll meet some kids named Chip and Dot. They’re doing vital work. I was told that in your world you created something that extracts and projects thoughts. Well, these two are in the extraction business. Only they’re extracting souls. Now they need to project them. They could use your intuitiveness.
    â€œI suspect they’ll be a bit prickly at first, but ask Chip about the pendant he wears. Tell both of them that you want to help them resurrect the Astronomer. They’ll know what you mean, and they’ll come around. Once you’ve gained their trust, I’d like you to tell them that I want to help too. They’ve gone to great lengths to protect themselves from me, which you undoubtedly understand. But I’m not a danger. I want to help. At the very least, they know that I’ve gotten rid of all the ciphers, and the Captured Worlds are a more peaceful place than they’ve been in ages. Now I’m trying to do what I can to get everyone home again. Werner, Chua, Rodrigo, Boaz … Fiona. Everyone.
    â€œAs for me, I go by many names. Alistair is one of them. And yes, you guessed it, another one is the Riverman. But I’m not after your soul. I would have gotten it already if I wanted it. Because I know what you need, Jenny. You need to be courageous. You need to be a hero. You need to be a swimmer. Now is your chance. I hope you take it.”
    That was it. That was the entire tape.
    What. In. The. Half. Baked. Hell!
    I listened to it seven or eight times, trying to figure out what it was about. Each time I listened, I was more confused. Finally, I put the tape back into the envelope, sealed it up with Scotch tape, and stuffed it in