Chapter One:Five Years After Christmas
Subject: Five Years After Christmas
From: Douglas Clay
Date: 12/25/14 20:18
To: Randall Clay
So, I told mom that I missed you, and she called me a liar, and that pretty much was Christmas back here in Moss Landing. Except a bit later I got to thinking, and it could be that she was right, and maybe I haven't know you well enough to really miss you for years. When we were on the phone this morning I barely had two works to say to each other. I certainly don't know you well enough to understand why you're in up in Seattle today instead of back here with us.
I think the last time I really did was Christmas- The Christmas, that is, five years back, when the news that aliens from a star called HD 98618 had sent us a message was all over thetv. Of course, you knew about it a week before, which meant I knew about it then too. It was news to mom, though, and to the millions of people who weren't plugged in to the SETI community. It was nice, to share a secret like that.
On the other hand, that was also around the time we found out that dad had gone missing. I mean, he missed visiting around the holidays before, even the year just before that one, but he never forgot to send gifts any of those times.
Anyhow, after that you started the whole track and field thing and practically turned into a jock, and I wound up spending all of my time joining the first generation of serious XL geeks, and our worlds almost completely stopped intersecting. So I'm starting to think that mom was wrong after all, and I've been missing you for a long, long time.
So how about we stop being strangers, allright? Even if you're going to be all over the place on this whole 'search for dad' thing, this is the age of long distance communications, after all. If humanity and the Shouters can make a connection over 126 light years, what's a contintent or two between brothers?
So I'll let you know what's happening here, and you can tell me about your mission and all, and maybe by the time we're done we'll know each other a lot better. Deal? I'll start.
First off, this year's present haul: Best gift: an SSP8600 card for my computer. That's the top of the line, industry grade sonar data processor, capable of resolving Shouter 'movies' from the Message into 3D visual images at close to real time. From mom, paid for with money from the Trust and I had to pick it out of the catalog, but too damn cool in general to grudge any of that.
Worst gift: a copy of Martin Panzer's book Do You Think I Was Born With This? Not that it's that horrible of a book, I don't guess, the guy's got to be able to afford a damned good ghostwriter, but it's who it came from, Pope Paulsen, this goofy looking middle manager guy who mom's gone on maybe two, three dates with, and all of the sudden he thinks he should be getting me Christmas presents? Thank God mom didn't invite him over for dinner at least.
Dinner was just the two of us, prime rib and Yorkshire pudding and some broccoli to put a little green on the table and plates. That's were the dialog I mentioned up at the start of this mail happened, and after that we were down to 'pass the butter' and 'thank you' for the rest of the meal. And through the clean-up afterward. I spent an hour or so thinking about it, and making up my mind to write this.
Then came the highlight of the day: an email from Jenny. I don't know if I've ever mentioned her to you, though apparently she ran into you earlier this week, and I certainly want the full story of that when you write me back. We met last summer, up at the Xenolinguistics Camp that the UW ran, and got to know each other pretty well during those three weeks, and we've sort of had a long distance relationship thing going since then. We figure we're both high enough up in the list of the top students studying the Shouter language that we each can get into any college we want (which is probably going to end up being the UW; they look to be having the strongest program as far as we can tell), so we'll be able to cut out the long distance part soon enough. So anyhow, we chatted for about a half hour. She was envious as hell of my SSP8600, although she gets to play with the university's hardware whenever she wants to already. Not during the holidays, though, and not at home. So that was nice. Frustrating, of course, not being able to actually, physically touch your girlfriend, but a good kind of frustrating, if you understand what I'm saying.
And that was what's been happening here, with me. Your turn now.
Your Brother,
Douglas
From: Douglas Clay
Date: 12/25/14 20:18
To: Randall Clay
So, I told mom that I missed you, and she called me a liar, and that pretty much was Christmas back here in Moss Landing. Except a bit later I got to thinking, and it could be that she was right, and maybe I haven't know you well enough to really miss you for years. When we were on the phone this morning I barely had two works to say to each other. I certainly don't know you well enough to understand why you're in up in Seattle today instead of back here with us.
I think the last time I really did was Christmas- The Christmas, that is, five years back, when the news that aliens from a star called HD 98618 had sent us a message was all over thetv. Of course, you knew about it a week before, which meant I knew about it then too. It was news to mom, though, and to the millions of people who weren't plugged in to the SETI community. It was nice, to share a secret like that.
On the other hand, that was also around the time we found out that dad had gone missing. I mean, he missed visiting around the holidays before, even the year just before that one, but he never forgot to send gifts any of those times.
Anyhow, after that you started the whole track and field thing and practically turned into a jock, and I wound up spending all of my time joining the first generation of serious XL geeks, and our worlds almost completely stopped intersecting. So I'm starting to think that mom was wrong after all, and I've been missing you for a long, long time.
So how about we stop being strangers, allright? Even if you're going to be all over the place on this whole 'search for dad' thing, this is the age of long distance communications, after all. If humanity and the Shouters can make a connection over 126 light years, what's a contintent or two between brothers?
So I'll let you know what's happening here, and you can tell me about your mission and all, and maybe by the time we're done we'll know each other a lot better. Deal? I'll start.
First off, this year's present haul: Best gift: an SSP8600 card for my computer. That's the top of the line, industry grade sonar data processor, capable of resolving Shouter 'movies' from the Message into 3D visual images at close to real time. From mom, paid for with money from the Trust and I had to pick it out of the catalog, but too damn cool in general to grudge any of that.
Worst gift: a copy of Martin Panzer's book Do You Think I Was Born With This? Not that it's that horrible of a book, I don't guess, the guy's got to be able to afford a damned good ghostwriter, but it's who it came from, Pope Paulsen, this goofy looking middle manager guy who mom's gone on maybe two, three dates with, and all of the sudden he thinks he should be getting me Christmas presents? Thank God mom didn't invite him over for dinner at least.
Dinner was just the two of us, prime rib and Yorkshire pudding and some broccoli to put a little green on the table and plates. That's were the dialog I mentioned up at the start of this mail happened, and after that we were down to 'pass the butter' and 'thank you' for the rest of the meal. And through the clean-up afterward. I spent an hour or so thinking about it, and making up my mind to write this.
Then came the highlight of the day: an email from Jenny. I don't know if I've ever mentioned her to you, though apparently she ran into you earlier this week, and I certainly want the full story of that when you write me back. We met last summer, up at the Xenolinguistics Camp that the UW ran, and got to know each other pretty well during those three weeks, and we've sort of had a long distance relationship thing going since then. We figure we're both high enough up in the list of the top students studying the Shouter language that we each can get into any college we want (which is probably going to end up being the UW; they look to be having the strongest program as far as we can tell), so we'll be able to cut out the long distance part soon enough. So anyhow, we chatted for about a half hour. She was envious as hell of my SSP8600, although she gets to play with the university's hardware whenever she wants to already. Not during the holidays, though, and not at home. So that was nice. Frustrating, of course, not being able to actually, physically touch your girlfriend, but a good kind of frustrating, if you understand what I'm saying.
And that was what's been happening here, with me. Your turn now.
Your Brother,
Douglas
posted by Jeff R. at 11:47 AM
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