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Destiny City is hosting an annual scavenger hunt during the Star Festival to encourage people to get out and explore their city. The prize for turning in a completed scavenger hunt is a coupon booklet and a few free tickets to upcoming city events. Even if you aren’t interested in the prize, the scavenger hunt is specifically designed to take you through the city to showcase a few historic buildings, some art installations, and some of the city’s greatest accomplishments. While many of the places are familiar, during your explorations you come across a building you’ve never seen before--something that feels out of time. You’ve been in the area countless times before, so how did you miss this place? When you lay eyes on the building, you feel a strange timelessness and have the distinct sensation of being a part of something bigger. Briefly, you may see flashes of some distant past--a flickering memory that you can’t quite place or fully form. It’s hard to make out, but at some point in time you have the distinct impression of a faded figure taking your hand and telling you to do something. They sound hopeful and encouraging, like they really believe in you. By the time you blink, the visions are gone, the building is gone. The only thing that remains is a beautiful little garden and a plaque so faded that you can’t make out the inscription.
Destiny City is hosting an annual scavenger hunt during the Star Festival to encourage people to get out and explore their city. The prize for turning in a completed scavenger hunt is a coupon booklet and a few free tickets to upcoming city events. Even if you aren’t interested in the prize, the scavenger hunt is specifically designed to take you through the city to showcase a few historic buildings, some art installations, and some of the city’s greatest accomplishments. While many of the places are familiar, during your explorations you come across a building you’ve never seen before--something that feels out of time. You’ve been in the area countless times before, so how did you miss this place? When you lay eyes on the building, you feel a strange timelessness and have the distinct sensation of being a part of something bigger. Briefly, you may see flashes of some distant past--a flickering memory that you can’t quite place or fully form. It’s hard to make out, but at some point in time you have the distinct impression of a faded figure taking your hand and telling you to do something. They sound hopeful and encouraging, like they really believe in you. By the time you blink, the visions are gone, the building is gone. The only thing that remains is a beautiful little garden and a plaque so faded that you can’t make out the inscription.
It is a little known fact that 'Entertainment' coupon books arte ideal for those syttruggling to save a few dollars. They normally cost thiurty-five dollarts, contain hundreds of coupons - including for places no sane man would otherwiuse spend their hard earned nickles and dimes, and more often than not a number of coupons go unused. It is also a known fact many 'City Events' include theatre productions that include musicals, or that include other fun events/. And it was a combination that let people both learn to appreciate Destiny City all over again instead of running for the hills fgrom the horrors of the strangeness of Destiny City, and served to bribe citizens into staying (Bless the Mayor! Screamed a few passing gamers whom, upon playing a demo for some game called Mr. Prepper, purely to weird out the sane, rational people). All of this was readily obviouis with a splash of constructive, critical thinking made it obvious.
But Cherish could really use coupons, and the tickets were a tantalizing temptation to draw her into the scavenger hunt, despite knowing it was probably bribing the good citizens to sticks around, plus passing a trio of gamers saying 'BLESS THE MAYOR!' was entirely too entertaining as she walked down the sidewalk between bus rides. It was her day off, after all, and she was feeling lazy enough to go ahead and try cramming in the huntn for her weekend. With a flourish, Cherish spun her pen, and ticked off another destination, a smug sense of satisfaction brewing before she looked around for the nearest bus stop. Before her eyes could light on it, she sighted an old book repository nearby, and paused, heartbeat rising from her chest to her throat. There was no age to it, it seemed, brick and mortar with a wooden facade and a door with an open sign, and slowly the woman drew close, looking up at the faded out sign for the place as she closed her eyes. Thewy sold books here, fantastic and fact, and she closed her eyes, trying to recall what made it so familiar. So beloved.
(((
The six year old's mother herded her into the shop carefully, catching hands keeping her occupied with her mother's flip phone and taking the device away as Cherish sulked up at the anxious woman, and her lower lip stuck out, but she did not cry. Without Reynard present to back her, she weas at a disadvantage, and as they walked in, her mother walked her to a table with a man poring over a book on physics when the woman herd her daughter into a chair diagonal from him, and hissed.
"Lawrence."
The man looked up, then down at the child, the cornwers of his 22 year old mouth twitching into a frown as he looked back up.
"Katherine." He greeted, then looked at the six year old seated at the table as her mother handed her a backpack, then back up. "So this is Cherish." He said it like it was fact, and the woman nodded, motioning dismissively before she tapped her daughter.
"Be a good girl for him, won't you? None of your usual tricks."
"Yes, Mama." Cherish huffed, and soon her mother left, Cherish withdrawing a magic marker coloring book and settling to it carefully, ignoring the strange man across from her. Where Rey could play with friends for minding, Cherish was more introverted, and didn't have her own friendfs, and when nobody could mind her today, her mother had contacted this man Cherish didn't known. They saty in a peacefgul quiet for fifteen minutes - forever in child's time - before the man was quieter, looking over and sighed.
"Did you bring any proper books, then?" He asked, frowning. "You can't color other books than ones like that with just a marker. You'll ruin it."
Cherish paused, and looked over at the man, trying to read his face silently as she squinted at him, trying to deciude what tio with him before she frowned.
"I know thjat, but I didn't bring any books. Grandpa read me all my books."
"Your grandpa has read all of your books to you." He corrected, then sighed, closing his tome on a bookmark before rising and motioning she was to follow, leading her to the children's books section before rifling through small chapter books -- shoret affairs, but still longer than say, the Berenstain Bears as he looked over the vook covers, before Cherish's small hand reached under his and grabbed one of the books herself. It was a book missing from a series she enjoyed, and while written for a trhird gradcer, she clutched it like a prize pie, fleeing her minder to sit at her spot as he followed with intewrest, the girl trying toi open and read it right there. The man - Lawrtence - peered down as she tried to read silently, but was styruggling swiftly, and slowly he took the seaty beside her, one hand on her opposite shoulder as she quietly sounded the problem word out.
"You can do it. You're a clearly clever girl." Laswrence coaxed, voice surprisingly soft as he encouraged her.
"It's harder than Grandpa makes it look." She admitted in distress. Lawrence leaned gently. His hands framed the book, holding it open for her.
"Take your time, sound out the word slowly.. You can do it,." Lawrence said softly.
***
Cheerish's eyes snapped open to look at a lovely garden, full of forget-me-nots and a faint dusting of Something before she looked at the plaque. The sun had faded the little paper in it, and she sighed, looking up,. The old repository had buirnt down several years ago, but the man - Lawrence, sat for her three other times, and was consistyantly sending her cards at Christmas, on her biurthday, which, for hjer birthday, always accompanied a great tome she devoured in a week before craftin g things inspiring her from it. Cherish sighed, and looked around again. The echoes of the man's surprisingly gentle encouragement -- his staunch belief in her, resonated deep in her memory, and she had a feeling she needed to confront her mother as she walked down the street. M
