The Fear Between Us

Chapter 14

Chapter 14: 10th June 1917 encryption.

The code was a bit of a complex design my father and I came up with during my youth. It helped us write notes to each other that we didn't want home to know about and helped us communicate during the revolution. It was also a way for us to speak between government or work-monitored lines. The point was to write in Russian but only write down the letters that look similar to the ones that you want to say. We made it this way because it helped me learn how to read and write. If we wanted to be careful, we would sometimes even write the message upside-down, so it would seem like a normal sentence, but it would be completely illegible. It was also better to encrypt our messages this way because it was a code system that people wouldn't think about and would immediately deem the message useless. Right now, I finally got to be in the shoes of the guy who tried to read this message without any knowledge of this coding technique... It's been so long...

For the most part, decoding the address has not been an issue, surprisingly enough, but the date drove me insane, it has gotten to a point where I am beginning to think that it wasn't even a date! Maybe it was something else. The point of this coding method was to not overthink, but how could I not? Why did we have to make it so complicated? This was so frustrating on a level I couldn't even begin to explain, not even the Americans irritated me this much. I slowly push the piece of paper away, taking a deep breath trying to concentrate a little bit better. I remind myself that it's been a few years since I've decoded this type of message. I open my eyes and stare at the paper, I tilt my head to the side suddenly seeing the pattern, I pull it back this time turning it around. Of course, he did this! Of course, he wrote the one upside-down while the other he wrote like a normal person. Sometimes I hate being an Aleekseeva. The solved code was still a date within another code but this one was simple, this one was simply Roman numerals, all I needed was an encyclopedia and I would have the full complete message I was trying to receive from a ghost. What was so important, Pa, that you had to hide it away so thoroughly? I grabbed a book and note making my way towards the nearest library. This was a new establishment, and my expectations for this were low. Most of these bookstores sold propaganda crap anyway that the chances of getting my hands on actual education were slim.

It was the sixth day of the mission now. I still hadn't run into any authorial figures yet, I was keeping my business to myself, and my mouth shut. I only spoke when needed or spoken to, but even then, I hardly looked up from the road. It's strange, isn't it? Despite being completely isolated I still feel more welcome here. Stopping at a local market stall I quickly asked for directions towards the nearest library as they pointed me on the correct path before I continued my journey. The library wasn't far, a measly five-block walk, just another excuse for me to get my daily exercise. The store was small and situated in a corner, almost feeling hidden from the rest of the world, making it easy to miss. I step inside being greeted by an old woman with oval spectacles sitting on her nose, "Prostite," I say approaching the lady and making her look up from her knitting, "do you know where I can find an encyclopedia?" I ask waiting for a response as she eyes over the top of her glasses, "Da, szadi on the floor." She finally says abruptly and shortly as she jolts her head towards the back, "Thank you." I reply with a smile making my way towards the back and seeing the five ridiculously enormous books piled in a corner on the floor. I go through each glossary before I eventually find the one regarding Roman numerals as I begin paging through the numbers trying to find the ones I needed. What I assume to be the date and month was relatively easy to find, the difficult part now was figuring out the year, because I don't know if Pa broke it up or if he made it one big number, finding the solid number for this year would be difficult since it was such an integrated number. I went through each column slowly, making sure I didn't miss anything. I went through every year and letter before I eventually found it, 1917. The full message read Nikolskaya St, 15, Moscow, 1091012. 10th June 1917.