Message in a Bottle [LGBTQ+] [ONC 2024]

Letter #4

Dear Samuel,

I'm sorry it's taken me a few days to get back to you. Something came up that was unavoidable.

Your last letter asked more questions than it answered. Part of me still thinks this could all be a joke, although I don't think Peter Upton has the skill or the eloquence to write such letters. Yet the fear is still there. Trust is not something I have much of. A lifetime of being ridiculed has made it impossible.

I asked Mama about your surname, and she said she went to school with someone called Mabel Owens. Do you know her? I know it was an intrusion, but I had to at least confirm that someone with your name existed beyond these letters. It helped to answer some of the questions that you refused to, but there are others I have.

I won't press you, though. I don't think I'll get the answers I want.

You asked me some questions and I'll do my best to provide an answer to them, though they won't be all that interesting. My life isn't all that interesting.

Family: I have a younger sister, Constance. She's seven and likes to get herself involved in as much as she can. She can be really annoying when she wants to be, but I know that life would be boring without her and her thousands of questions. Despite her age, she's smart and more cunning than most seven-year-olds. Whenever I try to convince her to do my chores, she always makes sure she gets the better deal.

School: If I had to pick my favourite subjects, it would be mathematics and science. There is so much more to be learned about the world through science; new things are being discovered all the time. I'd like to be a part of one of those discoveries one day, though I doubt it will happen.

What about you? I know you want to keep your life a secret, but I'd like to know at least a little more about you than just your name. We talk so much about me that it feels unfair.

Yours,

Eli

~~~

First Published - March 23rd, 2024