Missing in Venice

Author's Note

Hello reader! I see that you have either endearingly finished my rather short novel, or you are the type to skip to the end of this book to see what 'stuff' I have written you in which will answer all of the befuddlement that is still floating like that one last cheerio that you can't seem to spoon into that mouth of yours, but alas I have stopped the temptation of giving spoilers to that reader, but this more or less short text will give credit where credit is due, will tell how I got inspired to create the characters that you have supposedly fallen in love with, and will maybe get a little answer to those cliffhangers and raised eyebrows so that those uncontrollable fans that are writing up some sort of 'sequel' and fanfiction to this tale will cease momentarily as I draw you away from the perplexing unfamiliar road of foreignness and drive you down the sensible highway of answers regarding everything that you've just read.

To start with, this story was written for the purposes of my 5th grade gifted class writing assignment (thanks a lot Mr. Nash-brown), but I had loads of fun writing it nonetheless. We had each chosen a picture with a quote that we had to use and I chose the Missing in Venice picture with 'a big ship on it', with the caption, "Even with her mighty engines in reverse, the ocean liner was pulled further and further into the canal." I must confess, the year before in the 4th grade, we had the same exact project and I had chosen the same exact title, but never finished it and never would have mastered it to the fullest as I have done so now. As for Linda Linden's backstory about her father, Mr. Linden the librarian, I have used part of my best friend, Abbi's, story as a cute little Easter egg in the story as she had written, Mr. Linden's Library, about a girl with black hair with neon green tips receiving three peculiar books from Mr. Linden that had a curse upon them (no real spoilers), in which I had left off there describing Brooke's queer dream so, you should go ahead and read her version of Mr. Linden's Library as well! I got inspired to name the vessel in which had crashed into Venice, Mary Lou from the name of the donkey and small rowboat from the book and now movie, Holes by Louis Sachar, which was one of my favorite books of all time (hint, hint, go read and watch that as well). I based Henry off of a friend (who, you ask ;)?), and Brooke's personality I had made similar to the character, Annemarie from the book, Number the Stars by Lois Lowry.

You may be dying to know the answer behind why Brooke had randomly dreamt about Mr. Linden, but again, I sneaked that in as an Easter egg, and even I couldn't come up with something legitimate enough to back up the theoretical queerness behind that. As for the childish sing-song that Brooke and Laurielle had chanted midway before disaster struck, Burgers, it was something that me and my friends chant and the two girls being our age (from the popular animated series, Teen Titans Go!), I inserted that for at least a little 'American' nostalgia especially since the fact that Brooke had wanted to go to the States herself, being a longtime Italian resident. And lastly, the question that I chose to leave as a cliffhanger is the answer that you search for the most I suppose? Well again, the heinous source that had mysteriously programmed the Mary Lou to run into Venice is so anonymous, despite the fact that it really develops the characters in the story, that even I feel like searching for such an answer that is merely impossible to be 100% correct, so I have left imagination at work, in other words, to conclude that you'll have to figure that out for yourself.

Now as I begin to close this book as you read this conclusion word for word, letter by letter, I still can't stress this enough about how thankful I am towards the fact that you have taken the time and effort to take a moment and read my heartbreaking indie drama novel that consists of love, laughter and just pure fresh goodness (for lack of a better term) so that even though it might not turn into a famous read with cheesy merchandise, become an amusement park attraction, trending Twitter hashtag, New York Times bestseller, Deviant Art fanfic fan base or hit book-based movie, I hope that anybody especially you, dear reader have thoroughly enjoyed.