Board Queen – Part 2
To say that Board Queen has been more successful than Answering the Call is like saying “Weird” Al has been a modest success; Accurate in it’s way, but wholly unequal to the task of an honest assessment. Engagement and page views on the story have been almost ten times higher than last weeks work. I still do not have any feed back to operate on, but based on engagement alone I can only call the new story a rousing success.
Writing the character of Diz was amazingly fun. I cannot state that enough. Her entire persona just leapt out of my mind and onto paper almost exactly as I had envisioned her. A rough and ready girl, self reliant, extremely gifted magically and physically, she’s an absolute blast to put in a sticky situation. Plus, her determination to maintain a positive attitude is pretty astounding given her history. She will have her pitfalls, but suffice to say she will remain amazing.
Then there is the subject of the world Diz inhabits. It needs some fleshing out, but I do enjoy the juxtaposition of high magical ability and a very advanced human society. I’m not entirely certain if there will be aliens. I’m thinking yes, but I’d like to stew on it a bit as I continue developing the story and the level of technology used. If aliens happen to be a part of that world, wonderful! If not, then I’m sure I will still have a rich and deep yarn to spin.
I do like how Diz’s personality is developing. It was great to have the picture in my mind of this wiry, tiny fourteen year old standing alone in front of an enormous oncoming garbage truck. She steps in front of that truck without a seconds hesitation, even stopping in the middle of her job to make sure she did everything she could to save that old lady. She has had such a difficult life to that point, and yet she never hesitated to step into the line of fire and do everything she could to help out someone who was worse off than she was. I truly admire that about her. I wish that were an attitude I could have. Maybe that’s why I enjoyed writing her so much. In my own small way, I can live vicariously through her unflinching dedication to standing up for those who can’t.
That’s the wonderful thing about books. Those who miss out on the joy of reading are doomed to live only their own lives. With books, I’ve lived a thousand lives already and look forward to a thousand more. I’ve had an opportunity to right my past wrongs, to live a life of unquestionable virtue and deepest commitment to justice. I’ve seen what life could have been like under different ‘what-ifs?’, and it brings me a sense of peace to know just how varied things could have been. Maybe that’s part of what draws me onward; the opportunity to take the road less traveled, even if I missed the turn the first time around.
Food for thought. And now…
Board Queen – Part 2
So it came to be that Diz’s greatest hope and treasure was the exact size and shape of the swarthy, beady eyed Carl. True to his word, once the offer had been accepted, Diz received what felt like royal treatment. First was the matter of the stolen hoverboard upon which she had so impressed him. Carl, it turns out, ran Speedway. Speedway was one of the top delivery services on the entire Ring because Carl understood the Golden Rule. The Golden Rule is knowing that a business isn’t hiring Speedway; they’re hiring Carl.
The packages he delivered contained sensitive information or highly valuable goods almost without exception. That’s the only reason a business would need to hire a delivery company anyway. Why bother with the long drawn out process of sending a physical package by delivery courier when the Net could send and receive any information you wanted or the Post could carry any package you could create. Businesses all along the Ring turned to Carl because he was the most scrupulous man you could find. Carl never set a toe out of line, never broke a rule when patience could see it followed to the letter. Carl’s business lived and died by his reputation; tainting himself by hiring an employee who had boosted a hoverboard would cost him significant business opportunities.
So, the board had to be dealt with before he could officially associate with Diz. Luckily, Diz knew exactly where the child who had stolen it could be located and where his secret hiding place was located. So, after Carl explained what he needed to do before I was hired, he gave me a lift back to Sven and the rest of the urchins. Carl stayed highly visible and completely unconnected to me as I snuck the board back to Sven’s ‘secret spot’. Having accomplished that, Carl simply provided an anonymous tip to SecFirm as to the boards location, and Sven and the board were soon remanded to the appropriate authorities. Carl might be unquestionably scrupulous, but he knew the value of a good opportunity when he saw it, and having Sven take his medicine just so happened to free up his newly found talent.
Just like that, thirty minutes of Carl’s time had officially and very publicly cleared him or Diz of any whiff of wrong-doing, and he was free to extend Diz a formal job offer. Diz being so young did complicate things a bit, but Carl knew just what to do. He contacted the Truancy Office for the Ring’s Department of Education and Minors, and received a work voucher for Diz within the hour. So long as Carl provided all the necessary chances for Diz to obtain a formal education until she was legally an adult, and she checked in every month with a Truancy Officer and passed all the exams, she was cleared to work no more than thirty hours a week.
Carl took care of all these details over the phone while he and Diz both sat on hover recliners at a beautiful French-Asian floating cafe. When Carl had offered to buy Diz anything she wanted, she had ordered the cheapest and smallest meal on the menu display. Carl had frowned critically at her when he heard her order. Diz was a rather scrawny girl, her body covered with a mismatched getup in need of a good cleaning. Her clothes and her gaunt cheekbones were proof of a life lived having to beg, borrow, or steal every scrap of food that entered her mouth. Her golden brown skin didn’t have any glow of good health when it should have shone like the deepest amber in the beautiful sunshine bathing the cafe. Her mousy mop of frizzy auburn hair spoke volumes of how little she had opportunity or resources to care for it. After taking in all the details of her appearance, he had simply told the chef to cook his best three meals, and deliver them all for the young girl with whatever she wanted to drink. He set his cred chip in the pay circle and simply told the chef to bill him whatever it cost without bothering him with the price. He then continued his cell phone conversation with his assistant to navigate all the necessities to obtain Diz’s services as a courier.
Much later, as Carl drove her to the modest apartment complex that she would call home, Diz sleepily wondered what she would do with the money she would be earning. She had already decided that half of the money she made would be given to the others she had left behind. She wouldn’t stop caring for them just because she had hit the big time. Carl led her up flight after flight of stairs, Diz sleepily walking behind her. She walked into him when he suddenly stopped climbing at last, and he led her into a narrow yet obsessively clean hallway. At the end of the hall, he stopped and turned to her. He gave her a solemn look, and without a word handed Diz a keystick and stepped out of the way to allow her unfettered access to the door. She gulped, the door seeming to expand to ten times its previous size as she looked at it. Little hand slightly shaking, she stuck the keystick in the slot and stated her name as clearly as she was able to. The computer indicated that it had accepted her biometrics and voice authorization, and the door hissed sideways as she slid the keystick out of it.
Nervously looking up to Carl, who silently encouraged her to walk in, she took her first rather timid steps into the entrance of the apartment. It was cavernously huge to her, since it was the first proper home she had ever set foot in for as long as she could remember. Carl stepped in behind her with surprising care for a man so large, and put his meaty paws on Diz’s tiny shoulders as he stated with remarkable warmth “Welcome home little girl. Many happy returns.” Diz didn’t know when she had started crying, but tears began staining her grimy clothing and she sniffled quietly at the simple human kindness a complete stranger had offered her. It was a new feeling, receiving an act of warmth and compassion from someone rather than their anger or disdain. She knew in her young heart that this was a man who deserved her respect. He hadn’t owed her anything, and had given her everything.
The moment, like all such moments in life, was over too quickly for Diz. Carl lifted his hands and began talking with a slight hitch in his voice “You’ll start school tomorrow. Until you graduate, you’ll work for me three days a week, go to school three days a week, and have Sunday to yourself. Your pay will go into an account that will be monitored by your Truancy Officer, and you’ll be given a weekly allowance which you are allowed to spend on anything you want.” He looked over the small but well appointed kitchen area and nodded once in approval. “You’ll be allowed a trip to the grocery store every week on Speedway’s dime with my assistant Jeanine, who will make sure that you get everything you need to cook healthy meals for that week. I’ll speak to the school Governess to make sure that you have adequate training on how to prepare your own meals as well.”
He walked over to the counter which stuck out into her living room and served as the only table in the place, and took a seat on one of the well maintained hover chairs. It hardly even sank under his weight. “I’ll make sure that one of my other employees who lives in this complex gives you a ride to work every morning. 9 AM sharp Mrs. Diz, and not one minute later. We work for a living at Speedway, and punctuality is an iron clad rule for all employees. You’ll be given proper instruction and training on how to do the job of a courier for the next six months. After that time, you’ll take the required testing, and if you pass, you’ll be given your first route assignment.” He looked at her, waiting for her to acknowledge what he had just told her. Eyes wide, Diz nodded solemnly in agreement. He could’ve asked her to walk the entire length of the Ring, and she would’ve taken it just as seriously. This was not a man who made requests lightly, she could tell that already. Carl grunted, and then let loose a sly grin. “One more thing Mrs. Diz, why don’t you check out your bedroom? I think there’s something in there you’ll enjoy.” Head tilted slightly in curiosity, Diz walked over to the single room in the apartment, and toggled it open. Propped against her bed was a brand new, top of the line hoverboard with her name etched on it in beautiful gold lettering. Diz let out a peal of laughter infused with pure joy, and Carl couldn’t help but join in.
To be continued…
Dizfully,
Justin
