Episode 06

Welcome to the cereal serial version of Octave of Stars! Episodes will release every Monday and Thursday. If you’re finding this story for the first time, be sure to start at Episode 01 for maximum comprehension.

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Óscar Mario's sleek little car pulled up to the curb behind a bus waiting to accept students and ferry them back to their homes. Ash was ready to get out, he didn't bring much except for his phone and wallet.

"Alright man," Óscar Mario said. "This is the end of the line for me, I gotta get back to Felicia and the kids. It's been fun, at least the first part of the day anyway."

Ash nodded. "Thanks again." He turned to him and they gripped each other's hands.

"Buena suerte, lemme know when you find her, okay?"

"I will," Ash said. He got out of the car and walked under the trees lining the road to the front of the building.

Óscar Mario drove away while he decided what to do next. He had her class schedule in his pocket, he could find the rooms she would have been in throughout the day, but she might still be in chemistry lab for some reason. That was on the other side of campus, though, and right in front of him was the student union building. It was as good a place as any to search, except that Cascadia hardly ever went in there. Still, he reasoned he could walk through the long brick building to the other side where he needed to be, and check one place off the list.

Plenty of classes were still in session, but plenty more students were done for the day and ready to relax. Ash entered the building and glanced around, looking for any familiar faces. Not just Cascadia, but any of her friends, or even any of his that might be able to give him information. Ultimately, his trip past the mini fast-food restaurants and coffee counters, through the sea of dining tables, was unsuccessful. He went out the back of the building toward the rest of the campus, having one less place to consider.

This path took him along a tree-filled avenue with grass on either side, even though both were still mostly brown at this time of year. Memories of his days as a student drifted back like smoke, familiar corners and walkways, although most of those memories involved a certain freckle-faced girl, so they weren't too comforting right now. He was grateful his path led him around the northern side of the campus and not the southern one, so he could stay as far away from the culinary arts building as possible.

The mirrored windows of the library loomed into view, one of the tallest buildings on campus, and definitely one of Cascadia's favorites. He'd spent many afternoons typing up his written assignments on sugar caramelization while she studied nearby. Ash took the steps two at a time, entering via the large automatic doors into the main lobby area.

Another scattering of tables just inside the doors helped students gather beside the tiny coffee booth. Cascadia was not among them, but there was a blonde woman talking into a tape recorder with a large dog at her feet.

The petite girl at the front desk was eager to help him locate a patron rather than a book, but regretfully had no way to keep track of who went in or out. She was willing to use Cascadia's student ID number to confirm she hadn't checked anything out since last week, after verifying his own identification first. She wished him well, and he had a quick check around the rest of the main floor, scanning through the atrium windows at the other four visible floors. That was a lot of space to cover, and not really worth the effort if there was another way. On his way out, he asked the librarian if there were security cameras in the building, which she confirmed. However, the footage was only available to campus security. Noting this down on the schedule with one of the tiny pencils on the desk, he thanked her and left.

While heading out, he saw the blonde lady again, who wasn't talking aloud anymore, but now running her hands over a book on the table. Something about this behavior triggered his memory, a burst of heat in his mind, and he recognized her.

Ash approached Gabrielle carefully, not quite remembering what to do, since on the other two occasions he had spoken to her, Cascadia had been there as well.

As it was, he didn't have to worry too much about etiquette, as the golden-brown dog at her feet took care of introductions by growling at him, ears back.

"Edward," Gabrielle scolded, reaching down to touch him on his head. "What is the matter now? Are you being unkind to that person who's standing near us? And you were so nice to those children on the bus this morning…"

Ash took a step back as he realized what was likely the matter with the highly intelligent animal. Ever since he had arrived at the campus, he had been running warmer than usual, fueled by the stress and anxiety. His hands weren't hot enough to burn anything, but as soon as he released the spark he'd been nurturing, Edward stopped growling and licked his chops, enjoying Gabrielle's attention.

"That's a good dog," he said aloud, not really meaning to.

"Hello there," Gabrielle said, turning her head in his direction. "Sorry about the dog, he's usually so nice. Was there something you needed?"

"Umm, yeah, actually," he said, a little uncertain. "I don't know if you remember me, but I'm—"

Gabrielle held up her hand suddenly. "Please, just a moment. Indulge me, if you will, since you're right, your voice sounds familiar, I have probably only spoken to you once or twice, is that right?"

"Heh, yeah," he said, smiling now despite the mood of the afternoon.

"Let's see now," she said, pondering. "You are clearly a man, around my age, with a slight accent, possibly Spanish or another language of that type, but…" She paused for a moment. "But I cannot seem to place you. Thank you for letting me have my fun." She clasped her hands on the book in front of her.

"Oh, you're welcome. So, I'm Ash, I'm friends with Cascadia."

Gabrielle's smile widened. "Oh yes, I remember you now. It was raining that day, and you had just stopped by on your way to class. Anyway, what can I do for you now?"

"Well, I was actually wondering if you'd seen Cascadia today—" he winced. "Sorry, what I meant was…"

"Please, don't worry. That is hardly the most bothersome thing I've heard recently. Believe me, you would have to try very hard to make me feel bad about my gift."

"Huh." Ash certainly considered his 'condition' a gift, but hers didn't seem like one also.

"Anyway, you're searching for Cascadia. No, I haven't spoken to her today, which is a little worrisome, since we were supposed to finish our presentation materials before tomorrow. I tried calling her but keep getting her voicemail." Ash felt himself slouching farther as she spoke. "I would guess that you're in a similar situation?"

"Yeah," he said quietly. "I've been trying to get a hold of her all day, and she won't answer. She didn't come home on time either, we live next door to each other, so I came here to check around at her classrooms to see if anyone had… heard from her either, but now…"

Gabrielle's brow furrowed as she thought. "That is most concerning. She is easily distracted, but usually punctual."

Ash sighed. "Well, I should be going, I want to at least check at her chemistry lab."

"Alright," she said. "If you don't mind, you could give me your phone number, and I'll call if I hear from her."

"Great, thanks," he said, then paused for her to pull out her phone, or get a pen and a notepad, but she just sat there with her concerned expression.

After a moment, she grinned. "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm going to memorize it. It's much easier than using my cell phone address book."

Ash told her his number, then took hers when she offered it. "At the very least," she said, "I'm available to chat for most of the day, if you need any encouragement. I remember Cascadia mentioning that we three all share the same faith, so I will certainly be praying for you to find her quickly and safely."

He had noticed the scapular around her neck, but was a little too distracted to register what it meant. "Thanks, I appreciate it. I'll have her call you when I see her."

"Thank you Ash," Gabrielle said. "God's peace be with you."

On his walk to the science building, Ash went over the conversation he just had. It was clear why Cascadia was friends with her, she was unwilling to let her situation in life bring her down despite the many reasons it could have. There was also her opinion of her disability as a gift, which had struck him during their talk.

Both he and Cascadia had talents they considered unique; neither of them had ever met anyone else who could do anything similar. Gabrielle was the only blind person Ash had ever met, but there were obviously others out there. She had a community of people she could reach out to, while for both of them, their community was just each other. Which made them extremely close, but also rather isolated. And, while their talents were not disabilities, they still had the same effect. They still set them apart from the rest of the world. Their talents were often debilitating because of the extra caution each of them had to take around fire and water, respectively, just as Gabrielle had to be careful around busy streets and, well, most things.

This line of thinking was cut short as he arrived at the chemistry floor and found it empty of students. He walked around the narrow hallways to find the room she had been in earlier that day, or was supposed to have been in, at least. The room was still occupied by the instructor for the lab, a youngish red-haired fellow, washing some glassware in a basin-like sink. Ash inquired after his wayward companion. She had been marked absent for that lab with no prior notice.

Spurred by the suggestion of the librarian, Ash paid a visit to the campus security office, tucked inside one wing of the main administration building. The small office was hot despite the cooling evening outside, and the presence of an armed, uniformed officer made him feel like he was in junior high instead of college. There were no windows, and the crackle of a radio system periodically interjected into the conversation. The man behind the desk had close-shorn, dark brown hair and looked perpetually serious.

Ash explained his situation once again, and the security officer listened patiently despite his severe expression. He regretfully informed Ash of two things; first, they weren't able to review security footage for most of the campus because of a failure in the recording system, and second, even if it was available, he couldn't begin the process without an official missing persons report. Ash's excitement at having a new task to accomplish was tempered immediately by the officer's follow-up statement: such reports could only be filed after the individual had been unreachable for over twenty-four hours. He thanked the officer for his time and left.

Ash wasn't sure what to do next. He sat on a bench in front of the ivy-covered walls of the main building, collecting the scattered embers of his thoughts. The entire university campus was relatively small compared to other, larger institutions, but it would still take hours to search every building or place she would have been likely to go. He couldn't get much help from the authorities without following their procedures first, either. It seemed his little expedition had concluded.

As he neared the bus station on his walk back, he caught sight of the route that would take him directly back home, the yellow sign on the brow of the bus now bright in the evening light. Just behind it was the bus Cascadia used to get to the diner on their scheduled evenings out. That thought added a spark of hope to his fire, as well as the chance of getting something to eat.

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Gayle was wiping down the tops of the barstools in front of the counter, checking to see if any needed to be reupholstered yet. The diner and everything in it were showing their age, but that didn't seem to keep away the regular stream of customers. She dropped the rag into the bin behind the counter and got the warm coffee carafe ready for the few customers who enjoyed such a refreshment at this hour of the day. After she made one circuit across the length of the diner, she heard the front door open.

"Howdy Ash." Gayle's face quickly mirrored the concern on his. He didn't amble in casually, pick out a table by the window and wait like he usually did. He mumbled something that sounded like "Hi," then glanced around the room.

Gayle went behind the counter and wrote out a ticket for the number eighteen special, watching Ash as he walked all the way around the dining room, examining each of the patrons in turn, before picking a booth for himself which wasn't near the window and sitting down with a sigh. She didn't put the ticket on the rack for Jerry to start, instead it went in her apron pocket and she sidled up to his table.

"Howdy," she said again as she got near.

He looked up at her and tried to smile, but didn't do a very good job. "Hey Gayle."

"You're lookin' glum," she noted. "Everythin' alright?"

Ash considered just playing it off. Cascadia clearly wasn't here, but that didn't mean she hadn't been, or wouldn't be later. He thought back to each time Gayle had stopped by their table to chat with them, and not just the previous day. She was willing to invest in people, to care for them in a way she didn't have to. That meant he could probably trust her with his dilemma.

"No," he said, "It's not." He sighed. "I can't find Cas."

Gayle stared. "That ain't good." She leaned against the opposite table.

Her staying was a comfort, like she was helping him stay aloft when he should be crashing. "Yeah," he said, and the rest spilled out quickly. "I haven't seen her since she left for class this morning. She isn't answering her phone, and she never came home on time. I just came back from the university and checked her usual hangouts, but she wasn't there. A friend of hers who she spends a lot of time with hasn't seen… or heard from her, either."

Gayle's mouth was tight, her eyes piercing.

"And on the way home, I thought of coming here, she might've stopped by at some point during the day, and maybe you or someone else might have seen her?"

She didn't change her expression. "No, I ain't seen 'er. I've been out here all day."

Unfortunately, he wasn't surprised. "Okay. If you see her, will you tell her to call me?"

"'Course I will," Gayle said, letting go of the table and reaching into her apron pockets. "In fact, I'll do one better and call you myself in case I hear anythin'. What's your number?" She had a fresh ticket and pen ready, onto which she wrote his phone number. She wrote something else at the bottom of the paper, then neatly tore it off. "There's mine, too."

"Thanks Gayle," Ash said, as he stowed the paper in his pocket, and she put her half in the smaller apron pocket next to her lighter.

"Don't mention it, hon. Anythin' I can do to help."

Ash sighed as his stomach growled, his light lunch had been too long ago now. "Actually, maybe you could put in an order for me? I wanted to get dinner, but I also wanna get home in case she shows up there."

Gayle nodded, standing up straight, which made her seem even taller than usual. "Sure thing, I'll get you somethin' for the road. Just hang tight," and she was gone back to the kitchen.

Ash flipped open his phone again, no new messages. He needed to remember to charge it that night to be ready tomorrow. He had an odd thought about plugging himself in like a battery to regain his energy, but instead of electricity, he was pretty sure he ran on heat. Images of standing inside a campfire and sitting in front of an open oven distracted him from his primary concern of the moment, long enough for Gayle to come back with a takeout container and a sealed packet of utensils.

"There y'are," she said, "now you can get on home and I won't feel bad for lettin' you go hungry."

Ash felt a little better, knowing this was something Gayle was concerned about. "Thanks, how much do I owe you?" He stood up and out of the booth, reaching into his coat pocket for his wallet.

"Nothin', it's on me."

He frowned. "Really?"

"Really. You don't need to be worryin' about anythin' else right now," she waved her hand dismissively.

He pulled his wallet out, anyway. "No, I'll feel bad if you comp it, especially after that guy yesterday."

"Then don't," she said sternly, "'cause I didn't comp it, I paid for it myself."

Ash didn't know what to say. This had been a frequent feature of his day. "Okay, well, thanks. I appreciate it."

Gayle wasn't smiling in warm acceptance of the recognition of her charity. In fact, she looked more concerned than before. "Don't mention it. I'll let you know if I hear anythin'."

With that, he left the diner, and Gayle went straight to the back office and picked up her phone.

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Ash sat on the bus stop bench in the faded evening light. Under the tight-fitting lid of the container was a biscuit, over a sausage patty and an egg, with gravy poured around the outside. He ate most of it by the time the bus arrived. It sat on his lap during the ride, still warm and smelling delicious. He didn't recall having seen anything like this on the menu, and wondered if Gayle had prepared it herself.

Somehow, he ended up back at his apartment; the time between leaving the diner and unlocking the door slipped by. He sat at the table and finished eating his dinner, not knowing exactly what else to do. As if in answer, his phone notified him that Óscar Mario was checking in.

Hey man? Any news?

He typed out the response: No, I didn't find her on campus. Going to the police station tomorrow morning.

Good luck man. Let me know if you need anything.

Ash plugged his phone in at the charger near his bed, then tried to relax as he scraped up the rest of the gravy from the plastic bowl at the table. He felt tense, strained. The food was good, but it was difficult to enjoy it. Was Cascadia hungry, wherever she was? Was she indoors, outdoors, trying to travel somewhere? It felt wrong to enjoy anything with so much uncertainty hanging over him, but that was just letting the despair get the better of him. That felt just as wrong as enjoying it. He sighed, exasperated. Gayle had been wise to encourage him to get home, he wouldn't have been able to accomplish much more in the state he was in.

He found himself inside Cascadia's apartment, to see if there was anything he might have overlooked. Her towering pile of unread mail didn't have any sweepstakes vacations or last-minute cruises, no letters from her family asking her to come back home right away. In a fit of insight, he turned on her computer, waiting as the modem screeched to life and sang its inscrutable song.¹ He logged into his email account on the passing chance she or someone else might have been communicating with him that way. Her account was also open, and in the interests of being thorough, checked through it as well. This endeavor yielded nothing more than a coupon for her favorite online bookstore and an email from his aunt exhorting him to forward it soon to avoid an unspecified dreadful fate. He spent a while staring at the ghee recipe she had mentioned earlier. She had added a line of text to the top: Thought you might like to have this for next curry night -C. He would much rather have her over instead.

While watching the clocks on the wall, he wondered when the best time to tell her family would be. The fear caused his fire to gutter. What would he tell them? 'Sorry I lost your daughter, I'm still trying to find her?' Whatever he did, it would have to wait until tomorrow, the smaller of the two clocks informed him it was firmly the middle of the night over there.

Ash settled onto the couch for their nightly routine, which he wanted to fulfill even in her absence. If she happened to come through the door, frazzled and phone-less and tired, he could help her get settled in. If not, he would be praying the whole time, and he definitely knew what his intentions would be tonight.

As he went through the opening prayers of the Rosary, he asked Our Lady of Guadalupe for her intercession, in whatever way she saw fit. Wednesday was usually the Joyful Mysteries, but he thought it more appropriate to cover the Sorrowful, since he was in his own sort of agony right now.

Through the first decade, he reflected over the course of the long day for anything he might have missed, from seeing her off to school and his shift at work. The Scourging at the Pillar brought rumination over his lunchtime with Óscar Mario, and the job offer that lost its priority so quickly. By the Crowning with Thorns, he was at the university, chatting with Gabrielle, and searching as best he could. His visit to the diner coincided with the Carrying of the Cross, his conversation with Gayle and journey back home. The Crucifixion symbolized the future for him now, what he would do tomorrow, what he would say to her family.

In the meditative space of prayer, he realized with certainty he had less reason to worry than he had thought. His previous fears of having to face Mr. and Mrs. Dewlenser with news of their missing daughter were less intense now. He had not, in fact, lost her. He had been striving all day to find her. He decided to call Aidan first, since he might have some insight into how to handle the situation.

Ash laid out on the couch, suddenly too tired to walk down the hall. Various thoughts kept him company as he relaxed; Matthew 25, he did not know the hour, he needed to keep his wick trimmed, though he never needed to worry about running out of oil. The Agony in the Garden he had just meditated upon; his spirit was willing but his flesh was weak. Less weak than other people's, but enough that he didn't rise from the comfortable cushions that night.

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Octave of Stars is currently airing on Substack for free, with two of the 45 total posts per week. It’ll be fully released at the end of April 2024. If you don’t want to wait that long, you can get the entire story right now, in either Ebook or paperback. Every purchase supports the ZMT Books mission of family-friendly entertainment.

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1. I’m looking forward to reproducing this as accurately as possible for the audiobook version