A New Acquaintance (Kris)

[ERIK DANIEL LENOIR]

Erik had fallen asleep at his computer a few hours ago, after having worked for quite a few hours straight on a game from which he was planning to make quite a bit of money. Before that he had done some CAD work on a project for Feinstein and Fitzgerald, the architectural firm that he consulted for. Altogether he had been awake for over 24 hours and hadn't realized how exhausted he was. He had just closed h is eyes for a moment, he thought.

Apparently he had slept for quite some time. He was slumped over the desk, just in front of the keyboard of one of his computers. Finally he awoke, his eyes still heavy with sleep. But his shoulders ached and he stretched. His computer's screen had turned itself off and he pushed a key to turn it back on. He blinked. What was this? It was a page... from tumblr...how could that have come up?

The graphic was in a heart shape and it read, hi, i'm kristine and i like music... "Damn, that's strange," he said. "How did that bloody come up on the computer?" There was a place at the bottom to leave a message... anonymously. It couldn't hurt to answer anonymously. He had done some anonymous trolling before, trying to find someone intelligent to talk to, and he had made a few acquaintances, but they usually disappeared after a bit. He decided to try it again. And especially because this message had come up so unexpectedly.

He wrote, "My name is Dan and I like music too..." He sent the message to see what would happen. In the mean time, he felt hungry and went to the kitchen to warm up some of the food Mrs Jones had brought him. His housekeeper, Bernice Jones, a motherly African-American woman who liked to be called "Bunny," came in several times a week to clean his penthouse and she was always bringing him something to eat. Although he knew how to cook, he didn't do it much and sometimes just plain forgot to eat. Now he was hungry and he spooned out some of the appetizing dish that Bunny had brought him. He made some tea and brought the food over to the computer. He ate most of his meals at the computer which Bunny berated him for. He would simply smile and then ignore her.

He sat down at the computer, intrigued, and waited a bit to see if a message would come through.

[KRISTINE "LOTTE" DAY]

Through this world I've stumbled
so many times betrayed
trying to find an honest word to find
the truth enslaved
oh you speak to me in riddles
and you speak to me in rhymes
my body aches to breathe your breath
your words keep me alive

Kristine got back from work at about one in the morning, just like always. New York truly was the city that never slept--people were needed round the clock, and people had to get from place to place, so the city was always lit up both over and under ground. When she left work and made her way down into the subway tunnels, she realized that she was the only person waiting on the platform. Of course, she liked being alone sometimes, but not like this. The silence and darkness that settled through the tunnels was unnatural.

Anxiously, she got out her iPod and put on something that would drown out the loudness of the silence, waiting behind the orange line impatiently. She checked the map on the board beside her a few times, even though she knew exactly which station she was getting off at.

Finally, the train came and she entered. Sure enough, it was empty as well. Kristine sat in a very uncomfortable silence with herself, her mind drifting from the song she was listening to. She'd been living with this strange feeling for several days now--the same feeling she got when someone was too close behind her. As she was jostled through the underground, she moved across the train to look out the window. She'd always wondered what happened in the maintenance tunnels, and if there were any people there. She had this romantic vision of some freak of nature, like Quasimodo, hiding himself from the world.

What a fairytale.

Finally, the train reached her stop and she trotted up the stairs, through the gates, and out onto the street. It took her just a few minutes to walk back to her apartment, which was on the sixth floor. Six flights of stairs, but it was worth it to come home to a sleepy Oskar and to be able to kick off her shoes.

She went to the bathroom and changed into her pajamas straight away; a big t-shirt and shorts, and put her hair in a ponytail. Her matted yellow locks fell to the small of her back and she admired them for a moment in the mirror before going to grab her tablet.

Tumblr was always her first destination when she surfed the web, and she found she had one new message when she refreshed her inbox. Her face lit up as it always did when she got a message. It was anonymous... well, that got her heart racing. Before she even saw the message she wondered a thousand times over it they were going to send her something mean, which happened every once in awhile.

---

ANONYMOUS ASKED:
My name is Dan and I like music too...

---

Kristine tilted her head, regarding the message for a moment. Well, that's good for you, Dan, was her first thought. But she know she should be nice--he wouldn't have sent her a message if he didn't want to talk to her. She spent a moment thinking of what she could reply and then typed:

you an i are like 2 peas in a pod then, dan. pretty sure id be dead w/o music..... hope u enjoy the blog

She wondered if he'd looked at any of the videos she'd posted of her singing, and assumed that he probably had. Why else would he be on her page? Kris curled with her knees to her chest, wondering if she'd get another message.

[/font][/blockquote]

[ERIK DANIEL LENOIR]

Erik looked further on "Kris's" page as he ate his food. He had no idea what time it was. Most likely the middle of the night. He found she had some videos of herself....singing. He watched the videos several times.

"She has a nice voice, a lot of potential," he said to himself, "and she's very pretty. But those clothes, makeup, and that style of singing...I don't know....it rather grates on my nerves..." Yet he was intrigued. Her makeup was rather crass, but her face was pretty, very pretty and he liked how she moved in the videos. Perhaps it would be worth speaking to her anonymously to see what she was like.

He refreshed the page and there was a new message.

you an i are like 2 peas in a pod then, dan. pretty sure id be dead w/o music..... hope u enjoy the blog

"Two peas in a pod?" he repeated, then laughed. "Like hell we are."

Then he wrote back,

How do you know what I'm like? We've never met. It appears I know more about you than you know about me, though, dear Kris...

Well, if that didn't put her off...although it didn't matter. He was just bored and it was interesting to see what people would say. Sometimes he was a bit rude just to see what they would do.

[KRISTINE "LOTTE" DAY]

Through this world I've stumbled
so many times betrayed
trying to find an honest word to find
the truth enslaved
oh you speak to me in riddles
and you speak to me in rhymes
my body aches to breathe your breath
your words keep me alive

Kristine scrolled through some of her friends' blogs, liking their posts and adding little comments to their pictures and videos. She was in a good mood, but then, she always was when she was finally home from work. Oskar came and curled up near her feet on the couch, warming them up. She smiled down at him and then refreshed her inbox. Another anonymous message.

---

ANONYMOUS ASKED:
How do you know what I'm like, Kris? We've never met.

---

She curled her nose a little bit and blinked. Well, she didn't like his tone, but that was a true statement; they had never met, and probably never would. Lord knew whoever this Dan was, he probably lived halfway across the world. She left her inbox for a moment, not intending to reply at all, but kept coming back to it every few minutes. Finally, she decided to reply:

well apparently you like music, and you cared enough to message me, so im willing to find out what ur like mr. dan.

She was aware that she was being a little flirtatious, but then, wasn't everyone when they were online? It was easier to be brave, to be something that you weren't when you couldn't see who you were talking to. She smirked at the screen and hit send, then got up to make some hot chocolate. Half way through heating the water, she went back and checked if he'd replied.

What's gotten into you, Kris? It's just a little attention from some person on the internet. There wasn't a reply in her inbox yet, so she went back to her cocoa.

[/font][/blockquote]

[ERIK DANIEL LENOIR]

Sometimes he liked leading them on. He usually got a snotty retort to his rude messages and then he would reply rudely again. But this reply was a bit different:

well apparently you like music, and you cared enough to message me, so im willing to find out what ur like mr. dan.

She wasn't scared away by his rudeness. That was good. Maybe she had a bit of intelligence after all.

Sorry Kris. I was rude. But it's true that I already know more about you than you do about me. But I'll tell you this, you do have a very nice voice. I don't care for your style of music though. It grates on my ears.

He pushed enter and went to get more tea. He put the bowl in the sink for Bunny tomorrow. This could be an interesting conversation.

[KRISTINE "LOTTE" DAY]

Through this world I've stumbled
so many times betrayed
trying to find an honest word to find
the truth enslaved
oh you speak to me in riddles
and you speak to me in rhymes
my body aches to breathe your breath
your words keep me alive

When she came back from getting her cocoa, she decided to take some time and make a little nest of pillows and blankets to surround herself. She'd probably be up for the next couple of hours before she finally drifted off, and she wanted to be cozy. Picking up her tablet, she observed that she had a new message in her inbox, and smiled.

---

ANONYMOUS ASKED:
Sorry Kris. I was rude. But it's true that I already know more about you than you do about me. But I'll tell you this, you do have a very nice voice. I don't care for your style of music though. It grates on my ears.

---

Well, that was a weird thing to say. To admit you were rude and then go on to say multiple rude things about her style of singing? It didn't seem right. Little warning flags went up in her head, the kind she always got when she thought she might be dealing with some internet creep. And why was his spelling and grammar so perfect, anyway? Whatever; he was just some anon, and she would humor him for now.

She huddled into her nest and decided to write him a nice, long reply back--why not? Maybe she could explain a thing or two to him.

well to each his own, but tbh i dont really have a style anymore. if ur talking about rock then yea i guess some people dont like it but its what i enjoy doing...... what kind of music doesnt grate on ur ears then???

Kristine hoped she didn't sound too irritable in her reply, though she was certainly feeling irritable. Probably from lack of sleep. It was the curiosity she felt toward these anonymous messages that kept her refreshing the page every few minutes. She'd almost forgotten that she had cocoa in one hand.

[/font][/blockquote]

[ERIK DANIEL LENOIR]

Erik wrote a few emails on some business then went back to the blonde singer's page to see if she had written more. There was a new message. He'd piqued her interest! He smiled. This was interesting. Her new message read:

well to each his own, but tbh i dont really have a style anymore. if ur talking about rock then yea i guess some people dont like it but its what i enjoy doing...... what kind of music doesnt grate on ur ears then???

He answered:

Let me ask you...how much time does it really save if you use abbreviations when you write messages? But I digress. You asked about which music does not grate on my ears...that would be classical music, opera, ballet... some new age is very peaceful and beautiful. The historic ethnic folk music of various countries...As for popular music, there are some singers who can sing a damn good song. But...not many. And yes, to each his own. I suppose I can't argue with that. But you're wasting your talent. Really. And you have a beautiful face. Really.

He put the teacup in the sink and came back to the computer. He wondered what she'd say to that? She looked pretty young. He'd been brought up with good music and didn't put too much stock in the music that was popular with the kids. That's probably what she was...just a kid. She didn't know any better. Maybe he was being too mean to her. Maybe he should find her and show her how to really sing. Of course she could be in Timbucktu for all he knew. Maybe he could find out.

[KRISTINE "LOTTE" DAY]

Through this world I've stumbled
so many times betrayed
trying to find an honest word to find
the truth enslaved
oh you speak to me in riddles
and you speak to me in rhymes
my body aches to breathe your breath
your words keep me alive

The messages were coming more frequently than before, and she realized that she had a pretty good chance of actually having a conversation with this guy. What was his name? Dan? She opened her inbox again and checked. Her face fell a little bit.

---

ANONYMOUS ASKED:
Let me ask you...how much time does it really save if you use abbreviations when you write messages? But I digress. You asked about which music does not grate on my ears...that would be classical music, opera, ballet... some new age is very peaceful and beautiful. The historic ethnic folk music of various countries...As for popular music, there are some singers who can sing a damn good song. But...not many. And yes, to each his own. I suppose I can't argue with that. But you're wasting your talent. Really. And you have a beautiful face. Really.

---

Jeez, he really was critical, wasn't he? Well, fine, if he was going to be pissy about the way she typed, she would type correctly like him. And sure, her voice was good, she guessed, but damned if she could sing opera! Although she'd never tried to...

And he'd called her pretty. In a weird, back-handed way, but he had called her pretty.

So you want me to get up and sing some Enya or something? I really don't think I have the voice for that, I'm not that good. I haven't really been able to sing well for a long time. You have a pretty strange way of complimenting a girl.

She swallowed hard at the thought. It was true--she'd started smoking in college and it had taken a toll on her lungs and throat. She had managed to quit, but it had fried her voice and she was just now managing to heal it a little bit. It would take some time, and she wasn't very confident to begin with. Maybe if she explained that there was a reason she sang like a rusty door hinge, he would stop being so mean.

[/font][/blockquote]

[ERIK DANIEL LENOIR]

He refreshed the screen again. Another message:

So you want me to get up and sing some Enya or something? I really don't think I have the voice for that, I'm not that good. I haven't really been able to sing well for a long time. You have a pretty strange way of complimenting a girl.

He must be getting to her. And she was definitely getting to him. He liked the way she stood up to him and wouldn't back down. Of course, one could say anything one wanted in an anonymous venue.

He decided to reply again:

So you do know how to write decently. Excellent. I refrain from using a smiley face because they are rather trite. However if I were to do so it would be smiling. No, I didn't say you had to sing like Enya, Kris. But perhaps you need voice lessons to help you along. You definitely have potential. I know someone who could give you voice lessons. And probably knows something that might make your throat feel better.

Was he promising to give her music lessons? Not that he couldn't. He was very capable of doing that. But did he want to? That was another question. Did he actually want to get involved with someone face to face? Yes of course he knew plenty of people face to face, but not on a personal basis. They were mostly business associates that he dealt with in his work or other people such as those who sold or bought things from him. But a personal relationship? Those usually didn't go well. He could feel his palms sweating as he thought about it. But he could feel a little excitement too. Definitely a tingle of excitement...

[KRISTINE "LOTTE" DAY]

Through this world I've stumbled
so many times betrayed
trying to find an honest word to find
the truth enslaved
oh you speak to me in riddles
and you speak to me in rhymes
my body aches to breathe your breath
your words keep me alive

Kristine rested her head back on one of the pillows and looked up at the ceiling, her free hand stroking her throat. She'd been cryptic in that message... maybe it would have been better to just say it outright that she'd smoked upwards of two packs a day just a couple of years ago. She was almost a chimney, really.

Oskar's collar rattled and she looked up to see what was the matter. He had raised his head to look at her, his big brown eyes wide. She had begun to feel it too--the strange feeling she'd been having for the past week. "Stop it, Oskar," she mumbled, and then refreshed the page, trying to shrug it off.

---

ANONYMOUS ASKED:
So you do know how to write decently. Excellent. I refrain from using a smiley face because they are rather trite. However if I were to do so it would be smiling. No, I didn't say you had to sing like Enya, Kris. But perhaps you need voice lessons to help you along. You definitely have potential. I know someone who could give you voice lessons. And probably knows something that might make your throat feel better.

---

What a strange man... he was kind of funny, really. Probably a troll though-- except...

Kristine's brow furrowed. Help her throat feel better? Well, had it really been that easy to figure out why she couldn't sing right? She sighed heavily through her nose. If this person he knew was him, then he probably would have been able to tell what sort of damage had been done to the throat tissue.

She considered the offer. Did she actually even want a teacher? She'd been wanting to sing again, trying to grow out of this stupid angel of music trick. There was reality, and the reality was if she wanted to amount to anything singing-wise, she'd need more than a mythical creature to tutor her.

Thanks for the offer, but I really can't afford lessons right now. Or anything, for that matter, now or ever, lol. Besides, I doubt your friend lives anywhere near me.

Kristine wanted to accept the offer, but she was telling the truth--she couldn't afford any luxuries like singing lessons. She couldn't even afford college lessons, and those were supposed to be the priority. She really did want to accept the offer, but she knew it was really no use. She'd be stuck like this for the rest of her life.

[/font][/blockquote]

[ERIK DANIEL LENOIR]

Erik read Kris's newest message:

Thanks for the offer, but I really can't afford lessons right now. Or anything, for that matter, now or ever, lol. Besides, I doubt your friend lives anywhere near me.

And he went a little further into her blog. She was telling quite a bit about herself. From her pictures, he assumed she was in her early twenties. She mentioned singing when she was 16. Obviously she considered that a while in the past. One of her videos showed Kris singing "Never is a Promise." She said there she hadn't sung in a while. Yes, he could tell, but still, she had that potential. He wasn't sure what it was exactly. Her voice seemed rusty, as if she hadn't used it in a bit....which is exactly what she had said. And then further on she said she didn't remember recording the song, "Sleep to Dream," and then remarked that she didn't remember much of that year anyway. Drugs, probably. Well, he couldn't fault her for that. He had done his share of drugs as a teen. He didn't do that any more. He wasn't averse to having a drink, but that was very occasional. And he had heard other people's voices ruined because of too much drink or drugs...or smoking. She was probably into that. He had never gotten into smoking for the same reason ... to preserve his voice. He felt that he had quite an excellent voice and must take care of it. Not that he thought of the stage. Large crowds of people looking at him made him extremely uncomfortable.

Then Erik read further. A fellow by the name of Osric Young had left her several messages. Apparently they knew each other from high school. Immediately when he saw the chap's picture, he felt a pang of jealousy. He knew it was ridiculous. He didn't even know this girl. And yet...he couldn't do anything about his feelings. One thing this chap Osric asked was if she were still in New York City. She answered in the positive. So now he knew another piece of information about her. Good. She was in New York. Osric Young seemed to want to connect with her again. It was only a few days ago that the correspondence had happened. If Erik wanted to meet her, he would have to move fast.

Then Erik paused and closed his eyes. Wait...what was this about meeting her? Why was he thinking about that? But he was. He discovered that Osric was on Skype and had invited Kris to message him. So then Erik would invite her to talk to him on Skype also. There was a picture of her dog, Oskar, a nice looking Italian Greyhound. The girl had good taste in pets. Erik didn't have a pet, although now and again he thought of having a cat. Something warm and furry to sit on his lap or on the computer desk when he was lonely. Pets were good companions. They listened and never talked back. He liked the serenity of a cat. But that was not in the here and now. He expected Bunny Jones would end up caring for it anyway.

Another video had the caption telling that "her friend" wanted her to sing on stage with him. He wondered which friend this was. Another little stab of jealousy was felt.


Another line in her blog went this way:

i'm so done with work and people and doing things and getting up in the morning ugh sometimes i just wish the goblin king would come take me away

He read that over several times. It sounded exactly like how Erik felt. Except for the goblin king.

Then another picture of Kris. Her eyes outlined in black eyeliner and with black eye shadow, the makeup done quite well, he had to admit, and it made her pretty eyes stand out. She wasn't exactly his taste in women....but then what was his taste in women? He had never had a girl friend that stayed around for than a few months. They all thought Erik a bit...odd...is usually how they put it. Different, not much in common, was what they usually said, trying to be kind. Except for one who told Erik he was downright creepy. She wouldn't elaborate, even when he begged her to.

Why would he think this girl might be any different? Maybe because she was odd too, a little off the mainstream of women Erik had previously dated. He started typing an answer back to her:

Hello, Kris. I understand you are on Skype. How would you like to talk to me there? My Skype name is phantom119.

At least he knew she lived in New York now. He might be able to persuade her to meet him somewhere. His emotions were a mixture of tingling excitement and those twinges of jealousy....

[KRISTINE "LOTTE" DAY]

Through this world I've stumbled
so many times betrayed
trying to find an honest word to find
the truth enslaved
oh you speak to me in riddles
and you speak to me in rhymes
my body aches to breathe your breath
your words keep me alive

Kristine sat in her nest for a little longer, surfing the web and going back to refresh her inbox every once in awhile to see if Dan had said anything back. After a half hour or so without reply, she decided to try and get to sleep. She finished her cocoa and then got up, brushing teeth and washing her face.

Oskar was familiar with the bedtime cues and had already curled himself on his side of the bed, and was waiting for Kristine. However, when she entered the bedroom, she was staring intently at the screen of her iPad--she still didn't have a reply from her mysterious Anonymous buddy.

With a little shrug, she threw it to the other pillow and turned on her tinkly bedtime music. She wasn't sure which composer it was, but it had been one of her father's favorite records. She and Oskar settled down in the darkness, and the dog was asleep within minutes. Kristine, however, drifted into a shallow and unsatisfying slumber that came with excitement.

She was shaken awake a couple hours later by shouting and loud music in the next apartment. With a groan, she reached for her tablet and checked the time--almost four in the morning. She'd probably just take a nap later, but there was one thing she couldn't get off her mind--that guy...

Tumblr was open and she refreshed the inbox.

---

ANONYMOUS ASKED:
Hello, Kris. I understand you are on Skype. How would you like to talk to me there? My Skype name is phantom119

---

Kristine squinted at the screen. Was this the same guy? He used the same writing style and capitalized all the right things, and called her Kris--she recalled that Dan had called her that, too.

Oskar was still sound asleep, the light from the tablet dim enough that it didn't wake him. She opened her Skype and added him--phantom119. She wondered what that meant. The contact request went through, and her stomach began to churn with excitement. It was a little creepy to add someone you didn't even know, but... surely it would be okay. She could take care of herself.

Kristine watched the screen, wondering if Phantom was awake. And secretly hoping he was.

[/font][/blockquote]

[ERIK DANIEL LENOIR]

Erik had opened Skype and left it open on the desktop as he did a few other things. If he got a message from Kris, he would hear the Skype sound and the symbol would turn orange. He hadn't found her Skype name, but hoped she'd take the clue and friend him. He was composing a classical piece of music that just wasn't gelling tonight. He was probably overtired from his weird hours. But he couldn't seem to sleep at normal times, like everyone else.

The composition wasn't going well and he stood up and threw a pen at the screen in a fit of anger, yelling, "Dammit!" Then he heard the Skype sound. He picked up the pen and sat down again. He wasn't positive it was her, but who else could it be? The name was littlel0tte. He typed:

Hello, it's Dan. You're still awake at this ridiculous time of night? Well, So am I. Would you let me "call" you so that we can hear each other speak? I am anxious to hear your speaking voice.

He closed down the music program. His mind wasn't with that tonight. He would get a good night's sleep, or perhaps a good day's sleep and go back to it. No use getting in a snit about it.

But now he couldn't go to bed. He wanted to see if Kris would reply. He was so fascinated with her, and she was actually replying. He put his elbow on the desk and his head in his hand. He closed his eyes and started dropping off to sleep.

[KRISTINE "LOTTE" DAY]

Through this world I've stumbled
so many times betrayed
trying to find an honest word to find
the truth enslaved
oh you speak to me in riddles
and you speak to me in rhymes
my body aches to breathe your breath
your words keep me alive

Kristine was almost starting to drift off when she heard a delighted little ping from her tablet, signalling a new Skype message. Her eyes flew open and her fingers flitted over the screen, opening it up immediately.

Chat with phantom119 [online]
[3:52] phantom119: Hello, it's Dan. You're still awake at this ridiculous time of night? Well, So am I. Would you let me "call" you so that we can hear each other speak? I am anxious to hear your speaking voice.
[3:54] littlel0tte: dan, hi! sure, go ahead... my dog is sleeping but you won't bother him

She felt butterflies rising up in her stomach, and could hardly contain her smile. She waited for a few minutes, but slowly her smile faded--he wasn't calling. After a moment of no answer, she decided she would call him instead, and smiled when she heard him pick up.

Her webcam flickered to life and her pale, thin face showed up on the screen next to his blacked-out webcam. It seemed weird, but maybe he would turn it on later. Maybe he wasn't decent. Her nose wrinkled a little bit at that thought. "Hello?" she said quietly, tilting her head.

She realized a little too late that she wasn't wearing any makeup. Her clean face was beautiful, even more beautiful than it was with all the product.

[/font][/blockquote]

[ERIK DANIEL LENOIR]

Erik must have dozed off and not heard the Skype sound. But he definitely heard the Skype call sound. It rang a second and he made sure his webcam was not on. Then he accepted the call. He saw her face, without makeup on the cam. He smiled. She looked prettier without makeup. She said hello first.

Hello, Kris. It's Dan. His voice was soft and his British accent still apparent even though he had spent a long time in America. "I'm glad you received my message. I did so want to speak to you. And nothing else was going well tonight." He paused a moment. "You look very pretty on the webcam tonight...they don't usually do justice to anyone. So I will have to assume you are even prettier." He paused again. " I did see the photo on your blog of your dog. Elegant little chap. Italian Greyhound?"

Somehow his whole tone, which had started out rudely on tumblr, had changed. Probably because of the little pangs of jealousy he felt when he saw the other men's names in Kris's blog. Men much younger than himself. He hoped she wouldn't be put off by that. But he decided not to tell her, at least not right away. He hoped she wouldn't ask. But his voice sounded young. That was a good point. Now, would he be able to hold her interest?