I walked over to my car, the only red Corvette in this entire town, it seemed, and lowered myself inside. There was a large bird dropping that had splatted on my windshield. I ran the wipers and sprayed fluid, the bird dropping smearing across the window. Ugh. I needed to know if [[Warden]] had any more information, so I settled into my seat and exhaled deeply, closing my eyes. I clicked into my other body. Back in my palace office, I found [[Warden]] again, at attention and gestured for him to relax. "[[Warden]], what do you have for me?" "Sir, it's a bit unusual, but [[Website/Limerence/Boss Deep]] wants to speak with you." I thought about it, but figured there was no harm. "Okay, send him up." I waited in the muted cockpit of the Corvette, the space a refuge from the noisy wind-whipped ocean nearby. Here, it was quiet, still, dark. I understood why people slept in their cars. "Sir?" It was the Warden, and I could see a large shape behind him. [[Website/Limerence/Boss Deep]] wasn't a boss, but kept tabs on the inmates for me. He had more fingers than he knew how to count, which was made worse since he had lost his left pinky in a prison fight. [[Warden]] didn't like him, perhaps because [[Website/Limerence/Boss Deep]] seemed to extend past your peripheral vision. [[Website/Limerence/Boss Deep|Deep]] walked calmly into my office, his hands tied behind his back and his tattoos hidden under his orange sleeved jumpsuit. His eyes glanced around the room like he was trying to remember details so he could plan his next escape. Pointless, of course, but I liked the initiative. "You have something for me?" I asked. "Yes, big man." He spoke with a slavic twang. I ushered for him to speak. "Listen. Bird who shit on your car. Was no accident. They trying to tell you not to leave. It is warning." "What do you mean, warning? And who doesn't want me to leave?" "Dog on beach eat human hand. You know it. I know it. Bird try to warn you. They don't want for you to investigate." I rubbed my chin. "So you're saying a... bird... targeted my car because he wanted to stop me from driving away? That doesn't make any sense." "If you only listen," he huffed, "you hear what bird has to say. Bird lives in air, can see everything, what happened. Is not accident. If you believe this coincidence you believe in luck." "I'll take my chances," I said. Maybe he was on to something, but this wasn't enough to go off of. I lifted my hand and the guards grabbed him by his arms. "Wait" he said, "I have more." I raised an eyebrow. "Double rations for me and Celia." "Only if you have something I can work with," I said. He stood up taller, and said "Raquelle will know what's going on." I instantly knew what I needed to do. I gestured for him to be taken away. I opened my eyes and turned the Corvette on, the push start bringing the engine to life. I put the car into drive and turned it onto the road. It hummed gently as I cruised down the highway away from Chesapeake Bay. It had been a long time since I visited the beach, but now was time to set it in my rear view mirror. The long drive let my mind wander, and it went to where it usually did, to her. She was [[Website/Limerence/Beatrice]]. She was good sex, warm food, late nights, strolls in the park, soft touches, lotions that smelled like flowers, TV dinners, and comforting words. She was everything I was not. When she drove herself into a tree, by accident, or on purpose, I lost my anchor. That was years ago. The last time we had interacted held no mystery. A normal fight in those days. I was spending too much time out in the sun, smoking too many cigars, drinking whiskey too quickly. A walking cancer magnet, she said. "Cancer won't be the thing that gets me.", I cut back, "It's going to be your nagging." Those were my last words to her. Hers were: "Fine. Have it your way." And then she was gone. I didn't realize how permanent that goodbye would be. A trucker had found her body, like her car, totaled. When the paramedics arrived, she was still breathing. Only minutes after they removed the tree branch from her torso, to get her on a gurney, she exhaled for the final time. I regretted not being there to say goodbye. I wanted to ask if she did it on purpose. I wanted to know if it was because of me. Highway 51 stretched through miles of forest, and I was speeding between the pines, but it would still be a while before I was back in [[Website/Limerence/Clear Water]]. I couldn't keep ruminating on her. So I decided to give the wheel to [[Weston]], my auto-pilot, and step inside my mind. [[Website/Limerence/Memory Palace]]