Once upon a time, the time being February 2010, a young and untried university student (let's call her Steph) acquired the unfortunate distinction of being the only mortal being in the world not to have seen a particular marvel of that time called Avatar. Eager to shed this unhappy distinction, she bravely set out one Friday after Biology class with her best friend, a fellow university student whom we shall call Jess, on a quest to a place called Loews, where Avatar could be found. Jess, or course, had already seen this marvel, but wished to witness it in 3D this time.
Almost immediately they ran into trouble. They arrived just on time at the bus stop, and shivered in the softly falling snow as they waited for the arrival of the magical 59U. Though the snow came readily, the bus did not; and even when it did, it passed right on by without even slowing. Freezing, the girls boarded the next bus to arrive, and were told by the driver that 61C's would be arriving shortly. Encouraged, the girls sacrificed the warmth of the bus to other passengers and returned to their snowy wait. And wait they did.
"His idea of soon is not my idea of soon," complained Steph.
"Yeah," replied Jess, "mine either."
Just when Steph was thinking that she was doomed to be eternally the One Who Never Saw Avatar, the promised line of 61C's pulled up - stuffed full. The girls squeezed their way into the belly of the second bus, or rather its mouth, as Jess was practically leaning against the door. The bus started up, Steph did a little dance to avoid treading on some inconveniently placed feet, and the girls clung to their tiny portions of metal pole as they were transported, finally, towards their destination.
But not to their destination, because only the 59U could have born them so far. The 61C spewed them out on a sidewalk near an area referred to as the Waterfront, and they began the last stretch of their journey: the fifteen minute trek through the Waterfront to Loews. The snow was chilly but not unbearable; after all, they were eagerly anticipating their reward.
And what a reward it was. Armed with large plastic glasses and a small bag of popcorn, they entered the theatre and became entranced. Three hours later they left the theatre in a haze of glorious victory.
Which was quickly (and quite literally) dampened by the increasingly thick snow. Shrieking in the cold wetness, still giddy from their feat, the girls turned to their next quest: dinner. Agonizingly, everywhere they tried (including places with such odd appellations as 'Panera', 'Starbucks', and even 'Barnes and Noble') was closed and dark.
"It's only a little snow," said Jess. "This is crazy. Watch even the buses shut down."
"Seriously," said Steph. Then she laughed.
Disappointed and mellowing in the cold, the girls yet refused to relinquish their dreams of warm food. Their one goal now was to retreat home, and seek sustenance there. Retreat, however, required the 59U. The 59U picked up at a place a ten-minute walk way, aptly called Target, for which they now headed.
It proved to be a very long ten minutes. The wind blew directly in their faces, as it must on all epic quests, and attempted to suffocate them in deadly silent snowflakes. Drown them, more appropriately, because this was the wettest snow Steph had ever encountered. By the time the girls reached Target they couldn't feel their fingers, and their faces and necks streamed with freezing water. Still game, they stamped up and down and laughed in relief, and celebrated the end of their struggles. They had only to wait for the bus now, safely inside the shelter of Target, and then they'd be home.
If they only knew...
[To Be Continued]
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