"You DO have a talented student," said Chuck Avery, the head of Amazing Animations Studio." If I were in your shoes... I'd be advertising how good she is too. And in four years when she graduates as Mrs. Karen Talbot... I'd be MORE than happy to pick her up then, if she's still interested."
"Trust me, I am," said Karen, "and I will be Mrs. Talbot before the end of my Freshman year here."
"Well, I wish you the best of luck in all your endeavors, and I look forward to seeing you again," said Avery.
"I do have to agree with hoping coming out here wasn't any inconvenience for you Mister Avery," said Dean Myers.
"Not at all," Avery reassured him. "I'm not scheduled to meet with the planning committee for Emerald Con* until tomorrow, so coming out here on this little fact finding tour was no problem. Perhaps when I'm back out next Spring, you'd like a guest lecturer for some of your art classes, or maybe a chat on the history of animation in general?" he offered.
"I'm open to suggestions," replied Dean Myers, to which the art professor eagerly agreed.
"Man, I hate to leave, but I have a class on the other side of the campus soon," said Karen. "But before I go, I was wondering..."
"Yes?" said Avery.
"Could I have your autograph?"
Chuck Avery smiled while taking a pen out of his suit jacket's inner pocket. Then he asked for paper, to which the Dean gave him a piece of stationery with the college letterhead on it.
Avery bent down over the dean's desk a moment to write, then turned around to hand the paper to Karen.
Karen looked at it in disbelief.
Underneath the Moon Lake College logo, it read: THIS NOTE PROMISES THE TALENTED KAREN YULETIDE-TALBOT AN INTERVIEW FOR AN ANIMATOR'S POSITION WITH AMAZING ANIMATIONS STUDIOS UPON HER GRADUATING MOON LAKE COLLEGE.
It was not only signed and dated by Avery, but Karen noticed it also had a small drawing of: "Jumbo Jake!" she exclaimed, looking at the cartoon elephant next to Avery's signature.
"My first creation, which is why his loss is so painful, yet he's still near and dear to my heart," explained Avery. "Now, I expect to see you when I come back here next Spring with an expanded portfolio, and keep drawing! Computer Generated Graphics have their place, but there's still plenty of room for traditional ink and paint in the animation industry."
"Which is one of many things I would love to talk to you about, but unfortunately I don't have the time right now," complained Karen, while glancing at her watch. "But it was an extreme pleasure meeting you sir."
"My friends call me Chuck," said Avery, while holding out his hand.
"Chuck," said Karen happily, while shaking hands with one of her idols.
And then she reluctantly left the dean's office to get to her next class.
MEANWHILE...
The three of them left Moon Lake High School together.
Eric Anderson felt like the proverbial fifth wheel as his fiance Julie Stovall continued talking to fellow Freshman Arthur Curtis about their impending oral report for history.
Okay. It's school related, Eric told himself. But why do I feel so jealous? he wondered.
All three of them were were-mers, beings who could live as easily in or under water as they could on dry land.
Yet Arthur was blonde like Julie and a couple of inches taller than either her or Eric.
I'm the one she's engaged to and will be spending the rest of her life with. Yet we have no classes together this semester. Is that why I feel the way I do right now? Eric asked himself.
Eric took comfort thinking about their past and future as they walked.
Julie and Arthur continued talking about their project. The teams and subjects were chosen at random by their history teacher, and the duo wound up with Television as their 20th century invention to discuss the impact on today's society.
Eric half-listened to their conversation while lost in his own thoughts, yet there was nothing in their words that he should of been worried over.
Yet he couldn't help noticing that the whole time Julie was concentrating on Arthur and not him.
But when they reached Wood Street, the situation changed.
"Okay. Unfortunately, I have to go this way," said Arthur, pointing to the right.
"We go this way," replied Julie, pointing to the left. "Eric actually lives on Wood, but I'm on Oak."
"Wood for me, close to Elm," said Arthur.
"Oh? That one story with the big back yard where Wood dead ends at Elm?" asked Julie.
"Yeah. We not only have a fresh water swimming pool, but there's a small stream behind our place that leads to Moon Lake itself," boasted Arthur.
"Really?" said Julie in disbelief. "My folks have a cabin there, but no direct access."
"No cabin, but you're welcome to come swim anytime," said Arthur.
"Huh?" said Eric, wondering about the other boy.
"I said you and Julie are welcome to come over to swim anytime you want that I'm home and free to join you. After all, all of us were-mers are part of Mother Ocean. Just call first, okay?" asked Arthur.
"Sure. Schedules and weather permitting," promised Julie. "I'll Skype you sometime after dinner and homework. Say Nine-ish?"
But that's when we usually Skype! Eric protested to himself.
"Sure. See you later," said Arthur, before walking away from the others.
"Come on honey. You can walk me to my house," Julie said with a smile, while taking Eric's hand in hers.
Eric just wordlessly nodded and started walking with the lady.
Arthur couldn't help noticing this exchange and thought to himself, Maybe when we Skype tonight, I should talk to Julie about Eric. No matter how she allegedly feels about him, something just doesn't seem right about that kid.
And unbeknownst to any of the were-mers, a vehicle had been following the trio from school at a safe distance where it wouldn't be noticed by any of them.
Now that they had split up, the driver turned to continue following Eric and Julie discretely...
TO BE CONTINUED...
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*A real event held every year in Seattle.—tmw.