WXYZ - Chapter 3
The meeting with his solicitor had not gone well. He simply wouldn’t listen to reason. Wesley had explained patiently that there was nothing in the deed stating that he had to be dead before availing himself of a mausoleum’s accommodation. The air-headed lawyer had waffled on about the spirit of the law and zoning regulations. Wesley had the distinct impression that he was not being taken seriously so had firmly but politely informed the solicitor that he would no longer be retaining his services.
Upon returning to his simply furnished apartment Wesley began systematically making his way through all the law firms listed in Yellow Pages. After making numerous calls, and before he had even reached the end of the E section, Wesley realised that the Yellow Pages clearly only advertised on behalf of idiots. He was stunned at both the rudeness and general incompetence he was met with when he explained his situation.
Wesley was certain that there must be someone with enough common sense and legal knowledge to assist him. In desperation he decided that he would turn to the internet for help. He was not a technophobe; he just had no real interest in computers and the like. He had heard his former work colleagues talk of something called “Goggle” which they claimed was a great source for finding out whatever details on whatever topic one could ever need.
He would have gone to his local library to use their facilities. Unfortunately a number of people had complained about the editing he had done to books he had borrowed and he was now banned from all libraries within a 50 mile radius. He knew that there was something called an internet café in his neighbourhood so decided to continue his research there.
One of the serving staff patiently explained how to use a browser and Google and Wesley began searching for information that would help him on his quest. He found a lot of information - everything from night clubs in Moscow to pictures advertising cemetery accommodation in Australia. Nothing, sadly, that was of any use to him.
He wondered if he might find any law firms to help him and out of frustration typed “blood sucking lawyers” in the search field. Unfortunately he inadvertently clicked the image search and ended up rather disturbed by some of the results. Somewhat dejected, he made his way home.
As he approached the apartment block he noticed the woman from 4B getting into her car. She was smartly dressed, as she had been whenever he had seen her previously, and looked to be of a similar age to Wesley. He had never been to apartment 4B and as she drove off he decided that now would be the perfect time to use his set of master keys.
He retrieved the keys from his apartment and tried to appear nonchalant as he made his way to 4B. His heart was racing with excitement. After checking that the hallway was clear he put the key in the lock and felt a little shiver run through his body. He quickly stepped inside and shut the door quietly behind him.
Her apartment was uncluttered and tastefully decorated. There was a pleasing sense of symmetry about the place that instantly made Wesley feel at ease. Best of all, there was a large antique bookcase forming the focal point of the main room. The books were arranged by height and grouped in complementary colours.
Wesley scanned the titles. There were many classics in the collection as well contemporary titles by well known authors. One book in particular caught his attention. He had heard of neither the title nor the author: ella minnow pea by Mark Dunn. He removed it from the bookcase, intrigued by the completely lower case title
As he read the back cover he knew that this was the book he would borrow. It must’ve been a challenge to write with an ever shrinking alphabet. It would no doubt be a challenge for him to edit. He relished the thought.
He opened the front cover and saw a beautiful book label which read as follows:
This book belongs to
Arabella Beatrice Clementine
And then he heard a key turning in the apartment door.
