Part IV:
And so it was. Mavis slowly found her way out of the hole she had been stuck in. It didn’t happen all at once, but as Spring turned to Summer, her spirits chugged forward like a giant freight train just beginning a long trek. All this time, Artemis had been doing some soul searching of his own. Hell bent on getting in some much needed rest and relaxation, he made his way to a private resort out on the left coast. Driving down the coastal highway from San Francisco, navigating winding roads with ease in his rental convertible, he heard the barely audible voice of his GPS over the Frank Zappa blasting on the speakers.
The car he was driving had much newer technology than what he drove at home, and he chuckled as pressed a button on the steering wheel and said, “Turn volume lower” and the computerized female voice responded back, “Turning volume lower.”
A quick glance at the GPS had his destination about 200 feet ahead on the left. There were several signs on the road indicating it was a private road and only guests were allowed to proceed. As he approached the entrance, a guard stepped out of a small building and slowly approached the car.
“Do you have a reservation sir?” the guard asked sternly. “May I please see your identification?”
“One minute,” Artemis shuffled. “I need to get it out of my luggage in the trunk.”
The guard looked somewhat suspicious and placed a hand by his front pocket, where he most likely had a weapon of some sort. As Artemis stepped out of the car and fumbled with the keys while walking to the trunk, the guard appeared to have his suspicions allayed.
To be continued…
