From: slrosser@whale.st.usm.edu (Sandra Lynne Rosser)
Subject: A Wanderer from the land of ABEND...
Followup-To: alt.callahans 
Summary: Hi, honey, I'm home...
Keywords: 
  
Organization: University of Southern Mississippi
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1992 01:05:37 GMT


With a sudden *BANG* the door to Callahan's Place blows open
on a hot wind, sand drifting in from the blinding white dunes
outside.  Silhouetted against a deep, lonely azure sky is a
figure that seems--just a little--familiar?

She scans the crowd, drinking in the sounds of life, and dodges
several interesting beings on her way to the bar.  Dressed in
tight faded jeans, sneakers, and a deep purple, long-sleeved
silk shirt, this girl is one of the least strange and most
earthlike people to visit the Place in a long while.  Her hair
is longer than you might remember, and a bit lighter due to the
less-than-gentle attentions of the sun, but her smile is the 
same as she turns it full force on her friend behind the bar.

"Sorry about the sand, Mike," she says, leaning over to plant
a sloppy kiss on his reddening cheek.

"Evening, Meredith," he says.  "I had a feeling you might drop
by."

"What a coincidense," she replies.  "So did I."

"How was the vacation?"

"Good.  Long and boring, which was just what I wanted out of it.
No people, no friends, no relationships...just me, my books, 
and my cats."         

"Can I take it that you're back in a people-mood now?"

Meredith grins.  "Shut up and pour me a drink, Callahan."

From beneath the bar, Mike pulls a cold, sweating IBC Cream Soda
bottle.  "You have to fetch your own glass," he says, smiling.

Tilting her head, Meredith follows the direction of Mike's gaze
until her eyes come to rest on a red crystal goblet adorning 
the mantle over the fireplace, like it had always been there and
had long-term plans to stay.  She smiled softly.  "You left it
there all this time...?"

"You said you'd be back for it," Mike said seriously.  "I figured
your word was good." 

Meredith brought the goblet into her waiting hands with no more
effort than it took to think about it, and as Mike spilled the
amber liquid down the inside of the glass, it formed a thin icy
shell on the interior.  "You do know how to make a girl feel
welcome," she said, tipping it back.  

A moment later, the soda just a memory, Meredith stands at the 
chalk line and pauses.  "I nearly forgot how this is done," she 
says conspiratorily to the patrons nearby.  "It's been a while."

Still, she raises the goblet.  "To the faraway land of ABEND," 
she says, and the crystal shatters through a chord in the back
of the fireplace.

"Some of you I know," she says.  "Some of you I love.  Those of
you I haven't met yet, please introduce yourselves--you can never
have too many friends, and I know from experience that a girl
can find some pretty amazing people lurking in these shadowed
corners.  

"I've been ABEND--in Louisiana, of all places!--and then in
Mississippi.  I'm one of the college crowd now--I know somebody
has to have complained:  'You can tell the freshmen are here...'
Hell, -I've- done it before myself.  Well, now I'm one of 
those fell beasts myself, so I hope you regret your harsh words
whoever you are! *grin*

"My name, for the newer patrons, is Meredith Lynne.  I was here
for about a year, about a year ago.  I'm 21, I have hazel (green!)
eyes and longish, straight brown hair.  I'm 5'6", weigh 138 lbs,
and I'm (gasp!) a computer science major.  I'm also a writer,
a sf-f reader, not a bad ping-pong player, and a Brand New
QUANTUM LEAP FANATIC! (Hi, Sally.  How're things?  I got your 
address from RATS-SF, but my mail bounces!)  

"And, among other things, I'm back for the duration, so I hope
everybody still likes me.  

"Those of you out there who remember me, this is a relatively
new account, and I don't have any addresses. You guessed it--we've
hit the mail-request portion of this post.  I can't write unless
I know where to send...

"It's nice to be back.  *hugs* (Yep, I'm one of -THAT- crowd...)


+-------------------------------------------------------
|Meredith Lynne
|slrosser@whale.st.usm.edu
|slrosser@trout.st.usm.edu
|"Neurological holograms don't reflect!"  --Al
+-------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: alt.callahans