Choose Your Own Adventure

Chloe had only been outside for ten minutes, and her pale yellow summer dress was already soaked in sweat from the dense Australian heat.

The soft material stuck easily against her flushed skin as she walked down the path that led to the sea. She smiled to herself, thinking of the impulsive purchase made so long ago. Things were unbelievably different back then, during the Restrictions.

It was impossible to reconcile that image of her past self on the other side of the world, still so weak from the Sickness and desperately trying to buy a dress online - not knowing if it would fit or when she would be able to wear it, with the strong and healthy young woman striding confidently towards the gorgeous turquoise waves that tumbled ahead of her now.

For Chloe, Australia was one of those magical places you read about in magazines, with photos so dazzling they were almost too much to bear. To be there, in reality, was something else altogether. Chloe had spent her first days in Sydney feeling overwhelming joy as she took in the splendid natural scenes at every turn. The coastal walks were breathtaking, and after three months settled in her Bondi Beach short-term apartment rental, she hadn’t tired of them despite the endless heatwave they were currently experiencing.

In her old life, when she finally caught it, the Sickness had been less severe than expected in some ways, but much more virulent in others.

For months, Chloe had worked the front lines of the crisis untouched, watching as it unfolded across the world, killing thousands including many of her patients. Secretly, she hoped she possessed some undiscovered immunity that was keeping her safe. But it wasn’t until her annual mandatory vacation spent at home that she was infected. "How embarrassing", she thought angrily as the Sickness coursed through her bloodstream and weakened her each day. After risking her life at the hospital, to have fallen ill at the grocery store.

Chloe’s positive viral test result was accompanied by the sobering news of her favorite musician’s sudden death from the same affliction that very day. This was followed by the similar demise of a local middle-aged politician previously famed for running charity marathons. Most heart-breaking of all for Chloe was the message of her favorite Aunt’s passing several days later.

An adventurous spirit who had traveled the world and mesmerized Chloe as a child with colorful stories and beautiful gifts from afar, the Sickness had come and gone so quickly for Aunt Maggie, that no one had even known she was ill. Despite having seen countless patients lose their lives to this merciless virus, it was only when Aunt Maggie died that Chloe truly felt frightened for the first time.

As it took hold of her body, mind, and spirit, she fought to listen to the crackle of voices coming through her laptop speaker during daily virtual medical appointments.

“We hope the outcome will be positive for you, but from what we understand about the Sickness thus far, if your fever continues for more than 48 hours you’ll need to come into the Emergency Room because... "

Chloe already knew this would mean her organs were shutting down and didn't need to hear more.

Dr. Newton had been her favorite physician to work with during rounds. They had a similar lively manner with patients, enjoyed the same Thai restaurant in the hospital food court, and each year during the holiday season shared the guilty pleasure of watching Love Actually in the break room together.

Sandra Newton was excellent at her job. It was strange hearing the soft but serious tone of her colleague’s voice, so familiar Chloe thought, from all of those most challenging encounters with patients whose fate they were unsure of, now in regards to her own precarious health.

In the end, thankfully, she had pulled through. Conquering the fevers, aches, and other mysterious symptoms no one had anticipated with relative ease - though it certainly hadn't felt like it to Chloe at the time.

Every day with the Sickness was a dreadful new adventure while it moved around her body. Sometimes Chloe swore she could feel it within her as a physical presence. A sinister entity slithering under her skin, searching for a place to settle and replicate. Her once cozy bedroom became a lonely void, the days running into each other until time ceased to exist.

During the lengthy recovery period after the active viral phase had ended, Chloe struggled with even the simplest of movements. It had once been easy to walk the short distance from her bed to the bathroom without a second thought. But this unfamiliar version of herself felt as though she was attempting to complete a feat of superhuman nature, leaving her drained and needing sleep for several hours. It was as if every ounce of strength in Chloe's body had gone toward fighting the Sickness, and indeed, in many ways it had.

Aunt Maggie’s travel journal kept Chloe company and brought a spark of joy to the otherwise arduous monotony.

The small black notebook had been in a box of assorted belongings delivered to Chloe as next-of-kin after Aunt Maggie’s untimely demise. Initially, she had been too unwell to consider the large package sitting at her front door. But even with its outrageous and seemingly limitless powers of destruction, the Sickness couldn’t eliminate human curiosity.

Aunt Maggie’s writing gave Chloe a sense of hope she hadn’t felt in months. It was as though the bizarre dystopian scenes taking place outside her window didn’t exist. While Chloe devoured the words written in pale green ink faster than the protein-rich medical meals prescribed for her recovery, she was transported to incredible locations around the world.

From beautiful Mediterranean coves to the otherworldly Highlands of Scotland, Aunt Maggie’s notebook was full of unforgettable exploits. The stories were an invigorating tonic for the soul that gave Chloe another type of strength as physical energy returned to her body little by little.

Fully recovered and back at the hospital again, Chloe often found herself daydreaming. Though her hands went through the practiced motions of standard nursing tasks, Chloe’s mind was captivated by Aunt Maggie’s infamous evening at the Opera in Vienna or her fun-filled weekends in Budapest. Not to mention the time she drove across Northern Africa in the summer of 1975, or when she had lived with surfers in Costa Rica.

More than a hot shower or a satisfying meal, at the end of her long shifts Chloe looked forward to settling in with Aunt Maggie’s notebook to read the next chapter in her fascinating life. When at last there were no more, Chloe savored the words on the final page and sat in a moment of silence, mourning both the conclusion of the journal and the end of her Aunt’s magnificent existence.

It wasn’t until an average day off after a particularly brutal string of demanding night-shifts that Chloe realized there was more to the story.

While mopping the floors, a bit too much force applied here, and a slip of the foot on the previously cleaned area there led to a fortuitous and quite literal domino effect where the human body and objects collided with each other unexpectedly.

As Chloe braced herself on the bed the mop tumbled onto the bedside table and knocked her beloved notebook to the still damp floor. Rushing to pick it up lest any memories get erased by her hasty cleaning efforts, Chloe noticed that the exposure to water had loosened a previously concealed page at the very back of the book.

This page, however, was not like the others. Written in black ink, an older Aunt Maggie during her last days consumed by the Sickness had somehow found the strength to scrawl a note addressed to Chloe herself. It read:

“My dearest Chloe,

Life is short and full of surprises. I am so grateful for mine, though it will soon be time for my final trip. I’ve always been proud of your kind heart, hardworking nature, and desire to help others. You’ve had grand dreams since you were a young girl, and hoped to travel the world as I did. Perhaps this will allow you to start a new chapter and continue the story where I left off.

Lots of love,

Your Auntie M.”

Below the note, an unfamiliar address in the city was listed with a few precise directions.

The following morning, Chloe arrived at 10 Pewter Lane filled with anticipation. The modest stone facade of the small building displayed an equally minimal plaque reading simply “Futura Holdings Ltd. est. 1903”. A buzzer was required to enter, and when she said her name clearly into the microphone, a voice responded mysteriously: “We’ve been expecting you, Ms. Chloe Swanson”.

The next moments passed in a surreal haze. Futura Holdings Ltd. was a private bank specializing in precious metals, and Aunt Maggie’s safe deposit box contained stacks of gold coins that shone brightly through their plastic casings in the dim light of the quiet room.

The bank manager told Chloe that her Aunt had started the special collection years before with a generous gift from a dear friend she had lived with during her first years in Europe, and then slowly added gold currency from around the world purchased one coin at a time.

Chloe was speechless. Aunt Maggie was someone who lived a full, vibrant life to be certain, but it was also a humble existence - re-wearing the same beautiful scarves year after year and sharing how she always found a way to work while traveling, with no indication of the hidden wealth that had just been revealed. And it was a significant amount of treasure: Aunt Maggie’s trove was worth 20 thousand dollars.

What to do with such a find? It was Dr. Newton who gave her the idea one day in the cafeteria as they dipped into a fragrant spicy green curry chicken together.

The hospital had suffered financially during the Restrictions like most other places, and now unpaid leaves of absence were being offered to mitigate the many layoffs and budget cuts on the horizon. Though Chloe was a valued member of the medical staff, she could help save someone else’s job by taking the extended time away. It all fit so perfectly that she rushed to the administrator’s office right after lunch to start the necessary paperwork.

With the global borders open again, Chloe made a list of the places she hoped to visit during her sabbatical. There would be time for all those journeys and many more, but Australia had called to her first. And now here she was finishing her daily morning walk and swim just as easily as she had once completed early hospital rounds.

Today was different of course, Chloe thought with a jolt of excitement as she devoured a sumptuous brunch at her favorite beach-side cafe. In a few hours, she would be boarding a small boat that awaited her at Sydney Harbour. For gold had not been the only treasure found in Aunt Maggie’s safe that day. A secret compartment at the bottom had revealed something even more valuable. The little black notebook lay in Chloe’s purse in its usual spot. Next to it was a small box containing a rusted set of keys, the deed to a property written in a foreign language, and a list of coordinates to locate it.

Chloe didn’t know exactly where she would be going on that boat, or what she would find when she got there, but she was filled with delight at the possibilities ahead of her, and of the new life she was creating.