Sarah and the Thing (standard:adventure, 2086 words)
Author: hvysmker	Added: Jul 30 2004	Views/Reads: 3671/2371	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
A birthday girl on Vacation in Hawaii finds a very strange object

This story is loosely based on the old, old, song, named ‘The Thing'. 
If you don't know it, the song is about somebody walking on the beach 
and finding a box.  The box had something in it, never named.  It was 
driving the finder crazy in that they couldn't sell, show, or even give 
it away.  People would see it and run.  The purpose in the song was to 
get you to wonder what the hell it was.  If you're curious do an 
internet search for it.  Nuff said. ********************** 

Sarah was visiting Hawaii on her college vacation.  The young girl had
always wanted to go to Hawaii and her father gave her a trip for her 
birthday, unfortunately the rest of her family couldn't go.  Better 
than nothing, she thought, and she did want to prove her independence, 
after all she was all of eighteen years old. 

The hotel the travel service had booked her into was plush and
comfortable.  She had two weeks but near the end of the first she was 
already getting bored.  The place was filled with mostly old people and 
families with only much younger kids.  She had expected at least some 
people her own age.  You could only wander along Waikiki beach for so 
long alone before you became bored. 

On top of that, it had rained every day so far, it being the rainy
season for the islands.  Probably the reason her father got such a good 
deal on the price. 

Here she was, almost half way into her dream vacation, and just sitting
on her lanai watching the rain pour down.  It was depressing.  If she 
had been old enough, she figured, she would be drunk. 

“Well, I guess I better go have lunch.  At least I won't get wet doing
that.”  She looked at her watch briefly.  “Damn, and this is the rush 
hour in the cafeteria.”  She muttered to the silent room.  Sarah got up 
from the lawn chair she had been sitting on, remembering to turn off 
the television in her room.  Hell, the same programs as at home, she 
thought, at least they could have something different here, halfway 
around the world. 

Like she had thought, the place was packed, with most of the tables and
booths either filled with howling kids, or almost filled with old 
farts.  There was one table though that only had one old man who looked 
to be almost finished.   Sarah considered going back to her room to 
wait but, what the hell, she went to that one table, which changed her 
young life. 

She sat down to wait for a waiter, the old man glancing up from his
spaghetti meal.  Oh, no, she thought, Sarah hated Spaghetti and 
meatballs.  Her Aunt served it every time she visited, and it was 
probably the meal she would get, included in the travel package.  Maybe 
she should just pay for some hamburgers and fries, but she only had a 
limited amount of cash to last her two weeks.  Well, she decided to let 
it go.  This wasn't turning out like she had been anticipating. 

Sure enough, she got spaghetti.  On top of it all, the old man was
starting to talk to her.  She had judged him about finished.  He was, 
with his meal.  Now he ordered a big pot of coffee and wanted to talk. 

“How do you like the place?  I come here every year.”  The man smiled. 

“OK, I guess.  Just not very exciting is all.” 

“Oh, I would think a pretty girl like you would find plenty to do?” 

“Hah, the only good looking boy's I've seen just want my money.”  She
fiddled around with her fork, surprised she had even answered him.  
Probably just don't want to face eating this stuff, she decided. 

“What about the hotel hula show, you didn't like that?” 

“It was alright, but I could have seen it on my television at home.” 
For some reason, maybe the way he smiled, she found the man easy to 
talk to.  It might be because of spending all that time alone in her 
room in the rain. 

“Come on, young lady.  I see you moping around all day.  Come on give an
old man a smile.”  She forced one out for him. 


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