It worried us when Alfred sent his next e-mail. It worried [Kirkland and Bonnefoy] that he didn't call or text. It worried me because of the way he spoke-
Things were going fine, and technically, they still are. I never really saw the country this way until now. Of course, life (as they say) has its ups and downs... but I'm not sure what this experience is yet.
He spoke in such an unsure, yet melancholy way. Like something was boiling inside him and cleaning the emotions from him, the way boiling water cleans it.
I just don't know what was creating that heat. - Yào Wáng
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That e-mail left me wondering. It made me wonder exactly what Alfred was feeling when he wrote it. He didn't seem happy, and he didn't seem sad, angry, flustered, frightened, or anything like that.
He sounded empty. - Ivan Braginski
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I've known Alfred for years, even if I haven't had heartfelt conversations with him like Arthur and Matthew have. If anything, I knew him to be this cheerful, happy guy that never stopped talking.
Then, I read that e-mail. I took it more to heart than the first one, because it meant a lot more when you read it. Like [Wáng] said, he sounded melancholy in that e-mail. And like [Braginski] said, he sounded kind of empty.
He sounded like... oh, I don't even know. - Antonio Fernandez, the Kingdom of Spain
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Counting By Twenty (W-A 2017)
FanfictionYou ever wonder what happened to America during 9/11? This story explores exactly what happened, including a week prior to and a week after the incident. Alfred F. Jones's (America's) closest friends and family have been interviewed, bringing togeth...
