By Any Other Name

  ~Ana"

  Novellana decided to walk the letter out to the post office to have it sent out that much sooner. And because the library was next door to the post office, she could stop by and look for the books James had recommended.

  She packed a small bag with a bottle of water, her library card and the crisp white envelope addressed to James. It was about a twenty minute walk from her house, and the whole trip her mind shifted from fretting about her applications to day dreaming about who James might be. By the time she reached the post office, she was so caught up in her own thoughts, she nearly walked right into the big blue mail drop box. She glanced around, embarrassed, and slid the envelope in, checking the pick up time, satisfied that it would be picked up before the end of the day.

  That taken care of, she walked next door to the library, the cool air conditioning a welcome relief from the rising heat of summer. She sat down at a computer to see what they had by Piers Anthony. She typed in the name and clicked "Search". Her jaw nearly dropped at how many books were listed. A twenty-six book series called Xanth caught her eye.

  What a fantastic distraction! It'll take the whole summer for me to finish all these. I won't have time to worry about my applications at all!

  Novellana smiled to herself, delighted at James' recommendation. She found the first in the series, A Spell for Chameleon. She jotted down the call number and searched the racks. She found it easily, marveling at all the other books by the same author. She wondered how many of these James had read. She found a corner and curled up, beginning her adventure into the world of Xanth.

  When the lights flickered on and off four hours later, signaling that the library would be closing in fifteen minutes, Novellana was midway through the third in the series. She decided to take the third through eighth books home with her, hoping she wouldn't finish them all that night. If she didn't pace herself, she'd finish the whole series in less than a week and have nothing to think about until she heard from Jochawk. She hurried home, trying to keep her restless mind on the main character, Dor, and his adventures in Xanth.

  As she stepped inside, she could smell her step mother's chicken and gravy waft though the house. Her father was just coming down the stairs, "Smells like it's time to wash up and set the table. Have you seen Jason?"

  Novellana smiled, "I don't think we'll be hearing from Jason or Melonie until they run out of energy or the parks close."

  Her father grinned, too, "I wonder which is more likely to happen first."

  Novellana went to her room and left her load of books on her bed, glancing again at the letter from James. She picked it up and read it over and over, as if memorizing every word would make the author appear before her eyes. When she finally pulled herself out of it, washed her hands, and came down stairs, she was late for dinner.

  Novellana exchanged letters with James all summer. She all but forgot about her Master's programs applications. Between writing to James, reading his letters, reading the books he recommended, and re-reading the books she recommended to him, Novellana barely had time for a passing thought. Soon she was looking for his letters in the mail more than anything from Jochawk, having resigned herself to the idea that she might not hear anything until the final days of summer. Though as the end of summer drew nearer, her worries about her applications returned, and she wondered if upon her return to school she would find out that she hadn't been accepted into any graduate programs. She knew it had taken just as long for some of her friends to hear back, but when she woke up the morning Melonie was supposed to come pick her up and drive them both back to school, her stomach felt like someone had tied up her insides in very tight knots.

  As she sat on her porch, waiting and worrying, her mind drifted back to the last letter she had written to James.

  "James,

  I've finished every science fiction book my local library has to offer. You have got to give me another genre! I enjoyed re-reading some of the classics with you, and that series on the possibility of time and space travel was phenomenal. But I'm getting desperate. I need something to take my mind off my applications. I go to the Jochawk Institute, heard of it? I doubt you have, no one has heard of it. Anyways, I applied to a couple graduate programs and I haven't heard back from any of them. It's driving me crazy!

  Can't wait for your next letter!