Page 31

FAREWELL FIREFLY

“We have a problem.”

Amanda, Jon, and I stood at the front of the store, staring out into the green.

The mist had rolled into Firefly, wrapping it in a wet hug.

It would have made for an uncomfortable convention.

Costumes would be hidden under raincoats, and it’d be a sea of umbrellas.

We could have made the best of a terrible situation. But now…

“We’re screwed.” I glanced down at my phone. The weather report said rain, but the single word seemed abstract and ill-defined. When I zoomed out and saw the dark purple cloud hanging over all of Northern Maine, our hard work came crashing down.

“Maybe it’ll pass?” The optimism didn’t reach Amanda’s voice.

I flicked the phone, looking into the future. Rain. Maybe a little further? More rain. Three days away? Rain! At what point did we consider it a Maine monsoon? Mother Nature had waged war, and we were defenseless to stop her. Umbrellas wouldn’t cut it. We’d have to build boats.

“Not just screwed. We’re majorly screwed.”

Jon gave me a pat on the shoulder. His eyes narrowed, and his lips pursed as he thought. He shook his head. “Nope. We’re not going down that easily.” Jon’s optimism couldn’t be dampened, not even by rain.

“It’s not like you can put a tarp over the green.”

“Harumph.” Apparently, I knocked his first idea down.

“Maybe not the whole green,” Amanda snuggled up behind him, resting her chin on his shoulder. “But what if we got tents?”

“You mean for the booths?” It wouldn’t be much different from Portland Pride. City hall had been surrounded by pop-up tents filled with vendors. “It might be our only option.” It was the smallest beacon of light on an otherwise gloomy day.

“On it,” Amanda said.

She and Jon raced behind the counter. While they furiously clicked on my laptop, I opened the door and stepped outside.

The disbelief continued to mount. For months, I coordinated with the town, stopping at shop after shop to ensure everybody had a role.

Legends had become a warehouse of swag for the convention.

I could still see the eager smiles of the residents as I stood up at the town meeting to talk about our progress.

“We couldn’t have planned for this…”

The clouds over Firefly were a swirl of grays.

If that was the worst of it, I would have puffed up my chest and pushed on.

On the edges of the valley, the skies turned a dark purple.

Despite it being early afternoon, the storm left the town in darkness.

Even as Amanda and Jon scrambled for solutions, I had a sinking feeling we were only delaying the inevitable.

I held my hand out, just past the awning. The raindrops splashed against my palm. It had been almost a month since it rained more than a morning drizzle. We were due for a storm.

“Why did it have to be now?” It only needed to wait twenty-four hours, and we would have been in the clear.

With the turmoil I put myself through the last week, the weather felt like an extension of my mind. I had made things weird with Simon, a storm of its own. The universe manifested my emotions into a swirl of brooding darkness. A rumble of thunder passed overhead.

“A little on the nose?” I scoffed.

Did the universe send me a sign? I didn’t always buy into the universe speaking to me, but this was hard to ignore.

It came as a wet slap on the ass, pushing me to decide.

What had once been a nagging feeling had grown to a point I couldn’t ignore.

If this were Boston, we’d have reached out to a convention center or a hotel.

It’d be a disaster, but we’d have options.

I shook the water from my hand and turned to head inside.

Through the glass, I watched Amanda and Jon as they carried on a lively discussion.

I’d miss them. Moving away wouldn’t hurt our friendship.

They’d still visit, and I’d come back for long weekends.

Nothing would ever change the threads that bound us together.

I opened the door. “Girl, look at the map. There’s no way.”

Amanda had her phone to her ear. “You have forty tents? I don’t think we’d need that many. Could we get them tonight?”

“You can’t drive to Boston that fast,” Jon said.

“When do you close?”

Whatever solution they found, Amanda’s disgruntled twitch of the nose said it had been kicked out from under them. “Are you sure there’s no way we can get them after hours?”

“We wouldn’t get there until at least seven.” She nodded her head. Her lips curled in as she waited for the answer. The muscles in her face relaxed as defeat set in. “No, that’s okay. Thanks for asking, though.” She ended the call. “We’d never get there in time.”

“Grr.” Jon didn’t hide his anger. As much as I wanted to have a tantrum right now, it felt futile. “What else can we do?”

“Call time of death,” I said.

“No,” they said in unison.

“What if we?—”

I shook my head. “I appreciate it, Jon. You too, Amanda. But I think it’s time we admit there’s no saving Firefly Con.” I thought I’d be revved up, but saying the words aloud eased the tension in my shoulders. I didn’t like it, but at least I could move on.

“Maybe…” Amanda leaned on the counter, resting her chin on her fists. “I don’t know.”

Closing my eyes, I inhaled through my nose and slowly out of my mouth. I repeated another three rounds before I opened my eyes. “We should call everybody and let them know.”

The thought of telling everybody we… I failed would be all the punishment I needed. Hearing Firefly’s determination squashed by reality meant reliving this moment with every phone call. They’d say something supportive. “Maybe next year.” Meanwhile, I’d be dreaming of the city.

“Pookie.” Amanda came around the counter and gave me a hug. Her arms tightened and a moment later, Jon hugged me from behind. They were the best friends I could ask for. No matter where I landed, we’d always be the Three Musketeers.

“Go home,” Amanda said. “We’ll take care of everything.”

“I should be the one?—”

“To be mopey and depress everybody? I think not.” Amanda stepped back and pointed to the door. “Consider it a favor. You can pay me back in rent.”

Jon let go and slapped me on the ass. “We’ve got you.”

I wanted to protest, but when the wonder twins both pointed at the door, there was no point in debating. We had lost, and I appreciated they wanted to make it as painless as possible. Even though I wanted to stay, I gave them a final hug and left the comic shop.

With a glance over my shoulder, they shooed me away before Amanda locked the door. There was no going back, not unless I wanted to face her wrath. Stepping into the rain, it was time to retreat home and wallow in my failure.

“Sorry, Firefly.”