Page 26 of Solo Stan
Elias
With his nail polish scratched nearly all the way off, Elias finally decided Dakarai was taking too long. He inhaled the thick, humid air, then ran out into the deluge. With determination, he knocked on the bathroom door and pulled it open when no one answered. It was empty.
How did he pass by me without me noticing? Elias thought.
Elias went back to the center of the square and spun around. Dakarai was nowhere in sight.
Eventually, he became overwhelmed by the sheer force of the rain and darted into a bus shelter, sitting on the bench as he wrung out his shirt and emptied his shoes, joining a few others who were doing the same.
He tried calling Dakarai again, but it went to voicemail.
Is he still talking to Bobby? Unsure of what to do next, Elias waited. For what, he did not know.
A bus pulled up, and everyone except Elias boarded. The driver glanced at him in confusion, shrugging before driving off.
Even though he had initially wanted to spend the evening alone at the concert, now that he’d spent the day with Dakarai, all he wanted was to be in his company.
In the span of about fourteen hours, they’d gone from almost-strangers to coworkers, to possibly friends, to whatever it was they were now.
Elias couldn’t help but wonder if they’d be strangers again tomorrow.
He watched the rain pelt the ground around him. This was not a quick shower, and it seemed unlikely to let up anytime soon.
He glanced at the time—12:01 a.m. The secret show had already started. If he had been trying to fix the cryptex instead of just fiddling with and complaining about it, they might be at the show by now, rather than separated in the rain.
He struggled to twist the cryptex, which still resisted with a slight scraping noise.
Lifting it to his ear, he tried to locate the obstruction.
Finally, he pulled out one of his earrings and inserted the post into the seam between two of the dials where he felt resistance.
It dislodged something, and the dials turned smoothly this time.
Carefully, he rotated the dials, feeling for any hesitation or change.
Nearly completing the entire alphabet, he heard a soft click.
He listened closely, rocking the cryptex back and forth as it clicked almost imperceptibly.
He identified the first letter in the sequence as C and repeated the process with the other four dials, straining to hear the same subtle click amid the rain pounding overhead.
After several minutes, the last dial clicked into place with a satisfying sound, and he smiled.
Holding the cryptex in front of him, he revealed the letters spelled out CYPHR .
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Elias muttered, placing his palm on his forehead.
Gingerly, he pulled one side of the cryptex, and it slipped open, revealing a small chamber inside. He tipped it into his hand and found a flash drive. It undoubtedly contained the file for the exclusive unreleased song.
Turning it over, he saw an engraving on the back: “Fibonacci” Written and Performed by Cyphr .
As he closed his eyes, he visualized the numbers he and Dakarai had collected throughout the night.
Then he looked at the assortment of letters from CYPHR’s original post. Realization set in as he reviewed them—it seemed he was going to that show after all.
He just prayed Dakarai would be able to figure it out too.