Wintertide: A Novel Read Online Free PDF Page A

hundreds of notebooks in the room. "Are they
in any particular order?" I asked.
    "Oh yes. They're numbered.” He
picked one up off the floor and showed me the back. The number eighteen was
written in the top left corner in bold, black marker. "Just copy out the
notes onto the computer in order. I'm sure you can handle that, Mr. Hiller. I'll
be in the study out back. You can come see me if you have any questions." He
stood. "And feel free to help yourself to anything in the kitchen if you
get hungry."
    As he started to leave the room, I
realized something. "Professor Sheffield, where is the computer?"
    "Oh right," he answered
absently, turning back toward me. "It's in that box. It just arrived
yesterday." Then he left with his teacup in hand.
    I glanced from him to the unopened
cardboard box that sat in the corner by a large picture window. Apparently,  he
had bought a computer he obviously had no intention of ever using himself.
    I went over to the box and began
ripping the tape away. It looked as though a very expensive, extra wide screen,
laptop computer was inside. Feeling the need to begin making a dent in my
workload, I pulled the laptop out and got to work setting it up. Working for Professor
Sheffield was definitely going to be interesting.
    The day passed quickly as I got the
laptop running and soon realized that the professor had no Internet connection
in the house. Although, he had ordered plenty of pre-installed software. Occasionally,
Professor Sheffield would poke his head in on his way to another room. At one
point, late in the afternoon, I was crouched on the floor trying to make heads
or tails of some loose notebook sheets, when unexpectedly I saw a pair of brown
scuffed leather shoes in front of  me. I was so surprised, not having heard the
professor approach, that I sat up without thinking and banged my head hard against
one of the bookshelves that lined the walls. He never asked me if I was all
right. He simply stood there staring at the laptop whispering the word remarkable as though he were examining a priceless work of art. I felt the desire to ask
him if he knew what year it was.
    I had promised my mother that I
would help her buy a Christmas tree that evening. So, at five o'clock, I told
the professor I had to go. I caught him just as he was traveling past on his
way to the kitchen. At the sound of my voice, he appeared startled, like he had
forgotten I was there.
    "How many notebooks have you
transcribed so far?" he asked.
    "I've actually just finished
arranging them in order. There were a few missing ones that I had to search for
and lots of loose sheets I had to find places for."
    He scratched his head as though the
fact that his work was a completely disorganized disaster came as a total
surprise to him.
    I glanced at my watch. "Well
my mother's expecting me home. We're going to pick out a tree tonight. I'd
better get going."
    He smiled. "How nice that
you're spending time with your family. My niece is coming up on Christmas day
with her children. I don't think I'll bother getting a tree though. Buying them
all gifts will be hard enough. What do you suppose children want for Christmas
these days? They all want video games, I guess."
    I looked at my watch again.
    "But it is nice to have family
around you on the holidays,” he continued. “My sister invited me to stay with
her, but I don’t like traveling much. Do you?”
    "Um, no, not really. I'm
sorry, but I've got to get going."
    "Well who's stopping you?” he
asked as though he wasn’t guilty of it himself. “You mustn't keep your mother
waiting."
    I was late. I tried calling her,
but no one picked up. It was only thirty minutes, but one might have thought I
had been missing for a week by the way my mother reacted. She was standing
outside in the cold when I pulled up. "Oh my goodness, Daniel, I was just
about to call the police. Are you all right?”
    I rolled my eyes. "Actually, I
picked up a hitchhiker who held me up at gun point and