The Lost Letters: Episode 1

Miguel Covarrubias
8 min readOct 23, 2020

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Episode 1: Dear Kristi, Space and Time: Letter 1, Uncivilized: Letter 1

Listen now!!!

Introduction:

There is a space within the void between universes where all lost things can be found. There we find “The Lost Letters”.

Dear Kristi,
I think on the other side you probably have better things to do than to check what people are saying on facebook about you, or I guess to you, but this is my way of coping I guess. I miss you, friend. You meant so much to Cathy and me. You introduced us, after all. You listened to me whine and complain about little things, and even gave me advice on how to be better. Thank you for that. Thank you for letting me distract you by just walking into your office. You were such a good friend to me. I have never had death come this close to me. I don’t really know how to deal with you going so early. I guess the good part is you now know what the other side is like. Put in a good word for us over there ok? I was really looking forward to seeing you in a few weeks. I should have called more. I’m glad you aren’t suffering any more, though.
What’s the coffee and beer like there in heaven? Please tell me there is beer in heaven! I miss you. You are so much more than a friend to us, you are a sister. I’ll see you soon, hopefully not too soon, though. Whenever that is, let’s have a beer or coffee….You are so missed. There are so many times that I wish I could just talk to you and listen to your wisdom. We were all lucky to have you in our lives….
Hey! Thank you so much for all you have done for me. I miss you a lot.
We have some fantastic news! CATHY IS PREGNANT!!!! Thank you so much for encouraging both of us. You are the reason we are a family. Maybe if it’s a girl she should have the middle name Kristi…
It’s me again. Things didn’t work out with the pregnancies. I… I don’t want to talk about that now.
Me, again. Ok, I need your help right now. I really wish you were still around. You gave me the best advice, and were honest with me; whether I wanted you to be or not. I have this job prospect in Colorado that is very interested in me. I’m not sure if I just want to pick up and leave, or try to see this whole mess through here without the firm knowledge that I’ll even have a job in July. I know it’s way too early to tell if I have even got the job or not, but this is a problem that is really consuming me at the moment. What do you think?
Hey! It’s been a while since I last wrote in this letter. I mean it’s been 6 years after all. A lot has happened in that time. I did take that job in Colorado. That was a really rough time in our lives. We didn’t deal well with the pregnancy losses. Okay, I didn’t deal well with the miscarriages. It was the beginning of a big transition for me. A transition that took 6 years. God, I don’t even believe there is an afterlife anymore, so in essence I’m writing to so many dispersed cells and energy. I guess I should back up. They took advantage of me in Colorado, and I wasn’t dealing well with grief. We were only there for a little over a year. Through a conversation I had with a feeling of… well, for lack of a better word, you; I took a job in Cleveland. Your hometown! We got pregnant again. We had a son! You would love him! I got fired, again. This time for being honest about my mental health. The entire time I could hear you that one time telling me, you are attracted to damaged businesses. I changed my career. I’m much happier now, but It took me a long time to get here. I had some extremely self destructive coping mechanisms that made me not a great person. It’s been close to 10 years since we lost you, yet I still imagine you like you were before that. I know, and you did too, if you were alive you’d be such a different person. I’m a different person. I wish you got to know me now. I feel so different than I did before. I was hiding so much of myself from people. I don’t feel like I’m doing that anymore. Needless to say, I miss you. We miss you. Maybe there is an afterlife, maybe not. Regardless, I’ll say… See you soon!
Your Friend,
Miguel

Space and Time: Letter 1
Hello? Is this thing working? Did I do this right? (ruffles pages) Oh shoot, it’s already going. (clears throat)
Dear Horacio,
I just cast my first dictation spell! Just wanted to let you know. (long pause) Kidding! I just wanted to say, it really was a pleasure to meet you in the market the other day. Although, I am upset that you took the last lemon bar. I did have my heart set on it, despite your name being on it. I really need to know what spell that was to project your name on things.
Anyway, I’m really sorry we didn’t have time to talk more. I know your friend kept pulling you away and my group was already heading back to the campus. Speaking of which, I didn’t even find out if you are part of the Orenda. Please, please don’t tell me that you are one of those Irfan. I mean… Not that they are bad, I just… Damn, it. We’re told not to associate with the Irfan. It’s a whole big thing, and the Orenda must convene a council and… Well, I just want to see you again and maybe split a lemon bar this time. I’m sorry, I have this problem where I talk before, I think…
Maybe dictation wasn’t the best method, but it was the only way that I could think of to get this to you since I only know your name and that you like lemon bars, too. If you are part of the Irfan, you probably have one of those nifty… what do you call it?… gosh, tip of my brain… Oh yeah! Computers! We don’t have those here. Of course, if you are part of the Orenda you know that. See! This is why dictation is horrible. I can’t see your face or gauge how you are reacting to anything that I say.
Let me just start over. It was a pleasure to meet you, Horacio. I’d love to run into you again sometime. Would you like to meet in the market again sometime? I’m there almost every Saturday. We usually arrive sometime in the afternoon. I was raised in the Orenda, and we don’t have timepieces. Your friend had one of those watches. So, I guess that’s a pretty good sign that you are part of the Irfan. I guess as long as we meet in the market it shouldn’t be a big thing? If you even want to meet again. Anyway, I hope you do.
I’d love to get to know you better and hopefully I don’t make a complete fool out of myself like I did with this letter.
Hopefully,
Aster

Uncivilized: Letter 1
My Dearest Isabelle,
I feel dreadful for what you must have experienced. I but saw you, eyes alight with expectation when I pulled the box from my waistcoat pocket. Your delicate fingers clutched to your mouth in surprise when I began to sink to one knee. Then, as my knee touched down on God’s good earth, I vanished. The gaslights of New York City faded before my eyes. I was summarily deposited here.
As to where I am, I haven’t the foggiest. I began to walk. I walked for a good long while. I walked in this uncivilized land until I could walk no more. I do find myself fortunate that I stumbled upon humans. I had come upon a camp. It was a camp of Natives to this land.
I swear they appeared as terrified of me as I felt of them! I just about stumbled upon their fire, almost catching myself alight. After I babbled for what seemed like an eternity, to which they appeared to have no comprehension whatsoever, they firmly yet graciously whisked me to a guarded area. Can you imagine, me? I do not blame them in the slightest. Think of it, some strange man whom you have never seen before appearing from the woods disheveled and babbling in some foreign tongue. I am eternally grateful for my hosts, however. These past few days they have fed and maintained me with much hospitality. We have found some methods of communication. Eventually, they determined I must contribute if I were to remain with them here. As I have no clue as to where I would go, I have complied.
As I offered my experience in fishing though a clumsy hand motion communication on my part, they brought me along on a fishing expedition. It was on this fishing expedition that I discovered the nature of my predicament. I found that I was not lost in a different world altogether, rather lost in time. I saw the southernmost tip of Manhattan Island. The land was marred not by the footprint of Fort Amsterdam. There was not a single sign of Dutch, English, nor American colonization. It was pristine, clear, and oh so very wondrous. I was dumbstruck at how we have defiled such a place with decades upon decades of waste and plunder.
My dear Isabelle, I am not sure of how I may return to you one day. I know not how, nor when; but it is my solemn duty to return to you. I want so much to share my journey with you. As for now I am indebted to my hosts. The hospitality and care they have shown me can never be repaid. I shall write again soon my dear. I pray that I may be able to deliver these letters in person one day. For now I shall dream of your beauty, as I’m reminded of it daily in the world around me.
All of My Love,
Harold L. Baker.

Outro:
Thank you for listening to The Lost Letters. We hope you have enjoyed our presentation. If you enjoyed the show please review and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. If you would like to join the conversation you may do so on Facebook, Instagram, and our website www.PatronSaintsOfPopCulture.org. You can also e-mail us at PatronSaintsOfPopCulture@gmail.com. Don’t forget, communication is key!

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Miguel Covarrubias
Miguel Covarrubias

Written by Miguel Covarrubias

A biracial writer, podcaster, and family man.

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