Delete Button - Reboot

November 4, 2021

PROMPT November 4th

We've all heard of people who mysteriously 'go missing'. Tonight, write about a person who 'goes missing'. Someone that you read about in the newspaper or online, but nobody seems to know them, or remember them.



Ferguson flipped through her paper message slips. The only interesting one was marked urgent from Raen Davis, "Ferguson, I am investigating a shady situation, and if you don't hear from me to start an investigation." Ferguson checked the date stamp. It was from several days ago. Ferguson searched her memories. She hadn't seen or heard from Raen in much longer than that. She wondered what Raen was investigating. Leave it to Raen to find trouble.

Ferguson logged into the Baerd Guild database and scan on Raen's digital activities. She had probably sent the message and forgotten to get back to Ferguson. That was when the search got weird. The database gave a short error message, "No entry found." That couldn't be right, Raen was a prominent guild member. Ferguson used a back door trick to scan each of the other guilds with which Raen was affiliated. Again varying error messages that amounted to, "No entry found."

Ferguson got up from her desk and decided to follow the message slip to its origin. According to the origin markings, the message was dropped off at the front desk and Maleus Farkin was responsible for taking it down. Ferguson spent a few minutes tracking Maleus down.

"Guildsmen Farkin?" Ferguson tapped him on the shoulder as he bent over a sandwich.

"Yes, why are you interrupting my lunch break! Oh, I apologize Journeywoman Ferguson."

"I just received a message slip from five days ago, and it marks you as the one who took it down," Ferguson handed the slip to Farkin.

"Yeah, that is my stamp but I don't remember this message. Who is Raen Davis?"

"You know, the woman who saved Jayden Baerd from the silver striped serpent, and located the Basuram shipment that Totchky misplaced."

"I remember that shipment, but for the life of me, I can't remember the name of the member that found it."

Ferguson scoffed, "Come on man! Basuram! You really don't think you should remember this?"

"Probably, I just don't." He went back to eating. Ferguson held her hand out for the slip. Farkin noticed after a while. "What?"

"My message slip?"

"What message slip?"

"That paper tucked beside your sandwich wrapper."

Farkin plucked the slip from beneath his greasy sandwich wrapper with greasy fingers. He shrugged and handed it to her. The message was smeared beyond recognition. Ferguson sighed. She spent the rest of the afternoon questioning people she knew should know Raen. None of them could recall her in the least.

Ferguson went to the streets, she had met more than a few of Raen's friends and pseudo-family from her time on the streets and she knew they had a vested interest in remembering Raen's kindnesses. The trouble was she couldn't find them now. Word was that a lot of the street kids had died from some mysterious illness passing through the poorer sections of the city. It was particularly devastating and killed everyone infected. Word had been spreading to even the affluent portions of the city.

Ferguson was about ready to give up when she remembered Raen's relationship with Master Honor Baggood of the Apothecary Guild. Ferguson made her way to the shop he managed, only to find it closed due to quarantine. Despite the quarantine, a crowd had gathered outside. Ferguson recognized one of the shop's apprentices talking to a stranger dressed in a dark gray suit. The man in the suit laid a hand on the side of the apprentice's head and then walked away. It seemed odd.

"Hey Jobbie, have you seen Raen?" Ferguson asked the apprentice.

Jobbie, shook his head to clear it, "Who?"

"You know, Raen. Raen Davis?"

"Nope."

That is when the man he had been talking to walked up to Ferguson, "Miss, I hear you seem to be looking for someone, perhaps I can help you."

Ferguson looked the man over. He was particularly hairy and smelled of trouble, "No thanks."

He attempted to place his hand on the side of her head. She dodged him. He growled like an animal which caused her to look back in his direction. The moment she faced him he sprayed her in the face with a foul-smelling aerosol can. "What in the heck!" The man disappeared into the crowd before Ferguson could react. She swatted away the smell. This had been her last lead on what she could do to find Raen. Ferguson headed back towards the Baerd Guild Hall. By the time she reached the complex, she wasn't feeling well. She decided to head to her apartment and attack things again in the morning.