Calli stared at the phone and exhaled with a sigh of relief. She'd made it through another Friday night call from her mom. Again she'd managed to dodge the same questions and concerns she hears week after week:
"Are you getting enough rest, Calli?"
"Are you eating right, Calli?"
"Met any new friends lately?"
"Having Sam is good Calliope, but don't you need more need more than..."
She knew her mom meant well and they loved each other dearly, but Calli had learned how to answer certain questions without giving too much away.
Besides, she was fine with the way her life was going. More than fine actually. A year ago she'd re-located to a new city; loved her job; had found a spacious apartment with quiet neighbors, and had Sam to curl up with at night. What more did she need right now?
Calli put the receiver back in its cradle and headed to her bed. Light from the candle on her nightstand caused the silhouette of her slim shoulders and curly hair to dance in rhythm with the flickering flame. She sat on the edge of her bed, while digging into her usual Friday night dinner of Cherry Garcia.
Patting the pillow next to hers, she called for Sam when all she felt was a cool empty space.
Her laptop lay closed on her pillow right where she'd left it and after opening it, the warm glow from the screen gave her enough light to see that Sam wasn't there.
Knowing Sam's habits , "Probably moved to the couch again." she thought.
Calli turned her attention back to the screen and double clicked on her favorite site.
She'd discovered it one night while surfing for erotic literature, which had been her first secret passion. Now she enjoyed nights like this; delving into a virtual world, totally anonymous.
She'd lie in her room feeling the night air on her skin from the open window and visit all sorts of places. At least she could answer 'yes' to one of her mom's questions. She had met new friends. She just chose not to tell her Mother, or anyone else, where.
She typed in her password and waited for her profile page to appear. Calli held her breath and listen for any noise from the hallway. Hearing nothing except the usual weekend sounds of city streets far below, reassured her that Sam was not going to interrupt her journey into Otherworld.
She relaxed, smiling over the avatar she'd chosen for herself because it really did look a lot like her.
'Chained_Maiden is now online', flashed at the bottom of her screen. After four months she still enjoyed seeing that.
"Has it only been four months? " she said to herself.
After four months, unlike most members, Calli's interest in being a social butterfly had waned . She was well liked and welcomed into this world by many. The dance clubs were fun and she quickly gained a reputation among her new friends as being good at trivia and damn lucky at raffle drawings. This being an 'adult only' virtual world, had given her freedom to indulge in a few sexual encounters as well.
"When in Rome!", she'd muttered and laughed out loud to herself.
By nature's design, Calli found herself seeking solitude in yet another world full of people. Her comforts in this virtual world mirrored that in real life. Her Otherworld apartment was spacious with a never-ending fire in the fireplace. She'd equipped it with a kick-ass stereo that covered all genres; and she had a cat named Samantha for her only roommate.
Anxiously, she clicked on what had become her favorite place here for weeks. Immediately she was surrounded by gardens with flowers so real she could almost smell their scent. Small candles lit pathways that led to unexplored places in every direction. Here she'd discovered fountains surrounded by stone benches and beautifully carved statues.
She'd walked over bridges, hearing the river that roared down from a snow-capped mountain. This was her dream place in any world; where the stars (her stars) always shined. She had found "The Virtual Nighttime Sky".
Calli was mesmerized by this place where night did not equal darkness. The starlit sky was a constant source of light. Although open to anyone, she had rarely seen other members here. It was perfectly designed for privacy and solitude for those who had fallen in love with the stars.
Calli's best friends were here; made up in constellations. She favored the northern sky where she could see Orion the hunter; his belt bejeweled by the Gods. The rarely noticed Hercules, kneeling. While Perseus and Pegasus represented 'all things magical'.
She knew and recognized too many to count. However, one stood out on a more personal level. The constellation whose story she actually dreamed about was the mythical princess Andromeda. Also known as 'The Chained Maiden'.
She wanted to get as close as her avatar would carry her to the northern constellations. Last week she'd attempted to climbed to the top of the tallest mountain but half way up had looked down. She'd panicked over how high above ground she was and in typical newbie fashion didn't just freeze, or let go, but hit the back arrow instead.
Suddenly she was back in her virtual living room beside her virtual fireplace, staring at her virtual cat while her real life heart was virtually beating out of her chest!
Tonight though, she was determined! She was taking Chained_Maiden to that mountain top. It was the only way to be as close to Andromeda as she'd ever dream of being. She had to finish the climb.
"Lucky for us both," she muttered, "we're guaranteed to survive."
Calli had covered what had to be miles and was just past the half way point when Sam decided to make her not so graceful leap onto the bed.
She was aiming for Calli's lap but hit the computer instead. It fell to the floor, and landed lid side down. Calli closed her eyes in attempt to shield herself from the shock of sudden darkness after light from the screen went out.
"Damn it! Why didn't I light another candle?" Calli muttered to herself.
Samantha, meanwhile, had made herself comfortable on her lap and was purring.Calli rubbed underneath her cat's chin, while counting to ten before opening her eyes.
She expected darkness until she found the light switch to the bedside lamp but was amazed at what she saw.
Light!! Not just any light: starlight filled her room!
A silhouette of her slim shoulders and curly hair appeared on the wall similar to what the candle had made before. Only this time, of course, there were two pointy ears and whiskers along with it.
"I must be dreaming. There's no way! With city lights! I haven't seen starlight this bright in over a year!"
Afraid to go to the open window alone, she scooped up Sam and crept from her bed. As if on cue, a soft breeze picked up the sheer curtains; parting them as she made her way to look outside.
