Daylight Chasers

By Rue Sparks

"I wish this day would never end" - One heart's desire leads to a tumultuous journey for an unlikely pair.

Keenan, a guide at Daylight Chasers, is hired to lead Isabella through a day that "nearly" never ends. As the top agent, he excels at calming the excitable and inspiring the timid, as they journey across the globe one time zone at a time. Despite his years of experience, Keenan soon realizes that he is going to need a lot more than his familiar script when it comes to Isabella's expedition.

When the planned activities all start going south, Keenan finds himself struggling to respond to Isabella's mercurial moods. With each adventure sending them further from the planned path, Keenan begins to wonder how can he be the guide when even he is feeling lost?

This short story is a modern fable on mortality, bravery, and acceptance.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rue Sparks
• Release date: Feb 8, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393011828

Rue Sparks

Rue Sparks, Writer | Artist A widow, disabled, and a member of the queer community, Rue Sparks traverses the equally harsh and cathartic landscape where trauma and healing align to create stories that burrow into the hearts and minds of their readers. In addition to The Stars Will Guide Us Back, Sparks has authored the novella Daylight Chasers, writes the web serial The Dragon Warden, and will be releasing the contemporary mystery novel The Fable of Wren later in 2021. They live in Noblesville, Indiana in the USA with their sweet senior support dog and still draw and paint when they’re physically able.

Book preview

CONTENT WARNING

This book covers the many nuanced emotions surrounding death and loss.

DEDICATION

For My Wife

1987-2017

re-imagining atlas

this is not your closing act.

with your first breath you kicked and screamed,

fighting against anyone who would tell you

that you’d never be enough.

it did not end with that last gasping breath.

it is my choice to bring you forward with me;

I carry the legacy of your tenacious spirit

I

I take a moment to focus on my breathing.

But there is a pen out of place. My inhale stutters. A rogue blue pen stands out stark against the five black pens sitting in the gray glass mason jar. Wrong. I let out my breath, take the blue pen. I put it back with the other four blue pens in their respective navy blue mason jar. How they should be.

Everything needs to be perfect. The First Contact is always the most difficult part, and the combination of disbelief and elation that usually accompanies the initial conversation can easily get me off track, but my job is clear.

Education. Confirmation. Scheduling. These are my goals. I need to keep focused, keep that happy energy flowing, but focused.

I set my shoulders back, dial the number. The line rings a few times before the client picks up.

Hello? her voice sounds uncertain, cautious. But open.

I smile. I heard you can hear a smile through a phone.

Hello there! First, we at Daylight Chasers, LLC, want to congratulate you on your happy news. Though the nature of the event has not been disclosed to us, we have become aware of your request and are happy to serve you in the upcoming hours.

There is the expected pause. I’ve been trained for this very thing. Give the client space, my manager had said.

I look down at my tablet. It was the standard tablet given to all handlers, a slim ten-inch beveled screen pre-loaded with software created for Daylight Chasers. It offers scripts for the First Contact, provides a schedule and allows me to book potential activities. It even has a handy guide to every stage of the journey—complete with prompts—for how to handle the situation if things go wrong.

I know it word for word, front to back.

I continue.

"Thanks to modern technology, we are here to help you achieve the dream of a day that nearly never ends. Whether you wish to live this moment for another 24 or 36 hours, we are here to help you enjoy this time of your life for as long as possible. With a combination of high-speed travel and—"

Is this a joke? she interrupts. I really don't have time for this. I think you have the wrong number.

On the tablet in my lap, I click on the 'disbelief' button. A box pops up with a script of some tactics to orient the client to our services.

Ms. Marquez, this is no joke. Have you, within the last 5 minutes, uttered the phrase, 'I wish this day would never end'?'

There is a long moment of silence, and to my surprise, a choked sob.

Yes, she says, voice sounding wet. Yes, I have. How did you know?

I feel a burst of relief and train my eyes on the script options. That's a trade secret, I'm afraid, but rest assured, our complex network of highly sophisticated software is never wrong! We at Daylight Chasers are here to make your wish a reality.

As I speak, I bring up a list of travel options and activities coordinated by time zone. "Our records show that you currently live in New Haven, Connecticut. If we work fast, I can book land travel and activities that best highlight all America has to offer, before a brief trip over the Pacific Ocean and onto even more adventure for your day that nearly never ends!"

I pause for effect, giving her a moment to process the possibilities. There’s some faint sniffling that’s crackling over the phone. My heart quickens, and I wonder if I’ve misjudged. The silence lingers awkwardly. I frantically swipe between activity options on the tablet.

Eventually I hear a few thumps and then her clearing her throat. "I don't really understand what's going on. A day that