<div class="floatright">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/0/06/Rebecca_Fowler.jpg)</div>Rebecca had actually set out early that morning to arrive in Dead Woods on time for Dr. Jonathan Wade’s lecture. She had sent the good doctor some letters to explain her situation and ask for his help, but they had so far gone unanswered. She was able to find out about the series of lectures the man was planning to give and thought them as good a place as any to make his acquaintance. She had picked up a Toyota Tacoma from the rental place and the darkness of night had still been out when she had closed the door of her small apartment and set out. The satnav system in the car did have Dead Woods listed, but when the small map was being drawn on the center consoler of her car’s dashboard, she saw that it was more or less in the middle of an empty field of green. Of course, she had been aware of the fact that it was a rather secluded community. That was part of the reason why it was such an interesting candidate to devote at least part of her dissertation to. The drive upstate was a rather long and tiring one. She stopped after two hours, around the first light, to gas up and buy some coffee and snacks. She stopped again around lunch time at one of the last chance diners, or that was at least how the place was advertised. Not many people were around in the converted train car style diner and most of the regulars were sitting and eating at the counter. Rebecca ordered a cheeseburger and some fries and coffee from the middle-aged waitress who gave her the once over. Then she leafed through what little information she had gathered about Dr. Jonathan Wade in a folder she had devoted to the man. He was a fascinating individual whose choice to move and work in Dead Woods had baffled the academic community. Rebecca had actually grown somewhat excited to meet him.<br/><br/>Rebecca set out again after lunch with the intention of driving all the way down to Dead Woods in one long trek, if possible. She was mostly gassed up and she had some snacks left for any nagging hunger she might suffer through in the afternoon. The further she got away from the diner she had eaten lunch at, the more sparse signs of civilization became. Eventually, the only proof of human presence became the tarmac road, guarded on either side by giant sentries in the form of the countless trees that lined it. The sky was already starting to change to a slightly orange hue when she passed the “Dead Woods 5 Miles” sign. A short time after that, she pulled into the town center. It was a bigger place than she had imagined, though still carrying the signs of decades of isolation. The city center had a cluster of buildings that were a mixture of pre- and post-depression architecture. The area further away from the center was more recent, but all of the structures had a rustic feel to them. She asked directions to Dr. Jonathan Wade’s lecture and was sent towards the town hall. It appeared that she would not be the only person to attend the lecture in question, as a good collection of cars was parked outside of the town hall. She saw both local plates and out of state vehicles. So she would not be the only person who came in specifically to hear the doctor speak. She pushed open the double doors to the town hall and was relieved to see that the lecture hadn’t yet started. She found a place in a row of chairs that still had a few vacant spots. She greeted the people sitting next to her with a nod of the head and then proceeded to fish a notebook out of her bag to start transcribing some details of the doctor’s lecture. She didn’t have to wait too long.<br/><br/>Dr. Jonathan Wade came onto the podium and started his talk. He looked like the man she had seen black and white photographs of, only decades older. He was kind of handsome in a way that older academics often can be. What he presented to the town hall was certainly interesting, but also rather vague. As if he was working up to a big reveal but never getting around to actually showing his hand. Then the lecture ended after a handful of hours had passed by quicker than Rebecca could have imagined. She stuffed her notebook back into her bag and quickly approached the podium as Dr. Jonathan Wade was still gathering his own notes. She climbed the podium and approached him, extending her hand.<strong>“Dr. Wade? Hello there. I’m Rebecca Fowler. I wrote you? I hope you did get my letters.”</strong><br/>