Three Eight One

By: Aliya Whiteley

Narrated by: Justine Eyre

In January 2314, Rowena Savalas—a curator of the vast archive of the twenty-first century's primitive internet—stumbles upon a story posted in the summer of 2024. She's quickly drawn into the mystery of the text: Is it autobiography, fantasy, or fraud? What's the significance of the recurring number 381?

In the story, the protagonist Fairly walks the Horned Road—a quest undertaken by youngsters in her village when they come of age. She is followed by the "breathing man," a looming presence, dogging her heels every step of the way. Everything she was taught about her world is overturned.

Following Fairly's quest, Rowena comes to question her own choices, and a predictable life of curation becomes one of exploration, adventure, and love. As both women's stories draw to a close, she realizes it doesn't matter whether the story is true or not: as with the quest itself, it's the journey that matters.

©2024 Aliya Whiteley (P)2024 Tantor

Tries to do ‘weird’ but doesn’t land it

Imagine Willy Wonka with none of the experiences of the characters being the just consequences of their own actions and ending with no one inheriting the chocolate factory.
Structurally similar to Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (but with the final chapters missing).