FiveSirens woke Ben the next morning. Sirens and the buzz of a helicopter. While neither were alien, they were not usual morning sounds for a quiet Iowa tourist town. With apologies to Dickens, he peeled his eyes open experiencing the best of times and the worst of times. The best because of memories of Erin the night before. The worst because her place beside him in bed was empty. The best because, though it was a 'B' Shift day and the sirens were those of his gang, he'd taken the day off and could hear them from bed. The worst because Erin's place beside him was empty. Come to think, now he was awake and thinking, why was her place empty?
Atop the coffee maker, Ben found a note from Erin. Seeing it recalled the warm memory. Reading it ruined his morning. She'd forgotten to tell him, owi
