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It wasn’t that hard to understand, not if you gave it any thought at all, which isn’t saying that he did.  There’d been a time of privacy once, most anyone with a formal education could have told you that, but that was a long time ago, just another one of those obscure facts about the path of humanity.  More historical footnote, really, than anything else.  Certainly not something to sit around thinking about, unless you were one of those academic types he ran into from time to time, wandering around talking to anyone who would listen about some obscure feeling of discontent that no one seemed to understand, least of all care about.  He certainly wasn’t one of those, at least he didn’t think so anyway.  But who knew anything for sure these days?  Waiting around near the edge of the sands the past few weeks had taught him that much.  One thing he did know was that he wasn’t surprised when the thin man pulled the letter from his satchel, unfolded it slowly, and began to read.

I spotted a man with uncommonly long legs approaching from the north, covering the distance between us in far fewer strides than I would have thought possible.  A felt hat sat upon his head, which he carefully removed to wipe the sweat from his somewhat large, pale brow.  I was impatient for news of my return, but held my tongue, knowing that whatever news the man had for me, would be shared when it was time.  There is no use hurrying anyone along, that much I understood.