Washington, DC Friday, November 23rd, 2046 She ran her fingers along the edge of the wooden picture frame. “What would you have done? I know you would give the perfect answers to the questions I have. You would have seen the great, big, flawless plan that the universe has in store for all of us.” Jessica looked around her father’s empty apartment. Empty… She placed the picture frame back on the mantle, making sure it faced the large window overlooking the courtyard garden below. Jessica was sure her father had done that on purpose; so that every night, the woman in the photo would be looking at the sky outside, and the stars that shone there in the darkness. Jessica picked up the box at her feet. “A little longer,” she murmured, mostly to herself. Turning toward the bookshelf across the room, she began collecting books and knickknacks from the shelves. “He was always about modest living, wasn’t he? Thank god he wasn’t a hoarder.”