On Sunday, it was mid-afternoon before Zach finally awoke. He had anticipated the need to sleep in after the all-night festival, so he turned off his alarm before going to New Albion. He sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

It worked, he thought. My business venture really worked. I have enough money in New Albion now to make meaningful investments, starting with funding a gold-mining expedition.

But his success didn’t make the upcoming decision any easier. Zach had a big call to make, but he couldn’t handle it just yet. He procrastinated instead. He whipped up a simple meal in the kitchen and drank some of his prototype Equinox Coffee, even though he’d started to tire of the taste after having so much at the festival. The coffee beans in this world were better, but the milk and sugar in New Albion were top notch. He put a note on the bottle of cold-brew concentrate saying that his roommates could have the rest.

Then he studied for the upcoming week’s lessons. He was reading a section of his Econ book about commodity futures when his train of thought went off on a tangent. The ‘real’ world’s economy was vast, complicated, and dominated by major players like corporations. Zach could work his entire life as an economist or a day trader or anything else and never have a noticeable impact on it. Maybe he could help a company outpace its competitors or maybe he could get independently wealthy and live comfortably. Either way, history was unlikely to take note.

But in New Albion, Zach had a chance to change the world. There’s was an immature yet thriving economy where some concepts as simple as coupons had never taken off. There was just so much they’d never tried, so many places Zach could have an impact. With his outside perspective and all of human history just a flip and a web search away, Zach could do more than make himself rich. He could make a difference. He could make that world a better place for the people there.

And to do that, he just needed to put his life in this world on hold.

He quickly clarified that thought. Not leave it behind entirely, but… dial it back a bit. Maybe start spending one day a week here. Maybe drop from school, so I can stop stressing about it and spending so much time studying.

And just like that, the decision was made. Zach would start moving on from this life, and focus on his other one.

He put the textbook away and got out his checkbook. He wrote up three months’ rent checks, paid for by his dad’s life insurance payout, and put them in an envelope with a note to Matt. Then he texted his roommates that he’d be going out of town a lot while he worked some things out.

The harder parts came next. He dug deep into the university website until he found the page on deferring enrollment. Unlike dropping out, deferment would let him re-enroll easily in the future. He submitted a deferment request online, and since he was over 18 and paying the university directly himself, he didn’t need parent permission.

It had been a little painful when he checked the box that said, “I acknowledge that I will be withdrawn from all current courses without credit or reimbursement. Upon resuming attendance, any required courses that were dropped will need to be retaken in full.”

He texted Erin next, saying, “I’m dropping out for a while to deal with the same stuff that’s been messing with my school schedule. You’ll need a new study partner. I’m sorry. We can still chat, but I’ll be slow to respond to texts.”

In the back of his mind, he had a feeling that Erin would be quite upset at him dropping out, and the way he handled it. There was more he wanted to say to her, about how she was a great friend and he felt like he was letting her down, but he couldn’t find the words.

Zach pushed those thoughts aside and checked his email for his mom’s latest ‘Where in the world is Jan Pike?’ email. That was her playful way of keeping him posted on her international travel. It revealed that she was flying to Singapore for business, and she’d just departed an hour ago. Since a phone call wasn’t an option, he wrote her an email.

It said, “Hi mom, I hope you’re well and having fun. I was going to call you, but I saw that you’re on a plane again.

I’m sorry for not talking to you about this sooner, but I’m going to defer my college enrollment for a semester or so while I deal with something that’s been bothering me. I’ve been too distracted to keep up with my classes anyway.

There’s something I feel I have to do. I can’t really explain the whole situation, but I guess it’s a sort of wanderlust. I figure you of all people would understand that.

I’ll be out of cell range most of the time, but I promise to check in with you at least every two weeks.

Love, Zach”

He sent it, then cleaned up his room and turned off his various electronic devices. He climbed into bed and eventually fell asleep, unsure when he’d return.

When Zach awoke in New Albion, he already knew what he needed to do. Before going to learn more about Bridges and other magic, before checking in with the Princess and telling her his new plans, and even before before investing in a gold mining expedition, Zach had to repay a debt.

On his first day in this world, when he still thought it was a dream, he had borrowed clothes from a farmhouse family. That was 20 days ago, a long time for potentially poor people to go without a full set of clothing. Zach felt guilty for taking so long, but he never could bring himself to repay them until he could afford to do it right.

He packed his backpack with the borrowed shirt, pants, and underwear, but the socks had been destroyed long ago. They’d been hand washed and folded since the day he bought his own clothes. Then he tucked four coins into the bag’s inner pocket. The rest of his money would stay safe in the inn. He was heading outside the walls, beyond the protection of the Guard, and he had no idea how risky it would be. Thieves definitely existed in this world, a fact he’d learned from Nevin the mapmaker on his second day in New Albion.

Zach cleaned up in the bathroom, got dressed in his nice clothes, and set out for the East Gate. It was just a short walk from the Hard Fought Rest to the gate and it wasn’t long before he’d crossed over from the city’s cobblestone streets to the dusty dirt roads of the countryside.

It looked just like it had three weeks ago. Wild grass that was more tan than green covered the low hills and moved with the light breeze in rippling waves. Occasional trees, mostly cottonwoods and pines, dotted the horizon and clustered around the rare stream or pond. Morning sunlight lit the scene in a warm orange that contrasted with the pale blue sky, clear of clouds.

The only signs of humanity were the dirt road under Zach’s feet and a fence in the distance. With Zach’s updated knowledge, he could guess that the fence defined the edge of a cattle pasture, maybe even one belonging to the cousin that Eleanor the leatherworker had mentioned.

He retraced the path that he had followed into town on his first day, keeping an eye out for anyone he could ask for directions. He brought’d a Hart to give the woman who shared her apples with him, but he had no idea where she lived. Zach , so hefigured he could describe her to anyone he met and hopefully find his way to her.

He reached the familiar farmhouse before spotting any other travelers. The garden plants had grown a bit and there weren’t any clothes hanging on the line, but the house was definitely the same one. It was hard to mistake the pile of red flagstones that Zach had hidden behind to get dressed in stolen clothes.

As he knocked on the weathered wood door, he thought, It’s not a problem that I didn’t see anyone on the way over. I’ll just ask these people about her.

The door opened and that thought was blown away entirely. A woman with sandy blonde hair and rosy cheeks stood there. It was the woman from that first day, the very one who had given him an apple. And apparently it had been her family he’d borrowed the clothes from.

Her eyes flicked over Zach’s form, then she asked, “Hello. Can I help you?”

Ah, she must not recognize me in these nice clothes, Zach thought. He smiled and said, “You already have. You gave me an apple a few weeks ago when I really needed it.”

Her brow furrowed in a cute way, then a look of recognition came over her. “Oh, you’re the young man I passed on the road into the city!”

Zach nodded. “Yes, and I’m very thankful for the apple you gave me. And since you live here, I have another thing to tell you. I’m the one that swiped your family’s clothes off the line.”

The woman blinked several times, then said, “Really? I’d thought the clothes you were wearing looked familiar.”

“Yes, that was me and I am very sorry. I left a note promising to repay you, so here…” With that, he set his backpack on the doorstep and pulled out a bundle of cleaned and folded clothes. He also grabbed the coins from the hidden inner pocket while he was in there.

He presented the clothes and said, “The socks didn’t last, but I hope the money makes up for that.” As she took the clothes from him, he placed four coins on top, a Hart and three Crowns. “The Hart is a thank you for the apple, and the three Crowns are for the socks, any wear and tear I put on the other clothes, and the interest I promised.”

The woman looked down at the money, back up at Zach, and down again. Then she sputtered, “N-no, that’s too much. I can’t accept that. We could buy a hundred pairs of socks with that, or brand new outfits for each of us, almost as nice as the one you’re wearing!”

Zach smiled. “Spend it however you want. I borrowed those clothes without asking, and that could have caused you serious hardship. I owe you at least that much.” He paused, then added, “And before you ask, I can’t really explain how I came to need those clothes, since I don’t fully understand myself. But I’m incredibly thankful to you and your family.”

The overwhelmed woman met Zach’s eyes for a moment, then seemed to have an idea that made her smile from ear to ear. “On that note, you should meet my family! Come inside for tea, or breakfast if you haven’t eaten. We eat early so that Russell can check on the animals,” she said, rambling a bit.

“Umm, I don’t want to impose…” Zach said, feeling nervousness bubble up inside.

“Nonsense!” she cheered. “Someone as honest and generous as you is always welcome in our home.” Before Zach could react, she was pulling him by the hand into the house. She was strong and her hands were calloused. If ‘Russel’ tended the animals, she must have done some other heavy chores herself.

“I suppose I can stay for tea,” he said, no longer resisting her pull. “Oh, and my name is Zach. I’m a merchant and I’m new to New Albion.”