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“You first, since you like to always brag about how you’re the adventurous brother,” Zach points out. “If we’re going to open them, we might as well follow the rules.” There’s a shock, my brother wants to follow the rules.
Even though I don’t want to do it, I finally tear open the box and look at the items inside. On top, is a yellowed piece of paper, with a folded note attached, but I’m confused as I look at the words and lines. Opening it, I lay it on the desk.
“What is it?” I ask Zach, who’s looking at it with as much confusion as me.
“I have no idea,” Zach says. We both lean over as we look. “It appears to be a... map.”
“My gift is a map?” I ask, looking at Callan. He shrugs.
“Read the note,” he suggests. I open the sealed note and read the words written on it.
You’ve always sought adventure, so here’s the first clue in your game — a map. You have to follow the clues to find the true gift in the end, and more importantly to find yourself. You’ll need help. Her name is on the back of this letter.
“Itisa map,” I say. Zach takes the note from me and reads. Then we gaze at each other.
“How would this woman from fifteen years ago know about a woman today?” Zach asks. He’s the most logical of all of us.
“Unless Gramps messed with this somehow,” I say.
“How could he? We didn’t even tell him about the woman at the lake,” Callan points out.
“I don’t know. This is all strange,” I say.
“Are you going to try to follow the map?” Zach asks.
“I don’t know. I have to admit I’m curious,” I say.
“What’s this?” Callan asks as he pulls out another piece of paper.
All three of us stare at it. “It’s a poem,” I say. We read it, but it makes no sense. The last thing in the box is a compass that simply says:to help you find your way.
“So, if I don’t go on this treasure hunt, what happens?” I ask, forcing a laugh.
“It doesn’t say what the consequences are,” Callan says. He lifts the flaps on the bottom of the box to make sure there’s nothing else hidden beneath. We’re silent a moment as we return our attention to the map laid out on the desk.
“I don’t know what to say about this,” Zach finally says.
“Are you two going to open yours?” I point out. They both look at their boxes with suspicion.
“I think we should see how your adventure goes. This gives me the creeps,” Zach says. Again, there’s no way either of my brothers will chance breaking the rules. I would, but I’ve always liked playing with fate.
“So I’m the damn guinea pig?”
“You’re the adventurous one,” Callan says.
“What about the woman?” Zach asks.
I finally give a real smile. “I have to find out who in the heck she is. There’s no possible way she’s real. At least this part of the game intrigues me.”
“How will you look for her?” Callan asks.
“I’m a pro at finding people. It’s all part of my job,” I point out.
“You haven’t told us a lot about your job,” Zach says.
“Maybe I’ll start sharing.” I look around Gramps’s office again. It feels like he’s going to walk in at any minute. “Do you think the old man was losing his mind in the end? Out of all the things he could do, he left these old packages on his desk. It’s odd.”
“No. I’m told he was completely sane,” Zach assures me. I look at the items on the desk. Did Gramps want me to go on this treasure hunt? Did he know what was in these boxes? Did we bring them home, he opened them, then added to them? I desperately wish I could have some answers.
