on his weirdness though. When she got home and checked the mail, weirdness hit a whole new level.
CHAPTER 2
"What the hell?" Celia lifted a large, bright red envelope from of the pile of bills and flyers. Flipping it over, she checked for some sign of who it was from but found it mysteriously blank except for her name and address. Walking into the kitchen, she tossed the rest of mail on the counter and ripped the red envelope open.
With a piercing shriek she jumped back dropping the envelope as glitter burst from the paper in a sparkling cloud that powdered the tiled floor as it settled throughout the kitchen.
Hand over her racing heart, Celia started laughing as she bent over to pick up the envelope. "Okay, evil, evil person. You win. Thanks for giving me a heart attack." She ran a finger along the glitter in the grout between the floor tiles. The glitter stuck in the rough texture. "How the heck do I clean this up?"
With a sigh Celia stood up. She would call her best friend, Kayla. She had four girls and her house was always covered in glittery stuff. In fact, she'd always had a sparkle thing. Even in high school her face and clothes were perpetually covered in glitter. It was an obsession for her. She probably knew how to clean it up. In fact, she was probably the evil person behind the envelope.
Moving over to the sink, Celia carefully pulled the letter out of the envelope, shaking it until all the loose glitter fell off the paper.
Her breath caught as she started reading.
Hello Treasure,
Your big day is almost here,
forty is nothing to fear.
Once we dreamed of this day,
as the one when we would stay.
To celebrate let's have some fun,
a scavenger hunt on the run.
Want to know who I am, treasure?
Follow the clues with careful measure.
I brought a sparkle to your day,
now go and see your friend, 'kay?
Celia's eyebrows pinched together in confusion as she read through the words again. Flipping over the paper she found one more line.
P.S. No, I'm not a poet, and all my clues and rhymes will suck. Take this as fair warning. I hope you won't hold it against me. Ready to play?
"What the hell? Actually, who the hell?" Celia announced into her silent home. Propping her hip against the counter she turned on the water to wash the glitter from the sink. As the sparkling water swirled down the drain she read the letter for a third time.
"Well, I can figure out the last part. Guess I'm calling Kayla." But her call went to voice mail. She left a quick message and hung up. As she stood drumming her fingers on the counter, trying to decide what to do, the phone rang.
"Hey, sorry 'bout that. Was talking to the girls' coach. There's always some drama with that woman." Kayla's words raced down the line so quickly Celia couldn't get a word in. "So, I was actually going to call you, but was waiting until later. What are you doing home so early?"
"My boss is forcing me to take some vacation days," Celia huffed. She still felt raw about the forced exile from her office, even with this new distraction.
"Huh, well, you should. I mean you never take time off or go on vacation." Celia tried to interject but Kayla kept talking. "Anyway, it's a good thing you have some free time. You need to come over here. Someone left a parcel for you on my doorstep. I already checked. No return address, and it's wrapped in red paper. Tried shaking it but it didn't make any good sounds. Do you have a special someone you need to tell me about? Huh?" Her friend's giggling prods made Celia smile and laugh.
"Um, no. Not that I'm aware of."
She had to admit, now she was curious, and maybe a little excited. It was a mystery, and nothing in her life had been exciting or mysterious in a long time.
"Do you know what this means?" Kayla squealed so loudly, Celia had to pull the phone away from her ear. When the piercing screech stopped she tentatively listened again.
"What?" Celia asked.
"You have a secret admirer!"
CHAPTER
CHAPTER 2
"What the hell?" Celia lifted a large, bright red envelope from of the pile of bills and flyers. Flipping it over, she checked for some sign of who it was from but found it mysteriously blank except for her name and address. Walking into the kitchen, she tossed the rest of mail on the counter and ripped the red envelope open.
With a piercing shriek she jumped back dropping the envelope as glitter burst from the paper in a sparkling cloud that powdered the tiled floor as it settled throughout the kitchen.
Hand over her racing heart, Celia started laughing as she bent over to pick up the envelope. "Okay, evil, evil person. You win. Thanks for giving me a heart attack." She ran a finger along the glitter in the grout between the floor tiles. The glitter stuck in the rough texture. "How the heck do I clean this up?"
With a sigh Celia stood up. She would call her best friend, Kayla. She had four girls and her house was always covered in glittery stuff. In fact, she'd always had a sparkle thing. Even in high school her face and clothes were perpetually covered in glitter. It was an obsession for her. She probably knew how to clean it up. In fact, she was probably the evil person behind the envelope.
Moving over to the sink, Celia carefully pulled the letter out of the envelope, shaking it until all the loose glitter fell off the paper.
Her breath caught as she started reading.
Hello Treasure,
Your big day is almost here,
forty is nothing to fear.
Once we dreamed of this day,
as the one when we would stay.
To celebrate let's have some fun,
a scavenger hunt on the run.
Want to know who I am, treasure?
Follow the clues with careful measure.
I brought a sparkle to your day,
now go and see your friend, 'kay?
Celia's eyebrows pinched together in confusion as she read through the words again. Flipping over the paper she found one more line.
P.S. No, I'm not a poet, and all my clues and rhymes will suck. Take this as fair warning. I hope you won't hold it against me. Ready to play?
"What the hell? Actually, who the hell?" Celia announced into her silent home. Propping her hip against the counter she turned on the water to wash the glitter from the sink. As the sparkling water swirled down the drain she read the letter for a third time.
"Well, I can figure out the last part. Guess I'm calling Kayla." But her call went to voice mail. She left a quick message and hung up. As she stood drumming her fingers on the counter, trying to decide what to do, the phone rang.
"Hey, sorry 'bout that. Was talking to the girls' coach. There's always some drama with that woman." Kayla's words raced down the line so quickly Celia couldn't get a word in. "So, I was actually going to call you, but was waiting until later. What are you doing home so early?"
"My boss is forcing me to take some vacation days," Celia huffed. She still felt raw about the forced exile from her office, even with this new distraction.
"Huh, well, you should. I mean you never take time off or go on vacation." Celia tried to interject but Kayla kept talking. "Anyway, it's a good thing you have some free time. You need to come over here. Someone left a parcel for you on my doorstep. I already checked. No return address, and it's wrapped in red paper. Tried shaking it but it didn't make any good sounds. Do you have a special someone you need to tell me about? Huh?" Her friend's giggling prods made Celia smile and laugh.
"Um, no. Not that I'm aware of."
She had to admit, now she was curious, and maybe a little excited. It was a mystery, and nothing in her life had been exciting or mysterious in a long time.
"Do you know what this means?" Kayla squealed so loudly, Celia had to pull the phone away from her ear. When the piercing screech stopped she tentatively listened again.
"What?" Celia asked.
"You have a secret admirer!"
CHAPTER
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