The Ghosts

Chapter Nine, Part One

Chapter Nine

After I finished up in the bathroom, I checked out my other packages. I had one form my parents, one from my brother, one from Sophie, and one from Vampire Domain. I opened all of them but my parents, shoving that, along with Aidan’s painting in my closet. Gregori looked a little worried but when I told him I knew what I was doing, he didn’t say anything else about it.

My brother’s present I didn’t understand. It was a box of tissues and a pack of gum. He was so weird. Sophie sent a box of fortune cookies.

And Michael…

He sent a first edition copy of Hans Christian Anderson’s The Ugly Duckling. I opened the front cover and a slip of paper fell out.

Sit Behind Me. See What’s Underneath.

He was sending me on a scavenger hunt for Christmas.

That made me smile.

“What’s that?”

“Nothing.” I tucked the slip of paper back in the book and closed it. “Just something I have to do later.”

He nodded. “Ready?”

“I think so.”

We ended up running around the city for most of the day, going to all the various attractions the city was famous for. We decided to eat lunch in the park and then head over to Rockefeller Center.

“Can you give me one second?”

“Sure.”

We were just about to pass the Hans Christian Anderson statue. That was the only thing I could think of that Michael’s note could refer to. I looked over the bronze statue, smiled at the ugly duckling looking at the iconic writer. It used to be one of my favorite stories as a kid and part of me wondered if Michael didn’t send me that book for that exact reason.

There were benches behind the statue so I sat down on one and thought for a second. I caught a glimpse of Gregori watching me, confusion scribbled all over his face. I must look like a certifiable crazy person. But then again, if he was going to consider me crazy, he would’ve thought it by now.

Underneath…or was it beneath…

I stuck my head between my legs and felt around the bottom of the bench. There was nothing there. Then again there wasn’t a bench directly behind the statue either. They were all equally spaced allowing for two to be on his left and two on his right.

Behind him was the same rock pattern that surrounded the rest of the statue. But there was a white X on one of the rocks.

Oh lord he could be arrested for vandalism. Hell, I could be arrested for vandalism. I pried up the hexagon and underneath was a folded up envelope, Αγάπη written on the top. I picked it up and set the stone back, making sure it looked like no one had messed with it. I settled back on the bench and opened up the envelope.

Αγάπη,

‘Then he felt very bashful, and tucked his head under his wing. He did not know what this was all about. He felt so very happy, but he wasn't at all proud, for a good heart never grows proud. He thought about how he had been persecuted and scorned, and now he heard them all call him the most beautiful of all beautiful birds. The lilacs dipped their clusters into the stream before him, and the sun shone so warm and so heartening. He rustled his feathers and held his slender neck high, as he cried out with full heart: "I never dreamed there could be so much happiness, when I was the ugly duckling.”’