Carnal

Epilogue

I placed my glass down on the countertop and stood up.

"Who's it from?" I asked, expecting another graduation gift from a distant relative.

"I'm not sure."

She picked up the towels and headed off to the bathroom to put them away.

I walked into the dining room to see a vase of white lilies, hydrangeas, purple daisies and lavender, making for a beautiful bouquet of purple and white flowers.

They sat next to a small cardboard box.

I walked over to it, staring at the flowers in both confusion and admiration.

Seeing that no return address was on the box, nor was there any note with the flowers, I was further confused.

I went back into the kitchen to grab a knife and returned to the dining room where I proceeded to cut the tape from the package.

I opened the box to see a variety of German snacks, including riesens, milch-schnittes and hanutas, which were my favorites. Upon further inspection, I saw an envelope tucked into the side of the box.

Tearing it open, I pulled out a folded piece of paper. When I opened it, two pictures fell out and landed face-down on the floor. I bent down to pick one of them up and flipped it over to see three beautiful faces.

Daniel, the one holding the camera, had his eyes crossed and wore a goofy grin on his face. His cheek was pressed against Jai's, who was smirking as if he hadn't intended to smile for the picture but cracked at the last moment. I could easily imagine that Daniel had said something funny that made him smile. Priya was leaning into the picture on the other side of Jai, flashing dazzling white teeth with a photogenic smile.

I laughed at the picture and looked at the note in my hands to read what was written.

It's a good thing Priya's cyber-smart-ass stalks your mom on Facebook or we wouldn't have found out that you graduated from college. Very offended and hurt that you didn't share that information (despite the fact that we would have found out anyway). Lucky for you, we're great friends and decided not to hold it against you... Hope you enjoy the little pieces of us and Germany that we've sent. Notice that it's all sweets! Remember, Ella: the more you weigh, the harder you are to kidnap. So, stay safe and eat the chocolate!

I laughed out loud as I read the last part, having heard every word in Daniel's voice.

Beneath his note was more writing in a different color ink and beautiful script handwriting:

Miss you dearly, Ella! I found your grandfather's book while I was in the office last week, so I've included it in Daniel's box of junk food. I knew you would probably want to have it back. I'd love to hear from you, feel free to respond to this letter using the address below. We can be pen pals! Love, Priya

I looked in the bottom of the box to see that something had been wrapped in a white cloth. I put down the letter to pull the cloth from the bottom of the box. Noticing it was a pillow sheet, I looked inside to see that my grandfather's book was concealed within it.

I pulled it out to read the familiar title: The Occult Truth of Lycanthropy.

I gulped as I put the book down to return to reading the note.

In black ink and handwriting that consisted of entirely uppercase letters, there were only a few sentences written.

Hope you're doing well, Ella. I'm very proud that you finished college. I wish you all the best as you move on in the world. I'm sure it hasn't been easy. You were always strong and I know you'll be just fine. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to call Daniel or I. Our phone numbers are on the back of this letter.