she didn’t receive packages in the mail—not usually. in fact, she received very little mail at all, ever, so it was with great surprise that she set eyes on the small box that had been delivered to her that day. a soft voice told her, ’wait, be careful,’ but undeniable curiosity took hold anyhow, as did eager fingers.

spinning it revealed no return address. it sealed her suspicion: it was from them. she hadn’t heard from them in so long, and that was evidently the way it was meant to be.

bringing the mysterious box back into her apartment, she went to sit at the coffee table and inspect it further. she got out her phone and used the flashlight, though unsure of what exterior threats she might be looking for.

”what do you think, ghostface?”

the shiny arbok curling around her on the couch gave a flick of its forked blue tongue, and offered no further input, only watching on as she dared further.

”okay. i’m going to open it.”

finally, she removed the tape and pulled open the box, to reveal something startlingly unexpected to the eye: the most vivid, luminous blue she’d ever seen, washed end to end as though they’d somehow captured some of the ocean as it looked on a cloudless afternoon. when she ran her hand along the luxurious fibers, the remarkably smooth cloth slid aside like water.

something glittered brightly underneath.

”gold?”

carefully, she picked it up: a dainty gold chain strung with tiny pearls, and what seemed to be a moon stone charm; beautiful, and sized for an infant's wrist. after turning it around in her hands with wonder, she set it aside on the table. 

next was a key, looped with a plastic number. this was not as gorgeous as the bracelet, but still intriguing, if not a little ominous.

lastly, were two pieces of paper. on one: a photo of a woman, who, upon closer inspection, nina realized looked an awful lot like her. the other was a folded over note that read:

your accident was frightening to hear of. i hope you're recovering well.

here are a few things that i thought you ought to have and know about. i only wish i could tell you how sorry i am for keeping them from you.

good luck, nina.

ps: the scarf was hers. beautiful, isn’t it?

as she dropped the note back into the box, she noticed the address of a storage facility written on the other side. staring at it a while longer, she  then sat back, hands resting numbly on the cool scales of her golden companion.

she was like that for a very long time, sifting through memories.

”well, ghost,” she finally uttered softly, ”i guess i always figured.”