Finders Keepers

Wednesday is my writing day. Every Wednesday, I would arrive in the same library and sit on the same spot to write. I liked this particular library because it was practically deserted. The same old man slept on the same couch, with the same book resting on his belly. There was only one librarian, a good-looking man in his late 20's. And there was me.

Every Wednesday, I would walk along the library shelves, arrange the books in the right order, making sure they were alphabetical and the right way up. Doing this calmed me, and today was no different. I traced my finger along the historical fiction shelves when something caught my eye. Between Carey and Carr was a small black notebook. I pulled it out and opened it. It looked brand new, with no clue as to whom it belonged to. Someone must have left it here by accident, I thought. They might come back for it, so I returned it to the shelf before heading back to my usual spot.

"Excuse me. I think you left this on the shelf." I turned around to find the cute librarian holding out the small black notebook at me.

"Oh," I said, "it's not mine. It was already there when I got here. I think someone else must have left it."

He looked at me, bemused. "Is your name," he opened the cover, "Jill? Jill Saunders?"

"Uh, yes, how did you know…?" I had never spoken to him before.

"Your name is written here," he said.

In case of loss, please return to:

Jill Saunders

As a reward: $ 20,000

"Oh! Uh, thank you!" I took the notebook from his hands and smiled awkwardly at him. "Sorry, uhm, thank you."

"Don't worry about it." He winked and walked away, leaving me blushing and confused.

I stared at the notebook in my hands. How strange! Why is my name on it? It was brand new when I saw it. Oh well, finders keepers, I suppose.

I looked at the clock. It was 3, and I desperately needed my second dose of caffeine. I had about $20 left in my bank to last me until the end of the month. I punched my PIN on the ATM keypad, and my account balance appeared on the screen: $20,020. What the...? I froze, unable to think or move.

"Excuse me," the man behind me said impatiently. "Do you mind? I'm in a hurry."

"I'm so sorry. I'm done now." I stashed the $10 note into my wallet and called mum at the same time.

"Hi, Honey, is everything okay?"

"Mum, when did you last put money into my account?"

"The $500? That was three weeks ago. Have you run out of money already? Honey, you…"

"So, you hadn't put more in since then?"

"No, Jill. You know, it's about time you…"

"Alright, mum. That's all I wanted to know. I gotta go. Love you!"

I quickly hung up before she could lecture me on how dreams do not pay the bills and how I should look for a real job.

"Ms. Saunders, the last deposit made to your account was $500 by a Mary Saunders on March the 1st… No, Ms. Saunders, there is no unusual activity on your account. Is there anything else I can help you with? … Very well then. Thanks for calling our bank today. Have a nice day!"

What's going on? Even the bank is saying that there was no error. Where did the $20,000 come from?

I returned to the library and saw that the notebook was open. Next to it laid a brown envelope.

"Place $20,000 into the brown envelope and drop it off at 20 King's Way by 10pm today, or else…"

Someone had written in the notebook while I was away! I looked around and saw no one except the old man, still asleep on the couch. I went up to the librarian.

"Hi, uh, did you see anyone go up to my desk whilst I was out?"

He turned to look at the sleeping old man and at me. "This is the most people we've been getting ever since that new library opened." He chuckled.

He was right. Since I started coming every Wednesday, there were always only the three of us. I thanked him and went back to my desk. I read the words again. Or else… or else what? It sounded like a threat. Or a bad joke. I packed the notebook into my bag and forgot about it. I went to bed early that night.

I woke up with a start at 7 o'clock the next day. I reached for my phone and saw six missed calls from mum. What does she want now, I grumbled, returning her call.

"Jill Saunders! Why aren't you picking up your phone?"

"Good morning, mother. In case you hadn't noticed, it's only 7 o'clock. How can I help?"

"I need you to pick me up from the hospital."

"What?" I sat up in bed, now wide awake. "Why are you at the hospital? What happened?"

"Just get here as soon as you can, okay? I'll tell you when I see you. I have to go now. The pharmacist needs to speak to me. Bye!"

I got up and ordered an Uber. I reached for my keys and saw the notebook lying open on the desk. Or. Else. It read. The brown envelope I thought I had left in the library was sitting neatly next to it. That's strange. Those two words were definitely not there yesterday.

Mum was waiting in the lobby when I arrived.

"Mum! What happened?" I asked.

"I went out for some milk last night and nearly got run over by a car while crossing the road," she said. "I fell over and broke my left ankle."

"You should have called me! What did the doctors say? Are you sure you're okay to go home?"

"It all happened so quickly. I didn't think it was this bad until I saw the scan. The doctors said it'll be at least 6 weeks before they can remove the cast. Oh, look!" Mum lifted her left arm. "Even my watch is broken. I must have smashed it against the pavement when I fell! What time is it now, Jill? I promised your Aunt Lily I'd go see her this morning."

I looked at her watch. It stopped at 10:01.

I wasn't prepared to tempt fate. After dropping mum off at Aunt Lily's, I went to the nearest ATM to withdraw the $20,000. I reached for my phone and felt something. There, tucked neatly inside my bag, was the brown envelope that I was sure I had left at home. I put all the money into the envelope and dropped it off at the address without stopping to think twice.

When I got home, I saw that there was another message in the notebook:

"Place $20,000 into the brown envelope and drop it off at 11 Indiana Road by 10pm today, or else…"

I was horrified. What's going on?

And sure enough, my bank balance was up by $20,000. Too afraid to ignore it a second time, I withdrew the $20,000, dropped the money off at the second address, and went straight to the library. This needed to end. I tore out the page with my name on it and placed the notebook on the shelf where it was found. As I turned towards the exit, the librarian called out my name.

"Jill! You left your notebook again!"

I turned and looked at him. "It isn't mine! Please, just throw it away for me, will you?"

"I'm so sorry, Jill. I'm not allowed to do that," said the librarian. "Please take it with you."

My hand shook as I took the notebook off him. What kind of sick joke was this!? I ran out of the library, threw the notebook into the nearest trash can, and ran home. This is only a nightmare, I told myself. It's over now!

The next day, I was woken up by the sun shining through my curtains. I breathed in the fresh spring morning, grateful that it was a new day. The nightmare was finally over. I picked up my phone to call mum, in case she needed my help. There was a text message from an unknown number:

"Dear Jill, this is Jack, the librarian. I found your number through our library database. I just wanted to let you know that I found your notebook. Could you collect it sometime today? Jack."

What the heck was going on!? Angry and confused, I dropped my phone, cracking the screen.

Dammit! I muttered under my breath.

There's no way I was going to collect that notebook. I ignored the message and headed straight to mum's.

"Jill! How nice of you to stop by! You shouldn't worry about me. Look, I'm fit as a fiddle!" She said, hobbling around with the walking stick the hospital gave her. "I made some pancakes for breakfast. Come and have some!"

My stomach growled. Mum's pancakes smelled divine.

"Look what came through the mailbox for you today!" Mum was holding a brown envelope with my name on. "Shall I open it for you?" It was a rhetorical question, as she never needed my permission to look through my things. I'm your mum! She would always say.

"Oh, look! What a nice little notebook!"

"Give it to me!" I snatched it from her hands.

"Alright, alright!" She looked hurt. "I wasn't going to read it without asking you first anyway. You've been very touchy lately. Are you getting those symptoms again? …" My heart was pounding so hard it was drowning out mum's voice.

How did it get here…? The envelope did not have a stamp or a return address. My phone buzzed.

"Dear Jill, I hope you didn't mind me dropping off the notebook at your mother's address. I found her listed as your emergency contact. I thought I'd save you a trip to the library. Have a good day! Jack"

I opened the notebook and saw a new message:

Place $20,000 into the brown envelope and drop it off at 90 Long Lane by 10pm today, or else…"

I wanted to scream. I couldn't do it in front of mum, because she will make me see that horrible psychiatrist who insisted that I take quetiapine. What should I do now? This needs to stop. I have to get rid of this notebook once and for all!

"Leaving already? Jill, Honey, is everything okay...?"

"Mum, I'm sorry, but I need to sort something out. I promise I'll be back to help you make dinner. Love you!" I kissed her on the cheek and sprinted out the door.

I went straight to the ATM, drew out $20,000 without even checking my bank balance, and ran to the third address to drop off the money. I carried on running.

It was noon when I arrived at the bridge. The sun shone so brightly I could barely open my eyes. I looked around to see if anyone was watching me, but everyone was glued to their phones. People were rushing past me without even a glance. Thank god for that. I held the notebook high above my head, and in one swift motion, flung it, as far away as I could. I watched it slice through the air, landing on the river, sinking, until it was gone. It's finally over. I breathed a sigh of relief, even managing a little smile.

As I turned to walk away, I felt a tap on my shoulder, followed by a familiar voice:

"Jill?"