That Fateful Night

Faye, the self-proclaimed party girl and Terry, her loyal sidekick plus Instagram model, drunkenly trodded up the driveway after one of their extreme girl nights filled with loud music, overly interested men, and unending drinks. Faye and Terry were laughing so loud one of the neighbors yelled out their window to “Shut that noise up!!!” Terry and Faye immediately held their breath but could not hold it for long. The restraint they normally would have possessed was swallowed with the last bottle they drank at the club. They both looked at each other and in silent agreement took off running to the door laughing at the top of their lungs. But almost as if they both saw a ghost, they stopped dead in their tracks before getting to Faye’s front door. In their path, was a large blue box that stood about 2 feet tall. Terry, being her fearless self, slowly walked up and tapped the top of the box while Faye objected in silence. Terry continued to examine the box and found a small envelope hidden underneath a black bow.

Confused and scared, Faye snatched the envelope out of Terry's hand and ripped it open to reveal a letter written in a fancy script. Faye then yanked her cell phone out of her pocket and turned on the flashlight. She began reading “Dear darling Faye, this may come as an unexpected surprise but I am writing to let you know that your paternal grandmother, Mrs. Faye Hastings, has passed away and you were listed as one of the beneficiaries in her will”. Faye quickly glanced around to see if she spotted anyone walking or driving away from her house in hopes of finding the one who could have possibly left this random box on her doorstep. She continued reading, “Please review the items within the box along with a document that outlines your grandmother's will. A signature is required as acknowledgement of the terms listed in order to receive the inheritance of $20,000”.

Faye immediately felt sick as questions flooded her mind and she unknowingly dropped the letter on the stairs. “I have my grandmother’s name? Where did this box come from? Why would my grandmother, who I don’t even know, put me in her will? How did they find me when I have never seen or heard from my father? Why is this happening to me? Do my mom know about this? Has she known about my father and his side of the family all this time and didn’t tell me? But why? Why?” Terry could tell Faye was overwhelmed so she urged Faye to go inside and she picked up the box and the mysterious letter and followed after her.

Faye immediately picked up the phone and began to dial her mom’s number when Terry shrieked “Don't call your mom, we need to call the police!!” Faye wondered why and looked up to see Terry staring at a letter with the box top open. With a petrified look, Terry pointed to it and then to the box. Faye slowly walked over and took hold of Terry's hand as she read……

Your gift is waiting for you.

But first, there is something you must do.

Look in the box and pull out the clue

To get the inheritance you are due.

If you don’t comply, then that’s unfortunate.

But beware, your mom, the woman you love

Will pay the price for your insubordinance.

Faye helplessly looked at Terry and said “They are going to hurt my mom if I don’t do what is in this box". Faye closed her eyes, squeezed Terry's arm, took a deep breath and reached into the box. She pulled out a device that looked similar to a game controller. She also pulled out a small black notebook that had a five-digit security code written on the front. Terry began to search what this odd controller was and discovered it was a security scrambler. If activated within a certain range of a security system, it could disable it. Then Faye closely looked at a poorly drawn map within the first pages of the notebook and told Terry to look up the names of the places the map listed. After a quick search, they both realized it was the Hastings estate, her alleged late grandmother's mansion.

Faye sat back in utter disbelief “basically, they want me to steal my own money". Terry sat down with a heavy heart. She knew if there was a time her friend needed her, it was definitely right now so Terry slammed her hand on the table and bravely stood up. She looked at her dear friend and said “Let's get it done".

It was still in the early hours of the morning so they could attempt to complete the mission before sun up and hopefully before being detected by anyone. They agreed this was the right time to go so they changed clothes, hurriedly packed up the paraphernalia and headed to the estate. The ride was completely silent until Faye realized they were approaching a set of black iron gates. Faye instructed Terry to turn off the lights and stop the car. She grabbed the notebook, jumped out the car, and ran to the gates. Faye immediately began looking for a security box while Terry attempted to use the security scrambler to turn off any cameras they didn’t see. Faye found a box and entered the code with no luck. She didn’t understand why it didn’t work. After a few seconds of deliberation, Terry told Faye to try the code backwards. Faye did and the gates slowly began to open. They were so excited the code worked, but their excitement was quickly met with fear once they realized the place they had to search looked like it was from a scene out of a horror flick. They got back in the car and slowly drove up the rocky pathway.

Faye was confused as to why she received this box at this moment when it was quite obvious that her grandmother had passed a while ago. The estate reflected her absence: the trees and grass were overgrown, the cobwebs were covering the front of the door, and stained glass was shattered on the walkway. The stone stature of a once lavish estate was now in shambles. Faye couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being setup but she remembered that she needed to protect her mom. Terry pushed a button on the scrambler to ensure no cameras were on and they heard the front door unlock. Wide-eyed, they looked at each other and then looked at the door. They began to quietly creep inside and were met with a huge gust of cold wind coming from the windows that were broken. Faye pulled out the notebook, turned to the map, and hurriedly looked for where the money could be stashed. Faye shook her head, “This money could be anywhere in this humongous place and this map is confusing". Terry reassured her that they were going to find the money and get out of there. “Remember how the security code was backwards? This map could be like that too". They perused the map again and Faye suddenly pointed to a small house named the Catherine Cottage. Terry looked at Faye and asked “Isn't that your middle name?” Faye, completely bewildered at this point, clumsily walked in the direction of the cottage. Terry grabbed her friend and shook her. “Faye, you have to try clearing your mind right now. Let’s focus and find this money!” Faye nodded her head in agreement and Terry took her hand and the notebook and led her to the back of the mansion.

After rumbling through the dark, cold hallways with minimal light, they came to a back door that was slightly ajar. Once they stepped into the backyard, the Catherine Cottage was only a few feet away. Faye touched the windows of the small house. “This is eerie but this house seems very familiar". Terry tried the doorknob and like the mansion's backdoor, it was slightly open. Once they stepped in, Faye noticed a doll she once loved from her childhood and walked over to pick it up. Terry was about to stop her when she noticed something shining in her peripheral. Terry bent down to move a pile of dirt from the shiny object to discover a diamond ring. Faye heard Terry yell “Woah!" and she turned to see Terry holding a beautiful ring. Faye smiled and rushed over to begin digging in the spot where Terry stood. Terry joined in and soon after, they lifted a jewelry box, the size of the box found on her doorstep, out of the ground.

Faye was convinced they had found her inheritance! Terry and Faye mustered up as much strength as they could to drag the box to the car, throw it in the back, and high-tail it home as fast as they possibly could. Once at Faye's house, they plopped on the couch, their minds filled with exhaustion, worry, and fear.

The next morning, Faye eyes popped open and she sat straight up. She was hoping the excursion the night before was a horrible nightmare but when she looked around, she realized it was very real. The small notebook with the map inside, the blue box, the scrambler, the doll, and the jewelry box were all sitting there. She stared at the jewelry box for what seemed to be ages and then she nudged Terry to wake her up. Terry rolled over and jumped up. The silence in the room signaled it was time to open the jewelry box. Faye and Terry put the box in between them and unlocked the latch at the same time. Faye opened the box to reveal a chest filled with jewelry-rings, necklaces, and earrings. There were also watches and brooches included in the box that appeared to be worth millions. Then, Terry noticed a hole on the side of the box and decided to pull it to unveil a hidden drawer filled with bundles of cash. They couldn’t believe this was happening.

As Terry continued her jewelry box search, Faye anxiously got up to call her mom but noticed the front door was cracked open. She slowly opened it the rest of the way and found a note taped to the doorknob. She nervously gulped, quickly glanced out the door, and carefully opened the note…..

Through your fear and doubt

You accomplished the task.

Questions about your father and his family will come to light

But do not go to your mother and ask.

The answers are coming so don’t wait around.

Until then,

Your mom is home safe and sound.

Faye was relieved to hear her mother was not harmed so she tossed the note to Terry and ran to call her. Her mom picked up and said “hello" in her usually cheery voice but the only thing Faye could say is “I love you". She wanted to spill all of the details of that scary night, but remembered it wasn’t time. Maybe one day she would be able to know the full story. But for now, Faye was grateful for her mom's safety, a possible financial gift, and a loving friend who had her back through it all.