The Little Black Book

THE LITTLE BLACK BOOK

There it was. The little black book. It sat on the floor, in the middle of the room. Alone. The moonlight cast a spotlight on it, through the bare window, like it was waiting for it to take a bow. The breeze gave me a chill. Or, was it the ambiance of this lonely room? My eyes scanned this one-room house for a glimpse into its past. Mouse droppings littered the floor, giving the sense that I wasn’t alone. The front door hung loose off the hinges, like clothing on hangers at an annual rack sale. There was no furniture, but the wooden floor was scarred from furniture that may have been dragged across it at one time. It was obvious this place – somebody’s home – has been vacant for quite some time. Yet…this little black book was laying perfectly center in this little black room.

I walked to it. Picked it up and thumbed through the pages. They were tattered and torn, someone had obviously put some love into this book. Suddenly, the letters came into focus. They formed words so beautifully written that I had to steady myself when I became light-headed. The language was foreign to me. I realized somebody must have left this book here on purpose. For me.

January 17, 2006

Tuesday, 9:00 am

Beep! Beep! Beep!

My eyes fluttered open to the sound of my alarm. I rolled over, slammed my hand on the button and shut it off. I quickly sat up and looked around my room, adjusting my eyes to the sunlight. My dream – that dream – seemed so real. I jumped out of bed to search my room for the book. The little black book from my dream. It had to be somewhere. I brought it home. After two hours of trashing my little apartment, I realized that it was just a dream. But, what did it mean? I decided there was only one way to find out. I sat at my desk and wrote every detail I could remember. I was going to find that little black book. Even if it killed me!

The next few hours were spent researching. I hunted online looking for old, abandoned homes and buildings near me. I live in a small town, in the middle of nowhere. If it was here, I was going to find it. Besides, my curiosity got the better of me: what was in that book? I finally located three abandoned homes and one office building. It was late. I drank some tea and went to bed. Tomorrow, I had stuff to do.

January 18, 2006

Wednesday, 9:00 am

Beep! Beep! Bee--

I rolled over and shut off the alarm. I jumped out of bed, made a pot of coffee and got to work mapping locations and creating routes. By the time I finished, the sun was setting and my eyes were seeing spots. I decided to call it a night and went to bed. I lay there thinking about my dream. Tomorrow is THE DAY. I will find that little black book! There was something about it that I couldn’t get out of my head. Plus, I was long overdue for an adventure. I finally drifted off to sleep.

January 19, 2006

Thursday, 9:00 am

Beep! Bee—

I rolled over and shut off my alarm. I jumped out of bed and quickly showered. Today is the day! I’m going to find that little black book. I grabbed an apple off the dining table, my keys, wallet and rushed to my car. My adventure was finally getting started.

The office building and two of the houses turned out to be duds. I drove all over town only to discover all three places had been auctioned off months ago. I couldn’t get into them without arousing suspicion. My stomach let me know it was hungry, so I stepped into my favorite café for a late lunch. Nothing like tomato soup paired with a grilled cheese sandwich to warm the bones. I returned to my car and programmed the last address into the GPS, and waited for it to map the route. I stared at the map for a long time, realizing that it’s at least an hour drive outside of town. By the time I get there, the sun will be going down. Oh, well. I wanted adventure. Here I go…

5:30 pm

I was a nervous wreck as I got closer to my destination. Would anybody be there? Had this home been auctioned off, as well? Am I wasting my time? Would the little black book even be there? Is this some sort of trap? Does somebody hate me? Was it ‘just a dream’? These were just a few of the questions that plagued my mind. I was, after all, following a dream. When was the last time I followed a dream? Would it turn out to be a nightmare? I looked at my GPS. I was ten minutes from the little black book.

The last few miles flew by and I was now pulling into the driveway of the unknown. My heart was pounding. I’m here. It felt so unreal. I put my car in park, turned off the engine, grabbed my keys and headed for the door. It was open. I rushed through the entrance, ignoring the eerie vibe. My eyes were automatically drawn to the center of the room. I walked over and let out a breath. When did I forget to breathe? There – on the floor – lay the little black book.

7:30 pm

The trip home was a short one. Once I arrived, I sat down on my bed and held the heavy book in my delicate hands. I eyed it suspiciously, wondering about its backstory. It was definitely made of high-quality materials, very smooth with ivory pages. A beautiful strap lay across the front, holding the book closed. I turned the book over and noticed a faded stamp, similar to a branding. I could only make out a few letters: M, O, S, K, N.

I opened the book and saw the same beautiful writing that I had seen in my dream. The language still foreign to me. I opened my computer and typed in the letters I found stamped on the back of the book. The first thing that popped up grabbed my attention: moleskine. After a quick search, I learned that this notebook most likely originated in Italy. Thank GOD for google translate! Tears trickled in a stream down my face as I was able to decipher the words that lifted off the first page:

“My dear granddaughter,

Congratulations! You have now become $20,000 richer. On one of the pages of this book, you will find coordinates to a key that opens a safety deposit box in your name, where the money is stored. But, there’s a catch…ten percent of it must be paid forward to a person in need. I have waited 20 years for this day to come. If only I had lived long enough to witness it. Give your mother a hug for me. If you are anything like her, you are beautiful, strong and ambitious. Do good.

Ciao,

Emiliano Rossi”

LA FINE (or is it?)