Everything started with a comb… Wait, let me explain. One day it was there, it just appeared in my mailbox. A simple red comb. Like every morning, before I left for uni, I went to get my mail. And on that particular April day, it was lying there when I opened the little metal door with my name on it, under a bunch of letters (bills no doubt). There it was, that singular object that had no business whatsoever in such a place.
I took it back home, to ask my roommates if it belonged to any of them, having never seen such a comb before. There were twelve of us living in this sort of old mansion turned into student lodgings by an adorable old man who had inherited it from some distant uncle. But after inquiring, it appeared that it belonged to none of them.
“Put it back, my friend Danny told me. Who knows what its previous owner did with it before he lost it?”
“It’s a comb, Danny, what do you think it is people do with combs?”
“Well, you never know, is all I’m saying.” He shrugged.
Sure enough, after hearing Danny complain about it for hours, I decided to put it back where I’d found it, never to think of it again, until the next day, when yet another random object found itself lost in my mailbox amongst the letters. This time, it was a pair of glasses, round glasses. They looked rather old; maybe even vintage I would say. I don’t know how exactly but I haven’t seen anyone wear a pair like that in a while.
Once again, I asked all my roommates if it belonged to any of them, but again, none of them had seen it before. And again, Danny was eager for me to put them back where I’d found them, which I soon enough did after hearing him complain about it for a while. There was nothing else I could do with them anyway.
Then came the Easter holidays and each of my roommates went home, except for Danny. He remained at the old mansion with me. It was always the two of us staying behind while everyone returned home. That’s why we were such close friends. No strange object appeared for a while during that period.
Until a week after the beginning of the Easter holidays when I came across another strange object in the mailbox. This time, it was even more peculiar than the two other times it’d happened, because it didn’t appear in the morning, with the mail, but late in the evening. After Danny and I came home from a night out, I noticed something was lying in the mailbox, the door was open for some reason.
Of course, I went to see what it was, and you may imagine my surprise when I discovered it was a book. Not just any kind of book, but The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac. A first edition. I loved that book. It was one of my absolute favorites. I had a copy of it on one of my bookshelves. So, to find it there, in such an old edition, seemed even odder to me. I couldn’t stop wondered what it all meant.
I asked Danny about it since he was the only one here with me. But again, I could find no satisfaction in his answer.
“Put it back!” was all he could tell me.
“But why?” I asked him in return.
“For all you know, it could come from some creepy stalker. This is after all your favorite book so it’s even more suspicious that it would randomly find itself in our mailbox. And to keep it means only to encourage whoever put it there.”
“You’re too distrustful, you think everything is suspicious. I think I’d rather keep it. I mean, look at it, it’s a first edition, and it’s in perfect condition!”
Danny was not too happy about it, but he would have to deal with it. I’d made my decision. And who could have blamed me? The book was almost brand new, which is unusual for such an old book. It should have been much more damaged for a book that has been on this earth for more than sixty years. But it almost looked brand new, like someone bought it brand new only a couple of weeks ago. For a book lover such as me and a huge Jack Kerouac fan, it was almost a miracle to come across a copy such as this one and, what’s more, for free.
The book was not the last of the objects I found in the mailbox. More items appeared and more frequently. One day it was a scarf, the next one a drawing (a very good one!) and the day after it was a guitar pick and after that a poetry book. I even found a vintage-looking ring at one point, with a huge marbly red stone circled with gold, absolutely gorgeous. That one really freaked Danny out. He forbade me to keep, rambling about his stalked theory on and on and on. Nevertheless, I kept it, just like I kept every single object that appeared after the book.
*************
A little bit less than 60 years back from the time of the strange apparition in the mailbox, there was a boy. Well, he wasn’t really a boy anymore. In fact, he was 24. But it still felt like he was a boy, he was sure acting like one. Anyways, this boy happened to have misplaced his favorite red comb. He couldn’t remember where he’d left it, which is strange because he never went anywhere without it. He’d asked everybody in his close surroundings if they had seen it, but none of them did. Then he started being suspicious towards his friends and everybody else he was sharing a house with at that time.
“It’s just a silly comb Bob”, one of his three best friends, kept repeating.
“No, it’s not! It’s my lucky comb and now it’s gone!”
“Don’t be so materialistic, Bob, said Ed, another of his best friends. There are worst things in life.”
“My life is over! Dramatized Bob. What am I going to do?”
“Get back to rehearsal is what you’re going to do”, declared John, the last but not least of the three best friends.
Without any spirit, back to rehearsal went Bob alongside the three others. Because in fact, they were in a band, and not just any band but one of the most famous bands in the U.K. and all over Europe at the moment. And if they were all reunited in this big farmhouse, it was to record their second album, the first one having been such a big hit, another one needed to follow soon.
The Cockroaches had started four years ago, in 1960, two of which were spent in a perpetually ascending glory. For that reason, they had to remove themselves to a studio in a remote place of the Herefordshire countryside for some privacy. The fans, especially the girls, wouldn’t allow them a minute’s rest. They couldn’t go from a place to another without causing great mayhem everywhere. Screaming, shouting, grabbing, crying, and fainting. It had become too bonkers for the four lads. And it was impossible to get to work in such conditions. Not that they were ungrateful for their success but the utmost and utter love the fans were showing them had been something so unexpected they weren’t prepared for it. Thus, they found themselves in the middle of nowhere, undisturbed, to make their next record.
Complaints about the lost comb were heard throughout the day. Bob just couldn’t let it go. Until the next day, when one of the assistants came back from getting the mail with a bunch of letters and a red comb in his hand.
“So, it was you who took it then!” accused Bob when he saw his lucky charm in his hand.
“Oy, don’t accuse him like that!” argued Ed.
“I found it in the mailbox…”
“You see, you never lost your precious comb in the first place, it was simply in the mailbox all this time”, declared Brian.
“Don’t be so thick, Brian. I’m sure I looked there yesterday, and it wasn’t…”
“Doesn’t matter, interrupted John. You’ve got it back now, haven’t you? So, shut up about it already.
“I suppose you’re right.”
But something kept bugging Bob after that. He was sure he’d searched the mailbox through and through the day before, just like he had searched every other place. He even went to check it multiple times, because at some point, after giving it some thinking, that’s where he thought he had misplaced it that morning when he went looking for the mail. But the red comb hadn’t been there, not at any moment he had looked in the mailbox. And now that assistant said he found it there. Bob felt like he was losing his mind.
An idea came to him after breakfast. He went to the mailbox and placed his glasses inside – not a very clever move as he couldn’t see very well without them, but it was the only small object he had at hand at the moment – after which he closed the little rust-colored metal door and went back to the recording studio.
It was only at lunchtime, when the band finally had a break, that he excused himself from the table to go check the mailbox. He didn’t think something would have happened, but he was curious. So, you must imagine his shock when on opening the little rust-colored metal door he realized his glasses weren’t there anymore, just like the comb the day before. Persuaded that there must be a logical explanation for this mysterious disappearance, Bob went back inside to ask the others about it. But everybody being so busy enjoying their lunch, no one paid much attention to him.
“You must have dropped them somewhere”, said Ed, munching on his sandwich.
“Oy, pay attention for a minute, will you?! Demanded Bob, irritated with the other’s lack of interest. Did any of you take my glasses from the mailbox?”
“The mailbox? Why would your glasses be in the mailbox?” asked Brian.”
“Hug, not that bloody mailbox again”, sighed John.
“Come on guys, you’re not being very cooperative”, whined Bob.
“I just want to eat my lunch”, complained John.
“Don’t be such a snob”, replied Bob.
“What did you just call me?”
“I said…”
“That’s enough now boys”, interrupted Ted, the band manager.
“But…/Yes sir”, said Bob and John simultaneously.
“Bob, sit down and eat your lunch, ordered Ted. I’m sure your glasses will reappear at some point, just like tour comb. Oh, and leave John alone, okay? Last thing I need is for you two to get into a fight.”
After mumbling something incoherent, Bob, now grumpy, sat down with the others to eat his lunch, now in complete silence, while the others were enjoying each other’s company and conversation.
Later on, they all went back to the studio and worked on the record until late in the night. Soon enough, Bob forgot about his glasses immersing himself completely in the music-making process. That is until they were done with working for the day, and Bob, going back to his room to read a book he recently started, The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac, one of his favorite authors, that he realized he didn’t have his glasses on.
That’s when he remembered he’d put them in the mailbox, where they had disappeared. He got up from his bed and with much anticipation hurried outside to check if they had reappeared. And they did. There they were, right there in front of his eyes, his little round spectacles. This time, he really thought he’d gone mad.
They were gone, the bloody glasses were gone, he kept thinking to himself. He was certain they had disappeared this afternoon, surely, he hadn’t dreamt it. And now, they were back. Just like that. A couple of hours only after he’d last checked. Someone is playing a joke on me, was his next thought.
Now angry, he rushed back inside to find his bandmates. They were all hanging out together in the living room. Ed was writing, John and Brian were playing a game of cards.
“Alright, you three! Which one of you has been messing with my head for two days?”
“What are you on about, mate”, asked Brian, confused.
“First my comb, now my glasses. You’re playing a joke on me, aren’t you? Admit it!”
“Are you still on about your glasses?” sighed Ed.
“Wait, I thought we found your comb this morning, said Brian. Didn’t we...”
“That’s not what I’m talking about”, interrupted Bob. And he proceeded to explain to them exactly what he meant.
“No one is playing a joke on you, mate.”
“And you want me to believe that John?”
“Well, yes. Why would any of us do such a thing?”
“Exactly, why would any of us do such a thing? I don’t see the point”, added Brian.
“Besides, Ted would never allow any of us to drive you mad like that. You’re too precious to him with your golden voice,” joked Ed.
“Exactly! He would all fire us if we only dare touch but one single hair on that head of yours”, said Brian.
“Don’t be ridiculous, you’re all irreplaceable. The Cockroaches would be nothing without the four of us together.”
“So that settles it then”, concluded Ed.
Disappointed and more confused than ever, Bob however decided not to press the matter any further. He removed himself to his bedroom, lying down on his bed to think about all that had occurred in the past two days, the book he had intended to read earlier left untouched on his nightstand, as it would remain for several more days.
Weeks passed, the recording of the album was moving along swiftly, Bob had thought it best to set aside all thinking of the strange disappearances. He went back to the studio with a clear mind, ready to invest himself entirely in the process of music-making.
This lasted for about 15 days, when, one night, after a hard day of work, Bob laid his eyes on The Dharma Bums. He’d completely forgotten about it, spending all his leisure time with the boys instead of alone in his room, reading. When his eyes first landed on the book, he subconsciously brought his left hand on the frame of his glasses. This brought back memories of the mailbox and the strange disappearances.
Bob got lost in his thoughts for a while and after a few minutes of intense thinking and some hesitation, he decided that after he’d finish the book, he’d put it in the mailbox as he’d done with his glasses (and comb, even though unconsciously) and wait to see what would happen.
For a second, he considered living it all behind him. After all, the whole thing only came back to him because instead of hanging out with his friends, he decided to go back to his room and read. Otherwise, he’d completely forgotten about it for two weeks and it would have continued so for a long time without the book.
But he couldn’t resist the temptation to try one last time, he really wanted to get to the bottom of it all and was extremely curious to see what would happen this time. And so, after finishing the last page of The Dharma Bums, Bob discreetly left his room, making his way to the front door on his tiptoes, trying not to make any noise. The last thing he needed was to get caught by his bandmates. If they found out what he was up to he’ll never hear the end of it.
After his deed was done, Bob rushed back inside, locking himself into his room. He intended to stay awake all night, sitting by his window, watching that mailbox thoroughly. It was the only way to finally get to the bottom of it all, or so he thought.
Unfortunately, things did not go as planned. Exhausted by his hard day of work, Bob eventually fell asleep not long after three AM. And when he woke up in the morning, going to check the mailbox, he noticed it was empty. Cursing under his breath, he however decided not to let this minor setback discourage him. He would wait until the next day to see if the book would reappear.
But it didn’t which surprised Bob greatly. Until now, all the things he had placed in the mailbox had shown back up eventually. This time, it was different. Confused, Bob nevertheless decided to get on with his day as if nothing had happened. He went to the studio with the others, worked on some compositions of his, recorded some songs.
Be that as it may, the thought of what had occurred never left him once during that day. And, because the book still did not re-emerge after two more days, Bob did the only thing he could think of. He decided to try his little experiment once again. This time he chose a scarf, a beautiful multicolored scarf with psychedelic motifs. It was one of his favorites.
Doing exactly what he had done before, placing the scarf in the mailbox and all, Bob again tried to stay awake all night to see what would happen. But again, he fell asleep. The scarf, of course, was gone in the morning, as expected. But like the book, it did not reappear the next day or the days after.
Persistent as ever, Bob decided to try again. He resolved to try again and again, and again up until the moment he finally found out the truth about the missing objects. His next attempt was with a drawing he’d made. Then it was one of his guitar picks, after that a poetry book.
At one point, he even put one of John’s rings inside the mailbox, because he had been so rude to him about the whole thing. Bob was certain his bandmate wouldn’t miss it, having an extended collection to choose from, the disappearance of one ring wouldn’t get noticed. And this time, miraculously, he managed to stay awake all night not leaving his window once.
Nothing had happened, no one had shown up, not one single soul. The mailbox remained undisturbed throughout the entirety of the night. A disappointed Bob went to recover the ring, certain it was exactly at the place he had left it. You can imagine his shock when he noticed it was gone, missing, like all the other things before it.
It took him a minute to come to his senses. But when he finally did, he rushed back inside, dying to tell everyone about what had happened or rather, what didn’t happen. It didn’t cross his mind one second that John would get mad at him for stealing and losing his precious ring. But oh, he would!
*************
“I’m telling you, Layla, you’d better get rid of that ring! It just feels wrong to keep it”, complained Danny for the hundredth time.
“These things were sent to me, Danny. I don’t think I want to get rid of them.”
“You don’t even know if these things were meant for you. Might I remind you, there are twelve of us living here.”
“They were in the mailbox that has my name on it, who do you suppose they are for?”
Obviously, we all had a different mailbox, a bit like in a regular apartment building. It simply would have been too chaotic to have a single mailbox for the twelve of us. Of course, there were times when the mailman would scramble some of our mail and put someone’s letter in the wrong place, but still, it worked better than if we had to figure out which letter belonged to who, etcetera.
Things being as they were, it sounded a little bit odd to me that Danny would suggest that these random objects weren’t meant for me. After all, they only ever showed up in my mailbox, and not in one of the other roommates.
“Maybe they’re from a creepy stalker. What do you say to that, hum?”
“Honestly Danny, did you listen to yourself, you sound paranoid.”
“What? Stranger things have happened, you never know. All I’m saying is that you should be careful.”
I understood where he was coming from, I really did, but there was just something so exciting about it all. And I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to it than just some crazy stalker dropping random objects in my mailbox. I mean those things were just too remote to be the works of a simple creepy admirer. If it were the case, I could understand the ring, the poetry, and maybe even the book, considering it’s one of my absolute favorites. But the rest? A red comb, a random drawing, a scarf, and a guitar pick? No, it simply didn’t add up. No, no, there had to be something more to it.
“Look, give me a few days to think about it, after which, I’ll get rid of the ring, okay?” I told Danny to soothe his anxiety.
“Fine, you have three days.” He concluded before walking away. That’s what he always did when he didn’t want people to have enough time to answer back to him. He was such a child sometimes.
I know I told Danny I would get rid of the ring after three days (even though I didn’t have time to agree to his time limit) but at the same time, I didn’t think I could bring myself to do it. And I came up with an idea that might allow me to keep it (it being the ring plus the other objects, of course) while at the same time soothing some of Danny’s worries.
When all those strange things started to randomly appear in my mailbox, my first reflex had been to just take them out of there, without further thinking. But it never occurred to me to try and answer anything back. However, now I felt like I had to do something. So, why not send something myself to this unknown person.
Of course, I didn’t have a clue as to who or where to address my package. Nevertheless, I thought I’d just drop some random object, anything that first caught my eyes, in my mailbox, and wait to see what would happen. And that’s exactly what I did. Needless to say, I didn’t tell Danny anything about it. He would never have allowed such a thing. Not that it would have mattered anyway, I was pretty determined at that point to get to the end of my little experiment.
The object I decided to place inside my mailbox ended up being a candle, a blackcurrant-smelling candle. Like I said, the first thing that caught my eyes at the moment of my decision. It’s random, I know, but so was everything that was sent to me by this person. What’s more, I had a dozen of them lying around in my bedroom.
I carefully placed the candle inside the mailbox but not before sticking a note to it. It seemed like a very clever thing to do if I wanted to find out more about this mysterious stranger. The note simply said:
Hey! Hope you’re doing alright. I was just wondering who you were and what was up with all those strange things you sent me. I’m really curious to know.
P.S. Enjoy the candle, I hope you like blackcurrant!
XOXO
Layla
I know, I’m not particularly good at writing letters but there wasn’t anything more to say really. At least not at this point. Moreover, it didn’t sound like such a good idea to pour my heart and soul into a letter addressed to a complete stranger, so I left it at that.
Now, the only thing left to do was wait. Oh! How nervous I was, but also really curious and a little bit impatient. I couldn’t wait to see what would happen, that is, of course, if anything happened at all. But somehow, deep down inside of me, I knew something would happen, it simply had to.
*************
“You did what? yelled John after finding out what Bob had done. Where is my ring? What did you do with it? Answer me!” he demanded, shaking Bob by the shoulders.
“Forget about that stupid ring. Did you not hear what I just said? And let go of me, you brut!” said Bob, while pushing John away from him.
“That ring was very important to me!”
“You don’t even know which one I took; you have a hundredth of them!
“Oh, I know exactly which one you took. It was my favorite, my lucky ring. Are you so pea-brained you didn’t think I’d notice?”
“No need to get your knickers in a twist. I didn’t know it was your favorite, okay? I’ll get you another one if it makes you feel better.”
“You can’t replace it with just any other stupid ring, it was very valuable to me and now you lost it!”
“Calm down alright?”
“Wasn’t it you who was going berserk because of a stupid lost comb a couple of days ago?” intervened Ed.
“It’s not stupid!”
“Well, neither is John’s ring, at least not to him”, continued Ed.
“Look, I’m sorry I took it, okay? Apologized Bob. But you can’t deny it has served its purpose well…”
“Are you still on about that? Asked Brian. Honestly, Bob, don’t you think it’s time to move on?”
“What do you mean, still on about that? Did any of you listen at all to anything I just said?”
“Nobody cares”, sighed Ed.
“Yeah, you’re letting it all get to your head a bit too much, added Brian. Don’t you think it’s time to stop obsessing about that stupid mailbox?”
“But, what about the ring? Surely it proves….”
“It proves nothing, interrupted Ed. You probably just lost it.
“Yeah!” added John, angrily.
“And what about the rest…”
“Bob, move on, alright? We’ve got enough on our plate as it is, we’re making an album, remember?” said Ed.
“Yeah, mate, just forget about it. It’s for the best, advised Brian. Besides, for all we know, it could be the works of some crazy groupie. And by acting the way you are, you are only encouraging her to continue this sick game.”
“I didn’t see any groupie last night. I saw no one at all. The ring simply disappeared, declared Bob. What do you say to that, hum?”
“You probably fell asleep”, said Brian.
“I did not!”
“Oh, stop it, Bob! You’re sounding more and more like a lunatic”, exclaimed Ed.
“Yeah! Nothing you say now can serve as a justification for the theft of my ring”, added John.
“Will you stop whining about that stupid ring!” shouted Bob before rushing outside to get some fresh, slamming the door on his way out and leaving his four friends dumbfounded.
He needed to get away from them. They were all making him feel like he was losing his mind. But he knew what he saw last night, or in this case, what he didn’t see. No one showed up to retrieve John’s ring, no one came to the mailbox. He’d swear it on his own life. And unlike Brian had suggested he hadn’t fallen asleep either. But still, the ring had vanished. They could say all they wanted; Bob knew the truth.
He had been so enthusiastic before telling his bandmates about his discovery, but their skeptical reactions made him feel so angry, disappointed, and lonely. He cursed himself for thinking it was a good idea to tell them all about his little experiment. He simply couldn’t remain in the same room as them, hence why he had to get out of the house in such a hurry.
After walking for a while, Bob, feeling calmer, came to a halt. Looking at his surroundings, he saw a big old tree standing not far away from him. After some hesitation, he decided to climb on it, until he reached a branch big enough to support his weight.
If Ted, his manager, had seen him recklessly climbing into that old tree, he would have lost his mind, might even have had a heart attack. He never allowed any of them to do anything he considered “dangerous”, not if it meant compromising their health or safety. Of course, it was easier said than done, it wasn’t easy to keep four energetic young men under control. One way or the other, one of them always ended up doing something incredibly stupid, much to Ted’s dismay.
But at this exact moment, Bob couldn’t have cared less about Ted and his absurd demands, he was too upset to consider anyone’s feelings but his own. He wanted to feel free for a moment, something he hadn’t felt for a long time, not since the beginning of The Cockroaches’ success. Not that he regretted any of it. On the contrary, he was so grateful for all the love and support. It was truly a dream come true. But sometimes, it simply became too much. Especially the lack of space and privacy.
Sitting on a high branch, Bob got lost in his thoughts. He was so absorbed in his contemplations; he didn’t see the time go by. And before he realized it, the sky had gotten all dark. He didn’t feel ready to go back to the others, but he knew he had no choice. They would all get worried (especially Ted) and maybe even mad at him if he prolonged his alone time. It didn’t seem reasonable to make them wait any longer, Bob was in enough trouble as it was.
Despise himself, He climbed down the tree and made his way back to the house. As he’d expected, the others were all anxiously waiting for him, his three bandmates, the manager and even the producer. It never meant anything good when they were sitting all together like that. And by the expression on their face, Bob could tell they were going to give him hard time for disappearing for hours without saying anything.
“Might we know where it is you’ve been hiding all day?” asked Ted, frustrated, his arms crossed on his chest.
Bob flinched, knowing they weren’t going to let him off easily for acting irresponsibly.
“Just went for a walk”, he answered nonchalantly.
“Just went for a walk… just went for a walk. For five bloody hours?!” exclaimed Ted.
“Can’t see what’s so wrong about that”, shrugged Bob.
“We were all worried sick, that’s what’s wrong!” roared Ted.
“I doubt my wellbeing is what you had in mind this whole time”.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Feeling like he’d had enough of them all for the day, Bob angrily left the room without answering back to his angry manager. Already he missed his time alone in the woods. All he wanted to do now was lock himself up in his room, far away from any human presence. Unfortunately, Ed had other plans for him. He soon caught up with Bob who just entered his bedroom before he had time to close and lock the door.
“Ed, I’m not in the mood, please leave my room”, said Bob before Ed had any chance to open his mouth.
“You’re never in the mood for any of us these days, reproached Ed. I mean, do we have to make an appointment with you to get a minute of your time?”
“I said piss off Ed!”
“Alright then, I leave his majesty’s quarters”, snapped Ed, slamming the door on his way out.
Never had Bob felt more desperate than at this exact moment. He sat down on his bed, taking his head in his two hands. Is there nothing I can do right? He thought to himself. The last thing he had wanted was to get into a fight with his best friends. Everything went so wrong and so quickly. Bob didn’t know what to do anymore. He had no idea how he was going to fix the mess he’d made.
The only thing he wanted to do was go to sleep and forget about everything that had happened. And that’s exactly what he did. He was too tired anyway to begin to think about a solution to his problem. The next morning, he felt slightly better. He decided that the best thing to do was to apologize to everyone.
Immediately after getting dressed, he joined the others in the kitchen. Everyone was already sat around the table, eating breakfast, Bob was the last one to arrive. No one took notice of his presence at first, so he had to make some kind of humming noise to get everyone’s attention. And when they finally did see him, the room fell quiet. They were all silently stared at him, waiting for what was coming next.
Intimidated, Bob asked if he could have a minute of their attention, apologizing in advance for disturbing their breakfast. After getting everyone assent, he took a deep breath and started talking.
“I would like to apologize for acting like a complete idiot for no reason at all yesterday, he began. I have no excuse for acting the way I did, and I don’t expect you to forgive me, at least not immediately. But I hope one day perhaps you will find it in you to excuse my pathetic behavior. Anyway, I simply thought you all should know how deeply I regretted the way I treated you all. And John, I would also like to personally apologize to you for taking your favorite ring without your permission. It was wrong of me to steal it from you. Oh, and of course, Ted, I’m also very sorry for treating you so horribly too, after everything you did for us…”
There was no answer from any of them for a minute or two, which felt like an eternity to Bob. He thought they all hated him and that they never would forgive him for the way he acted the day before. But eventually, Ted finally broke the silence much to Bob’s relief.
“Alright lads, shall we put him out of his misery?”
“Yeah, I think he suffered enough”, said Ed. Bob, you know we love you right? It’s not some stupid argument that is going to affect our friendship.”
“And just forget about that stupid ring, added John. You’ll buy me an even more beautiful and expensive one to replace it and it’ll become my new lucky ring as a sign of our friendship.”
And just like that, they were all on good terms again. Bob, moved by all their touching words, engulfed them all into a big group hug. After which everyone went back to eating breakfast, including Bob who felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
“Hey Bob, why don’t you go and get us the mail, hum? Since you’re so obsessed with the mailbox” suggested Ted teasingly.
“Ha-ha, very funny”.
“On you go, pressed Ted. Maybe you’ll even find another one of your missing objects reappearing suddenly.”
“I didn’t put anything in the mailbox yesterday.”
“Surely he didn’t think I was being serious?” asked Ted after Bob had left.
Meanwhile, Bob was already outside. It was quite cold this morning and he hadn’t bothered to put on some shoes so much so that he was now freezing. He hurried to the mailbox, desperate to rejoin the warmth and comfort of the house. But soon all those thoughts left him for, when he opened the little bronze door, he found a candle laying inside the mailbox alongside a small note.
The note made it quite obvious to whom it was addressed. It was for him, from whoever had taken all those objects he’d put in before. Now, they were finally sending something back. Bob was beyond excited; his heart was beating so fast. For a moment the only thing he could do was stare at this remote candle. But after his excitement slightly dropped, he reread the note, which, no he had come back to his senses, made him feel somewhat confused.
Because why was this person asking him why he’d send her all those things? He never sent her anything, he never sent anyone anything. He simply placed some random objects in the mailbox, which later mysteriously disappeared. Lost in his thoughts, Bob didn’t hear Ed approaching.
“Did you get lost on your way here or something”, he teasingly asked.
“Jesus Christ, Ed, you scared the living hell out of me!”
“Sorry, wasn’t my intention. It’s just, you were gone for quite some time now and we were all starting to wonder… hey, what’s that?”
“Sorry, what?”
“That thing… Is that a candle?”
“Oh yeah… uhm… you wouldn’t happen to have anything to do with, would you? I mean, you don’t happen to have misplaced a candle somehow?”
“Sorry, no.”
“What about the other?”
“I don’t understand, what do you mean?”
“Is one of you pulling a prank on me, because I’m not in the mood…”
“No, not that I’m aware of. What’s going on? Why would you think we were pulling a prank on you?”
“I think this is from the person who’s been taking all those objects from our mailbox.”
“Bob, we talked about this…”
“I know but look!” insisted Bob before showing the note to Ed.
The frown on Ed’s face when he first took the note from Bob soon transformed into confusion when he finished reading the note.
“I don’t understand, what’s this supposed to mean?” he asked.
“I don’t understand it either. This note simply doesn’t make any sense”.
“You don’t think some crazy fan dropped this in the mail, do you? Last thing we need right some is some drama.”
“How could a fan get through all the security in place around the house? It’s nearly impossible. You know how cautious Ted is with such things, especially nowadays.”
“Stranger things have happened”, shrugged Ed.
“Yeah, I’ll grant you that. But still, what kind of crazy fan would drop a note such as this one? I mean, it’s doesn’t make any sense, they’re saying I sent them some stuff, but I never send anyone anything.”
“Perhaps they think all the stuff you dropped in the mailbox was meant for them?”
“I honestly doubt some crazy fan has anything to do with it. Remember when I put John’s ring in the mailbox?”
“Yeah”
“Well, it just disappeared without anyone showing up to take it… I think there is something more to it, something special”
“How can you be so sure no one came to take the ring? Perhaps you didn’t see them. Perhaps you fell asleep.”
“I didn’t fall asleep, Ed, I’m sure of it. And no one showed up.”
Ed looked at Bob with an expression he couldn’t decipher. For a minute he thought his friend was going to tell him he was being weird. But that’s what Ed was thinking at all, at least not anymore since reading that strange note.
“Well, if you’re sure you didn’t fall asleep, I believe you. But then, what do you suppose is going on? Objects don’t miraculously disappear and reappear without any reason.”
“I don’t know… But there might be a way to find out.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yes, just listen…”
And with that Bob unveiled to his friend the idea that had just popped up in his mind. His plan consisted in answering this mysterious note. Afterward, he would place it in the mailbox alongside another object, and then they’ll only have to wait to see if another note would appear out of thin air.
“How do you suppose we’ll know when to have a look? And how do you suppose we’ll know no one showed up to take the note and put their answer in its place?
To Ed’s doubts, Bob already had an answer ready to serve. He told him that to know for sure that no one showed up, they’ll simply have to stay up all night surveilling the mailbox. And as to when to look, Bob suggested the next morning which was almost always the moment when these things had happened.
“Alright, I see you’ve thought this whole thing through, conceded Ed. But wait… what do you mean when you say “we” should stay up all night? Surely you’re not including me in your mad business?”
“Oh, come on Ed! Why not? I really need you to have my back on this one, otherwise, no one will ever believe I’m telling the truth. They’ll all just keep on thinking I’ve lost my mind”
“No one thinks you’ve lost your mind, Bob.”
“Says you”.
“Come on Bob, you’re not being reasonable”.
“Please Ed, begged Bob. Just this one night, and if nothing comes out of it, I swear I’ll never bring up the matter ever again!”
“Alright then, just this one night, after which, you’re never to talk of this mailbox nonsense ever again”.
“Yes! Exclaimed Bob. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I knew I could count on you, you’re the best!”
“Yeah, yeah, alright, said Ed. So… what do you suppose we do now?”
“How about we decide on what to put in the mailbox back with the note, suggested Bob. Oh, and on what to write back, would be nice too.”
So that’s exactly what they did. Ed decided that because he was going to have to spend all night surveilling the mailbox alongside Bob, he had the right to decide on what to send back with the note they were going to write. Bob, happy to have someone have his back in this ordeal, could only but agree to Ed’s request. He was overjoyed to finally have one of his friends believe him.
After some thinking, Ed’s choice fell on one of his favorite music magazines, Love n” Roll. And after his choice, he helped Bob redacting an answer to the strange note he had received earlier. In the end, they came up with this:
Hey! I hope you’re doing alright yourself but, what’s with the strange note? I never sent you anything. You should probably be the one telling me why you keep on taking all those random things I put in my mailbox out of it.
P.S. By the way, it’s nice to meet you, Layla. I’m Bob. Hope to hear from you soon, in the
meantime, please enjoy this magazine carefully chosen for you by my friend Ed.
P.P.S. What’s XOXO?
Bob
*************
“Layla Jasmijn Chakir, what have you done?!” was the first thing I heard this morning even before I opened my eyes. And when I did open them, Danny’s big furious red face was the first and only thing I could see. Not totally awake yet, I had no idea what he was on about. My sleepy brain cells couldn’t quite manage to figure out what it was he wanted from me at such an early hour.
“Personal space, Danny”, I reminded him, pushing his face farther away from mine.
“Oh no, you don’t get to tell me off after what you did! He yelled back.
“What I did? But I didn’t do anything.”
“No? Then, what’s this?” he said shoving something in my hands. An old magazine.
“That’s not mine”, I said, confused.
“Are you quite sure? Now, why don’t you look a little closer, hum?”
I did as he asked, not wanting to anger him further, and that’s when I noticed the little piece of paper attached to the left corner of the magazine. My heart skipped a beat. I immediately knew what it was. My mysterious correspondent had answered me. Eager to know what the note said, I instantly grabbed it and started reading.
“I’m being serious here, Layla. What did you do?” He asked again, pronouncing each word distinctly as if I hadn’t understood him the first time.
“Shush, I’m reading”.
“Don’t shush me, girl!”
“Just give me a sec’ I’m almost done”.
I must admit, my enthusiasm slightly dropped after finishing reading the note. In its stead, confusion took over. I had no idea what this stranger meant when he asked me why I’d taken all those random objects from his mailbox. I never took anything from anyone’s mailbox. And how could he possibly not know what XOXO meant? Oh, and who the hell was Ed? The only valuable piece of information I’d gotten from the note was that my mysterious correspondent’s name was Bob. I had thought that by sending my little note I would have gotten some answers as to why all these strange things kept appearing in my mailbox but instead, I was left more confused than ever.
*************
After those first two messages, the note exchanging went on for another two mounts, both Bob and Layla trying to get some answers from one another. And what a difficult task it turned out to be. None of them knew what the other was on about for quite some time before things started to slowly make sense.
At first, Danny, Layla’s best friend, was very reluctant with this note exchanging business, but after a while, he got used to the idea. He even went as far as to help Layla with the redacting of some of the notes she sent back to Bob. Of course, the other cohabitants of the mansion had come back in the meantime, but the two best friends decided to keep the matter a secret between them.
On Bob’s side, it didn’t take many efforts to convince John and Brian that he had been telling the truth all along about the mailbox events. Especially now that Ed was on his side, he who had been so reluctant to believe Bob’s story in the first place. After that, as Danny had done, they decided to help their friend with the redacting of the notes he was sending back to Layla.
And it was on their side that the idea first came to give this perfect stranger none of them really knew the address of the place they were currently recording their second album, inviting them over to hand out and finally get to know one another. It wasn’t even Bob’s idea, but John’s. He had gotten so excited about this mysterious correspondent, he now eagerly wanted to meet her.
Layla hadn’t been expecting at all to receive such a proposition. In fact, the idea to extend such an invitation to her correspondent herself never even crossed her mind at all. But the idea immediately appealed to her. The same could not be said about Danny. After reading the note, he went back to being suspicious, warning Layla to be careful though nothing could alter her eagerness to pay a visit to her “new friend”.
She decided to go the very next day, not giving Bob any warning about her coming. She wanted it to be a surprise. And in the end, Danny, not desiring to let his crazy best friend go by herself to a complete stranger’s home, had no choice but to agree to accompany her.
*************
We’ve been driving for hours now, and by “we”, I mean Danny, for I did not have my driver’s license yet (and never intended to get it, to be honest). I must admit I felt a little guilty. I mean, Danny didn’t even want to come in the first place. And now, he was taxiing me all across England to get to the house of an unknown person to the both of us.
“Are you sure this is the right way?” asked Danny, worried. With reason, for we were now driving through a very gloomy wood area.
“Google maps says it is, so I suppose…” I answered, uncertain myself.
“I swear to God Layla, if this mysterious pen pal of yours turns out to be some sort of crazy psycho, I’m going to kill you even before he gets the chance to lay a hand on you!”
“Relax, I’m sure it’s going to be alright”.
“We’re in the middle of a creepy wood, going to the house of some strange guy named Bob. Sorry if I don’t particularly share your enthusiasm. By the way, what kind of dumb name is Bob!”
“Might I remind you It was the name of one of the best musicians to have ever walked this earth, Bob Stardust”.
“Oh, you stop it…”
“Look a house!”
And what a house. And old, dilapidated, abandoned house. Every warning Danny had ever given me started to creep their way across my mind and I was very happy to have him by my side for I began to feel worried. It seemed impossible that someone lived in the property unless it’d be some pervert. The house looked like it had been inhabited for some time now. At its sight, Danny immediately stopped the car.
“I told you to this was going to end up badly, whined Danny. Look at that place Layla, look at it!”
“I’ll admit it’s not what I was expecting at all. But perhaps…”
“Perhaps what?!”
“Alright, alright, no need to get your knickers in a twist. Maybe I made a mistake, maybe we shouldn’t have come at all. Or maybe, this is simply the wrong address”.
“I knew only a total weirdo could be the one sending you all those things”.
“You need to relaaaax”.
“Urgh, you’re in no position to tell me what to do, girl”.
“Why don’t I go and have a look to see if this is the right place or not?”
“Have you gone mad?! You’re not leaving the car to go anywhere near this God-forsaken house!”
“It’ll only take me a minute, wait here”.
Oh my God, I heard Danny sight before I left the car, making my way to the front door of the property. The building looked even more horrifying from up close. Stepping on the porch, I started looking for a house number, before noticing it had been long erased by time. It seemed there was no way to find out if this was the right place or not. Discouraged, I decided to make my way back to the car. I didn’t want to let Danny wait too long.
Ouch, I heard a voice shout behind me, scaring the living hell out of me and to which I responded with a hysterical scream, before realizing it was only Danny who had hurt himself somehow and who had followed me to the front door.
“Goddammit, you scared the living crap out of me!”
“Surely you didn’t expect me to wait for you all alone in the car?”
“Alright drama queen, calm down. I only wanted to have a look at the door to see if I could see a number, but there isn’t one anymore. We can go now”.
“At long last, you’ve found your reason”.
“Hush”.
“I’ve told you before, don’t shush me, woman”.
While Danny was complaining behind me, I decided to have one last look at the front door to see if I could maybe decipher the number that had once been painted there, but it was completely gone. Resigned, I was about to turn around but before I had the chance, the door suddenly opened and to no one’s surprise, Danny and I screamed our heads off in fear.
*************
“Bob, I think there’s someone at the door”, said Brian.
“Well, why don’t you go and have a look then?” answered Bob.
“Nah, I don’t think so. John, you go”.
“No thank you. Ed will go”.
“No, I won’t. Move your lazy bum out of the couch and go yourself”.
“Why don’t the four of you go and open the door together, suggested Ted. It’ll give the rest of us a break for your endless quarreling”. He added mockingly soon to be answered by a rise of complaints coming from the four bandmates.
“Calm down children. And do as Uncle Ted tells you, alright”.
“Alright”, they all sighted at once, rising dramatically from the couch they had been sitting on.
Bob taking the lead, they marched to the front door together, to which, upon opening it, they were welcomed by hysterical screams.
“Oh no, groupies!” / “Hey that’s my ring!” whined Ed and John simultaneously.
*************
Hey, that’s my ring, I heard someone say, which made me calm down immediately. Unlike Danny, who continued screaming his head off. I kicked him in the ribs to calm him down as well.
“Hey, what was that for?” he complained, forgetting his fear.
Ignoring him, I looked at the person who had opened the door. Or should I say, people, for there were four of them.
“That’s not your ring, it’s mine”, I mechanically answered, my brain not being very coherent at the moment. Now looking back, I realize many other things could have been said before that, but I couldn’t think properly anymore.
“Layla is that you?” asked the tall, skinny boy standing in front of the three others.
“Bob…”
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