Dear Mr Walton,
I realise that you must have been a little surprised when you found a small package on your table this morning. Still, it had your name on it, and didn't look too threatening, so you picked it up and tore open the brown paper to reveal the familiar shape of a paperback book.
You will have been even more surprised to see that the book itself had your name on the cover. I know it's an unusual way of getting someone's attention, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.
You will have to accept my apology for not including my real name as the author, but I do like to protect my identity as much as possible.
Anyway, where do we start...
I guess we should begin with the most obvious questions...
Yes, I did write this book for you - or rather, I wrote it for me, but thought you might find it interesting. It took me two weeks to type it all out on a rather expensive laptop which I have now dumped in the ocean. I wrote it while sitting in the bar of this hotel where you and I have both been staying. It's a nice beach isn't it? The Adriatic Coast is very pleasant at this time of year.
Yes, I have been watching you for the past two weeks, but if you look around (as I know you just did) you won't see me. I took the obvious precaution of keeping out of view while you received your package. I wouldn't want to spoil things by revealing myself too soon, but rest assured, I can still see you, so don't get up until you have read it from cover to cover - and don't skip to the end either - I put a lot of effort into this, so I'd like to see you treat it with some respect.
At this moment you are sitting under a parasol, much as you have been for the last fourteen days, enjoying the fruits of your (more than slightly illegal) earnings. Yes, Mr Walton, I do know what you've done, and I understand your reasons for keeping out of public sight for a while - but this book isn't about you, it's about me.
I finished it a couple of days ago and arranged for a copy to be printed and delivered here to this beach by courier. A little extreme, I realise, but I consider it good therapy. It was really helpful to spend time reflecting on my journey, and the things that happened. I had a therapist once who told me to write everything down and then throw it all away. It just seemed like a good idea to share my work with you first.
And yes, it has been helpful, so thank you for giving me this time and space to think. I have really enjoyed it, and I really do feel a bit better. I'm ready to go home now, once our business has been concluded...
And so... on with the story. I'm not going to begin at the very beginning of course, that would be too obvious, but there was a moment when everything changed...
