The Mysterious Messages

Part Two- The Box on the Doorstep

The doorbell chime pierced through the thick silence of the mansion's vacant hallways. Riley groaned, as she threw her covers to the side and let her feet fall to the frigid floor. She pulled herself up and grabbed her robe from the door peg and slipped it on over her nightgown. Riley continued down the hall and groggily plodded down the grand staircase. Faint shadows swept across the walls and gusts of chilling air lingered. Riley walked up to the double doors and hesitantly peered through the glass panels to discover a sodden cardboard box, that was drenched with rainwater. Riley slid the grand door open and bent down to swiftly examine the box. She grabbed the package and whipped it up and down, flicking the water through the crisp winter air. She cautiously looked up to see who had dropped it off. Nobody was there... Well, I know that mailmen don't come this late at night. It must have been someone dropping off themselves. Why so late? Riley closed the door, and double locked it just in case the deliver wasn't still sticking around... Riley headed back to her toasty bed, setting the box down on her wooden dresser. The sight of her ceiling fan faded from view as her eyelids slowly fluttered shut.

The radiant beams of sun crept through Riley's blinds as she shifted her body in the other direction. The minutes passed as Riley desperately attempted to fall back into a slumber. It was no use, so she blindly reached for her phone that rested on her bedside table. After checking all of her social media accounts, she threw her phone to the end of her bed and slipped back into her bed sheets. Thoughts drifted through her head until the box sitting on her dresser crossed her mind. Riley craned her neck to peer up at the box which was still perched next to her flat screen TV. She whipped the sheets to the side, releasing all the glorious warm air from under the covers. She grabbed the box and jumped back into the bed. Riley leaned back into her pillow, setting the box on her lap.

The box was bare of any shipping addresses or labels, and an uneasy feeling crept up into Riley. Her shaky hands pulled the flaps back to reveal a piece of paper sitting at the bottom. Whoever sent this, apparently doesn't know what an envelope is... But, why did they come in the middle of the night to just scamper away after ringing the bell? Why didn't they just ship it to my house?

Riley unraveled the paper scroll, reading he inky black writing that flowed across the page which read out, "Every dusk, you will see, a box on your step, left by me. Listen to my letters. Don't just simply taste the words, but devour them whole. Read every letter, one by one, for secrets lie in them. Trust me, you are in deep trouble. - C"

Riley dropped the page, as her throat became dry and her shallow breathing turned to huge gasps as a wave of worry washed over her. What do they mean," I am in trouble"? Should I take this seriously? Am I being stalked? Oh, no I am being stalked, aren't I?

As Riley pondered and stressed, the author of the note is hovering over her shoulder. He is floating in mid-air, twiddling his transparent fingers in worries for Riley, for he is too afraid, for who had gotten to him many years ago, would soon find her too.