I wasn’t quite finished with the story I was telling by the time 2025 ended and so decided to continue it until it reached an ending point. Then I will start a new one. Besides, I kind of want to see where Penelope ends up. And so we have…
Day 175: A man wearing a messenger’s outfit stood on her doorstep.
A man wearing a messenger’s outfit stood on her doorstep. He was holding clipboard in one hand and a package was clasped under his arm. His bike was leaning against the fence surrounding her front yard and he wore the jacket of a local delivery service.
Penelope decided it was probably not an elaborate ruse. ‘And Mrs. Merriweather was sending books.’ The package looked like it could hold a couple of books. She opened the door.
“Penelope Douglas?” The messenger asked.
“Yes,” she replied. He held out the clipboard. There was a pen clipped down on top of the papers.
“Package, from Lenore Merriweather, sign here.” He pointed to a line on the page. With her broken arm, negotiating the clipboard was interesting. A couple of times she jostled it and winced as her arm flared with pain. She managed to sign but couldn’t get the pen clipped back under the metal clip as it had been. The messenger took it anyway and handed her the package.
It was heavy and she had to hold it with her arm rather than her hand. Package delivered, the messenger turned and left. Penelope set the package down on a side table and as she closed the door, saw the messenger swing onto his bike and start to ride off. Door closed, she locked all the locks and hoped no one else felt like stopping by. Her arm was aching again, and she was beginning to realize how difficult navigating her life one handed was going to be as her arm healed.
Door once again locked, she picked up the package, cradling it against her body as she went back upstairs. In the kitchen she set the package on the kitchen counter and rummaged in one of the drawers for some scissors. She came up with a pair that seemed more designed for heavy kitchen use than packages, but she was willing to accept it.
The package was not actual cardboard but an untearable container that seemed like a mix of paper and plastic. She wasn’t entirely certain what it was made of. It was flexible and almost impossible for her to open one handed without a tool. She used the scissors to split it open and then emptied the contents on the counter.
As expected, there were two books. There was also a small box and a note. Deciding the note might explain the box, Penelope went for it first. It was a hastily written note.
‘This was one of Jerome’s first books of study showing simple lessons. I also included a book of simple charms since you found them of interest and when I picked out the books I found a box of miscellaneous charms I thought might be of interest as you learn. I’m not entirely certain what they are, but they should serve as examples if nothing else.’
The note had an LM scrawled at the bottom of the text. Penelope set the note aside. She looked at the books. As the note claimed, one was a book featuring simple exercises to help her learn to work with plants. Flipping through the pages, she saw they were designed to help her learn control and once she had control to refine her skills.
“Control is something I could definitely use,” she decided.
Ten til Midnight 