Chapter-6

Miranda turned over the pink card and placed it on the kitchen counter. The very appearance of the dumb paper managed to send a chill down her spine.

Dina was staring at her, tapping a manicured finger on the black granite.

“Who in the world would send this? Not Michael, because he is pretty much dead. Not me, because if I can, I would delete everything that has got anything to do with him. Not your parents, of course. This is a stupid prank, Miranda.” She said as she picked up the card, tossing it about.

“I don’t know.” Miranda stared down at her hands, worried.

“Anyone from your office maybe?”

Kim. She was the only person from work who knew about Miranda’s past relationship. Kim’s recent behavior had got Miranda thinking of this as a possibility. Liam was most probably Kim’s former flame and she could have been well infuriated by the pace at which Miranda and Liam were becoming friends. Obviously, she could do such sort of a thing. But Kim was a pretty sensible woman. It was so unlike her.

“There is this girl, Kim.” Miranda started then bit her lips, wondering if her direction of suspicion was even valid.

She told Dina about Kim’s behavior and what she thought about her relationship with Liam.

“Maybe she wants you to stay away from her lover boy. Who knows, she might still be in love with him.” Dina shrugged and popped a gum into her mouth.

It still felt very much unlike Kim.

Miranda stared down at the card once more. The piece of paper was the exact replica of the first gift Michael ever gave her. It was one of those rare occasions when Michael would think of her. Michael had invited her with him to the Country Club Fair which was usually the largest fair in the town every year. He was supposed to go there with his high school friends but for some time clashing reasons, the plans got canceled. Miranda had agreed to come along and they had a very perfect evening, hunting the crowded stalls and the food and game counters. Later that evening, when they had sat down relaxing beside the lake, which was as crowded as the rest of the fair, Michael had brought out the gift for her.

“Pretty heavy.” Miranda had giggled as she weighed the wrapped cube on her hand.

“Open it. And ignore the wrapping, okay? It isn’t easy hiding, buying and wrapping a gift in a place like this, that too when you are around.” Michael seemed exhausted and enthusiastic at the same time.

“Of course.”

The wrapping came off easily; Michael had done such a bad job at it, and it made Miranda laugh so hard. She had found it excessively cute of him.

A tiny crystal globe lay on her lap, which enclosed two tiny teddy bears, one pink and one blue, looking at each other. A small pile of fine white balls laid at their feet, immobile. 

A pink card lay beside it: “WITH LOVE, MICHAEL.”

Michael had been searching the box for quite some time. Finally he came up with a tiny key.

“Watch this.” He had inserted the key into a keyhole at the base of the globe.

Miranda watched on as the bears moved in a circle over the rotating base, with the tiny balls blown around, imitating snowfall. A very soothing tune played from the speaker of her little gift, and she was well aware of the other couples staring at them both.

“Like it?” Michael had smiled, his gray eyes full of life.

“Love it.” Miranda had laughed.

The card now lay worthless on the kitchen counter, posing more as a threat than a good memory.

“Maybe someone picked it up from the trash where you threw all your old junk?” Dina suggested.

“That is the thing. I never threw that stuff away.”

Suddenly it clicked to her. Of course, she never threw that gift away! She remembered keeping both the card and the gift safely in her old case of toys from her baby years. She had been so fond of this one gift; she never even gave a thought about discarding it.

“I need to check.”

“Wait a second. You never ditched it? You crazy or what?” Dina called out but Miranda quickly got up and left the kitchen.

Once in her room, she opened her cupboard and started pulling out her old stuff. Pretty soon, the wooden brown box appeared underneath a pile of worn-out blankets. Quickly holding her breath and dropping herself on her knees on the carpet, she clawed at the rusted latch that held the box together. It opened up easily, which was unusual. The last time she had pulled out this box was almost three years ago and she had to practically get her dad’s screw driver to get the box open because it wouldn’t have bulged otherwise.

Shaking off her initial fears, she dived into what seemed like an easier way of finding out. The globe came out quick enough, still in an almost similar condition as she had last left it. The golden paint of the base though, had been chipped off and instead revealed the rusted metal underneath. After a few more attempts, she finally came up with the rusted key. Winding the key into the keyhole didn’t help at all; in fact it got stuck. The battery was dead.

She pulled out all her toys- a rabbit, the talking monkey, the video game she had made her father get her at the local book fair-and a lot more, but no card.

She had been so sure it was exactly at the same place as the gift. There was no way it would have got out, unless someone was so desperate that they would deliberately break into the house just to pull out the card.

Dina appeared at the door of her room just then, making a face at the mess on the floor.

“Found your ‘precious’ yet?” Dina rolled her eyes, her voice coated with sarcasm.

“It’s not here.” Miranda said, covering her mouth with the back of her hand nervously.

“Come on, babe. Stop stressing over minor things. It is just a stupid prank. The person probably has got a camera installed somewhere around here, and he must be laughing his head off right now.” Dina laughed.

Miranda glared at her best friend even though her mind still replayed her last lines.

“Just kidding, Miranda.”

But to Miranda, nothing felt like a joke right now. If anything, the card felt like the first clue- the very first reminder that the shadows of her past were still lurking in her present.