Penpal
by Chad Garcia
About a month ago I moved into a new house in a small suburb of California. Itwasnice, ratherupscaleforitsprice. Itevenhadapool.
Onedaywhen I wenttogetthemail, I foundastrangeletteraddressedtomyhouse. Itseemedplain, astandard 4” x 8” whiteletter. Oddly, though, therewasnoreturnaddress.
Walkinginside, I scrutinizeditthoroughly. When I openedit, apaperfrominsidefelloutgracefullyandlandedonthetable.
“Hello, whoareyou? Pleasewriteback.”
I laughed. Lookingatthescrawlingthatcouldhardlybedescribedaswriting, I assumeditwassomekidintheneighborhoodplayingapracticaljoke. I decided I wouldhumorhimorher. Takingthepaper, I wrotearesponseonthebackoftheletter.
“Hi, I’mJohn, andI’manadultwhoworksatthelocalSocialSecuritybureau. May I askyourname?”
I slippedtheletterbackintotheenvelopeandtuckeditawayintothemailboxagain.
Thenextday I heardthemailmanarrive. Walkingouttothebox, I foundtheusualbills, statementsandjunkmail. Butamongthemwasanothercrispwhiteletter.
When I openedit, therewasthesamepaper, neatlyfoldedintothirds.
“Hello, John. MynameisChris, andthisismystreet. I usedtohaveacat, and I likewriting. Howoldareyou? Pleasewriteback.”
I respondedasanyadultwouldtoaccommodateasmallchild.
“Hi, Chris. Whathappenedtoyourcat? I’mabout 33 yearsold. Could I askwhyyou’rewritingtome?”
Again, I threwtheletterbackintothebox, leavingtheredflagup.
Thenextday, I wenttofetchthemorningpaper. Butthistimetheredflagwasdown. I walkeduptotheboxandlookedinside. There, byitself, wasyetanotherwhiteenvelope. “It’stooearly!” I thoughttomyself. “Themailmanisn’tevenmakinghisroundsyet!”
“Hello, John. Mycatdiedinourswimmingpool. It’smademeverysad. I’mwritingtoyoutoaskwhyyouarelivinginmyhouse. Pleasewriteback.”
Insidethehouse, I quicklycomposedaresponse. Thekid’sprankwasbeginningtoweighonmynerves.
“Hi, Chris. Whatdoyoumeanyourhouse? Didyoulivehereatonetimeandmove?”
I placed the response letter in the box and began to walk away. That’s when I heard a loud metallic thud.
My blood went cold. Inside the mail box laid another white letter. I picked it up, opened it, and read its contents.
“Hello, John. No, I stilllivehere. Howlongwillyoubestaying? Pleasewriteback.”