Letter from an old friend

When BeastBoy got back to the tower from a very long session at the arcade, he noticed that someone had been and left a small package at the door. Most likely it was some parts for Cyborgs car or his 'baby' as he liked to call it. But as he came closer he could also see a letter taped on firmly to the top. There were many different stamps on the package from all different countries, which told him that it had come from somewhere abroad and had been re-posted many times before reaching its final destination. He walked over and picked it up looking at the brown envelope and the address and name that had been scrawled upon it.

To his surprise it was not for Cyborg, nor Robin or any of his other team mates. It was addressed to him. He shook the package wondering what could be inside. He was sure he hadn't ordered anything and the new racing game he had seen in Gamers Weekly magazine wasn't out for another month. He looked for a return address, but there wasn't one. He sat down with his legs crossed and opened the letter, ripping it from the package. It was only one sheet of paper, folded three times and was easy enough to read in the last of the daylight.

Or so he thought. It was written in African and he could only make out a little of it. Apparently one of his old friends was arriving tomorrow and coming to see him. That's all he could really figure out so he looked over to the package and put the letter into his pocket. He used his fingernails to claw through the cellotape and string which held the package together. He was smiling in anticipation. What could it be holding? A very rare videogame? An awesome tofu delicacy from Africa? The ultimate designer pocketknife? He opened it up ,almost shaking with excitement, to find….a rock.

An oddly shaped rock. It looked like a lions face. He could see ridges which made the outline of its mane. When he looked closer he could see small grooves in the side which indicated that someone had used some sort of knife to carve it. He turned it round and looked at the initials marked on the back. DP. He didn't think he knew anyone with initials like that so he guessed it must have been shop bought. He put it in his pocket along with the letter and stood up. He trashed the packaging and walked inside the tower, heading for the common room.

He had taken no more than three steps inside before someone grabbed him from behind. 'SNEAK HUG!' BeastBoy turned round to find his girlfriend staring back at him. Her name was Afton and she had been with the titans for roughly three months before he finally mustered up the courage to ask her out. She was wearing her typical outfit which consisted of a black tank top which reached to just above her belly button which she wore underneath her 'lucky' jacket. It had three holes in either side which she claimed was the fashion where she had come from. She also wore a pair of skin-tight, black trousers which reached to her knees and the small, black boots she wore completed the outfit.

She wore her long, brunette curls in a ponytail behind her back. She had been growing her hair out for a while now but it only reached her shoulder blades. She had told BeastBoy numerous times that she preferred it pulled back and out of her way. He didn't mind though, because it meant that he could see her eyes more clearly. He could stare into those pools of dark chocolate for hours. Her pale complexion made them stand out even more and he could feel himself slowly being lured in to her, like a siren calling to a lonely shipmate. She gave him a short but sweet kiss on the lips before putting her hand in his and leading him over to the sofa. 'So, how was the arcade?'

Cyborgs voice snapped him out of the daze he was in and he quickly responded with 'Yeah, it was ok I guess. There wasn't really much that I didn't have the high score on anyway. Made it a little less fun. Hey, where are the others?' He noticed that Robin, Starfire and Raven were not present.

'They all went out on a minor call. Some idiot tried to rob a candy store on 51st street. We figured they could handle it by themselves, and beside, I wanted to wait for you' She smiled at him sweetly and he squeezed her hand back.

'Well, I guess something exciting happened' He reached into his pocket for the letter and lion-shaped stone. He showed his two friends and Cyborg translated a little more of the letter into English.

'Well, sounds like whoever it is, there gunna be landing tonight. And I think they might come here if they said they were visiting you'

'Better get a room ready then gar. Hey, do you even know who it's from?'

He just shook his head. 'Not one clue' He sighed, trying his hardest to figure out who it might be. But the more he tried the more his head hurt and the more difficult it was to think of anyone. 'I think I'm gunna hit the hay' He yawned while placing the two objects of interest on the table.

'Are you sure? We could always watch a movie or….' Afton rubbed her chin trying to think of something to do. Although her offer promised him some cuddle time with her, he wearily declined and left the room after saying goodnight to Cyborg. As he drifted off, his mind filled with images of Africa. The wild open plains. The small towns and marketplaces. The animals. The old friends….

((I wrote this for a friend :) ))