You're back?
I can't say I haven't been expecting you. It's simply human nature - when someone says they have a secret, especially one that could change the world as we know it like Jade's, you want to hear it. Secrets are like raw onions - a food I've noticed is not very well liked, but I enjoy very much, although if you do not have mouthwash on hand after eating one, people will typically avoid you and your halitosis until you do. Any who, secrets are like onions because of the layers. First, when you learn there is one, that is like the onion's thin skin. And then, as you learn more, peeling back the layers of the onion, if you will, there's less and less to learn until you get the last layer, where all is revealed.
Where was I in the story? The attic in the town you've never heard of, yes?
Alright.
Jade and Cat were up in Cat's grandmother's attic, which Jade was not exactly enjoying.
"All that's up here is ugly hats and stupid old books," she grumbled.
Cat popped her head out of the trunk she was exploring. "No, there are dress-up things in here!" she said, with a childlike innocence.
Jade rolled her eyes and looked at one of the bookshelves, full of books. Most were old volumes of Nancy Drew - a wonderful book series with an, in my opinion, less than fabulous movie made about 20 years after the books went out of print. However, one book on the shelf caught Sc-er, Jade's attention. The book was remarkably small. It could fit in the palm of your hand (think the miniature, red, hard-back editions of Maurice Sendak's books) and was a deep gray. There was no title on the spine.
Jade pulled the book of the shelf and flipped to the back for a synopsis. None was given. Defeated, she opened the book, turned to the first page, and was promptly annoyed.
"Cat! Why does your grandmother have a tiny book that's written in gibberish?" Jade asked.
Cat popped out of the trunk again, wearing a dusty old feather boa and a floppy hat. "Whatty?"
Jade held out the book to her. This is what the first page said:
"Ebnofgert oyuu ertdas htysio, lpaaeresd atyekl onmety fop htyer afgcty htytas htyer obnkop oyur'uier ohjdlzniogh ocvtnmiassnm noper fop htyer omqtsd adfgnmreruopsd esdrcvtersd verrer. Oyuv'uier ebnner awenrtder."
Cat's eyes scanned the words. "Maybe it's a secret language!"
But it was not a secret language, nor was it simply gibberish. It was a carefully calculated code.
I know the code - I can read that message clear as day. However, most people would overlook it - dismiss it as gibberish, like Jade.
Jade flipped to the next page. On it was a single sentence.
"Hpalyuilosd Avbnerityenm nasdf Herty Ocvnuiiclz fop FPGFFGFFGTY (k.a.s.a.s. herty CTYP) ebnilzverer htyyer ahsev ofgnuidf as aweyu oty utynrt Tsdnas niooty as owelrtldfyu ebnniogh."
Jade dismissed this as well - more gibberish.
Upon turning to the page, she noticed that the next page had a single word on it, but it was in English : "And".
She turned the page hastily.
"Now"
Jade's eye widened. The words were spelling a sentence. Each page had only one word:
"That".
"You."
"Know,".
"It's".
"Up".
"To".
"You".
"To".
"Stop".
"It".
Cat cocked her head. "Stop what?"
Jade shook her head - she had no idea.
Nothing interesting happened the rest of the day. Jade tossed the peculiar book across the room, insisting that Cat's grandmother just kept weird books, and then convinced her to go downstairs and watch the Home Alone movies, as originally planned, in exchange for the promise that she would make the microwave popcorn and let Cat choose the toppings for it. The truth was that Jade was unnerved by the the strange book - and so she should've been.
I believe that the very next day was when the first letter with the upside-down stamp arrived.
