I could put the piece of paper inside the envelope again and pretend this never happened. I don’t have to go in some crazy scavenger hunt to find this guy. I thought we would meet and spend the day together, knowing each other in person. I never thought he would make me go through a whole ordeal to find him. Or his name. This wasn’t part o the plan. But then again, there wasn’t really a plan.

I should just ignore this and go back home.

But I’m here.

I already came, I found the envelope and made my mind to come and meet this person. Maybe it’ll be fun. I don’t know unless I try and following clues shouldn’t get me in much trouble. Well… it could. It could get me killed.

Oh God, what am I doing?

Clearly, I’m reading the next page.

Yay you turned the page! I appreciate your trust. I know it’s hard to just do what some stranger tells you. I know it would be hard for me. I promise I won’t disappoint you. I know all this must sound like a silly game but I’m just trying to make you have fun. People say I’m dramatic and they are right, I can’t do things in a common and boring way. What’s the fun of that? Anyhow, let’s do this.

The first letter is H.

By the way, I’m not giving you all the letters in order. You’ll only figure out my name at the end of this journey and when we meet.

If you want to find the next clue, and by clue I mean the next letter, then you need to go for breakfast. I bet you didn’t have anything this morning.

I laugh because it’s true. I don’t know exactly how he could know that, but it makes me smile and that smile makes me keep reading the letter.

There’s a coffee shop not too far from the bench. It’s small and nice but I swear to God it sells the best breakfast in the whole city. Sweet or salty, whatever you want. And the coffee is great. I drew you a map just in case. Once you’re in there make sure to say “I’m Maca, I was sent here for a letter.” The rest is up to them. Enjoy your breakfast! I’ll see you soon (:

I turn the next page and there’s a map. It’s simple but it helps me to know where I am supposed to go. I still have that smile plastered on my lips and now that I’ve thought of breakfast I could actually use some food. My stomach feels empty and I know I won’t meet him there. Plus, it’s a coffee shop. Unless someone attacks me on the way, I should be all right. Plus, if it looks like a trap or something, I don’t have to walk in.

So I take another look at the map and put it inside the envelope once again and then shove it inside my purse. Fixing my scarf once again, I start walking. This is clearly not what I was expecting, but I’m not sure if I’m disappointed or not. It sounds troublesome to do all these things just to meet a stranger, but then, he did all this. He actually planned this hunt so we could meet. And he wanted to make something special. I can at least try.

Sure as hell I never expected I would end up walking to a coffee shop to collect another letter when I found the first post-it, and even less when I decided to reply. I just wanted to thank this stranger.

• • •

I was back from uni and heading home. I made it to my second class and all the others. I also managed to meet Professor Fiorentino and explain her what had happened. She was always sweet and understanding. She could be a strict professor but she had this maternal thing about her and I adored her.

During the whole day I had been thinking of the post-it. A few times I opened the pad and re-read it as if I needed it to give me strength during the rest of the day. Somehow, it worked. So on my way back I decided to do something in return. Whoever left that note there for anyone to find had helped me today and the least I could do was saying thank you.

When I arrived to that bench I looked for my own set of purple post-its and wrote a note for this person. I didn’t know if this person would find it, but at least I would leave it there. I didn’t know if it was a he or a she so I had to keep it neutral.

I found your note today when I needed it the most. For that, thank you. I hope you have a wonderful day :)

I pasted the purple paper on the same spot I found the yellow one and smiled. There was something thrilling about leaving a note there, not knowing if that other person would find it. I could understand why this person did what he or she did, it was exciting in a way I had never experienced. Although my note was specifically addressed to this person, it was still exciting. It was a risk in a very safe way. I would never know if this person got my thank-you note or not, and that was the interesting part, I guess.

Leaving notes with positive messages for people had to be something that filled you with excitement and hope. You just left it there and wished someone would find it, someone who needed it. Like I did that morning.

On tumblr I sometimes saw posts with pictures of people doing nice things for others. Leaving messages not addressed to anyone in particular. I always found lovely how someone found those words and took pictures of them. I always thought it was wonderful how small things could make another person smile.

I never thought of doing that myself and I never imagined I would be part of an event like finding that note. It was a case of sheer luck and it made me think of casualties. It made me think of small details and honest smiles.

When I got home I was in such a lighter mood that even my mum noticed it. She looked happy to see me smiling for no apparent good reason. Later at night I told my friends about this post-it I found and how nice it had been. I told them about finding it right at the same time.

Maca I must confess… it was me. I left that note a year ago

Mila joked over text messages and I laughed. Moni and Havi went along with the jokes and then twisted things a bit more. It tended to happen in our conversations that a simple thing turned into something big and extravagant, like a secret admirer following my every step to leave notes so I could smile and he could take pictures to past on his wall of the room filled with my face. And that was how I would end up in an episode of Criminal Minds.

Not even today I could figure out how we ended up talking about those things. Always.

The next day I woke up on time and I made my way to uni still in a good mood. After leaving home I read the post-it one more time and smiled to myself, getting ready to start a new day.

When I walked past the bench when I found the post-it the day before I couldn’t help myself and I stopped. I was glad I did because there was something there: a small piece of yellow paper with some words written on it. My smile widened as I jumped to grab the note.

It’s the first time someone replies! I’m so happy you found it and that it helped you. Have a fantastic day and remember to smile. Great things could happen to you today (:

And like the day before, I smiled brightly at the words. This person found my note and wrote back once again. This time it wasn’t just a note for anyone, this it was only for me because I was the one who found the note. This note wouldn’t make sense to anyone but me.

A small laughter bubbled out and I covered my mouth to muffle it. Just a few words on a yellow paper had brightened up my whole day. I was feeling okay but after that note I felt even better.

I took my pad and found the page where I pasted the first post-it. I pasted the new one on the next page and smiled once again.

Whoever this person was, he found my note. Well, if it was a he. It could be a she for all I knew. But the handwriting was masculine and messy, like the one of a boy. But girls are more likely to leave notes to make strangers happy. But the post-it is yellow, a generic colour. A girl would have another colour, like me that I had purple ones. But that wasn’t enough. Moni had yellow post-its, although she didn’t like to use them. She rather the light blue ones.

I wasn’t Sherlock even if I loved the show. I couldn’t get all the information I wanted from this stranger with just two post-its. I bet Sherlock could tell me age, sex, occupation, hobbies, personality and even if he was left handed or not and by just looking at the first word.

Pity I didn’t know anyone who could at least tell me if the person behind these post-its was a man or a woman. But for some reason I felt it was a man.

I remembered my friend Moni who always assumed that every person she talked to on the Internet was a woman and when it turned the other way she just carried on and laughed. She didn’t analysed or anything, she just assumed that automatically. Most of the time she was right. So I would assume this person was a man until I found out otherwise. Plus, it didn’t really make a difference, it just made it easier in my mind.

So with that I put the pad back in my backpack and resumed my way to uni, with a big smile on my lips. And it was like that how we started to exchange post-its.

• • •

As I make my way to this coffee shop I only think of that day and how everything started. In my purse I’m carrying my pad, the same one in which I pasted the first yellow paper and that now is filled with many, many post-its, of every colour but always the same writing and always the same smiley face. It’s like a rainbow inside a notepad and other things that make me think of him. Thing that remind me of the day I had when I found that post-it. That notepad is like a journal in which I collect all the memories from this adventure. I just have a few pages left and I’m saving them for today.

So I keep walking, thinking of the things I’ll put on the pages of this journal I’ve created. Maybe more post-its. Now that I think about it, this whole hunt will give me more souvenirs to add to my journal and that gets me excited.

I finally find the coffee shop. It’s small as the letter said and I think I’ve seen it before but I never stopped by. I can smell the coffee from where I’m standing and I see people inside through the window, having breakfast. Everything seems pretty normal. It’s a small shop among many others in a common street with people passing by going wherever they have to go. There’s nothing special to it, but it’s special at the same time.

My stranger has led me here. I am supposed to have breakfast here and collect the next letter that will lead me closer to him.

It’s a simple coffee shop that he picked for me, because it has the best breakfasts I could ever imagine. Sweet or salty. And the coffee is great. I think I’ll get one cup of coffee.

With a smile I unwrap my scarf and walk to the door with a large glass that has a sing that reads OPEN. I cross it and a bell rings.

I’m here. Time to collect the next letter.

-:-:-

Please let me know your thoughts about the story so far! It really helps me. And share it if you like it!

Picture of how Maca looks like at the sidebar.

Bel, xx

1. Follow me on twitter if you wanna tak, @BelWatson