The Magic of a Mystery

There it rested on the faded brick steps of the orphanage; a suspicious package wrapped in brown paper. Nobody saw the person that delivered it. Some of the children even had elaborate ideas of who, or what, it was.

“A drone flew in from the North, sneaking past the security cameras to drop off the package.” Tanner’s eyes were bright with excitement and hinted of fear from the possibilities.

“I’m sure it was a normal delivery person. Probably UPS,” Olivia reassured, always the pragmatic one.

“If it were a UPS driver, don’t you think there’d be a label?” Jack accused. He knew better than to agree with the simplest of explanations.

“What do you think’s inside?” A meek Sylvia whispered, pulling herself to her tippy toes to peer out the dirty window.

The other three came up around her and pressed their own faces against the glass, cupping their hands around their eyes in hopes of favoring the light.

Madam Bradshaw was taking her lunch in her study, as she always did at that time. If she hadn’t been hidden away in the far corner of the annoyingly large building with limited space for the children, she would have scolded them for getting smudges on the glass. But since they knew she wouldn’t be able to tell, what with the filth of the glass as it already was, they pressed on.

“We better not get caught, or she’ll make us clean all the windows,” announced Olivia, though she didn’t move from the post. Her eyes fixed on the large package with so many possibilities. No labels, no letters written across the brown wrapping.

“It’s probably pickles and chocolates for Bradshaw’s indulgent, yet odd, tastes.” Jack knew it couldn’t be for any of the children, especially not the four of them, yet he couldn’t remove himself from his new post.

Sylvia’s body twitched as a thought entered her mind, and she stepped away from the glass in an urgent manner to reach for the door handle. “What if it’s a puppy or a kitten meant to cheer up the children? We can’t let it sit in the box out there, sweltering in this horrible heat.”

When Sylvia was found at the age of six, she was in an abandoned building with a loyal tabby cat and protective brown Labrador, and a book collection that could rival a library. Millie Cat and Handsome Lab were her comrades in life, and her books taught her a vocabulary far beyond most her peers. When they brought her here, they left the books to be torn down with the building, and threw her furry friends into cages, shipping them to the pound.

“Don’t go out there, Sylvia. You know you’ll be in trouble,” Tanner warned, but it was too late. She yanked down on the metal clasp and flung the door open, scurrying out to the porch. Despite his skepticism, he inched out onto the landing behind her, followed by Olivia and Jack.

Sylvia rested her hands on the top of the package only briefly, fearing what would happen if she was caught with it there. She didn’t dare lose anything else. She’d already lost too much. They all had. But if it was a puppy or a kitten, it must be sleeping because she felt no movement under her fingertips.

“If it is chocolate for Bradshaw, we could sneak it back to our bunks and tuck it under the mattresses—it’ll melt out here anyway. Our treat for the days when Her Wicked Highness makes us work too hard.” Jack’s eyes gleamed of hope for nights filled with chocolate delights.

Jack was starved before coming to the orphanage. His mother dead, his father abandoned him to fend for himself. However, the cupboards in his home were too high, and he was too small. For a time, he hoped his sweet neighbor would come rescue him, so he banged on the walls with every bit of last remaining energy. She finally heard him one day, but instead of her arriving at the door with a plate of cookies, a frumpy old man from CPS came and shoved him into the back seat of a car.

“You better not let her hear you call her that. You’ll be locked away in the closet,” Olivia scolded him. “Besides, if it were her snack supply, there’d surely be a tag of some sort.”

Now it was Tanner’s turn to dream. “I think it’s a box full of toys. Board games, little metal cars, marbles and jacks, little dolls for the girls. And the toys, they have hidden cameras inside them, so the spies from a wannabe parenting club can see all the wonderful kids and gather evidence of the mean Madam Bradshaw. Once they know enough, they’ll raid the building and take us all away.”

Tanner’s parents had been taken away from their home by a SWAT team, after undercover police officers had embedded cameras and recording devices. One of them had whispered promises that he’d soon be safe. But despite all the illegal activity happening in his home, and the despicable things his parents had done, he believed this new life was much worse. He still waited for the officer’s promise to come true.

“Nobody’s coming to rescue us,” Olivia said sadly, placing a hand on Tanner’s shoulder.

Olivia knew the realities far better than her fellow orphans. She’d been left as a baby, inside a basket, blankets tucked nicely around her, a note pinned to her collar. It simply read: Please take care of my baby and I’ll do my best to return. But nobody came back for her. Not her mother, not her father, not her grandparents. She finally accepted she’d be without a family forever. Nobody was coming back for her.

“Olivia, what do you think it is?” Sylvia tugged on her shirt, begging her to pick her up. She dutifully swooped her into her arms and hugged her for a moment before bringing her to rest on her hip.

“It’s probably cleaning supplies and cans of food donated by the food bank,” Olivia sighed.

A chorus of bewildered groans came from the others. She hated letting them down, bringing disappointment to their innocent hearts. This was the worst part about being the oldest, and the one who’d been here longest. Her childlike nature had fizzled out, leaving a shell of disappointment where it once was.

“But, if I could make that package anything in the world,” Olivia announced with newfound wonder in her voice. “I’d make it a magical box full of so many possibilities.”

She let Sylvia to the ground; at seven she was too small for her age, but too big to be held for long. But as the youngest child in their group, holding her was worth it. Then, Olivia led the group back inside and shut the door quietly behind them.

Olivia made her way to the floor in front of the door, sitting on the cool tile and crossing her legs. Soon Jack, Sylvia and Tanner were all doing the same, forming a story-time circle.

“A magical box that contains whatever you wish it could hold, or anything else. A wishing box, like a genie in a bottle, only it’s a large package on our front porch. But careful, you only get one wish, not three like Aladdin did.” She explained her new tale with valor and hope, all while keeping hushed tones as Madam Bradshaw’s break would soon end.

“Aladdin was an orphan too,” sang Jack, and let his guarded defiance subside in exchange for a fictitious friend who was also mischievous.

“That’s right he was. But unlike him, we only get one wish. So, what will yours be Sylvia?” Olivia asked.

“I would wish for Millie Cat and Handsome Lab. They were my family, and I would want you all to meet them. They are absolutely fabulous.” Sylvia stared into space, dreaming of her long-lost friends.

“I would wish for someone to watch over us,” Tanner exclaimed, bouncing on his feet. “They’d protect us, keep us safe, and someday take us to our truly safe place.”

“And what about you, Jack?” Olivia asked.

“All the chocolate and sweets I could ever want. And breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. To never be hungry again, and to always have someone to make sure we’re fed.” Jack spoke quieter than normal, his bravery suddenly fleeting.

Olivia beamed at the idea of all of them having the securities they wished for. She wanted badly for them to never be let down again.

“What about you, Olivia?” Sylvia tapped her shoulder.

“I would wish for you all to get your own wishes,” Olivia shared.

“But that’s not a wish for you,” Jack protested.

“I’ve already gotten my wish. I’ve always wished for a family, and I have that now. You three are my family.” And it was true. Olivia had waited many years for someone, anyone, to return for her. But it wasn’t meant to be because she needed to meet her friends who became her family.

The four scattered when they heard Madam Bradshaw coming down the hall. From their different hiding places, they’d watched her open the front door and retrieve the suspicious brown paper package.

That evening, Madam Bradshaw called for Olivia. “This package is for you,” she said curtly, shoving the large thing toward her feet.

Olivia carefully unwrapped it, unsure of what it could be. When she removed the lid of the cardboard box, she found a small suitcase. Inside it there were clothes, sundries, and a large stack of hundred-dollar bills.

“Where did this—” Olivia started.

“The lawyer’s office that served your mother before she passed away sent it. It’s part of your inheritance. I’ve been informed you will have a monthly stipend each month, and an apartment across town where you can live. It had to wait until your eighteenth birthday.” Madam Bradshaw started to turn away.

“It’s my birthday.” A realization came over Olivia as she stared at the money piled on top her new clothes.

Madam Bradshaw’s steps announced her retreat, but Olivia stopped her.

“Madam Bradshaw, what are the adoption fees for Jack, Tanner and Sylvia?” She bent over and picked up one of the large stacks, thumbing it to see if it was real. “Will this cover it?”

The children were already asleep when she rolled out the front door, not looking back at the place that held her captive all her eighteen years. She waved down a cab and read the address to the driver, who sped her through the streets of downtown.

She could hardly sleep that night, in a large apartment with scarce furniture and empty cupboards. But those things didn’t matter. She was free. But her wish hadn’t yet come true.

The next morning, she dashed out, gathering groceries, toys, and even little security cameras she could set up around her new place. Last she made her way to the pound, where she found two comrades waiting for a new home, kept in their cages for over a year.

One last time she returned to the crumbling old orphanage, held together by sheer grit and children who needed it to stay put.

Olivia’s face lit up when the three children came to her side, hugging her and wondering where she’d been.

“I’ve been busy granting wishes,” she told them. But they were confused.

When she led them away for the last time, showing them her new place, they didn’t understand. Until Jack saw the pantry full of food, Tanner caught sight of the cameras that would watch over him, and Sylvia was greeted by Millie Cat and Handsome Lab.

And Olivia beamed from ear to ear. Perhaps a suspicious package can hold all the answers after all. Not only that, but all the wishes and delights in the world.