Henry's Adventure Beyond the Grave

What was once a dead man’s journey has now become my own. There was an old house with exposed brick and blue shutters with a big sign of ‘Estate Sale’ in the front lawn. I felt a pull to stop and check it out. I walked through the house as if I was searching for a hidden treasure. I walked upstairs. Each stair creaked, I found a small room in the attic with boxes filled with books and old film photography equipment. I stumbled upon a black notebook. I dusted it off and turned each page and saw it was this man’s travel journey through Italy and Switzerland. A deep surge of knowing my dreams would come true came over me. I was struggling with anxiety and I yearned to see the world. The death of this man planted a seed into my soul to help me find the meaning of my life.

I went downstairs to find a elderly woman sitting on the sofa wrapped tightly in plastic. I could tell she seemed subdued, and I gently whispered, “Hi, um, excuse me, how much is this black notebook?” She muffled a few words under her breath as she struggled a bit to stand up. She said, “Let me see which one you got there and I’ll tell ya the price.” I handed it over to her and she fluttered through the pages, she stopped for a moment. “Oh, this was Henry’s prized possession. He was a traveler you know, he had an obsessive curiosity about the world. The Italy and Switzerland trip was the last trip we went on together before he passed.” I said, “Oh, wow I’m so sorry for your loss. I love to travel too and my dream is to see the world and be an author.” She smiled, “Oh, you will my dear, I can hear it in your voice. My Henry spoke the same way as you. I’ll give this to you for $10.” I smiled from ear to ear, I said, “I will cherish this forever.” She wrapped up the notebook and put it in a bag for me. I thanked her and left.

On the next page after his last trip in Lugano, Switzerland, little did I know I’d begin my own travel journey. I went straight home and read the rest of his journal about all his travels around the states and the world. I could feel my heart beating in my chest with excitement. His writing was so detailed, you felt like you were right there with him. A feeling dread came over me, I thought, “how can I travel when I have anxiety? I won’t be able to do this alone.” I quickly shooed my thoughts away and continued to read his stories, when I turned the next page, a key was taped to it. I looked closely at it and it seemed to be some type of safe deposit key. There was a note attached to it, I opened the note and it said, “I saw my Henry in you that day when you came to the estate sale. You had the same sparkle in your eye for traveling and writing like he did. I know this may sound crazy, but we never had any kids, and I want to give you $20,000 so you can travel and write. I know Henry would want you to have it too, and I know you’ll use it for good. And I know I’m just a stranger to you but it’s a gut feeling. You’re young, go enjoy it and please take that black notebook with you no matter where you travel to so my Henry can be with you and still travel beyond the grave. Good luck to you with your travels and writing. P.S the deposit box is located in Lucerne, Switzerland, so you’ll have to travel there. Contact me when you get there and I’ll give you the instructions.. I've already contacted them to give them a heads up about you. They are expecting you. Go to the famous Chapel Bridge and someone from the bank will meet you. Cheers, Iris.”

My hands were trembling as I read and reread her words. I could feel my breath shorten, my heart beating out of my chest, tears welling up in my eyes. I put the book down and stared at the key. I stared at the sentence where it’s located, “Lucerne, Switzerland.” I couldn’t one hundred percent comprehend what I just read but I took a deep breath and said, “I can do this.” and then I said, “Duh, hello, it’s $20,000!” I was worried about how I was going to do this but I couldn’t miss this opportunity. I chose to use my anxiety as fuel to push me forward, I was going to do this even though I was scared. I started to think, “What am I going to pack? I have to tell my roommate, who’s going to watch my dog? He’s going to be so upset that I’m leaving. What do I do about my job?”

Michelle was my best friend from childhood, we’re both the same age (31), and live together outside NYC. I ran to Michelle’s room and said, “Dude, you’re not going to believe this, someone is giving me $20,000 but the only way I can get it is that I have to go to Lucerne, Switzerland.” She spit out her coffee onto her computer screen. As she was frantically wiping the coffee off her screen, she said, “I’m sorry, what the hell did you just say? How, who, what, why?” I chuckled nervously, “I went to an estate sale today to see what I can find, and long story short I found this dead guy’s journal who was a traveler and writer like me, and then I spoke with his wife about it. She left me a note in the notebook and a safe deposit key.” Michelle was said, “Wow, that’s awesome, no offense, but why you? I rolled my eyes playfully, “Because, they never had kids and she said I reminded her of her husband Henry and his curious spirit.” She laughed, “This is like winning the lotto!” Michelle put down her coffee mug, and went to find the next flight to Switzerland. I screamed in excitement, “Ahhh!! Oh my god, I’m going to go pack, find me a ticket and use my card. I’m going to Switzerland!!”

I was at a job that I hated, it paid the bills but it was slowly killing me and my creativity. Hence, why my anxiety was bad. I told them I needed two weeks off for vacation, which they approved. This all felt surreal, I can’t believe I bought a simple ten dollar black notebook in exchange for $20,000. This is something I never wanted to forget so I started writing on the next page after Henry’s from the meeting of his wife until the moment before I was leaving. Michelle found a last minute deal for tomorrow to Zurich and I’d have to take the train to Lucerne. My bags were all packed and ready to go.

The next morning, Michelle drove me to the airport. She said not to worry about my dog, that she’ll be home and will take care of him. She said, “Go get that money girl, this is what you always wanted. Travel and be a writer. So do it and enjoy!” She gave me a big hug and saw me off to the airport. I was overwhelmed with so many emotions. I was about to embark on an adventure that basically fell into my lap. Seven or so hours later, I landed in Zurich. I researched the night before about taking the train to Lucerne, it was only about 45-50 minutes away. Once, I arrived in Lucerne, I was awestruck by its beauty. The crisp air, the swiss alps in the distance, fresh flowers in every window ledge. It looked like a postcard. It was still early in the morning before anything was opened, so I went straight to my hotel to leave my things and wait until 8:00 AM for the banks to open.

I was anxious and apprehensive, I looked outside my window and I could see the chapel bridge, the swans swimming in the water below, shops opening up for customers on their way to work. I looked at the clock and it read 7:45 AM, I got myself ready, I took my black notebook with me and put my essentials in my backpack. I quickly called Iris back home from the number she left me in the note, the line was trilling and I was nervous to speak to her. “Hello?” I stumbled on my words, “Um, hi, Iris, it’s Lily, I bought your husband’s notebook from the estate sale. I can’t thank you enough for this. I don’t even know what to say.” Iris cleared her throat, “Ah, yes, you must have read my note and you must be in Lucerne now. You don’t have to say anything.” She explained to me the instructions to meet one of the bankers on the bridge where she’ll take me to the bank nearby and help open the safe deposit box. She continued, “Henry has a code phrase for anyone who’s to open his deposit box. It’s “Follow your curiosity.” It’s something he lived by till the end and says that’s what kept him busy and youthful.” I smiled and felt chills all over my body, “Thank you so much Iris, this means so much to me in so many ways.” She said, “I expect a book written & autographed by you one day. You’ll be meeting Emilia. She’ll have a purple blouse on.”

After I got off the phone with her, I walked down to the hotel lobby and walked across the street to the chapel bridge where I could see a woman in a purple blouse. I took a deep breath, “Are you Emilia?” “Yes, you must be Lily. Come, come this way, the bank is just around the corner. ” She said. I could smell the fresh ground coffee in the air from the nearby cafes, I could hear a language I don’t understand from people chatting with their friends and I loved it. I loved being a stranger in a foreign land, it gave me the chance to be my authentic self. I walked into the bank, and Emilia took me to the back room where the deposit boxes were, she asked for my identification. And asked to see the note from Iris. She smiled and nodded, “This way, please.” She took us to a private room and asked for the code word, I said, “Follow your curiosity.” She handed me papers to sign and put our keys together to open the box. She left the room and I put the box on the table. My hands were shaking, the box creaked open and there it was, $20,000 all in cash, sitting right in front of me.”

I spent the next two weeks traveling around Switzerland and northern Italy, writing about every experience, every person I met. I learned so much about myself, what truly mattered in life. I learned about other cultures other than my own and fell in love with being curious about the world, so much so that I used all my experiences of those two marvelous weeks into a book. When I got home, I pitched it to every major publishing house with countless rejections except for one, Penguin Random House, a publisher I’ve dreamed about having my book with one day. I gave my first copy to Iris, I wrote a note to her that said, “This is for you, I did it! Buying Henry’s black notebook will be my most prized possession too and I will never stop following my curiosity. Thank you forever & always.--Lily”