Excerpt: Written to the Past

“Well, now, don’t dawdle, time’s running out!” She heard from a table in the corner. Driya ran over and saw her for the first time. Great Aunt Margo. There was a moment in which both people just stood and stared, and then Driya felt it. A strange electricity that seemed to crackle invisibly, silently, between herself and her Aunt. She went and sat down across from her, and really got a look at her.
Aunt Margo was quite old- but in the most elegant way possible. Her long grey hair was well-groomed, curly, partly pinned up in back, the rest spilling down her right shoulder. Margo’s facial features were sharp, but not in an unkind way. In fact, Driya saw the resemblance between Margo and her mother- the same green eyes, the same small mouth that turned upwards at the corners. Margo was wearing a strange outfit, but it suited her. A bright pink scarf wrapped around her neck and trailed down her back. She had a tailored black satin jacket that looked as though it turned into tuxedo tails at the bottom, with a white ruffled blouse underneath. Checkered black-and-white pants completed the outfit, and the black patent-leather shoes looked new.
“OK, enough gawking. I know you haven’t seen me since you were a baby but we haven’t time for any of this tearful reunion business.” But even as she said it, Margo’s eyes glistened slightly unnaturally in the sunlight, and Driya smiled.
Margo pulled a long, slender cedar box out of her handbag, and slid it across the table. Driya looked at it, uncertain of what to do.
“Well, open it, you ninny!”
Driya slid the red satin ribbon apart, and opened the clasp of the box. Inside was the most beautiful, ornate purple fountain pen Driya had ever seen.
“Aunt Margo… it’s beautiful.”
“Of course it is. Do you know what it is?”
“A pen.”
“Excellent. You must always use it.”
“But what happens when it runs out of ink?”
Aunt Margo looked at Driya very seriously. “There’s only one reason why it would run out of ink… well, we won’t worry about that quite yet.”
“But-”
“Listen, child, I can’t tell you the secrets. You have to find them for yourself. But you can write to me any time you want. I’ll always listen.”
Driya nodded. “I’ll ask Aunt Claire to buy me some stamps when we get to Colorado.”
“Stamps? STAMPS? Who said anything about stamps? Good lord child, do I have to spell out everything for you?”
“But how do I send a letter if I don’t…”
“You don’t send these letters like you would a normal letter. They’re too special.”
“But how will you read it if…”
“Don’t you worry about that, my sweet. Just use the pen, seal the letter… oh! Silly me. I almost forgot.”
And out of her handbag came a huge box. “It’s real paper… you know, not that junk they print up at the office store.”
And sure enough, inside, Driya saw sheafs of beautiful, hand-made, grainy brown paper. It looked quite fragile.
“You know how to seal a letter, don’t you child?”
Driya shook her head.
Aunt Margo pulled out one last package. “Normally you’d have to use hot wax. But this sealer is special. Just fold the letter into thirds, and press this down on the edge-” she made a pressing motion with the small, wooden handle- “and it’ll seal itself. No risk of burning yourself.”
Driya nodded. It was the nicest stationary kit she had ever seen.
“All right. And one more thing…” Margo pulled a letter out of her purse. “You mustn’t read this yet- not until you get to Colorado and you know for certain you’re alone and won’t be interrupted. Is that clear?”
Driya nodded.
“All right. I wish we had more time. But now… well, it’s all really just beginning. I’ll say goodbye.”
“But wait…” Driya said. “When will I see you again?”
Great Aunt Margo looked at Driya with an unreadable expression on her face. “I’m really not sure.”