The baby doll's head
It was 10 am and she was getting dressed to go out. She had already had breakfast and was surprised by the call. She went down to the reception and saw a beautiful bouquet of tulips. She got excited. She looked for a card to know who was sending her a gift without it being my birthday or any special date. She couldn't find anything.
She talked to the doorman but he only received the bouquet from the flower shop messenger. She was surprised but she picked up the bouquet with joy. Zoe took it to the apartment and placed it in a clear vase and then left for her work.
Source: Pixabay by Blickpixel
At 4 pm they would have a 30-minute break. They would go in shifts of 5 people; there were 30 of us. They would go down to the cafeteria to eat something light and then return to their desks.
That same day when Zoe returned to her building the doorman handed her a box of chocolates that had been left at the reception desk for her. It didn't have a card or any notes either.
She opened the box of chocolates and told the doorman to take one. He did so. He ate it while she watched him and told him -"I had a secret admirer".
The doorman was an old man. He smiled and told her that she had to try the chocolates too because they were delicious.
She took a chocolate from the box and ate it. She smiled at him while walking to the elevator but did not comment.
As she entered the apartment, saw the beautiful bouquet of tulips again. She sat down on the couch while I grabbed another chocolate and looked at the flowers. She placed the box on the table, laid down on the couch, and looked at her cell phone to read the new messages.
Zoe fell asleep until midnight. She got up to go to bed; looked at the pearly moon through the window as Morpheus took her into his world.
-Good morning miss. You have two packages for you.
Uhmm, almond nougat, my favorite, said Zoe with a mischievous smile. My secret lover knows me very well. And this package is wrapped - I'll open it at work.
-You know who brought it, there's no note on it. Zoe asked.
-No Miss. The gifts were brought by a messenger.
-Well, thank you. See you in the afternoon.
Zoe put the gifts in her purse and walked quickly to the subway. At break time Zoe ate a piece of nougat and opened the other package. It was a damaged watch that struck at 5 o'clock.
She found the joke strange and in bad taste. The watch was old and damaged. She put it back in the box and returned to her desk.
When she passed by the reception desk the doorman smiled at her. “Here there is something for you”. It was a sheet of paper rolled up like parchment. Zoe grabbed it, thanked the doorman, and got on the elevator.
When she entered her apartment she saw the tulip flowers on the wooden table. She sat down on the couch and saw the sheet of paper. It belonged to a book she knew; it was pages 27 and 28 of Yákov's Mathematics can be Fun.
She read part of the story that was written. She sighed in anguish because she didn't like this game that was being imposed on her by her secret lover.
She rested and checked her phone. She had no strange messages. She took a bath and went to bed.
The next day she got up early. While she was eating her breakfast she called the reception desk and asked if they had left her another gift. The doorman said yes and that he would take it with him immediately.
Zoe received the package and opened it. It was a baby doll's head. She was frightened!
Source: Pixabay by Stux
She placed the damaged clock, book page, and the baby doll's head on the table. It was a coded message but she wouldn't understand.
She read back the story that was on the sheet of paper. It was a mathematical problem but she couldn't find any connection with the other gifts.
Zoe spent the day locked in her apartment. She called the front desk several times but nothing else had come for her. She asked the doorman to stop the messenger of the packages if he came back with something.
The night became long and she could not sleep well. The next morning she called the front desk again but there was nothing for her.
She ate bread and eggs for breakfast. She also ate an apple and drank coffee.
She went back to the table and checked the gifts again.
Suddenly she received a call from the front desk. A note had been left for her.
"You haven't been to work. I'm waiting for you". It didn't have a signature.
Zoe took the note and returned to the apartment. She was distressed but did not decide to call the police.
Walking back and forth and tripping over a chair first and then the coat rack, Zoe smiled and ran to the couch.
-"I get it", she said aloud. "Is Jacques, Jacques is here."
Her anxiety didn't let her think straight until she looked at the tulips again and jumped for joy.
She saw her watch and hurriedly dressed to go out. It was 4 pm. She put the baby doll's head in her purse and walked to the park.
She looked around until she saw a flower shop. She stopped in front of it and looked around for Jacques. She didn't see him. She continued walking towards the park where she played as a child and remembered the toy store that was very close by.
When he got there, she entered and went directly to the bookstore inside the toy store. She saw Jacques in the distance and ran towards him full of emotion.
-You are a madman! You scared me! When did you arrive? What are you doing here?
Jacques was his childhood friend. They gave each other a big hug. Zoe kept asking questions and Jacques couldn't find a way to start answering.
-"I arrived a few days ago. I remembered that you liked tulips, chocolates, and almond nougat. I sent you the watch so you would know the time of our meeting. I knew you would figure it all out with the clues on the sheet from the "mathematics can be fun". Do you have the doll's body? You told me you would keep it all your life".
Zoe laughed with a loud laugh as I told her -"no, I don't have the doll's body. That was a child's promise. But it doesn't matter because we met again".
Jacques' face turned somber. "But you told me that you were going to keep the doll's body. Why didn't you? You're still a bad girl!"
Zoe looked at him incredulously. Jacques that was when I was 9 years old. It was a silly promise! But tell me what are we going to do? I want you to tell me everything, where you have traveled, and what you have done? -said Zoe with a big smile.
"I came to meet my friend Zoe but she's not here. I'm going to kill you", said Jacques.
A scream choked Zoe's throat. She looked at Jacques and wanted to run but she was paralyzed.
Jacques laughed and said, "Zoe, calm down, it's a joke. I always liked seeing your scary face".
-"You're still a crazy maniac, Jacques". Zoe said in a choppy voice.
"We've grown and changed, although we haven't forgotten how to solve some math puzzles. What do you say we go for ice cream and get to know each other," said Jacques as he offered his arm to walk together.
End
. If you want to know the rules follow the link Hive Creative Contest | The Writer's Week (Contest Details).
I have chosen the Prompts 1. “You start receiving flowers and anonymous gifts. You don't know who is sending them and the gifts begin to get stranger“.
