Her Funeral and the First Clue...

10th October 2016, Monday.

Tears were shed at Aunt Talia’s funeral. I almost cried too I have to admit. I’m Nicky and I’m a 12 year old girl. I’m the first child among my three siblings. Now, about my aunt.

Aunt Talia was an amazing painter. She once told me that all of her paintings, had secret meanings behind them. Some of them contained riddles, puzzles and many more.

“What do you mean by that, Aunt Talia?” I once asked her after she told me all this.

She only smiled, and said, “You will one day understand, my niece.”

Aunt Talia had two children. One was a boy and one was a girl. The boy was my age and his name was Dan. His sister was 2 years younger than both of us and her name was Emma. We three were very close cousins and often shared things among each other.

I pitied both of them during Aunt Talia’s funeral. I saw Emma crying in the corner while Dan was trying to look strong but I could see water in his eyes. Aunt Talia died because of a car crash.

She was going to California to find a new inspiration for her new painting. As she was driving, a drunk lorry driver, drove his lorry into another lane drastically and that was what caused the car crash.

After the funeral, my uncle, Uncle Wren, invited my family over to his house. My family agreed. Uncle Wren and his 2 children didn’t look like they wanted to be alone in their house.

As we walked to our car, I talked to mother about Aunt Talia.

“I pity Dan and Emma, mother.” I told my mother. Mother only sighed.

“I feel the same way as you do, Nicky.” Mother replied. Suddenly, mother remembered something.

“Aunt Talia told me to give you this in case if anything happened to her in California.” Mother said as she took out a folded piece of paper from her handbag.

I took the piece of paper and thanked mother for giving it to me. I unfolded the piece of paper and inside, was my aunt’s handwriting. It said:

MY HAPPY PLACE

‘What does this mean?’ I thought. ‘I should probably discuss this with Dan and Emma later at their house.’

Dad drove us to Uncle Wren’s house. We were all quiet. I was still thinking what the note might have meant.

When we arrived at the house, Dan and Emma were outside at the door, sitting on the ground. They hadn’t changed their clothes as Dan was still wearing a black suit while Emma was still in her black dress.

As soon as I got out of the car, I ran to Dan and Emma. They looked at me.

“Let me guess. Our mother left you a note as well, didn’t she?” Dan asked me before I could say anything. I was surprised. How did they know?

“Yeah, actually.” I said, taking out the piece of paper. “How did you know?”

“We both received a note as well.” Emma said, taking out a piece of paper. Dan did the same.

“Find me, I’m in the house.” Dan read his.

“When you find me, examine me properly and you’ll find the next clue.” Emma read hers.

 

“My Happy Place.” I read mine.

The three of us looked at each other and exchanged glances. We were all thinking hardly, trying to figure out what this all meant.

“Find me, I’m in the house. When you find me, examine me properly and you’ll find the next clue. My Happy Place.” Dan repeated our given notes, this time putting the three notes in one sentence.

“Where did Aunt Talia always go to calm herself down?” I asked. Maybe my clue which was ‘My Happy Place’ meant the name of the place where Aunt Talia used to calm herself at.

“The house’s garden.” Emma said. “After mother has a stressful day when painting her life, she usually goes to the garden at the back of the house.”

“What’re we waiting for?” Dan said. “Let’s go!”

The three of us walked to the back of the house where there was a beautiful garden filled with flowers, a little picnic place and at the centre of the garden was a small pond that was filled with Koi.

We three split up and went all around the garden, searching for anything that seemed unusual. I searched the flower part of the garden, Emma searched at the picnic place while Dan searched at the pond.

After half an hour, we three gathered at the pond where Dan was.

“Found anything?” Emma asked. Dan and I shook our heads.

“I’m afraid not.” Dan said in sorrow.

I then repeated, “Find me I’m in the-” I stopped. I then grinned and giggled.

“What’re you laughing about?” Dan asked.

“No wonder we couldn’t find it! Dan, read your clue again, would you??” I said with a grin.

“Find me I’m the house… O, Ohh!!” Dan said, hitting his forehead. Dan let out a little laugh. Emma only smiled and shook her head.

“We’ve been foolish.” Emma said. “It’s in the house! Not outside! Haha!”

“Quick! Where was the second place that Aunt Talia went to to clear her head?” I asked them seriously. Dan and Emma thought hard. Suddenly, Emma looked at me and said, “Nicky, read your clue again please.”

“My Happy Place.” I read. I didn’t understand. What was Emma trying to say??

“My Happy Place.” Repeated Emma as she looked at her brother Dan. “Dan, does that ring a bell? I think I’ve heard it somewhere but I just can’t remember where.”

Dan thought hard and suddenly, I think something sparked in his head.

“Maybe… My Happy Place isn’t a place. But a name of one of mother’s paintings!” Dan said, his voice sounded sure.

“Ah yes! Mother once painted a picture called My Happy Place!” Emma said with a smile.

“Do you know where your mother hanged the painting after she painted it?” I asked them.

“Mother had a huge room where she kept all of her paintings at. In fact, I won’t call it a room I think it was more like a gallery.” Emma said with a finger on her chin.

The three of us walked into the house. As we were finding our way to Aunt Talia’s so called ‘gallery’, we passed by my parents and Uncle Wren. They were talking about Aunt Talia.

“I can’t believe she’s gone.” I heard Uncle Wren say in a shaky voice.

“Be strong Wren… It was her time.” I heard father say.

Dan stopped walking for a second and his body trembled for a bit. He sniffed. I saw him and took him by the arm and said, “Dan… You have to move on. Come on. Let’s go.”

Dan only nodded and he followed me and Emma to the house’s third floor where Aunt Talia’s ‘gallery’ was.

Emma opened the doors that closed the gallery’s front entrance. The inside of the gallery was filled with many beautiful paintings. No wonder Emma called the place a gallery.

“Quick! Do you know which painting is called My Happy Place?” I asked. Dan and Emma looked at each other, trying to remember which painting was My Happy Place.

“Wait, mother arranged her paintings in alphabetical order, right Emma?” Dan said, looking at Emma.

“I think so, why?” Emma asked Dan, not understanding what he was trying to say.

“Maybe… If we start from the letter A which is from the left, we could find the painting we’re looking for!” I said, guessing that that was what Dan was trying to say. Dan smiled at me and nodded. “Exactly.” He said.

“I remember most of mother’s paintings. Is that helpful?” Emma said, raising her hand eagerly in a childlike way.

“Very.” Dan and I said with a grin.

We three started from the left side of the gallery’s wall, where Aunt Talia’s first painting was. We started at a slow pace.

Soon, we got to the L section of Aunt Talia’s paintings. We were almost at the M section and I was getting excited.

 “Lila’s Kittens, Lovely 2 Children, Lying Humans…” Emma muttered. She went on and on with me and Dan behind her.

“Mutant world… Aha! My Happy Place!” Emma said in delight. Finally, I thought.

My Happy Place had a picture of Dan, Emma and Uncle Wren in the house’s garden. How sweet I thought. Aunt Talia’s happy place was actually in the garden with her family. I was touched. Dan smiled.

“Sweet isn’t it?” He said with a sniff.

Emma took the painting off the wall. We three sat on the floor with the painting in the centre.

“What should we be looking for?” I asked, looking at Dan and Emma.

“Probably anything in this painting that seems suspicious.” Dan said seriously.

Emma put her hand on the painting and started stroking the painting with her palm. Dan and I exchanged amused glances as we looked at Emma stroking the painting.

“Hey, there’s a bump here! Here, on the picture of the Koi pond!” Emma said excitedly. I put my hand there. She was right, there was a bump there. No, actually, it felt more like a door. I searched a different part of the Koi pond, half expecting a handle to show up.

My expectations came to life. I found a little handle on the pond’s edges. I lifted the handle and there opened a little door. I looked at Dan and Emma. They looked bewildered.

“What’s that?” Dan pointed out, pointing at a little bottle that was once covered by the cleverly hidden door.

Emma took tiny bottle out, and shook it violently. I stared at her.

“There’s something in here.” Emma said as she tried to open the bottle.

“Ugh, I regret cutting my fingernails last night. They could’ve been helpful now.” Emma exclaimed in dismay. I snatched the bottle from her hands and tried to open it.

“I can’t open it either.” I said, looking at the bottle impatiently.

“Can’t we just break the bottle?” Dan asked, also looking impatient. Before Emma or I could answer, Dan snatched the bottle from my hand and threw the bottle. It smashed, letting out a key and a rolled piece of paper.

“On one hand I feel annoyed that you broke the bottle as I could’ve kept it but on the other hand I feel relieved that that bottle is finally opened.” Emma said, looking at the shattered pieces of glass that was around the gallery.

I walked over to the note and key and picked the two items up. “Come on, we’ve got a mystery to solve.” I said with a sassy grin.

~🎨🎨🎨~

To be continued in: Oceans, Puddles and Other Bodies of Water.