A Message Back

A Message Back Written by Rebecca Lee Illustrated by Alex Lee

The snow is stronger when you’re excited for your destination but Lila hunched her shoulders with the letter tucked snugly into her coat. Her mom swung her hand back and forth in the wind. The sidewalk glinted slightly as the day’s melted snow froze back over and the passing people laid their feet carefully. They stopped in front of the outgoing mailbox and Lila’s mom looked expectantly at her. Lila took the letter out of her coat and put it in the mailbox. Her mom grinned at Lila, “It’s on its way! Time to go back home.”

“Can we see the lights now?” Lila asked.

Lila’s mom sighed dramatically and said, “Yes, but you have to be patient until next week after this.” Lila nodded and pulled her mom towards the bright houses with fairy lights and decorations on their street. When she reached the house with the flickering lights, she let go of her mom’s hand and ran ahead. Her mom called, “Be careful!” Lila kept going and waited for her mom to catch up at a particularly sparkly house.

They opened the door to the building and started climbing the stairs. Lila’s mom knocked snow off of her boots as they walked up the stairs. She pulled out her keys and unlocked their apartment. Lila pulled off her boots and shed her coat. Lila’s mom took her own coat and picked up Lila’s to hang it up in their mudroom.

Lila’s mom started clearing the letter decorating items away. They’d left the pens, paper, and stickers out when they went to deliver the letter. Lila wanted to send her aunt sand art along with the letter, but Lila’s mom was wary of how quickly it would spread throughout the small apartment. Along with the supplies, Lila’s mom put the slip of paper with her sister’s address on it away.

This was not what happened.

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Unfortunately, Lila’s aunt Ilane had moved the year before to a new house. She had her family over for a housewarming party and everyone was aware of the move. She’d even written down her new address so that her mother or siblings wouldn’t forget. However, the new slip of paper and the old slip of paper looked very similar. Lila’s mom hadn’t read the letter closely enough to notice, and gave Lila her aunt’s old address to copy.

Unaware of this mix-up, Lila’s mother called her sister to say that Lila’s letter was in the mail. She shuffled the craft bin into its corner and pulled out some sandwich ingredients. After a few rings, her sister picked up, “Hey Ilane!”

“Hi May. Lila and I just got back from sending your Christmas letter, so it should be on its way. Making sandwiches for us now.”

“That’s great! I’ll keep an eye out for the letter. What kind of sandwiches?”

“They’re going to be grilled cheese sandwiches after I grill them.” May added the cheese on the sandwiches.

Ilane said, “Did you let her use glitter this time?” May shook her head even though Ilane couldn’t see it. “She wanted to do sand art this time, if you can believe it. It’s the middle of winter and it’s snowing.”

They continued chatting as she switched the stove on and added butter to the saucepan. Lila rustled in and out of the rooms as her mom made lunch. She thought about a full lunch and decided to make some veggie soup as well.

The letter is shuttled along mail routes and passed from bin to hand to mailbox. The letter arrived, but not where it was expected. It arrived in a small townhouse. It sat in a shaded mailbox after it was delivered.

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A man arrived with a mail key and unlocked one of the sections of the mailbox. There were taped labels on each section so the residents could tell them apart.

Jordan slid the mail from his box, and examined each as he locked the mailbox and started up the stairs to his home. He paused when he saw an unfamiliar name. He muttered, “This one’s addressed to Santa Claus? And it doesn’t have a box number.” He flipped it over and entered his house. He realized the letter wasn’t his but it could belong to one of the other residents, so he brought it inside.

“Hi Dad! You’re home,” his daughter greeted him. She’d thrown her backpack over a chair and spread her homework over the table. Allison looked grateful for the distraction and shoved a paper towards him.

“I can’t figure out the main export of Italy. Mr. Baer said that it’s in the text but I’ve read it twice now!”

He set the mail on the table next to her and asked, “Did you look through your notes Allison? Let me see.”

He scanned the paper and leaned over her textbook to check her work. It had been a long time since he’d been quizzed on geography. He tapped the page, “Check this part kiddo, it’s a pretty good bet it’ll be in there.” He moved to the kitchen to set out groceries.

“How was your day?” he asked while starting the stove under a pot of water. He pulled out some pasta and ground meat for dinner. Allison started telling him about her school assembly that day and the latest developments in her class plant’s growth. She’d gotten very invested in the little mint plant.

Steam wafted off the simmering pot. Jordan ran water over the spatula and stirred the surface of the pot as he listened to Allison’s story and occasionally reminded her to work on her homework as well. He caught sight of the stack of mail and turned back to it. He took a photo of the unfamiliar letter and texted it to his landlord. “Found some mail that isn’t ours. It’s to Santa. The best thing to do is probably to send it back to the return address, Poets and Writers Coalition Winter 2022

Midwinter Mischief Magazine but let’s make sure.” Kyle, their landlord, didn’t respond and Jordan went back to his sauce.

He shooed Allison off of the dinner table and pulled out three bowls and utensils. She went to put her backpack away before their guest arrived. Jack was another tenant in the townhouse who attended the local community college. He’d rented a unit from the landlord. Jordan knew the boy’s mother from their own college years, and they’d run into each other while he was moving in. He seemed unsure and defensive in the new space. Jordan had invited the kid to eat with him and Allison on Wednesdays, and they’d gotten down a nice routine.

Jack arrived back at his home and pushed the door closed. He clicked the light switch and put down his long winter jacket. The bus was always packed on the way back from classes, even if he tried to avoid rush hours. It was Wednesday, so he put down his backpack and checked the time. He gathered his things and rushed over to Mr. Tekt’s house.

Jordan heard a knock at the door, and Allison went to answer it. She unlocked it and pulled it open a tiny bit to peek through. She said, “Jack! I’m in fraction division at school already.”

Allison let him inside and he greeted her. “Hey Allison! There are 7 bones in the body that break when you meet a sheep.” Allison laughed and said, “No they don’t! Last week you told me llamas come in different colors like fish.”

Jordan called out, “Hi Jack! Is this your letter? I got it but I think it might belong to someone else.” Jack walked over to the mail that Mr. Tekt indicated and shook his head confusedly.

“No, that’s not mine. I sent some letters to my cousins, but I don’t think they’ve responded yet.” Allison picked it up from the table and looked at it closely.

A city away, Lila’s aunt hasn’t forgotten the letter. She’s still waiting for the letter, but in the meantime wrote a letter in return. She wanted to be sure it would arrive on time, so she sealed and sent it. She included a frogeyed umbrella she thought Lila would like and a scarf for her sister. AfterPoets and Writers Coalition Winter 2022

Midwinter Mischief Magazine ward, she called her sister to tell Lila she should expect a package. They are all waiting for a letter.

Jordan Tekt ladled out pasta and sauce to each bowl. Jack listened to Allison describe a new game from her classmates at the table. They started eating and Jack updated them on his own classes and life. A week goes by faster in memory, but there are always things to talk about. Jack pushed his chair back after finishing his food and went to wash his bowl. Allison passed hers to him. She was happy that Jack always offered to do the dishes afterwards.

Jack asked, “What are you going to do with the letter?”

Jordan stood up to put the rest of the pasta away for leftovers. “I’ll send it back. You’re really not supposed to open other people’s mail.”

There was a slight paper rustle. Jordan looked over to see Allison, wide-eyed, who had just dropped the open letter. “Allison! That’s not ours.” Jack was alarmed and looked quickly between Mr. Tekt and Allson. “There’s no helping it now, she just wanted to see what it was.”

Allison hunched her shoulders, “I wanted to see what they wrote to Santa. I know you used to write back to me when I wrote to Santa and I thought we could do that too.” She’d been really upset when she’d found out that her dad was the one returning her letters and not Santa. He’d tried to bluff that he was just Santa’s go-between but she’d gone into a tantrum.

Jordan sighed, “That’s a nice thought, kiddo. It’s still private though. We can’t be mad at you if you didn’t know I suppose.” Jack dried his hands and picked the letter up to skim it.

Upstairs, the landlord picked up his phone to check it and saw a new message. He read the question from Jordan Tekt in unit 3, and opened the photo. He recognized the letter. It must be for the former resident of unit 12, but they’re gone now and didn’t leave a return address. Kyle texted Jordan. “It’s for Ilane from unit 12, but she moved a bit ago. If you send it back it should be fine. Here’s her number if you want to get in touch. - Kyle”

Jack exclaimed, “Oh I know this address!” He had been checking the Poets and Writers Coalition Winter 2022

Midwinter Mischief Magazine open envelope with the letter in his other hand. There was another address written on the inside “TO Santa Claus 123 Elf Road, North Pole, 88888”.

He looked up, “The addresses are switched! My cousins send mail to this address to send to Santa. My aunt told me when I got old enough. It’s called the USPS Operation Santa where kids can send letters and then the mail people take out the info and someone else replies.” He smiled at the thought of his little cousins’ excitement when they received the letters and gifts. He felt a pang of homesickness for their company.

Jordan thought about what to say. “I guess we have to read it then, if she’s expecting a response. We can send it back afterwards.” Allison skidded over to see the letter as well. They unfolded the crisply folded letter and revealed two pieces of paper with one folded inside the other.

The brightly colored letter reads - -

Hi Aunt Ilane, Mama said that you are over there in the snow too, and we’re going to go see the lights after! Did you know that the moon gets smaller sometimes? My teacher told us at storytime. It hides behind the clouds but there’s a big monster taking bites of it and then baking new parts.

Merry almost-Christmas! Can you tell Santa that I want the light-up shoes like Eric and maybe a bird. Mama’s gonna make cookies with me so we can eat some and leave some for Santa, but don’t tell him that. He might not want them if they’re nibbled. They’re going to be red and green and blue and rainbow cookies. Last time I got to eat a lot - a lot - a lot of chocolate chips. Are you coming to have cookies with us for Christmas this year?

Love Lila

Jack pulled the other piece of paper out. It was noticeably neater and had less decoration. The other page reads - -

Hi Ilane, thanks for writing with Lila. She’s so excited about Christmas and I had to stop her from completely covering the envelope in stickers. She’s said that she wants new sneakers, a bird, a candy necklace, and a paraPoets and Writers Coalition Winter 2022

Midwinter Mischief Magazine chute. She can’t have a bird, I don’t even have the space for a hamster. And I’m not getting her a parachute, so the candy necklaces or sneakers would be great. Her shoe size is 10 Kids. I’m going to get her some new sweaters. I’m never getting the syrup out of the other one. I’ll call you later.

May

They decided to send the letter back with a note from them. Jack thought of his own family and said, “Can I send it tomorrow? I can pick up a candy necklace or two on my way to campus and send it together.” Allison nodded and asked her dad, “Can I send her a sticker too?” He looked at her and nodded. “That’s a good idea. I think she’d appreciate it. I’ll text her aunt first to make sure though.”

He reached over to his phone and opened a text to the new number. “Hi, this is your old neighbor Jordan Tekt from unit 3, I got your number from Kyle. We got a letter that seems to be for you and my daughter opened it, we’re really sorry.” He sent the first bit and waited for a reply as he thought of what to say next.

As he typed, a response arrived. “Hi Jordan, nice to hear from you! Is it from May or Lila?”

Jordan typed back, “Yes, it’s from Lila. Should we send it to you or back to them? We want to send Lila a little candy too for Christmas. My daughter seems excited to write back.”

Ilane thought about it. Lila would be excited, and Ilane had known Kyle for a long time before she’d moved. She had met Jordan a few times before and they were friendly enough as neighbors. She replied, “That would be fine! She’s allergic to peanuts, so don’t send any peanut candy though.”

Jordan smiled, “We were thinking of a candy necklace if we can find any in the store. Thanks Ilane! Happy Christmas.”

Ilane put her phone down and laughed. “So that’s where the letter ended up. No wonder it was taking so long to arrive. Good thing I sent anPoets and Writers Coalition Winter 2022

other.”

Jordan looked up from his phone, “Her aunt told me it’s ok to send it back! She used to live here.”

Allison cheered and ran off to get an envelope and stickers. She got her leftovers from sending holiday letters. She organized the supplies on the table and Jack settled in as well. “To consult with you on the letter, boss.” He grinned at her and she picked up a marker.

Jordan found up a pencil and another sheet of lined paper to write a short note to Lila’s mom explaining the situation. He wrote - -

Hi, I’m your sister’s old neighbor and Lila’s letter reached us instead of her. My landlord gave us Ilane’s number and I texted her to ask if it was alright to send something back. My daughter opened the letter and she was really excited about writing Lila back. Ilane said it was alright. Sorry about the mixup and merry Christmas!

Sincerely,

Jordan Tekt

Jordan looked over to Jack and Allison, where he was patiently spelling out a word she was struggling with. The paper was covered with changing handwriting and colors. Allison had decided to decorate as Jack was writing and they each signed at the bottom. Allison handed it to her dad.

He started reading it over and handed Allison Lila’s envelope and the new envelope. “Copy the address in the corner into the middle, so it’ll go back to them.” Allison copied down the address and Jordan signed it. Her dad checked it over to be sure that the address was correct and wrote their address as well. He passed it over to Jack who considered it and added more scrawling ink decorations.

Jack and Allison had written - -

Hi Lila, Poets and Writers Coalition

Midwinter Mischief Magazine We got your letter by mistake and wanted to say hi! Your aunt used to live where we live. We’re your aunt’s old neighbors! I’m Allison and I live with my dad. Jack is visiting for dinner and we found your letter. Do you write a lot of letters?

In case Santa’s busy, we decided to send you some fancy candy necklaces! They are the very very best candy necklaces Jack could find.

I’m Allison, and I’m in 6th grade. I want to be a zookeeper and see flamingos all the time, but I’m really good at Science. If you are looking for a bird, there are a lot of pigeons outside my house. My dad put the ornaments up and I made paper snowflakes for the windows. What is your school like? What do you like to do?

I’m Jack and I’m a first year in college. It’s like 13th grade and I’m the oldest cousin in my family. We wanted to send a present like the ones I send my family around Christmas.

Enjoy!

Allison Tekt, Jordan Tekt, Jack Lan

The next day, Jack walked through the automatic sliding doors of the convenience store. The temperature was abruptly warmer inside and he wandered over to the candy aisle. He scanned the available candy and found a few candy necklaces to choose from. He chose one with a shiny candy pendant. He thought about it, and picked up another as well. “Only two, so she’s not too hyper or getting too much candy from a pen pal.” Jack checked out and sent the letter.

Days later, Lila waited for her mom to return, and heard the door open. She went to say hello to her mom and show her the picture she’d drawn. Her mom’s eyebrows were pushed together and she looked confused. Lila’s mom called her sister and asked what she sent while she walked home. Her sister told her about what had happened and said it was alright to open both packages. Ilane said, “It’s a bit strange but they seemed to mean well. They do live with my last landlord anyways. I knew some of them before I moved away.” May agreed that it was alright with caution.

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She said, “We have mail Lila! Your aunt’s package arrived. And an extra.” She went to grab scissors and Lila patted at the packages. She was excited because her aunt always sent something fun.

Lila’s mom made sure to let Lila open Aunt Ilane’s package first and opened the other package herself. Lila cooed over the frog umbrella and waved it around. She opened it and poked at the plastic eyes. Lila’s mom examined the candy necklaces and the letter. Lila looked curiously at what her mom had and started asking about them. Her mom handed them over and Lila was even more impressed with her aunt’s planning.

Lila read it and put one of the candy necklaces on. She insisted on pulling out the letter writing craft supplies to write them back and send a sticker for each person. Her mom agreed and sat with her. May already knew Lila would be occupied for hours. She got up from the low table to start making the Christmas cookies. Soon, the house was full of baking cookies. A city away, the Tekt family and Jack finished weekly Wednesday dinner together again. A call away, Aunt Ilane put apple tarts into the oven and sent her sister a photo. And the mail trucks run on.