Chapter 25 - The Mysterious Package
At 2:00 PM, a rural mail carrier truck pulled up to the wooden mailbox at the end of the long dirt driveway.
Mark walked down the path to collect the afternoon post, finding a single small cardboard package wrapped in brown paper.
There was no return address, only a machine-printed label bearing Lily's full legal name.
Mark frowned, holding the heavy box as he walked back up toward the porch.
"What is it, Mark?" Clara asked, stepping out onto the porch while wiping her hands with a dishtowel.
"It's addressed to Lily," Mark said, setting the box down on the wooden picnic table.
Clara walked over, her protective instincts instantly flaring as she looked at the plain brown wrapping.
"Where was it shipped from?" Clara asked, examining the edges.
"It has a postal mark from New York City," Mark noted, pulling a small pocket knife from his jeans to cut the tape.
He sliced through the heavy paper, opening the top cardboard flaps of the box.
Inside lay a plush white teddy bear sitting atop a small, locked metal box made of polished brass.
May you like
Tucked under the teddy bear's arm was a small cream-colored envelope containing a handwritten card.
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