Solve-it-yourself mystery
Debbie’s Aunt Elizabeth had always been a self-professed “puzzle freak.” Some of Debbie’s fondest memories were of visits to her aunt’s rambling Victorian in Paradise Estates across town, where they would sit for hours at a massive table in the study working on puzzles.
Sometimes it was an anagram. Sometimes it was a rebus or word search. But, most often, they worked on Aunt Elizabeth’s favorite: crosswords. Her physician aunt loved them because “they make you think of things differently.”
As Debbie entered her apartment, she could feel the anticipation building. Today was her birthday, and every year since she was old enough to spell, her aunt had treated her to a birthday puzzle.
Each year, Debbie would receive a message from Aunt Elizabeth leading her to a location at which her aunt would gift her with a birthday present. Once, the message came in a text; once, it was delivered by a little boy who lived in the neighborhood; and once, her aunt sent it in a UPS package.
Heading toward the kitchen, Debbie smiled as she recalled the locations to which her aunt’s puzzles had led. The very first time, Debbie had ridden her bike to the local ice-cream parlor, where Aunt Elizabeth had been waiting with a hug and a banana split. For her 16th birthday, a rebus had led Debbie to an exclusive boutique, where her aunt had sprung for an expensive outfit she had admired during a window-shopping safari.
Just then, Debbie spotted a newspaper on the kitchen table. Since she got her news online, Debbie suspected her aunt had delivered this year’s message herself. Sure enough, the newspaper was open to the daily crossword, where her aunt had underlined one particular clue in the ACROSS column: 22. First place. How appropriate since today was Debbie’s 22nd birthday.
Scanning the page, Debbie realized she needed a fourletter word. An avid soccer player in high school, Debbie thought she had the answer. As she’d been instructed earlier in the week, she texted Aunt Elizabeth with the word and the possible location. First place had to be GOLD, and the location at which she would meet her aunt was Gold’s Gym downtown.
Debbie looked at her smartphone, where the text from her aunt read, Guess again.
Perhaps, Debbie thought, she simply had the wrong color. Gold signified first place in sports, but what about BLUE, as in blue ribbon? Debbie’s thoughts went to all the blue ribbons her mother had won over the years at the county fair for her cakes. Cakes. Birthday. How perfect! She texted her aunt again, sure that they’d meet at her mother’s kitchen.
But once again the response read, Guess again.
First place means winner, so maybe Aunt Elizabeth was looking for PICK as in “pick of the litter.” She could meet her aunt at the local pet shop.
As it turned out, the third time was not the charm.
Feeling confused, Debbie made herself a cup of coffee as she considered other possibilities. Four letters. First place. Think of things in different ways. First place didn’t have to mean winner. Wait a minute, she thought. Again, her fingers flew across the smartphone. This time, she texted to her pediatrician aunt, “First place—womb. I’ll meet you at the hospital?!”
As she waited for Aunt Elizabeth’s response, Debbie felt fortunate to have an aunt who was both clever and loving. Feeling the vibration, she looked at the tiny screen. No luck…guess again.
Debbie sipped the hot coffee, her eyes scanning her small apartment. Frustrated, she gazed at the bookcase across the living room, spotting the Bible on the lower shelf. “Of course!” she said aloud. Why hadn’t she thought of it earlier?
— Hal Charles
Q: What was the answer to the puzzle? A: Turn to pg 51