Chapter 2: You Have an Owl
And You Say I Never Get You Flowers
Previously in Chapter 1: Expecto Proposal
I lugged the box from Experience Parties (“E.P.”) home with me to an eagerly awaiting Nicole. Inside, we found an owl.
Affixed to the ceramic owl was a scroll. Nicole carefully untied the ribbon and read from the parchment:
“Nicole,
Unbeknownst to you, seven fragments of your soul have been stripped away from you and rendered into far-scattered objects. This is powerful magic... an involuntary splintering of your spirit in moments of anger, shame, or doubt. These horcruxes do not make you immortal, but rather, keep your heart forever in their shadow.
Bring back the lost fragments of your soul by destroying the objects. Only then can your heart be filled with light.
Three horcruxes have been discovered and are now in your possession. Start your quest and have faith that the other four will reveal themselves to you when you begin to recover what’s been lost.
Enclosed is a quiver to collect the remnants of each horcrux. Plant what remains in the garden at the bottom of the hill.
- E.P.”
The subtle contortion of a million questions running through her mind fluttered across her face.
Deeper into the box from E.P., she found the following:
3 more scrolls tied with blue ribbon
a pair of binoculars
a small notepad with a pen
a large sealed box
a quiver
The notepad read: “For your navigator to take note of the coordinates.” Nicole handed it to me.
The scrolls were numbered one through three. She untied and began to read the first.
“The first horcrux is in your home already. A small, unassuming spoon, made from mother-of-pearl, in which is borne the yoke of inheritance. Rich or poor, you must not be defined by legacy. Destroy it by returning it to the sea from whence it came.
40.738375, -74.011142”
In our home already? With a skeptical look, she stood up and began ransacking the kitchen. Atop the highest shelf of the tallest cabinet she discovered a mother of pearl spoon. This particular utensil was inspired by Nicole’s favorite food: caviar. A favorite food, mind you, that has remained as consistent as Bernie since Nicole was eight years old.
She untied the second scroll and read aloud.
“The second was found buried beneath the grounds of Windsor in the city of angels. A pair of binoculars, which keep your gaze ever to the horizon. Focus now on the world inside you and the one around you. Seal your fate and let the future unfold.
40.746515, -74.004206”
“Windsor in the city of angels” was a nod to Windsor Blvd, the street where we met in Los Angeles. A pair of binoculars because Nicole regularly goes out of her way to gawk through the windows of neighboring homes to discover, enjoy, and judge interior design; a fact I knew early on — as her neighbor.
The pattern of the clues was emerging: the object, the reason for its existence, how to and where to destroy it.
I opened the navigator pad and jotted down the coordinates while she read the third scroll.
“The third object is a mirror, purchased at an estate sale of a once-great starlet. With each passing day, you grow stronger, even as your reflection fades away. What people see is but a glimmer of your true strength. Real power is found reflected back to us in the eyes of the ones for whom we care. Heed their cries and shatter what’s only a thin pane of glass.
42.131599, -74.009047”
She lifted the sealed box that must have contained the mirror. On it was the warning: “Beware, do not look upon the pane until you have destroyed four of the horcruxes. It will take great strength to resist its magic.”
I threw myself on the box to prevent Nicole from succumbing to the Pane’s spell. E.P. had warned us that we’d have to wait, and have faith that the other horcruxes would reveal themselves in due time.
With three sets of coordinates to visit and three horcruxes in our possession, we settled in for the night.
Our journey would begin at daybreak.