Fern

I first saw it on the stoop when I arrived home from work early. I left the lid to the ice cream cart open, causing a few too many popsicles to melt in the sun. My boss told me to leave and hand in my apron, so I was home earlier than usual.

 At first, I thought it belonged to one of my roommates, but the idea of it consumed my mind. Wouldn’t they have noticed leaving it behind on their way to work this morning? I have lived with them for a while, and it did look awfully old. I surely would have seen it before. The hours passed, and no one went outside to lay claim on it. The sky looked like it was about to open and release a wicked downpour. I knew that if it became ruined in the storm, the owner would be angry that I had not mentioned seeing it outside.

I asked Holly first. When I finally was able to capture her attention, she was cutting up carrots to put in her lunch baggy for the next day. I was hesitant to ask her but lingering without saying anything was certainly weirder than the strange question that I was about to ask.

“Did you leave anything outside earlier today,” I asked with great hesitance.

Holly paused, her knife wielding hand sitting in mid air just above a freshly washed carrot. “What kind of thing,” she asked with a quizzical expression on her face.

Now I was the one who paused, desperately seeking the right words to not make myself sound crazy. “It is an unusual object and I am sure that if you left it outside, you would have noticed.”

Holly cocked her head to the side, causing me to realize that I definitely chose the wrong wording.

“Y-you know what,” I stammered as I slowly stepped away from the counter Holly was using, “never mind.”

I turned clumsily, eager to leave the room before she could ask me another question. Maybe it was a bad idea to ask my roommates if it was theirs instead of just bringing it inside. I am sure if I just put it on the coffee table, the owner will rightfully claim it.

But what if it belongs to a stranger who lost it in a large gust of wind? Or simply belongs to a passerby who sat down on the stoop to breathe in the harsh summer sun? Maybe they set it down to cool off and simply forgot to pick it back up?

The stranger will come looking for it, and maybe the visitor will become consumed with getting it back that they will offer a reward. I could really use the money and it could never hurt to put lost signs on the utility poles around the block.

Absorbed in the idea that I could finally put a dent into my student debt and hospital bills, I began to wander toward the front door and the stoop, eager to retrieve it before the rain destroyed any sign of hope I have for the future.

I reached down to pick it up, noticing how heavy it really was. Upon further inspection, I realized that it was made out of a soft black wool-felt material, and it felt much heavier than it looked. How odd.

I closed the door to the outside world just as the first hard raindrops began to cascade onto the long dead grass.

I held it in both hands, studying it as I walked into the living room where my roommates, with the exception of Holly who was still busying herself cutting fruits and vegetables into small pieces for her lunch, were currently sitting.

“Hey, does this belong to either of you?” I held the hat up for Mandy and Tom to see.

Mandy looked at me concerned while Tom deeply failed to hide the smile that was snaking across his smug face.

“Holly,” Mandy called while still looking at me with a nervous glint in her eye, “can you come in here for a minute?”

Before I could shake my head ‘no’ at Mandy, Holly was in the room, now also looking concerned as I held the hat up with both of my hands.

“What’s going on?” Holly took a slight step toward me, causing me to stumble backward. I did not like the way any of them were looking at me.

“Fern would like to know if what she is holding belongs to any of us,” Mandy said while simultaneously elbowing Tom, who at this point was lightly laughing.

“I-I found it on the stoop. If it is not any of yours, I am going to hang posters so the owner can come and get it.” I took another step backward, yearning to make it to the comfort of my room where I could avoid their stares. I knew that look. They did not believe me.

“Let me tell her,” Tom smiled, exposing his teeth that he quickly ran his tongue over. Gross. I never will understand why someone would do that with their mouth open. What does Mandy see in him?

“Knock it off Tom,” grumbled Holly.

“Let me tell her,” Tom repeated, but this time, he said it in a tone that suggested he was going to tell me even if they said ‘no’.

“Fern-” Mandy started, but was quickly cut off by a very eager Tom, who was now silently laughing so hard that his eyes began to water.

“There’s nothing in your hands baby doll,” sang Tom with an occasional chuckle interrupting his melody.

“What are you talking about,” I mumbled as the distress became clear on my face and my now cracking voice. They thought I was seeing things again. No. I stopped seeing things before I left the hospital. This is just their idea of a joke, and one with poor taste. “That isn’t funny.”

“Fern, did you take your medication yet today,” asked a nearly crying Mandy.

“Yes, I took my medication. I take it every day. This isn’t funny. Just say no, the hat doesn’t belong to any of you so I can go to my room,” I cried out, my voice rising an octave with each word. They thought I was crazy. I. Am. Not. Crazy.

“There’s nothing there, baby,” whispered Holly.

I looked down at my now lowered hands, expecting to see the hat. They were only joking, weren’t they? Except, my open hands sat empty, clasping only air.