Clueless

Title: clueless

Name of the author: Lydia Mensah.

Word count:                         1091

Number of pages:   5

Phone numbers          :     +23320 7238235/ +23354285822

Email                         :      esthermode005@gmail.com

# Start your story with someone discovering a photograph with something written at the back.#

The picture lying on the center table did not make sense to anyone for years. It was found in an old diary by one of the favourite grandchildren of Grandma Naa. She held her photographs so dear that no one dared touched them until she died. Now, it remained the property of the table which had known no dusting for years. Adoley picked it up one morning, scrutinized it carefully, wondering why no one had taken pains to cherish this treasure. She dusted it and turned it over. There she saw something strange staring in her face. It was a coded message. How was anyone going to understand this code since the owner of the photograph was dead? She picked up a magnifying glass from the drawer where her father kept such important scientific items. She would be the first to put good use to it anyway. She still could not fathom what kind of message was encoded in these strange words. They were numerals turned upside down. When she turned them the right side up, it was another coded message. She wished she could figure this out on her own because her father had been taunting her since she was little about this inquisitive nature of hers'. At first, he said it would lead him nowhere, then he changed his mind and said it would lead her into trouble one day. This seemed like a lot of fun though. She would not be able to do without any kind of help. She would have to find help from the very people who despised her curiousity. She picked up the photograph, carefully tucked it in her notebook, and headed for school the next morning. During class hours, she sneaked out at breaktime to the mysterious man who always opened his shop adjacent to the school. She didn't know what he did though, but it wouldn't hurt to find out anyway. Her curious nature had been awakened once again. She watched the traffic light carefully and when it turned green for pedestrians, she hurriedly made it to the other side of the street, away from public view. In the shop, she carefully scrutinized every item until she bumped into the owner staring right into her face. He spoke no words, yet his facial expression spoke volumes. He seemed to be asking her what she was doing in his shop during school hours,

" I need some help," she said.

" What kind of help couldn't wait for after school hours?" he asked.

" I needed answers desperately," she replied. He snatched the notebook from her as if he knew it contained something that was meant for him. He opened up the pages quickly and found the picture.

" Oh!" he exclaimed. " There it is! So you want me to decode this message?" She nodded.

 Do you know you will have to pay a hefty sum? Never mind, he said after giving it a second thought. He might lose a customer in the process of allowing greed to be his master.

I will do this for you, but please be quick, get back to school before you get into any kind of trouble. Speaking about trouble, was this the kind of trouble her father was always talking about? She walked briskly back the same way she came, right on time for the next lesson, and sat there innocently as if nothing had happened.

" Miss Opoku," she heard her history teacher say. Where have you been?

" To work on my assignment," she said.

" Assignments are supposed to be done at home, not during school hours," she said. Keep that in mind next time. Adoley heaved a sigh of relief. At least, she didn't get into trouble as envisaged. After school, as she was hurrying to go home, Baako followed her closely, watching her every move. With every step he took however, he became more and more confident. It was time to confront her. Just as he turned the next corner, she was out of sight, lost in the shadows. He was lost too, He wasn't familiar with the street. It served him right. He didn't have to be poking his nose into other people's affairs. They would meet tomorrow in class only if he could find his way back home.

The next day, she was ready with the savings she had made the whole year to pay the decoder. He was skeptical of her ability to pay him for her services. As soon as she entered the shop, he looked up at her through the top of his glasses.

"Are you here with your money?" he asked. If not, I'll keep this treasure for myself. Adoley was frightened. This was the only heirloom she was about to discover. If it stayed with him, that would be the end of her dream to unlock the key to the mystery. Thoughts of disappointment run through her mind as she began to count the coins she had saved…

"One, two, three…" she began... The man looked up again, this time, lowering his glasses further. To his amazement, she had enough to pay him. She handed it over to him, content. He was beside himself as he took the coins for her and counted them for himself.

"Young lady," he said. You can keep it. This note is from your grandmother to you. Hear her words:

I kept this here because I knew that only an inquisitive person could find it. It is yours for the keeping only if you do not tell anyone. I have saved enough for your whole lifetime. Use it to pursue your dreams.

She was weeping by the time she finished reading.

"You said you wouldn't take the money?" she asked again. He nodded. "No," he replied. You can keep it," You took a lot of risks to come to me. That shows how serious you were about this. Your grandma knew you very well. Good luck with your efforts. Did her grandma mean it when she asked her to keep it a secret? Would it not be prudent to let her father know about this? Perhaps, her grandma was right. They never even cared to pick up her picture. Why would they care about the message? The money might move them, but their unbelief would prevent them from enjoying its benefits.