George untied the white ribbon and tore back the shiny red paper. Inside he found a large white cardboard box with a green lid. Inside that he found crumpled newspaper. George rolled his eyes again as he tossed out the paper. “Are you sure you put something in here?”
At the bottom of the box he found an envelope, marked with a smiley face. George looked at his mother, “You didn’t?”
“Sorry, couldn’t resist.”
George opened the envelope. Just as he suspected there was a note inside. The note said, ‘Look under your bed upstairs, at the spot you used to say your prayers.’
“See you guys later,” George said as he headed up the stairs.
“We’re coming with you,” Mary said.
Bill winked at Henry, “You don’t want to miss this part either.”
“I could use the exercise,” John said.
“Come too,” Minnie said to Treasa.
Everyone followed George up to his designated bedroom.
George knelt by his bed and looked under, “There is nothing here.”
“That’s because you are not following the directions,” Minnie said.
He looked at the note in his hand. Then he went to the foot of his bed. “I used to say my prayers, here, right here,” he mumbled. He looked down. There on the floor lay the note. ‘Shine your shoes, brush your teeth, comb your hair, have some breakfast, say a prayer, make a lunch, that is where, the next note is. Figure it out...you are a whiz.’
George hadn’t rolled his eyes this much in years. “My lunch...in the kitchen, by the sink, as I recall.”
They all followed George down to the kitchen.
“Are we having fun yet?” he asked.
“Are we having fun yet?” he asked.
“I am,” Henry said.
In the kitchen Minnie’s to-do list was the only note George could find.
“Turn it over,” Minnie advised.
'You are here, you want to know, how many more notes there are to go, before you can sit down, and stop being the clown. Good news...the last note is the last note in the book of good news.'
“The book of good news? The book of good news....” George’s face lit up. “The Bible.”
He went to the dining room and picked up the family Bible. He carried it to the front room where everyone resumed their places. He opened up the Bible and ruffled the pages from back to front with his thumb. Then he held the book upside down and shook it. A ribbon bookmark fell out. “Nothing here.”
“Read the directions again,” Minnie said.
‘...the last note is the last note in the book of good news.’ George turned to the back of the Bible. “‘The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.’ That doesn’t help me.”
“Actually it’s written on the back flap,” said Minnie.
“Don’t you know you are not supposed to add anything to the Bible,” said Mary. “It says that right in the last chapter, somewhere.”
“Verse 18,” Henry said.
Everyone, except George, looked at Henry with surprise.
“My church did a lot of Bible drills when we were young.”
George turned to the back flap of the Bible. The note said, ‘Look behind the picture of Grandpa on the mantle.’ George went over to the fireplace and picked up the black and white picture of his grandfather Beeky. There he found a small white velvety box.. He flipped open the box. Inside sat a man’s ring with an Emerald stone.
“Whoa, I think you went a little over budget here,” George said. “Thank you!”
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