The knock at my door woke me up from the dream I was having about a hot guy putting sunscreen on my back. I sit up in bed, wipe my hands on my mouth to get rid of the drool, and put my feet on the floor. I walk to the door and open it, there is nobody around except a gift bag sitting on the floor. It has been a few days since I started getting these gifts with no note or anything and each time it has been something that helped me during the day. I don’t understand who this person is and how they know exactly what I need when I need it.

The first day was a 7 day bus pass which helped when my car tires had been slashed. The second day was a $10 gift card to my favorite coffee shop Starbucks and I needed a pick me up after having a rough night's sleep. The third day was a lanyard, on my way to work my lanyard broke and I needed something to hold my keys. On the fourth day, I received a really soft night mask and robe, work was stressful that day and the robe helped me after a bath plus the night. Today marks the fifth day since I started receiving these gifts, I pick up the gift bag and walk back inside. Sitting on a chair at my kitchen table, I open the gift bag and put my hands to my chest when I see what is inside. Inside the bag is a Taser. Every item I have received I have needed at some point throughout the day, why would this person send me a Taser?

Taking the taser out of the bag, I notice there is a note that looks like the letters have been taken from magazines and newspapers that says “Liza you need to be careful. Don’t trust anyone, especially me. I'm closer than you think, you'll find out soon.” I start to wonder if the person sending me these gifts is the same person who slashed my tires.

I take a look at the clock and realize I am going to be late for work. I send a text to my boss Sebastian saying I'm running behind today, be there soon. I rush to put on my uniform, dash out the door, and take the bus to get to work. When I get to work I see my boss Sebastian, and my coworkers Susan and Nate all standing there waiting for me.

“Sorry guys, it's been a weird morning,” I tell them. Work goes by fast and Susan and I leave together. We get to the bus stop and I start telling her about why I was late.

Me: I woke to another gift today. Susan: that's the fifth one right? Me: yeah, it was the strangest gift I received. Susan: do you have any idea who’s sending these gifts? Me: No, but I thought it was Nate because he once told me he had a crush on me. Susan: Then, it has to be him right? Me: I don’t know. Susan: This last gift was a Taser with a note. Me: How’d you know!? Susan: Are you that stupid! Because I am the one sending you these gifts. Me: You also slashed my tires !? Susan: Yes. I just wanted to protect you because you’re my best friend.

She reaches out for me, I flinch and instinctively take a step back. She continues towards me and I turn away from her with tears in my eyes and whimper “stay away!” I start walking in the opposite direction and she starts to follow me. I knew I shouldn’t have left the taser at home as I start running away from her.

(Author note: I don’t like this much at all or the title).

Monday: a can of anchovies Tuesday: a head of garlic Wednesday: lemon Thursday: a fresh egg Friday: a wedge of Parmesan cheese Saturday: a head of romaine Sunday: olive oil

She looked at all the ingredients that had collected on her front step.

Well, nothing else to it. She made herself a delicious Caesar salad. It was impeccable. Then it occurred to her.

Monday next, a man was standing on her step. “Hello, Chuck,” she said. He was holding a bouquet of flowers.

“How was the salad?”

“Perfect,” Angela said. “Just like the one at D’Amici’s.”

“Where we had our first date,” Chuck finished.

“Angela, I’m sorry. Can we start over?”

Angela opened the door for him to come in.

“I saved a serving for you,” she said.

The smell of coffee brewing in the kitchen slowly wakes me from my sleep. I open my eyes to see my best friend lying on the pillow next to me, panting and staring at me like she’s been waiting her whole life for me to wake up. She whimpers and scoots closer to me, licks my face and stands up waiting for me to get out of bed and take her out for her morning constitutional. “Yes, Elsie I’m coming.” I extend my arms above my head and straighten out my legs and stretch off the angst riddled sleep. “Would there be another package on the porch?” I ask myself. Elsie jumps off the bed and heads straight for the front door, turns around to make sure I’m coming and when she sees me pulling my hoodie over my head, she knows it’s go time. I walk to the front door, slide my feet into the purple fuzzy uggs my fiancé got me for Christmas, grab the leash from the hook as Elsie sits and patiently waits for me to hook her up. I grab my sunglasses and accidentally knock the previous day’s gift off the hall tree shelf. The snow globe featuring a quaint New England village, shatters on the tiled floor, snow and glitter go everywhere. “Oh for fucks sake,” I mumble. I’ll deal with this when I get back. I open the door and there’s a gift wrapped box sitting on my doormat, bigger than the previous packages. I move it out of the way and get Elsie to her spot on the front yard so she can do her business. I glance around the house and street to see if there are any unfamiliar cars or anything out of place and see nothing out of the ordinary. She gently pulls the leash indicating it’s time we get to our morning walk. As we proceed to the sidewalk, I have this strange feeling that we’re being watched. I look towards the house diagonally across the street from ours and see slight movement in the curtains of one of the upstairs rooms. I immediately get chills, shake my head and we continue walking down the snow covered sidewalk. When we return to the house, I stop and pick up this morning’s gift. Elsie shakes off and waits for me to open the door. We walk across the threshold and I unhook her leash. She makes a beeline for the kitchen in anticipation of her breakfast. In the process, she steps in the snowflakes from the quaint village that is shattered across the front hallway floor and spreads it everywhere. I place the package on the bench, slide my boots off, return the leash to it’s hook and my sunglasses onto the shelf. I pick the package back up and bring it into the kitchen with me, placing it on the counter as I open the refrigerator to retrieve the creamer for my coffee. I grab my favorite, oversized coffee mug, pour the creamer in and then the coffee. That first sip warms me up and I proceed to the package. It’s perfectly wrapped in paper adorned with polar bears ice skating with red scarves and matching winter hats. I slide my finger between the tape and paper, opening it gently and neatly. “What the fuck? How would anyone know I’d need this?” I pull the dust buster out of the box and stare at it in confused disbelief. Elsie starts growling and her fur stands on end as she lets out a loud and ferocious German shepherd bark. I turn around to see what she’s barking at and there he was, standing at the front door looking in the window. I dropped the gift and screamed.

Ding!

I stood up from my chair in the living room, put down my phone, and headed to the door. It was strange that my doorbell dinged, I didn’t invite anyone over or order anything.

I opened the door and looked around. There was no one here.

Then, I spotted a gift. A brown box with sparkling red ribbon and matching bow. However, the strangest thing was that there no labels that said who it was from, nor any address.

I picked it up and brought it inside. It was like I picked up 100 bricks. It didn’t look like anyone had misplaced the box at my house since it had no labels. I figured it was safe to open and keep it for myself.

I shut my door, locked it, and sat back down on my chair to open the box.

The ribbon unraveled when I pulled it, and the bow was easy to take off. After I did that, I carefully opened the box, not knowing what was inside.

A cloud of smoke puffed out, as if it hadn’t been opened in a long time.

I saw a book. It had a red and gold leather cover, and was bound by brown thread. The pages were an off-white color, a sign that this book has been on this earth for years.

The cover had the words “A Tale of Sirens; A Short Story Compilation” in fancy gold lettering to match the gold designs on the cover. Sirens are a wide-spread myth among my community so I thought it would be fun to read it.

So I did.

The next day, my doorbell rang again. I received a red cloak. The day after, I received a stopwatch.

Everyday after that I received something else connected to the Sirens.

The Sirens wear red cloaks to stand out in the forests to lead lost souls to their death. They would give a stopwatch to their victims to let them know that their time is up. Sirens are magical beings that wield very dark magic.

There was also rumors of a Siren Queen, ruling the Sirens, and the most powerful of them all.

I received an item one day that set off everything.

I opened the box after 3 weeks of someone sending me gifts. Inside was a crystal ball, however it wasn’t an ordinary crystal ball. It was filled with black smoke, swirling faster and faster the more I held the ball.

As the smoke grew, I could feel power surging through me.

The black smoke started to flow out of the crystal ball, circling me till I couldn’t see anything but the smoke.

I woke up surrounded by people in the Sirens Cloak, watching me intently.

As I opened my eyes I could hear them whispering “she’s awake!”

I shakily stood up, trying my best to not fall on the floor.

I looked down and I could see that I too, was also wearing the Sirens Cloak. I felt my pockets and the stopwatch was there too.

Then, I realized. I, was the Siren Queen.

Waking up I put my robe and slippers on and head towards the bathroom. I start my daily rituals, of brushing my teeth, washing my face, and then heading out to get the morning paper. I open the door and a cold breeze hits my face. I shiver and pick up the paper and the box’s underneath. I head towards my kitchen and put the box down on some paper towels and head towards my coffee maker. I needed some energy. I take my mug, given to me by my mother, and walk over to the table. I open the paper and start reading while I’m sipping the coffee. Once I finish I put the paper down and take care of the now empty mug. I then walk over to the box, it had already started to drip. This is why I put it on paper towels. I slip some gloves on with a snap. Then I get the box cutter out of the top draw and start cutting the box open. Once opened, it stank but I continue on. I reach in and pull out a severed hand. The hand looked more on the feminine side, and had a light pink painted on the nails. This hand had no jewelry or tattoos on it. I carefully cover the bottom so it wouldn’t drip as I walk to the garage. I take the cover off, now that it was more dry and place it next to the others. I step back and admire my collection of parts. I have to say the placement of the legs next to the arms looks better compared to them next to the heads. I just wish I could thank who gifts me with my precious packages and let’s me fill my collection.

For the past eighty years, I've received a love letter that came with a gift every day. Today another letter came but, this time the letter read “I'm you’re stalker lock the doors next Tuesday, Raven.”

07/16/22

Woke up this morning feeling sick. Not sure if it’s serious or just a bug from last night’s dinner. I called out of work and laid down for a few hours before getting up.

Checked the mail around lunchtime and found a small, wooden box on the front porch. No label, just a sapphire sticker with a deer head on the lid. That was strange enough, but inside there was a glass bottle filled with brown water. I dumped it out and threw it away.

Went downtown for a late lunch. I stuck with chicken soup. It was beautiful outside, and people were everywhere. Most of William Street was packed with college students from the university up the road. The river was busy too, dotted with families playing in the water and some adventurous kayakers looking for the rapids. I took a walk by the water myself before heading back home.

07/17/22

There was another package at the door today. Small, wooden, with the same blue sticker on the lid. I slid it open to find a corkscrew. It had a black, wooden handle with a silver tip. It was actually really nice. Who’s leaving these gifts for me?

Tonight, Jessa came over for dinner. I made her favorite risotto from scratch, which tasted delicious - though I think I put too much garlic in it. She brought a bottle for the night. Got to use the new corkscrew. When it got dark, we watched the constellations from the backyard until she fell asleep.

07/18/22

I tripped over another box this morning. I was in a rush to get to work. There was no time, so I scooped it up and took it with me. At my desk, I opened it up.

A fountain pen. It was a deep green with swirls of gold on the handle. I didn’t think much of it until after my meeting with Mr. Peters. He told me he’d been going over my most recent work and said I had a gift for words. He offered me an editorial position!

I slumped into my desk chair in a daze. This was the greatest moment in my career - I had to call Jessa and tell her what happened. As I hung up even more excited after hearing her voice, the pen caught my eye.

The pen was my symbol - the reward I was going to buy myself when I became an editor. I never told anyone about it, not even Jessa. It was just one of those things you do to treat yourself. But here it was, on my desk, the day I got promoted. Where did it come from?

Jessa came over after her late shift wearing her black dress, and we made the living room our dance floor. Something about her drives me crazy. Or maybe it’s everything about her. Every inch of her, every thought of her, every time I hear her voice makes me smile.

07/19/22

Woke up at 5:00am and checked the front porch. A box was there.

Inside was something I didn’t understand. There were two gold coins, as large as half-dollars, with the deer head from the box carved into them. They didn’t look real so they definitely didn’t have any real value. I put the box with the others in my closet and went back to sleep.

I awoke to my phone ringing. It was Mary, Jessa’s coworker at the hospital. She was frantic and not making a lot of sense. She said there’d been an accident. Jessa was heading in to work, and they think she took a different route to pick up coffee along the way. Whatever the reason, she was crossing the bridge downtown when bystanders say they saw her car swerve over the barrier and corkscrew into the water below. They recovered the car and rushed her to the ER. Mary said it looked bad.

I ran to the hospital and found Mary waiting outside the Emergency Room. I banged on the doors, and yelled at the nurse behind the counter - I lost all control, but I didn’t care. Two men came out and restrained me before a doctor in a white coat appeared and told them to let me go.

He ushered me through the ER to the surgery room at the end of the hall, where I watched as they pulled the sheet over her head.

After awhile the doctor started talking, but I didn’t hear him at first. He gave me his condolences and told me I could go in the room to be with her. The nurses were still finishing in the room. One of them picked up a clipboard at Jessa’s feet and realized they hadn’t put a name down for the body. She patted her pockets before she turned to me and said,

“Do you have a pen?”

It feels strange to say “Good morning” to an empty doorway, but I know someone is there.

Semi-early riser, 7 am deliveries show up at my door. I don’t remember why I opened my door the first time. I think I heard a clink or a smack—I don’t quite remember which. But I opened the door with a tentative inquiry, “Hello..?” The sunshine drifted through and pointed to a ring-sized box on my doormat. I lifted the tan, velvet box and filled my heart with expectation. The box did not open. I don’t need mystery in my life. The box lands in the trash, and I continue with my day.

Each day, the same morning clinking occurs. Each day, a new box that I am unable to open. I wait at the door and stare at 6:59 - no box. After I blink, the box is there and bigger than before. I have slammed the door on the box, thrown the box down the steps, stomped on the box. None of the boxes go away. I now have a pile of boxes accumulating in my living room and no idea how to throw them out. With confusion mounting, I decide to create art pieces from the boxes and make the best of the situation, making lemonade out of my lemons.

Puzzled she walked in to the house unwrapping the gift. Packaged inside was a small music box that played the 12 days of Christmas. It was beautiful. She looked again at the package and saw it was sent to her at her home. But there was no return address or sender.

The music continued to play almost hauntingly. What had first sounded like beautiful Christmas music, now seemed almost ominous. She suddenly felt like someone was watching her.

She quickly looked around the room and outside through the window. She didn’t see anyone, but still felt uneasy. She closed her blinds and locked her doors. She suddenly felt a little foolish. It was only a music box that played Christmas music. She laughed at herself for being so over dramatic.

The next day when she got home there was a new package on her porch. It looked exactly like the one from the day before. Addressed to her with no return address. She glanced around to see if anyone looked out of place or was watching her. Seeing nothing she opened the package. This time the box held a note. It was written in red ink and read, “On the first day of Christmas…….” Inside there were an assortment of candy canes. She shook her head and told herself it was probably just a secret Santa gift. This continued for several more days. Each day she found a new note that continued to count the days of Christmas. She had received some candy canes, Christmas cookies, a dancing Christmas tree, eggnog, fuzzy blanket, a candle, and a poinsettia.

So far the gifts had been pretty basic gifts you might get for anyone. But it was still things she liked and that enjoyed at Christmas. On the 7th day things changed. The handwriting on the gift looked sloppier. The red ink running down the page. It asked if she was enjoyed her Gifts? And was signed Love me. This really confused her, who could it be?

Inside of this gift there was a beautiful sweater. As she held it up to examine it, she realized that this was the exact same sweater she had looked at yesterday at the store. Basically just window shopping to waste time. She had saw the sweater and loved it, but knew it was going to have to wait until after Christmas was over to purchase it. But here it was, in her hands. Who? She thought. No one was with her at the time and she hadn’t mentioned it to anyone either.

That uneasy feeling was even stronger now. Was someone stalking her and what did they want from her? She thought maybe she should contact the police, but tell them what? That someone was sending her gifts in the mail! They would probably laugh at her. So she did nothing.

On the 8th day of Christmas there was a pair of shoes she’d had in her Amazon cart for months! What were they hacking her or something? This was just all too crazy!

On the 9th day, a lace nightgown arrived. It wasn’t her style at all, she did wear nightgowns. And this one was entirely too revealing. It was sheer and absolutely covered nothing. The note read, “I hope you will wear this for me some day soon!”

The note kind of worried her. She was beginning to get really scared. She locked up the house tight and decided to go to bed. It had been a really long day and she was exhausted. She’d contact the authorities tomorrow.

On the 10th day of Christmas, there was a beautiful diamond ring. It was exactly her size and the style she liked. She could tell it was a real diamond with 24 karat white gold. This was not a cheap ring at all. The note with it is what really scared the crap out of her. It read, “with this ring, we will be together forever.”

She finally decided to call the cops. They came and took her statement. They took the notes and pictures of her gifts. They then told her to keep an eye out for anything out of place. Keep everything locked up tight. They told her to contact them the next day if another gift arrived.

The next day when she got up, she was a wreck. The stress and fear was beginning to catch up to her. She functioned on autopilot all day somehow. But as the day ended, she suddenly didn’t want to go home! She wished this person would just leave her alone. She didn’t want anymore gifts.

She was relieved when she arrived at home. She didn’t see any kind of package on the porch. She sighed in relief as she unlocked her door. She walked into the kitchen and that’s when she saw it. It was a gingerbread house kinda. It was made out of gingerbread anyways. But the scene was awful. The house itself resembled her own down to almost every detail. But there was a gingerbread woman lying on the ground in the house’s doorway. They made the cookie to resemble herself, wearing what looked like the nightgown she had already gotten. But the gingerbread woman had a rope around her neck. It had what appeared to be cuts all over with blood running into a pool right in front of the Christmas tree.

This time the note read, “one the 11th day of Christmas, you betrayed me!” She quickly then realized, someone had been inside her house. Were they still there? She grabbed a knife and sat in a corner and called the cops.

They arrived promptly. They searched her house, found nothing out of place and no one hiding. They tool her statement, took pictures and dusted for prints. They suggested she go stay with someone for a couple days. She refused and they promised to have a police car drive by every hour.

She was still terrified, but wasn’t going to be bullied out of her own house. She took the gingerbread house out to the garbage can. She glanced around and shivered. Something just didn’t feel right, but she could see nothing wrong. She half ran back to the house and began locking and dead bolted the doors. She made sure every window was closed and locked, and the curtains closed. It still didn’t feel like enough. She decided to push the dresser in front of the door for good measure.

Feeling as safe as she could, she turned the lights off and climbed into bed. Her mind kept racing and every creak of the old house, sounded like footsteps coming at her. She must’ve fallen asleep at some point, because the next thing she knew, the clock was striking midnight. On the 12th chime, she heard the music box begin to play. But this time a hoarse, sinister voice began to sing along.

On the 12th day of Christmas, the gift I give is me! And suddenly he appeared, the most scary thing she’d ever seen. He began to stab her over and over. Then choked the last bit of life out of her. He caressed her face and told her now she was his one and only, and he her only true love…..

BEEP BEEP BEEP Crap. I am not ready to deal with today, let alone whatever is on the otherside of that door! Maybe I should be grateful...or maybe I should crawl back into bed.

Wait. I can trick the system! If I don't open that door then I won't get the gift! I'll pull a Ferris and will truly have the Cameron experience.