Visiting grandma was always an experience; she held so much wisdom in those shaking hands and delicate smile. Her eyes, though, seemed like they aged more than her body, for although she was old, her eyes seemed to tell tales of long ago.

She was a shoulder I could lean on, a hidden strength in her body that could hold any burden. I loved her, and I never thought she would disappear just like that.

I was just at her house, listening to her drone on and on about the automatic cars, laughing at her amazement, and now she's gone.

I laid on my bed, hand over my eyes as I willed myself not to weep. She would have told me there was no need, that it was just her time to go.

A ring sounds through the stillness, and the bed ruffles as a newcomer announces his presence. His droopy ears flop over his face as he rolls on top of me, leaving a present. A bracelet falls from his mouth, covered in slobber.

"Milo," I huff irritably. He whines at my tone, nudging the fallen jewelry with big, expectant eyes, hoping I'd play with him. In contrast to my tone, I pick him up, gently setting him down besides me as I pick up the sticky bracelet. Grimacing, I wipe it with my shirt and inspect it, noticing the encarved lines and intricate designs.

"Oh," I mumble to myself in realization, "It's grandmas." I get up, moving to the edge of the bed. Milo whines at me and I sigh in defeat, knowing I couldn't resist his whining. "Let's go play outside, buddy."

Pushing myself up, I stumble to the door, an excited puppy rushing between my legs. My footsteps resound through the empty house, my parents having gone to visit family.

As I walk down the stairs, I see a mess around the couch. "Milo! Seriously?" A small box is opened on the floor, its contents scattered. "This must be where he got grandma's bracelet," I mumble to myself, reaching down to pick up the fallen items.

My hand freezes as it comes in contact with a hand-made necklace. I collapse to the floor, grasping the necklace as hard as I could as I willed my eyes to stop burning. The necklace was covered in beads, strung together by a neon pink line; it was all I had when I was younger, when I wanted all the jewelry making kits I could find. The square-shaped beads were painted with faded white letters, 'granma.'

I lay my hand down in my lap, turning my head to face the ceiling as a single tear streams slowly down my face. Sniffling, I turn to the rest of the items, sifting through the mess and picking up a series of photographs. They're held together by a rubber band, so obviously taken care of. I handle them gently, our whole past held in these small pieces of paper.

The setting sun's rays shine through the window, catching an object and causing it to shine as it reflects the brilliance. Curiousity pushes me to grab it. It being a small leather cased book, probably older than me, with shiny silver letters across the front. "Creatures of the Forgotten," I read to myself quietly, eyebrows furrowed in thought.

A brown ribbon ties it together in a gentle knot, and I reach to carefully unwrap it, treating this book as I would a rare treasure.

My eyes skim the ink littering the first page, each letter delicately written, and I gasp in shock. 'Amphisbaena' is the heading and underneath lies a beautiful sketch of a mythical serpent with a head at each end.

With my eyes stretched wide in permanent amazement, I turn to the next page and the next and the next, every page detailing another mythical monster.

A sticky note falls into my lap, disturbing my frantic looking. My fingers gently grasp it and as I lift it up, I read, "As an archeologist, I have discovered many fossils that do not existing creatures and so many things that can't be explained. In this book, I have brought them to life through ink. These brilliant creatures… I wish they could have existed today. The world would be so much more interesting."

I reread it again, trying to make sure that my eyes aren't tricking me. Such things might have actually existed? I smile in excitement, pocketing the book of wonders.