“Angus! What a lovely surprise!”

“Hey Mum sorry I didn’t call you beforehand, I just need to pick up something from my old room…”

“Nonsense, I don’t mind. So nice to see you. Have you eaten? Oh you feel skinny. Have you lost weight? Are you eating at all?”

I chuckled as I pretended to roll my eyes.

“Thanks, that’s good, likewise, yes, no you’re just hugging me way too tightly, no I haven’t, yes of course I am…!!”

“Um.. Mum?”

“Yes Angus?”

“Where did our family photo album go?”

“What do you mean, go? It should be where its supposed to be.”

“Hmm.. so you haven’t removed it? It’s not where it’s meant to be… in dad’s study..”

“That’s strange..”

Angus went back into his father’s study to check again. His family album went back 4 generations and the family tree that was drawn went back another 4. Both images and information equally important and precious to the family.

Angus looked up the bookshelf where the album was meant to be. There was a gap and the adjacent book had tilted into the extra space formed.

“Mum.. it’s not there..”

“That’s very strange, I haven’t looked at it in ages but I dust that shelf every week and I would’ve noticed if it had gone missing.”

“Hmm”

“Oh no, your great aunty Agnus will not be pleased. She said it was too early to pass it to the younger generation but us girls, your aunties and I insisted we should take it off her hands so we could look after it properly… her place was a pigsty you know.”

“What do you mean by was?”

“Well she’s since moved into a nursing home. We knew her health was deteriorating.”

“So do you think any of your cousins wanted the album?”

“I don’t know.. perhaps you could work it out for me? With your special little talent?”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh you know, maybe you could read tea leaves for me to find out where the album went?”

“Mum… I’m not a fortune teller..”

“Okay.. well don’t you carry around a crystal ball that you could look into for me to find out where the album is..”

“No Mum.. I’m not a clairvoyant either”

“Oh dear, but didn’t you say you could… I don’t know, use a bit of magic perhaps to find out where the alb..”

Angus let out a chuckle.

“No Mum.. I’m not a wizard either..”

Angus had ESP, extra sensory perception and he could sense the presence of spirits around him. It was not like he could read tarot cards or execute spells or magic. Limited people knew about his “special talent” and even those who knew often misunderstood it completely, at least Angus found it amusing most of the times.