Ah, the best-laid plans. I remember you talked to me many times about the Big Take story when you visited me in the sanitarium, and I know you had no way to know it was real. You’d joke, say instead of a sheikh’s treasure, maybe it was a cask of ancient Spanish doubloons or maybe trunks of Nazi gold. I couldn’t tell you what it was, that it was all too real, since I couldn’t move, couldn’t talk, could only lie there. Ah, but I’d already told you where it was.”
“You mean the poem from the story? That was real, too?”
A long moment of silence, then, “Ah, yes, the poem. Do you remember it?”
“You had me repeat it so often when we were alone. It was one of our special secrets, for only you and me, but you never told me what it means, Grandfather. Is that why you gave me the poem, had me memorize it? You thought someday I’d understand?”
“Yes, it is my gift to you, Rebekah. It’s time for you to have it. It’s been over twenty years, enough time has passed so there will be no questions. And what is the treasure, you’re wondering? No, it’s nothing ancient from a faraway land, but trust me, you won’t be disappointed. When you fetch it, you’ll know why I kept it secret, and how much I love you. But you will need someone to help you, someone you trust, someone who will believe the Big Take is real. Do you really remember the poem? Tell me, Rebekah.”
Rebekah opened her mouth to recite the poem, looked at Zoltan’s face. And stopped. She wanted to believe her grandfather was speaking to her, but she couldn’t. She’d promised her grandfather never to say the poem to another soul. Why would he want her to now that he was dead? Slowly, she shook her head. “No, Grandfather, I won’t, I can’t. If it’s really you, you say the poem to me.”
The air felt chilly suddenly, enough to make gooseflesh rise on Rebekah’s arms.
An old, distant voice said, “Be careful, Pumpkin. I feel a wolf in the fold, close to you. Be careful.”
The fan went still. There was only silence and the dim light of the lamp.
“He’s gone,” Zoltan said, her voice hoarse, but now her own again. “Give me a moment.” She closed her eyes. Her breathing slowed.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes, I suppose so.”
“I’ll be right back,” Zoltan said, and rose. Rebekah heard her soft tread, then the overhead light came on and flooded the room.
Zoltan walked back to the sofa, leaned down, lightly touched her fingertips to Rebekah’s cheek. “Your grandfather, he was strong this time, Rebekah. He was here, and all that he was in life came through. Why couldn’t he speak directly to you? I don’t know. Amazing you already knew about this Big Take and you remember the poem you memorized as a child.”
“Yes, and as you heard, he never told me what the Big Take was, and still didn’t, for whatever reason. I don’t even know if it’s real.”
“Interesting. Fascinating, actually.” Zoltan straightened and looked around the living room, a question in her eyes. She said as she turned back to Rebekah, “Perhaps tonight was a breakthrough. Your grandfather came to us so clearly. I suppose you could say I felt what he was feeling, felt his concern for you, his excitement to tell you about your legacy, that it was real after all. You really have no idea where this Big Take is hidden? What it is?”
Rebekah looked into Zoltan’s sympathetic face and sighed. “He first told me the Big Take story when I was a little girl. The story didn’t say where he and Nate hid the treasure.” Rebekah shrugged. “There were so many of his other adventure stories I repeated back to him in the sanitarium when I ran out of news to tell him. That story was only one of them.” She shook her head and sat silently wondering what all this was supposed to mean, whether she should believe anything that had happened here, anything she’d been told.
Zoltan took her hands again, squeezed. “I believe the Big Take, whatever it is, is real. You see, it’s very difficult for most Departed to come through the Verge. Why come through if he was only going to tell you a lie? There’d be no point. I believe he wants you to have whatever it is he and Nate Elderby stole and hid all those