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Novelo Rectangle

The man she buried was back and knocking at her door.There was no doubt that it was him; he was wearing the same ugly plaid wool suit as the one she had seen earlier that day as she lowered the lid on his coffin after the funeral service was over. A distraught woman whom she had assumed to be his widow had brought in the suit that morning insisting he wear it. It looked like something out of thrift store in the 1980s, but she would never disagree with a family’s wishes.“Its lovely” Liz said to the distraught woman while forcing a fake smile of approval. She had taken the job as an assistant planner at her uncle’s funeral home about a year before, but she was still working on appearing genuine in her sentiments. “Assistant planner” wasn’t even a real job – more like a favor to her mother after she had lost her previous job and her apartment the same day. Everyone always says losing their job wasn’t their fault, but in this case, it wasn’t. She had been a leasing agent at a upscale loft apartment property downtown but after a new manager was brought in, things began to go downhill. Eventually, she was let go, and since she had an apartment there, she had to give that up too. “Unemployed and homeless, and on the same day. That’s quite a feat Lizzie” her mother had sarcastically said to her as she helped her pack. Lizzie didn’t even try to defend herself – her mother had her opinions already, so she kept quiet. She even continued to keep quiet when she came across a news article about the manager who had fired her being arrested for embezzlement. It all made sense after that – the day she had been let go, Lizzie had asked her about a file that was missing which she seemed to get worked up about. She must have thought Lizzie saw something she shouldn’t have, but in reality, she knew nothing.Now, she was living in a tiny apartment above a garage behind the funeral home with her 2 cats peaty and domino and leading a rather unexciting existence. The cemetery they predominantly used was just across the street, so outside of a grocery run, she went nowhere, living an eventful life.That was until the dead man whose casket she saw lowered into the ground that afternoon was now standing at her door. She didn’t believe in ghosts but nothing else seemed to make sense at that moment.“I’m sorry; I know its late, you are alone…I didn’t know who was….”“I’m not alone” Lizzie interrupted, doing her best to not appear scared“There’s other people here” she continued trying to be convincing.He chuckled “like dead people?” “Is that what you are?” Lizzie asked, sounding out of breath. She thought about how dumb it sounded just after the words left her lips.The man in the ugly suit chuckled again.“No, I am very much alive,” he said with a smile. He was older, but still handsome in an older man way. His hair was white with only a trace of a receding hairline and a white beard to match. He tilted his head down to look over the top of his black rimmed glasses, looking her in the eye.“Look, I’m not dead, I’m not dangerous, and this very well may be the most important moment of your life. Maybe everybody’s life. I just need some help. It’s nothing crazy; I just need you to drop off something to your local newspaper office. If you let me in, I can explain everything.Lizzie hesitated. She could hear her mothers voice in her head scolding her over making bad decisions. Was this one of those moments?“I have a gun. And believe I know how to use it.” Lizzie stammered while pointing behind her. “Well, ok, and you can keep it pointed at me and if I flinch, I give you permission to shoot me, ok?”Lizzie didn’t own a gun but, in that moment, it had sounded good. “OK” she said with a sigh. “Give me a sec”She turned away from the door and began opening up drawers in the kitchen. The best weapon she could find was a wobbly steak knife that didn’t look like it could cut meat, let alone a person.Lizzie walked back to the door holding the knife out in front of her.“I’m going to unlock the door then back away. Do you see this table? She asked gesturing behind her and not waiting for his answer.“I’m going to sit on this end, and when I give you permission, walk in with your hands up and sit in that chair. Once you sit down, put your hands palm down on the table, then we can talk. Sound fair?He gave a little smile and nodded while looking at the knife in her hand, and said nothing. So, how about we start with how it is possible that I buried you today? Unless you have a twin that somehow has your same great taste in suits.”“Funny.” He said with a little laugh. But how about we start with names.”“I’m Liz, or Lizzie, I prefer Lizzie but I can’t use it at work to sound professional or whatever, doesn’t matter. Just Lizzie.” She said while shrugging her shoulders.“Ok Lizzie. I have had many names over the years, but my closest friends call me John, and I’m pleased to make your acquaintance, even under these rather unusual circumstances. And to answer your question, you did in fact bury me today, I just wasn’t dead.”“But I watched them fill the grave, how did you get out?”“Well, there are these things called shovels ya see…” he said jokingly before taking a deep breathe.“My associate was setup to assist me but during the process of unearthing me, something happened. I thought I heard voices, and then, nothing. Luckily, he had almost finished the job and I was able to pry the lid up and climb out. Whatever happened to him couldn’t have been good, and if I had tried to contact anyone, well, who knows. As I was trying to figure out what to do, I heard you calling for Patsy – ““Peaty. His name is Peaty.” “Ok, peaty the cat, I assume, and I saw your light on and figured if the fate of the world is in my hands, I had better take any opportunity presented. So, here I am.”Lizzie laughed like she had just heard the most hilarious joke and then fell silent as she tried to comprehend. Fate of the world? Could there be a cheesier line?So, are you like, with the government or something? No, its actually much bigger than that, but very small at the same time. Since managing people first began, there has always been a need…to keep secrets. It’s not about them being good secrets or bad secrets, but sometimes information may come along that people just aren’t ready for, and it would do more harm than good. We help maintain the natural order of things. You could say that this organization is the real super power in the world, but no one outside of the group has any knowledge that we even exist. “But why me? If this is such a secret society thing, why are you telling me?“Well, because of the unavailability of other opportunities and an extremely limited amount of time.”“Unlucky bastard.” Liz thought silently to herself. Instead of someone witty and resourceful, capable of an important mission, he got a college dropout who couldn’t keep a job.She had spent her life feeling ordinary, not special in anyway. Now, a man was sitting across from her, asking her to help him change the world. She decided in that moment to stop looking down on herself, and agree to help, pulling every bit of confidence she had in her soul.“What do you need me to do?” Lizzie asked.“Do you have a car?” asked John.“Yes.” She said nodding her head. She felt the pangs of coming embarrassment thinking of the moment when she opened the garage to reveal that they would be changing the world in a rundown, 30-year-old dodge minivan that had more rust than paint. Her mother had someone drop it off a few days after she had arrived. She had never needed a car, and it at least ran well, even though it had no heat. “Is it ok if I take off my jacket?” john asked, slowly raising his hands in the air.Lizzie nodded her approval and moments later, he was tearing at the inner lining. After a few minutes of struggling, he sighed saying “there you are!” happily and holding up a tiny key.“I get it now. That’s why it had to be that suit. But I’m confused – who was the woman? If no one knows about you, or what you do, then how do you have people helping you?”“That’s a complicated question with an even more complicated answer. But, the short of it is there are agencies that have people for hire for very specific tasks. They are paid well to never wonder, and never ask questions. They only know their role and not anything more.”For the first time in Lizzies life, she didn’t feel ordinary. “There is a 24-hour gym – in Pinehurst, I think it’s the next town over. Anyway, there are lockers in the men’s room, and this is the key for #44. All I need from you is to write down the gym name and the locker number, and drop it off in their mail slot or under the door, wherever, doesn’t matter, just as long as someone will see it.”“That’s it?” she said disappointed. She had been hoping for something crazy that would forever change her – not a task that a grade school kid could do. “Well, and give me a ride. There a park that is next to the lake on 369, do you know it?” He asked.Lizzie nodded. Whenever she passed, she always saw people having fun with their friends and family, and wished her life could be like that too. &nbsp;&nbsp;Not longer after they were pulling out of the funeral home parking lot and into the night. After some normal small talk, Lizzie just had to ask him.“So, what is this secret? And why all of this?”The cocky, witty look immediately left his face.“There are some things that the world should know. I had a son once, and all this, it’s for him. The group I am affiliated with, well, they knew that I was about to go rogue and would have done everything to stop me. If they believed I was dead, it would give me just enough time to get the information out and they would have no way of stopping it.”Then, he shared the secret with Lizzie, and she could not believe what she was hearing. She understood why people had to know, and just how important her mediocre task truly was.Lizzie pulled into the deserted park that was sparsely lit with just a view lamp posts with John gesturing to where he wanted her to go. After she stopped the car, John opened the door and stepped out into the night with only a small wave and a shorts “thanks” before closing the door and walking away. She drove back to the entrance but something stopped her; the secret she had could make her the most powerful woman on the planet. Money, houses, cars, lavish vacations – all could be hers. All she needed to do was to claim it for herself. She could get what was in the locker, offering it to the highest bidder. But that just wasn’t her. At the end of the day, she was someone who would do what was right, regardless of how she could benefit from it. So, she did the right thing, and did as John asked. She returned home, climbed into her bed, and went to sleep.The following day, she woke up wondering if had all been a dream, but it didn’t take long to get the answer.The secret he had shared was now front-page news in every city across the country. Even her own mother was calling her to ask her if she had heard. “Yep, I did” Lizzie said smiling. No one would ever believe the part she had played in it. But, for once in her life, she was proud of herself, and in the end, that was all that mattered

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The Secret

Nichollejeanette

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Nicholle Jeanette

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