Grandma hadn’t spoken to her sister in decades, and Great Aunt Beverly had no children of her own, so it fell to us to clean and sell the house.

It was mostly junk—fusty clothes, chipped ceramic figurines… and a music box with a letter inside, written in grandpa’s hand.

Adrian L. Cook is a professor of drama, humanities, and English at Tarrant County College and a semi-pro percussionist. He lives in Dallas, TX with his wife, Cristee, their children Adrianna and Moshe, a turtle, a lizard, and two rebellious orange cats. When he’s not writing, playing, or grading he can be found trying to stealthily navigate the Matrix.