The Strange Letter

You are Mrs. Vance. You are old now, with white hair and slow feet. But long ago, you were quick and clever. You solved secret codes with your best friend, Mr. Pemberton. Then he went away. That was forty years ago.

This morning, you open your front door to get the milk. Something crinkles under your slipper. A letter! It is small, yellow, and folded tight.

You pick it up. Your hands shake. The marks on the page are strange shapes and tiny stars. You know this code. Only two people in the whole world ever knew it. You... and Mr. Pemberton.