Dog Days
East Village, NY, United States
Early August 2026
@Bridget Collins
The letter from Bridget was discussed in DMs.
Cyrus had returned – for good, for now – to New York at the end of July. He'd lugged a duffel bag behind him, the waterproof, beat-up fabric dragging on the cement, as he shouldered his knapsack for what he hoped was the last time. Travelling had been amazing. He'd seen so many things and met so many people that sometimes, it all started to blur together, although, of course, the highlights of his gap year were still very obvious. Sometimes it was the little things – fresh strawberries at a market in New Zealand, or clogs in the Netherlands, or getting to see a camel for real. But other things were bigger – the sense of being utterly dwarfed that came from seeing the Great Pyramids, or the tomb he'd gotten stuck in with YoYo AKA Hanya and some really cool other guys, or the beautiful cherry blossoms in Japan.
And now he was home.
It was kind of weird getting up the stairs. He wasn't even jet lagged – he'd been in the Americas for the end of his trip, after all – but exhaustion tugged at him. His aunt helped him get his stuff up to his room, and then, instead of asking him how things had gone for the last leg, she just let him pass out on his neatly-made bed. He slept for a solid sixteen hours and woke up a little after 2pm the next day, slightly groggy but otherwise well-rested.
He could have slept for longer, he thought, but a tapping noise at his window forced him to get out of bed. He stretched, reached upwards to turn on the fan, and then opened his blinds. And – oh! Oh, that was an owl. A big one, too. Like a jumbo jet of an owl. 'Dude, I'm so sorry,' Cyrus mumbled as he hastily unlocked the window and opened it. He'd no idea how long the owl had been there. It flew inside, dropped something on Cyrus's bed, and then flew out.
'Man, I was hoping to feed it,' Cyrus muttered to himself. He attempted numerous times to open the letter in a normal way, but when it would not budge, he had to tear the paper. The ugliness of it did not please him, but those aesthetic concerns were forgotten when he began to read.
At first, he had no idea who was trying to message to him. It was like getting a spam call, and that was rare for Cyrus because his phone only really worked when he wasn't at his aunt's apartment. But then he skimmed the letter and saw the name at the end. Oh yeah! Bridget! The lady at the tomb! After vaguely imagining her face (surely more greyscale than usual) in his mind, Cyrus reread the letter. He then started to pen one of his own, pulling out some loose leaf notebook paper and a glitter pen.
After that, Cyrus vowed to get dressed and go to an arcade or something. He'd be the laziest guy ever til either he heard back from Bridget, or until he arrived... but first, he had to tell his aunt she'd be coming.
Early August 2026
@Bridget Collins
The letter from Bridget was discussed in DMs.
Cyrus had returned – for good, for now – to New York at the end of July. He'd lugged a duffel bag behind him, the waterproof, beat-up fabric dragging on the cement, as he shouldered his knapsack for what he hoped was the last time. Travelling had been amazing. He'd seen so many things and met so many people that sometimes, it all started to blur together, although, of course, the highlights of his gap year were still very obvious. Sometimes it was the little things – fresh strawberries at a market in New Zealand, or clogs in the Netherlands, or getting to see a camel for real. But other things were bigger – the sense of being utterly dwarfed that came from seeing the Great Pyramids, or the tomb he'd gotten stuck in with YoYo AKA Hanya and some really cool other guys, or the beautiful cherry blossoms in Japan.
And now he was home.
It was kind of weird getting up the stairs. He wasn't even jet lagged – he'd been in the Americas for the end of his trip, after all – but exhaustion tugged at him. His aunt helped him get his stuff up to his room, and then, instead of asking him how things had gone for the last leg, she just let him pass out on his neatly-made bed. He slept for a solid sixteen hours and woke up a little after 2pm the next day, slightly groggy but otherwise well-rested.
He could have slept for longer, he thought, but a tapping noise at his window forced him to get out of bed. He stretched, reached upwards to turn on the fan, and then opened his blinds. And – oh! Oh, that was an owl. A big one, too. Like a jumbo jet of an owl. 'Dude, I'm so sorry,' Cyrus mumbled as he hastily unlocked the window and opened it. He'd no idea how long the owl had been there. It flew inside, dropped something on Cyrus's bed, and then flew out.
'Man, I was hoping to feed it,' Cyrus muttered to himself. He attempted numerous times to open the letter in a normal way, but when it would not budge, he had to tear the paper. The ugliness of it did not please him, but those aesthetic concerns were forgotten when he began to read.
At first, he had no idea who was trying to message to him. It was like getting a spam call, and that was rare for Cyrus because his phone only really worked when he wasn't at his aunt's apartment. But then he skimmed the letter and saw the name at the end. Oh yeah! Bridget! The lady at the tomb! After vaguely imagining her face (surely more greyscale than usual) in his mind, Cyrus reread the letter. He then started to pen one of his own, pulling out some loose leaf notebook paper and a glitter pen.
Cyrus eventually found the owl from before in his aunt's back garden, where he gently tied the letter around its leg. 'Go find Bridget, okay? That's a good lil buddy.' He patted the owl's head, though it was unbeknownst to him whether or not the owl actually liked that. It did, however, fly off, presumably to find Bridget, so it must have been fine.Dear Bridget,
Wow! Gonna be so for real, I didn't expect a letter. Not that it's a bad thing! I'm happy to have heard from you.
I'd love to try to help! We can meet up sometime if you want. I'm back home with my aunt Teresa in New York right now, so I'll give you a return address so you know where to go. She won't mind having visitors, but if you want privacy, there's also a kind of small backyard we can use. Maybe if we drape some blankets over the fence and hide, the No-Majs won't see us. Jk jk, unless...?
Anyway, if you prefer owls, that's okay too. I think it's easier to teach stuff in person, though. Plus, we could get ice cream and hang out or something – or we can just do spell practice, whatever you want!
I haven't gotten sealed in any more tombs (thank goodness), and I've honestly had a really great few months. I hope you've had the same.
Can't wait to see you.Sincerely,
Cyrus
After that, Cyrus vowed to get dressed and go to an arcade or something. He'd be the laziest guy ever til either he heard back from Bridget, or until he arrived... but first, he had to tell his aunt she'd be coming.
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