By Jon Moray
This story was first published for Book ‘N Pieces magazine in January 2026 and is about a man that is given a task to prove his love for his girlfriend. Enjoy!
“Are you sure this scavenger hunt is worth it?” Hal asked of his best friend Bill.
“She’s the one. I knew the first day I met her at the Pre-Law conference two months ago. We’ve been communicating online ever since, and now she has presented a test to prove my love,” Bill proclaimed, with dreamy eyes.
“On the lap of the honest one, you will find a note. Retrieve it, and you’ll get my vote,” Bill read the clue aloud.
Hal’s face wrinkled in thought. “Didn’t you say her dad was a political figure in Washington D.C.?”
Bill grunted his assent. “She also knows I am an avid rock climber,” Bill added. The two exchanged beaming smiles, confident they have ascertained the location of the note.
“Well, my friend, It looks like we are taking a road trip,” Hal cheered, all too eager to be a party to this amorous riddle.
The two scavenger hunters drove all day and night from Orange County, Florida en route to the Nation’s Capitol, with the plan to arrive before twilight to avoid the detection of climbing a national landmark.
They parked near the structure and mimicked joggers, encroaching on the memorial. They entered through tall, fluted Doric columns and eyed the seated marble statue. Low black post and chain links served as a barrier.
“Remember to keep your voice low so as not to attract attention,” Bill whispered to Hal as he stepped towards his climbing challenge.
Bill drew deep breaths, with perspiration beading his forehead as he stepped over the barrier. The statue loomed larger with each step forward as its shadow engulfed him. The marble pedestal was ten feet tall with a lower base that he used as leverage to reach the top. Two small steps at the top of the pedestal had Bill staring up eye to eye with the bearded leader flanked by the slain president’s legs. He leapfrogged up between the legs when he saw an envelope resting on the lap near the right hip. Bill crawled over toward the object and straddled himself on the right leg as he reached for the envelope.
An officer arrived and called up to Bill, but he was numb to anything audible as he slowly took the note out of the envelope. He wiped the sweat from his brow and squinted his eyes to peruse the note in the low lit area.
It read: Dear Bill, you have won my heart with this loving gesture that proves you would do anything for me. Your honest nature attracted me to you. Now, for the really hard part. I have set up a lunch date with you and my congressman dad to meet and get to know each other. He will be most impressed by your courageous feat, especially since it was achieved at the memorial honoring his favorite president. Tell the officer, “Honesty is the best policy,” and you will not be detained. I love you, Jane.
Moray Writes 