The day of my birthday! I was so excited! Not only was it my twenty-fifth birthday, but I had just received news that the Atlantis crew had returned! I dressed quickly in the pants suit that I had bought a few days ago and stuck a daisy in my buttonhole. Classes were going to resume in a week, so I was excited about that as well. Everything was just perfect! Grandfather met with the crew that morning. Apparently they’d had some mishaps, but they had discovered that the city was real. I went to grandfather’s study after the crew had left.
“What’s the news?” I asked.
“They obviously made it back,” he replied.
“Where’s Helga? I want to speak with her!”
Grandfather’s face fell. My heart got that sinking feeling that I had felt when Helga had left. “She didn’t come back,” he finally said, his voice barely a whisper.
“What? You’re lying! She must have come back!”
“No. Cookie said that she was missing. And Thatch went down with the submarine.”
“NO!” My world crumbled around me at that moment. Two of my closest friends were gone? It couldn’t be true. Helga was gone? But she was supposed to be here for my birthday! We were going to celebrate…
“I’m sorry, dear,” grandfather said. I hugged him.
“It’s all right. I’ll be fine. Loss is just something that I’ll have to get used to.” That was a lie. I could never get used to it. “I’ll be going now,” I told grandfather.
“Where to?”
“Port.”
“All right. Oh and Adrienne…”
“Yes?”
“This was left for you.” He handed me a small package. I shoved it into my pocket.

“Thank you.” I left the room…the house…behind and walked numbly to the docks where the ship had left on that fateful day. There was a stiff breeze, but the sky was clear and sunny. “Rotten day,” I muttered. I reached into my pocket and felt the package that grandfather had given me. I had almost forgotten. I drew it from my pocket and stared at it for a moment. It was tiny. What could it be? I opened it slowly and carefully. What I saw astonished me. A crystal…a shiny blue crystal dangled from a string. A necklace of some sort… I looked at the paper that it had been wrapped in. A note…from Helga? I read it…

Dear Adrienne,

It looks as if my plans to return home have been delayed. I don’t think that we’ll be seeing each other for quite some time now. However, I didn’t forget your birthday! This necklace is a little gift from Atlantis to you. It proved to me that Atlantis does exist and that dreams do too. Never ever give up on yours. Reach for your goals. I know that you will succeed in whatever you do. Believe in yourself. I will always watch over you. Till we meet again!

Yours,
Helga Sinclair

P.S. You’re still unbelievably stubborn. Don’t change!

Tears came to my eyes as I read the note. How was this possible? A miracle, I decided. It must have been a miracle. I slipped the necklace around my neck. It shined brilliantly and I smiled. This was surely a sign. A sign of a new beginning. Life would be tough, but I had to push on. One thing was for certain though. Helga had changed my life. She had made me a better person. And I was certain that I had helped her too. I pulled the daisy from my buttonhole and looked over the ocean. Then I dropped it and let the waves carry it away. Our symbol of friendship was forever preserved. “I will never forget you, Helga Sinclair,” I shouted to the open ocean. That was promise that I would surely keep…for the rest of my life.