The Evening Post

Posted by Gordon Krantz

I'm known to some as a bit of a collector of certain things. Most of them are none of your business unless I've shown you. But, considering the circumstances, I'll share a little with you.
I received a phone call one morning asking me if I would want a collection of stamps from letters sent someone had stored years before and finally rediscovered. I said sure and they were sent my way. They sat in a gallon size ziploc bag on my desk for a couple of days until this evening.
Most of the contents are the corners of envelopes with the stamps and the postal markings on them. In one larger envelope stuffed full of these stamps, there was a whole letter envelope. It caught my eye and I pulled it out.
It was stamped: Jul 13 1976 USPO, and was stilled sealed.
It had been sent nearly 35 years ago, returned, and by the looks of it this cycle happened more than once. The postage paid is $1.60 in 10 cent stamps. There are multiple 'returned to writer' stamps and dates crossed out and the word 'unclaimed' scribbled on it.
I want to open it but I don't know if I should. So here I sit, sipping tea, staring at a letter that the intended recipient never read. I wonder what it says, and why it wasn't ever read.