What is an enigma? An enigma is something that is mysterious and seems impossible to understand completely. A fact that Mr. and Mrs. Jacobson can vouch for. After all they were the neighbours of the mysterious Mr. E. Nigma.
Mr. Nigma (born Ethan Nigma although nobody had called him that since he was twelve years old) was simply known as Enigma. While the name was a clever play of the letters in his name, it also suited him. Some people said that if you searched up the word enigma you would find a picture of him.
Enigma was a very private person, he never attended any parties or hosted them. He wasn’t the biggest fan of social gatherings. While he hated if others tried to breach his privacy, he had no such qualms himself. It seemed like Mr.Nigma knew everything that was happening at all times. His neighbours thought he was psychic, but he wasn't, he was simply observant. That of course didn’t stop them from telling everyone they met that you couldn’t sneeze in China without him knowing.
Enigma’s neighbours normally avoided him, but today they were standing at his doorstep waiting for him to open the door, after ringing the bell for the fifth time in thirty seconds. They weren’t very patient people, they were extremely entitled and they thought that they should be treated like royalty. As a matter of fact, Mrs. Jacobson told everyone that she was related to the British Royal Family. She came to this conclusion because she thought her nose looked similar to that of the Queen’s. Today however, they could wait because they needed Enigma’s help.
After another second of incessant knocking, Enigma opened the door. If he was surprised to see his neighbours, he didn’t show it. Mr. Jacobson didn’t waste any time before declaring that they needed Enigma’s help, inviting himself and his wife into Enigma’s house. Enigma quickly took them to the dining room. At this point, most people would offer their guests a beverage, some food or ask them what had happened because Mr. and Mrs Robinson looked like they had just seen a ghost. Enigma did none of these.
“Like I said at the door, we need your help Enigma, we came here hoping that you could use your psychic abilities to help us. You see, my favourite diamond ring has gone missing and it is of utmost importance that you help us find it.” Mrs. Jacobson had a bad habit of talking very fast when she was nervous so what everyone really heard was- “LikeIsaidatthedoorweneedyourhelpEnigma,wecameherehopingthatyoucoulduseyourpsychicabilitiestohelpus.Youseemyfavouritediamondringhasgonemissinganditisofutmostimportancethatyouhelpusfindit.” Enigma understood what she said, her husband however, didn’t. Mr. Jacobson took it upon himself to tell his wife to speak English before telling Enigma what had happened.
Everyone knew about Mrs. Jacobson’s famous diamond ring which she was never seen without, and rumour had it that she didn’t even take it off when she showered. However, what everyone except Mrs. Jacobson knew was that the diamond was a fake.
The Jacobsons had lived in the town of Onyx Falls their whole life, one of the most memorable things that had ever happened in this town was the Jacobson’s wedding. It was a well-known fact that Mr. Jacobson had only asked Mrs. Jacobson to marry him because she told him to. It was all very sudden. One day she told him that they should get married and insisted that he ask her that very night, when she would be waiting at her favourite restaurant. Mr. Jacobson didn’t have time to buy a ring! Thankfully, Halloween was near and he saw a little girl holding her costume which contained a ring. He paid her five dollars, took the ring and asked Mrs. Jacobson to marry him. She truly believed that the ring was made from some of the cut parts of the Kohinoor diamond.
It did not do to keep the Jacobson’s waiting, so Enigma walked with them to their house. The house looked normal, except for the fact that everything was bright yellow. The only thing that wasn’t yellow in the house was Ana the cat. As Enigma observed the room, Mrs. Jacobson told him that the last time she had seen her ring was before she fell asleep while watching television. Enigma checked the windows and the doors and found that none of them had been broken. “There has been a series of cat burglaries in the neighbourhood recently, though they stole a lot of expensive things, not just one.” said Enigma.
“A cat burglar! Our cat is most certainly not a thief. Quite frankly I’m offended by the implication.” Mrs. Jacobson yelled, while stroking Ana’s head, her husband nodding beside her.
They weren’t the brightest. Enigma however, was saved from trying to make them understand that a cat burglar was not in fact a cat. Ana had rolled out of Mrs. Jacobson’s arms onto the floor and was now lying on her back with all of her paws in the air while making some rather horrific noises. Mr and Mrs. Jacobson instantly started screaming and yelling at Enigma to help their baby. As Enigma knelt near the cat, he realised that Ana was choking on something. After a few seconds she spat it out and there in all its cheap costume store glory was Mrs. Jacobson’s ring!
It was simple to piece things together now. Before Mrs. Jacobson had fallen asleep she had been eating a tuna sandwich, the remnants of which were on her fingers. Ana had followed the smell to her fingers which she had sucked clean in the process accidentally swallowing her ring.
Yet, the Jacobsons were not normal people and they came to the conclusion that Ana had stolen the ring on purpose and was going to take it to somebody else who she was working with so that they could sell it. In their eyes Enigma was a hero who had stopped the devious plot to sell the ring. They repaid him by throwing him a party and inviting the whole neighbourhood, not noticing that he had left almost as soon as it had started.
As Enigma was walking home, he found Ana who had been thrown out by the Jacobsons sitting on a trash bin near him. Taking pity on the seriously misunderstood cat, he took her home with him. And thus started the rumour that Enigma was actually a cat in disguise as a human, and that was the reason he was so mysterious and quiet, and got along with Ana so well.
'Enigma'
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