October 12^th, 2037

Dear Tess,

Happy Birthday! I am sending you a very, very special birthday gift because you are such a special girl. I also really think that you will enjoy this gift.

Your gift is a hat. Yes, it’s a little funny looking and probably not your style, but that doesn’t matter. This hat is very special. If you want to find out what it does, you will have to read the letters I have enclosed to find out. You see, when I was about your age I bought this hat in a marketplace for a very dear friend of mine.

This special friend and I met at a camp one summer, the greatest summer of my life actually. The two of us did everything together, we would ride our bikes, hike through the trails, go swimming in the lake, make crafts for our family back home and once in awhile we even sang songs around the campfire. And the funny thing was that we both had a keen interest in the 1950’s. You know, poodle skirts, swing dancing, Elvis… Actually, our obsession with the 1950’s was pretty much the only thing we had in common. My friend was always full of energy and she was a loud, obnoxious person. Don’t get me wrong, she’s a very sweet girl, just full of energy. She also loved to write poems, sing her favorite songs aloud and perform on stage. I was more the quiet, polite girl. I didn’t really enjoy performing, if I had to say something in front of a group, I would start to feel sick.

Would you like to know who my friend was? Her name is Zoe Feder, that’s right, the famous poet Zoe Feder. She has done very well for herself with her wacky, far-out poems. Your mom has told me you’re a great fan of her work, and that’s why I think this gift will be extra special for you.

Zoe went on a few adventures with this hat, and she always wrote to me telling me what she did. She also wrote me some of her poems, and these poems are very special because they were written long before Zoe became famous. It’s funny because Zoe never even dreamed of becoming a poet, but she did and now she is so famous that she can’t walk out a building without hundreds of fans screaming her name.

Before you start your own adventures though, you must promise me you will be careful! Please read the letters that Zoe and I wrote to each other so that you can learn from our mistakes and so that you won’t do the same stupid things we did.

Let me know how you like the hat dear, and I’m coming down for Christmas so I’ll see you then!

Love,

Auntie Kate