By ALIN HETT
Hays Post
Almost 30 years ago, a woman named Rebecca wrote goodbye to one of her closest friends before beginning a new chapter thousands of miles away in Hays.
Whether she ever made it to Hays, whether she stayed or where her location is today remains a mystery.
But if Rebecca is still here, Hays Post is looking for her.
The search begins more than 5,000 miles away, where a handwritten letter dated July 3, 1997, recently resurfaced among the rocks along the southern coast of an Italian island.
And somehow, that letter leads back to Hays.
According to Italian news outlet QuiNewsElba, a bottle containing the letter was found lodged among the rocks in Seccheto, a seaside village in Campo nell'Elba on the island of Elba.
To view the original article from QuiNewsElba, click here.
The bottle was found by the daughter of Francesca Fauci, who later posted a photo of the handwritten letter to the Facebook group "Isola d'Elba, vacanze, info, foto, curiosità," hoping the people behind the almost 30-year-old message might recognize themselves.
The discovery has since caught the attention of other Italian news outlets, including TGCOM24 and Il Tirreno, as the search for the two women has spread beyond the Facebook group.
To view the original article from TGCOM24, click here.
Written entirely by hand and signed simply "Rebecca," the letter is addressed to a friend identified only by the initials M.G.
At the top of the page is a date: July 3, 1997.
Rebecca begins by telling M.G. that starting the next day, the two would never see each other again. She wrote that she could not bring herself to say those few words in person, choosing instead to put them into a letter.
Then comes the line that brings a mystery discovered along the Italian coast directly to western Kansas.
"Io mi trasferirò ad Hais, in Kansas," Rebecca wrote.
Translated to English, Rebecca said she was moving to "Hays, Kansas."
Rebecca recalled meeting M.G. as children while sitting on a small wall along a seaside promenade. Over the years, she wrote, the two shared laughter, tears, embarrassing moments, arguments, Christmas Eve dinners, trips into town, sleepovers and hours spent listening to music.
Music appears throughout the letter.
Rebecca remembered the two listening to Michael Jackson songs including "Bad," "Billie Jean" and "Thriller" on vinyl records. She also recalled watching Spandau Ballet concerts and M.G., once finding a spot to attend Michael Jackson's Bad World Tour, only to miss the concert because she had a fever.
But on July 3, 1997, Rebecca was preparing to leave those memories behind.
She wished M.G. well, encouraged her to find her path in life and told her to always be kind, even to her worst enemy.
Rebecca also wrote about looking at shooting stars by the sea at night, telling M.G. to admire them for her and hoping one might be the lucky one on which she could make her greatest wish.
Near the end of the letter, Rebecca said goodbye to the days they had spent together.
Then she signed one name.
Rebecca.
The Italian reports have been searching for clues on their side of the Atlantic, but there are still plenty of unanswered questions.
It is not known whether Rebecca and M.G. lived on the island of Elba or whether the letter was even written there. QuiNewsElba noted the bottle could have traveled through the sea before eventually becoming lodged among the rocks at Seccheto.
Italian news outlets also noted they had no way to independently establish the authenticity of the letter and based its search on the possibility that the message and the story behind it are genuine.
If they are, one of the strongest clues points directly to Hays.
Rebecca wrote that she was moving to Kansas in July 1997. Although she spelled the community "Hais," QuiNewsElba also identified Hays as the likely destination and noted the city's relatively small population could make finding her possible.
Twenty-nine years have passed since the date written at the top of Rebecca's letter.
She may have moved away from Hays years ago, she may have family or friends in the area or she might still call Hays home.
If Rebecca is still here, or if someone remembers Rebecca who moved to Hays from overseas in July 1997, Hays Post would like to hear from her.
The letter between two friends has already survived almost three decades.
Now, perhaps Hays can help it find Rebecca.