Morning all. I hit the snooze button one too many times this morning so I am running a bit slower than normal. I’m going to blame the overcast sky though and not the snuggly bed. Regardless of the cause it is now time to get a move on. And the first item on today’s to do list is the morning prompt. Are you ready? Fabulous. Let’s go.
Interesting. I’m thinking its a map hidden there. But I’m not sure. I’d have to write it to find out.
Thursday, May 20th His hands trembled.
His hands trembled. This was it, the moment of truth. He fit the key into the lock and turned. He felt rather than heard the click as the tumblers turned and the lock opened. A line appeared between the lid of the box and the base as the lock disengaged.
He set the key to the side and gripped the box lid with both hands. The wood was as slick as satin from the many years of polish. He allowed himself one delicious moment of anticipation. Finally, the box and its contents were his.
He took a deep breath and lifted the lid. He peered eagerly inside. The box was empty except for one folded scrap of paper. He reached inside and lifted the paper. Was this the secret? Another clue? Was he being sent on a scavenger hunt?
He unfolded the paper and saw a familiar handwriting.
“Better luck next time.”
The Handwriting was Frank’s. He beat him to the box after all. Despite all of the effort he took in delaying Frank, somehow he still beat him to the prize. He looked at the words and saw something else written on the bottom of the page. Instead of a signature, Frank left a date.
The note was dated twelve years prior.
He blinked and sat back in surprise.
“Twelve years,” he repeated to himself. Frank managed to empty the box twelve years ago. That meant all the racing around all the trickery, everything was just a game. Frank secured the prize long before he moved to block him. For the past month, Frank had just been playing with him.
The thought of being Frank’s amusement burned through him. He tossed the paper back in the box and slammed the lid shut. The slam was so satisfying he lifted the lid and slammed it down again. He grimaced and repeated the action over and over.
All that work. All that time. All that effort.
And he lost.
He slammed the box lid down again and again, finally he heard the crack of wood like a gunshot in the otherwise silent house. He stopped and looked at the box. The smooth wooden lid was now cracked, the wood split. He pulled his hands back. The box was empty. After all this time, he would never know what it held. Its treasures and secrets were never to be his.
Unable to stop himself, he lifted the box and threw it against the wall. The lid broke away from it’s hinges and the box itself was bent into a rhombus sort of shape instead of a rectangle. It left a dent in the plaster of the wall and thudded to the floor. As it landed there was a sort of metallic jingling.
“The lock I expect,” he said. Still he couldn’t stop his curiosity from rising so he walked over to the destroyed box. He bent over and peered into its remains. Something inside gleamed metallic. It wasn’t the lock. He reached inside and his hand came out with a small key. It was smaller than the key for the lid, yet was of a similar design. He looked into the box to see if there was anything else and he saw something. He pushed the broken wood away and found something had been hidden beneath a false bottom.
Ten til Midnight 