Morning all, I hope everyone slept well. For once I did. And while the scent of the brewing coffee is still alluring it is not a siren’s call luring me through the traitorous waters of the kitchen to my doom. Not that my kitchen is doom laden. Or traitorous when you get down to it. But I did get sleep. So the coffee is a reward rather than a necessity. So, let’s earn that reward with a morning writing prompt. Are you in (coffee not included)? Great, let’s go.
I like the idea of the open box as a test. Or partially open box just inviting a peep inside. I will use this somewhere else. I’m not sure where, but somewhere. Perhaps with my Nameless Books. But that is for later. For now, I am pleased with the morning prompt. I hope you are pleased with your efforts.
Thursday, March 10th: The lid of the box was askew.
The lid of the box was askew. I knew it wasn’t an accident. John was always so meticulous about putting the lid back in place, making certain that it was fully closed. He never went so far as to seal it with a locking spell. That would denote suspicion and distrust. His closing it with no sealing spell was both a point of pride and a challenge.
I suspected that despite there being no sealing spell on the box there was some sort of tracker inside at the very least. Something that would stick to whoever touched the box allowing John to identify the person who dared to invade his personal property.
But now the box lid was askew.
On the day I had been called in to speak with John.
John who was nowhere in sight.
It felt like a trap. I frowned and glanced at the box. It was of carved wood. The wood was a rare species of tree found only in the isolated forests of the Greland. The carvings were the sort done by the artisans in the mountains of the Rostal chain. The two were practically on the opposite ends of the world and to my knowledge, or anyone else’s for that matter, had never had any contact.
The box itself was designed to attract interest, regardless of its contents. It was a curiosity in and of itself.
Where was John?
I looked around tearing my eyes from the box. John was nowhere in sight. The door had been left open and as I knew I was expected I walked in and settled myself in the guest chair placed in front of his desk. I didn’t touch anything else. I knew he was particular but it was also considered rude to pry into another’s things, even if they were in the semi-public office space. I may have been a junior in the system, but I was raised in one of the old court families.
John still had not arrived. There was no clock in the room, but I knew I had gotten the time correct. I would give him a short while longer, then send a message. I would do so from my own quarters rather than using his paper and pen. Such things were more likely than others to go missing and therefore had a greater chance of having a nasty spell attached to them. John usually wasn’t the vindictive sort, but such spells were common enough that I didn’t feel like risking it.
I found my gaze shifting back to the box.
Wondering was only natural. A box that was never left open suddenly was. And John was still absent. My fingers twitched and I decided I had waited long enough. Soon I would be unable to resist the temptation to look into the box.
‘And I waited as long as manners and custom require,’ I told myself. I stood and turned. I walked towards the door. As I stepped out of the inner office and into the hallway I saw John. He was striding down the hallway towards me. I stopped and waited.
Ten til Midnight 