The Question

Short story

The Question

The darkness is creeping over my shivering body, seeping into my mind telling me I won’t make it, poisoning my conscience with doubting thoughts. I am stuck, stuck in the worst situation anyone could ever be in, stuck in a man’s pantry. I am not welcome here, no one is. This man has a secret. He knows what’s in the box, the box that my mother left me before she passed away, and he has taken that from me, and now I want it back, back to its rightful owner.

He reverses out from the mouth of the garage, and without looking he turns and speeds up the quiet street followed by the roaring sound being expelled from the vehicle. Without wasting time I rolled underneath the closing door before it meets the cold concrete. The reason for this great break in is because I know he has the box, I know it is in here somewhere I need to know what my mother left for me inside that box nine years ago. I need an answer for my most critical question of all ‘what did she leave me in the box?’

I went in and out of every room in search for it but no luck. His study had a floor of paperwork and skyscraper stacked books which adds more hay to the haystack and buries the pin even deeper. The only room I hadn’t searched yet is the kitchen but I highly doubt it will be in there, so I continued my search into the kitchen. All of a sudden I heard the jingle of keys being thrashed around a lock.  My heart skipped a beat, or even two beats. As fast as I can, I search for the most closest hiding place possible, which in fact was the kitchen pantry big enough for my body to stand in. So that’s where I am now, waiting for my life to end here. A thin line of light beams against my face from the small opening of the cupboard doors that are closed in front of my face. The opening gives me a clear view of what is going on in the kitchen, and right now the man is in this same room. He steps in holding my most prized possession in his hands. ‘The box’ I say to myself but jokes on him because I have the key in my pocket to unlock it. He places it on the counter directly in view of where I am. I try my hardest to not burst out from the enclosed space I am waiting in. My heart is jumping in my chest making me want to jump out of the cupboard. The box looks exactly how it is supposed to be, a beautiful rusty coloured cedar box. The man steps out from the kitchen leaving just me and the small brown prison holding what my mother left. My mind is racing, where has he gone? What should I do? I have found what I wanted so now is my chance. I explode out from the cupboard keeping my eyes and my mind on the prize. I clasp my hands around the ends of the box, it feels comfortable in between my hands. I shove my hand down my pocket and swipe out the precious key and stab the lock that is clasping the lid on. I stop, filling the air with an uncomfortable silence. I turn my hand and the lock clicks. The sound echoes inside my head bouncing back and forth against my skull. I can’t handle this any longer! As fast as I could I lift up the lid of the box to reveal what my deceased mother had left me. It’s a note, with neat handwriting that spells. “Hi son, I’m alive.” Which is Followed by her address. “Come find me and I will explain everything.” It concluded. What has just happened? My mother is alive. After eight long years of living the lie of having a deceased mother I read this. My heart goes ballistic. The wooden floor outside of the kitchen creaks and quickly I see and take for the nearest exit which is the open window ahead. Immediately I take the note and jump from the window landing on all fours like a cat. “My life is complete” I whisper to myself as I run into the darkness, encapsulated by the night.

The End