It's Only Forever

Two

Two

Maeve

It was a Tuesday. I used to like Tuesdays. Not so much anymore because the only way I could identify a Tuesday, was when someone told me and today someone had been very sure to tell me it was a Tuesday. I got a phone call at 1 pm. Actually, no, correction; I got several phone calls at 1 pm.

"Are you ever going to answer that?" I mumbled to myself, as I stared at the flashing screen of my cell phone.

I picked it up and put it straight to my ear, scrunching my eyes closed as I spoke.

"Hello?"

"Oh, my god baby girl I thought we were going to have to send out a search party." I jumped from my bed, shocked to hear the voice on the other end. My mother. My mother's voice.

"Mom?"

"Of course it is, silly. Who do you think would be calling you so early on a Tuesday?" She giggled. Early? I glanced at the alarm clock, of which three seconds ago had said 13:07. It was now flashing a bright green 4:30 am. No. That's not right. Suddenly my mother's voice wasn't my mother's voice anymore.

It was just a loud screeching noise.

I woke up in a sweat. Slamming my hand down on the alarm clock and looking around the room. I wasn't in my room back home, I was in my dorm at NYU.

I fell back onto my bed and let out a loud groan.
"You okay?" My roommate asked as she sat up in her bed and peered over at me.

"I'm fine...just another bad dream."
"A bad dream or the same bad dream?" She asked, running a hand over her buzz-cut hair.

"The same," I grumbled.
"Baby girl, I am telling you, open that damn box," Ellie laughed as she moved to sit on the end of my bed.

"I know my subconscious is telling me over and over to open the box but I just can't bring myself to do it."

Ellie had been my best friend since kindergarten and we had never left each other's sides since. She looked pretty intimidating; standing at about 5'7 with a blonde buzz cut and angular features. She had gotten into old school punk in high school and had seemed to transform herself within the space of 48 hours.

Despite her eccentric ways, she had been fully supportive when my mom had died, coming with me to the funeral and everything. But even I could tell that she was getting impatient.

"Your mom wanted you to open it. That's why you've been sitting with the key for fourteen years. She knew that when she died you'd know what to do." Ellie sighed again. "Now open the freaking box! Right now!" She ordered and I couldn't help but laugh at her attempt at being stern.

"I hate you, so much." I kissed Ellie on the cheek and pulled the box out from under my bed, setting it down on the desk and staring at it.

It didn't look so intimidating and my mother wasn't unfair enough to put something dreadful in there, I was sure of it. Knowing her, I'd open it and be hit in the face with a bunch of joke snakes.

"Go on...before I kick your butt," Ellie snapped as she pulled on her gym clothes. "I'm going but when I get back, it better be open." She pointed her finger at me and I nodded.

Forty-five minutes, four cups of coffee, and one bagel later. The box was still unopened. I ran my hands across the wooden top, over the metal clasp. It was now or never. I clicked the key into the lock and fumbled to open the top before I changed my mind. My eyes stayed clenched shut, afraid to look for fear of what I might find. No snakes, anyway.