The Trinket Box

The Box (actual title of story)

Part One: The discovery

Sarah was a loner, always had been. She never had really fit in anywhere within any of the social circles of her town. Spending her time mostly exploring the unknown and trying to find the answers to life's little mysteries, she had missed out on a lot of the complexities of social interaction.

At first, she tried to blend in with the crowd, taking some time off from her normal research to try and understand the social interactions of others. But after a time, she decided that that was not a part of life she was interested in and chose to remain a loner, busying herself with the exploration of ideas and discovering new things.

It was on one of her trips to town that she discovered a new shop had opened up. And when she saw the name: All Things Ancient, she knew this was one place she wanted to explore. She hadn't even gone into the shop to purchase anything really. Just wanted to window shop and see what they had to offer. When she entered, though, she felt an overwhelming pull to the back of the room, and walked past all the other items until she reached the spot where a little box had been placed on the shelf.

"That box costs nothing, my child. " The old woman yelled back to Sarah. Almost as if she knew what Sarah was thinking. Sarah looked over at the old woman, taking a few seconds to survey her. She never thought to question why the box was free. Never wondered if there was a reason. Only smiled at the idea that this little treasure was about to become hers.

The old woman's eyes were as blue as the sea and she had a kind of Mary Poppins feel about her. Yet something made Sarah take a few steps back when she looked at her. As she turned to pull the box from the shelf, she could feel the woman's eyes upon her, drilling a hole into the back of her head. And she could swear she heard a soft chuckle come from her lips as Sarah reached out to grab the box off the shelf. She didn't care though, the only thing she cared about was the box and what was inside it.

Dirt was thick upon it's lid, and as she moved it, tiny plumes of dust particles dispersed through the air. Even the dust that had sat upon it for ages seemed magical. It danced and weaved throughout the room, morphing into what looked like symbols that Sarah had never seen before. She watched, unsure what was really happening, but amazed by it none the less.

Had she had any sense, she would've placed the box right back onto the shelf and walked away. That would've been the smart thing to do. But as curiosity killed the cat, so , too would it take it best shot at Sarah. And although she sensed that doom was lurking right around the corner for her, she slipped the box into her satchel and walked out of the dimly lit storefront.

As soon as she walked out onto the street, she could sense a change in the air. The smell of the ocean breeze was different. It was a pungent, sour tasting smell. The kind that made your eyes water and threw you into a coughing fit. Sarah was doing exactly that as she turned away from the boardwalk, heading back in the direction of home. As she got farther away from the small beachside village, the smell dissipated and she was able to think about the box she had just purchased.

Now, On her way home, she could barely contain herself from opening it. She reached into her satchel and touched it. Somehow, she knew this box was not to be opened amongst prying eyes. That whatever was in it, was for her to know and see alone. She picked up her pace, wanting to get home so she could open it.

Continued next post...

Part Two: The struggle


She sat with her chin resting on top of her hands on the table, staring at the box that sat before her. She had no idea how long she had been doing this. It mesmerized her, the box, there was no way she could take her eyes off of it. She remembered a few days ago she was in such a hurry to get home and open it. Had it been days..or weeks? She was unsure....What had changed? Why was she so hesitant to just lift up the lid?

Several times she had reached out a hand to touch it. Her fingers just a hairs breath away from the lid. All she wanted to do was feel the smooth surface of its form under her skin. Yet, she just couldn't do it. Every time she would pull her hand back just before she made contact. It was almost like two opposing forces were battling inside of her. But she knew it wasn't an internal struggle, it was much, much more complex than that.

Sarah would have moments of clarity. Where the fog that inhabited her mind would lift and she would remember , for a brief second or two, that there was other stuff she should be doing. She would hear the doorbell, or the phone, and make a move to go answer them. But the box would immediately pull her back to her chair. It felt like an invisible hand had reached out and yanked her back into her sitting position. She would slowly fall back into the chair she had been in for how many weeks now? And then...and then there was nothing, nothing else but the box.

So simple the box was, so delicate. Made of silver with a gold edging. Some unusual symbols were engraved all over it. She had never seen them before. As she continued to stare at it, she wondered how ancient it was. She raised her chin from its resting place and made a move to go research them..But, the box, it called her right back. Settling down into her previous position, she stared directly at one of the symbols in front of her.

It looked like one she had seen before. She finally recalled the name of it, The Tree of Life. That was the symbol she stared at the most. There were others placed all over the box, but it was like she couldn't get past that one. She felt like she was supposed to understand it before she would be able to open the box. It was a question that the box presented to her, but wouldn't let her move from her spot to go find out what the answer was. She was truly a prisoner.

It was the smell that finally released her from her prison. The pungent smell that had been on the boardwalk the day she had first obtained the box, had finally made its way into her home. It was so strong now that she couldn't concentrate on anything else, not even the box. She stood up from her chair, almost falling because her legs could barely remember how to work, and struggled her way through the hallway to the bathroom. Holding onto the walls and furniture as she did so in order to stay standing upright.

It took her a hellish long time, but she finally made it there. She drags herself to the bathroom sink and looks into the mirror....


One more post...

Part three: Freedom

She couldn't believe what she saw. A skeleton of her former self stood before her. She barely recognized her own image in the mirror. Sunken, hallowed out cheeks, large black sockets in the place where her baby blue eyes had once been. Her teeth were covered with weeks, maybe months of filth, some on the verge of falling out. Her head, she was unsure how her small scrawny little neck was carrying such a bulbous thing upon it. It looked like it should've broken off by now.

And she finally understood what the smell was..it was her. She was rotting from the inside out, and the smell, the smell was the evidence of that fact. She turns the knobs on the sink to try and splash some water on her face, hoping it would wash away the image she saw in the mirror as well. Nothing but air came out. How long, how long had she been sitting in front of that box?

She struggles her way back down to the kitchen, remembering she had some bottled water in the fridge and uses that to wash up a bit. As soon as the water hits her face, she realizes how thirsty she is. Gulping down the rest of the bottle, she opens three more and does the same. And then the hunger overtakes her. Nothing but rotten food in the fridge, she picks up the least harmful, a block of cheese, and wolfs down the whole thing.

Feeling a bit of strength coming back to her, she smiles. She was finally free, free from the box and it's spell. She walks over to the window and looks outside. Estimating that it must be spring, she sees children playing in her neighbors yard, and sees the flowers in full bloom all around. The sights, to see something more than the box! Her eyes start to tear up with tears of joy.

She opens the window so she can hear all the sounds, smelling the exotic scents of all the flowers. Sticking her head out of the window a little more so she can feel the warm breeze and sunlight against her face. These, to anyone else, would not mean so much. To Sarah, they were all knew and fresh. Something she had not experienced in what seemed like ages. She was like a two year old seeing the world for the first time.

It took her a couple of weeks to get back to normalcy. Getting her water and lights turned back on, buying groceries, cleaning her house. She had never entered the room that held the box in all that time. So fearful she was of what would happen if she gazed upon it once more.

She waited until she knew she was strong enough before she entered the room. Hesitant at first, she peeked in around the door frame. Her eyes immediately connecting with the box as she did so. She held the same satchel in her hand that she had once so happily carried the box home in. Nervous, she gave it a few minutes before she fully entered the room, making sure to keep her focus upon her intentions and not really the box itself.

Once she knew that it no longer was having an effect on her, she quickly stepped over to the table and put it in the satchel. A huge sigh of relief escaping her lips as she zipped up the bag and carried it out to the garbage.

****

The old woman watches as Sarah puts the bag into the garbage can. She waits for her to go back into the house before she approaches the can and retrieves the bag. A smile crosses her lips as she walks slowly down the sidewalk, satchel in hand. This one, this one may have won, but there would be others...there were always others.

Thanks,
blend57

Shiverssss...What an eerie story. I felt like my tablet was just like the box and I am forgetting the outside fresh air and trees.
Thank you for the perfect going into autumn soon story.
It got my creative side wondering about the shop and old lady's intentions too.

a reply to: peppycat

Go ahead and write about that part.. I like to see what other peoples imaginations create...

And thank you for commenting on this..It has been ages since I have wrote a complete short story for here... I appreciate you letting me know you liked it.

Thanks,
blend57

I really liked it. Thanks for sharing it with us.

a reply to: karmicecstasy

Thank you for reading and commenting on it..Much appreciated..

blend57