#OriginalFiction – November 4

The hole was not even as deep as it was wide. Taking up most of the space was a metal lockbox that reminded her of safe deposit boxes she had seen in the movies.

She knelt on the floor and set the lamp down close to the wall, far enough away that she would not accidentally knock it over.

She ran her hands over the metal box. It was cold and damp. There were handles, but they had rusted in place, tight against the sides of the box and did not want to budge. If she had a file with her, or some other slim tool, she probably could have worked them out, but her fingers were not up to the job.

She dug her fingers into the soft dirt the box rested on, wrapping her hands around it, and lifted experimentally. The box was not as heavy as she had feared, but not particularly light either. Carefully, she lifted it from its resting place and brought it up to rest on her knees.

She had hoped for a small padlock, something she could be fairly certain she could break with the right tools, but the box’s lock was internal. Out of curiosity, but without much hope, she attempted to lift the lid. Maybe the lock was not engaged.

But it was, and the box remained closed.

She moved the box from her lap to the floor. There was mud on her jeans. She wiped some of it away, but the rest just smeared into the fabric.

Being careful of the lamp, she reached for the piece of floor to put it back. She was certain that the box was the reason the magic had brought her here. She was just as certain she would be able to carry the box back out through the walls with her. But the magic tended to be picky. It liked things to be put back the way they had been.

So, she replaced the floorboard. She put the small broom back in its spot on the hearth. The lockbox could rest on its side on the mantle, so she set it there then got the lamp and placed it carefully back in the dust free circle she had claimed it from.

She stood on her tip toes to blow down into the lamp, extinguishing the flame. The streams of light through the roof were still enough to let her see the lockbox. She gathered it to herself, holding it tight against her chest, her arms wrapped around it.

She hated walking through walls, so she aimed herself at the front door, closed and locked as it was, and walked out of the shack.