A Hidden Treasure

In the far back corner of the attic, the shoebox was hidden under the insulation. Inside were memories from another time. Olivia was no longer the girl who once dreamed of sharing the momentos with her next generation. Somewhere along the line she had become a woman who did what she had to in order to survive.

Olivia crept along the rungs. Time had not been gentle to the old place she used to call home. Her nose itched, but she dared not sneeze, for fear that someone may hear her.

As she finally reached her hiding spot she used as a child and later as a teen, she grasped the box as if it may hold the food she desperately was in need of to survive the next week. That is what she should have been doing. Scavenging. Food or other things needed to survive would be more useful than a box of memories.

The weight she felt lift from her heart by holding the box close gave her a renewed strength needed to make it another day. She quickly unzipped her backpack and placed the box gently inside. Then just as quietly she zipped it back up.

Wait. Was that a sound she heard below? She was so careful that no one had seen her.

She must not get caught. The few people who had survived the “great disaster” thought it would be best for everyone to stay together; the idea being that the work could be shared and that there was safety in numbers. Poor leadership had made a mess of things though, and for now it was safer to be alone.

Something fell to the floor in the room directly below her. Olivia debated if she should try to rush down the pull down steps she came up, or if she should see if there was anything she could use as a weapon. She did not like having to fight, but if backed into a corner, she would do what it took.

As she was debating which strategy might have the best odds, she heard a gentle “meow”. Not convinced that the coast was clear, she did a quick sweep with her eyes and found an old crutch that must have belonged to someone in her family at one time. It was close to the wall and if she made a quick dash for it, she just may be able to grab it before anyone was the smarter that someone was in the attic.

Gathering all her courage she stood quickly and made her way to the crutch as soundlessly as possible. She snatched up her weapon and made her way to the stairs. She held her breath waiting to hear if there were any footsteps or other sounds.

One minute passed. Two. All she heard was her own breathing. Funny how that noise seemed so loud in the mostly empty house.

After peering down the stairs to the dark area below, she was glad her eyes had learned to quickly adjust. It seemed when your body was faced with life and death circumstances, the body learned new abilities.

Seeing nothing, she decided to take her chance. She descended as quickly as possible, with the crutch still in one hand. She was just about to the bottom rung when she heard the soft “meow” again. At this point she figured it was best to face what she may find, and as she quickly turned around, she was met with a straggly stray cat. A quick scan of the hall showed it was just her and her new furry feline friend.

She knew it would be best to make sure her and the cat went their separate ways, but after being on her own so long she reached out to try to pet the cat. The cat meowed again but allowed the gentle head rub. It was obvious he or she was a little lonely as well.

Deciding to take her chances, Olivia dropped the crutch, scooped up her new friend and headed out of the house. The woods were much safer in general. She followed the markings she had made on trees to help her find her way back to where she had stashed her belongings.


She went around and checked her little traps she had set to make sure no one had been around her camp and then once satisfied that she was still alone and safe, she put down the cat and her backpack and set up her lean to shelter. Once she had it up she grabbed her sleeping bag from under the lean to and got in to sleep.

First though, she took a deep breath and removed the shoe box from her pack. The cat had decided to stay under the lean to with her, but not quite next to her. As she removed the lid from the box, the cat must have thought there was food inside. The cat made it’s way a little closer and Olivia reached out to pet him or her.

“I really should give you a name if we are to be friends. I think I will call you Oliver.” Olivia whispered.

Oliver meowed and purred so Olivia took that as his consent.

“Would you like to see what is in this box that was so important to me? I have not opened it up in years; since the before.”

After another soft “meow”, Olivia slowly opened the box.

The contents smelled a little musty, but oh the joy she felt at seeing the items inside. There was the old flower she pressed and sealed in kindergarten for a bookmark as a Mother’s Day gift to her mom once upon a time. She had loved it so much that her mom told her she could keep it for safekeeping. Also, a diary of when she was younger and wrote down her most secret thoughts. A few love notes and a letter or two from her best friend, after they had both lost their cellphones that year in school as punishment for having them out in class.

She set the items gently on the ground beside her as she took the time to enjoy each treasure. Finally after the letters, she reached the bottom where the heaviest but most treasured item lay.

The chain had long ago been broke which is the main reason it had made it’s way to the box for keepsake. It was no longer the color it had been that wonderful day when her mother and father had first gave it to her on her 13th birthday. Despite all of these things, it was still a sight to behold. A cheap heart shaped locket with a rose engraved on the front. Inside had been placed a picture of her with her mom on one side, and a picture of her with her dad on the other. Oh, there were picture books still in her home and had she the time, she would have loved to go through them and relive the memories they would bring.

However, this was the new world. Even enjoying the letters was a thing of the past. She would soon use them as kindling for a fire. The shoebox the same way would be useful. The necklace though, she could rig to stay around her neck and the heart shaped locket would stay close to her heart; reminding her of those she loved and longed to find.

She was convince her parents were still alive. They had to be. She would feel it inside if they had died like so many others had in the “disaster”. She was convinced that they were valuable for their medical knowledge and that they had been kept from trying to reach her; for they had to have the same feeling she did of knowing she was alive somewhere.

There were others like her. Those who did not trust the group that now ruled. Many were veterans from another time. They had seen first hand how war and devastation could change everything. They were also very skilled in survival techniques and had taught her the basics for being on her own. She knew their ways and knew how to reach out to them if there was a need. The locket would now help her to ask them if they had knowledge of her parents. It was the key to being reunited one day.

She grasped the locket in one hand, said a silent prayer and vowed that now that she had this locket, with the pictures safely tucked inside, she would find her parents. With that knowledge and hope in her heart, she settled down, with her new friend, and was soon fast asleep.

She did not hear or see the being that watched her from a nearby tree.