Passing Time

Approaching my grandfather's home brought a sadness that I hadn’t confronted since his death. The numerous nights spent running through this home, the stories by the fireplace, and the smell of ginger and pipe that lingered well after you’ve left. The 1800s Victorian style home stood proud and majestic, revealing the ambiance of an age long past. Growing up this house always gave me chills due to the random sounds and noises throughout the night it would produce, now that I’m older I find it far more fascinating than eerie.

I was given the attic to clear out. Unable to see, my face was met with a string clicking against me as I swatted to catch it. Pulling at it the dim yellow light illuminated the immediate area and I Could see more lights about the room. I had never been in here before and neither had anyone else from the looks of it, the layers of dust easily hiding what lay beneath the grim gray coating. I My hand reached out touching odds and ends, clothing rack , some books, but there I stopped. Upon a table was a stack of books, beside it something wrapped in what appeared to be leather. Curiosity won as my hand gripped the parcel and dust it off. It was wrapped in a thick type of leather, as if it would take the shape of a square if unfolded. Each corner folded over and came together in the center held fast by a metal lock of sorts. The lock consisted of a piece of metal with two spears crossed like an X and another on top of it. I tried to force it open but it was a lot stronger than I thought it would be so logically scissors, a knife, anything? Oddly nothing seemed to work, scissors ended up breaking the screw right off and the knife seemed to do nothing to the leather . Giving up on the attack approach, instead I began the search for the key.

I wasn’t aware of the time lost in the attic, consumed by finding the key my quiet broken with the yell from Josh “Come on let's go!” I had no idea they had been loading the car with so many things. “What is all this Josh?” I asked as I ran towards him and climbed into our car “ Eh, just a bunch of stuff Moms taking home to sort “ he shrugged and got in the driver's seat while I climbed and crammed into the back seat barely able to get the belt to latch.

With each bump the car jostled the goods back and forth, metal clanging on metal, a jingle here and a crack there just as we hit a pothole. “OUCH!” I yelled out, my body being sent upwards into a box that opened, tossing it’s contents down over me “Watch it!” I screamed out with my hand rubbing my head which already had a lump forming. There was something else though, a chain, stuck in my hair. Pulling at it till it finally came undone and landed there on my lap. It looked to be a puzzle of sorts, those types you have to figure out and never can, but normally those were made out of wood, this seemed to be almost like a necklace with a puzzle as the decorative piece.

The chain was very old as were the pieces it held together. During the remainder of our hour drive home I was quiet, ignoring the banter between my Mom and brother as fingers played with the chain and metal pieces trying to untangle them. Arriving home they got out and started to unload, I didn’t even notice as they pulled items from around me, that was until my mothers voice rang loud and clear “Fiona! If you do not get out and lend a hand so help me…” I was immediately brought back to the present, shoving the chain into my pocket and grabbing the parcel making sure to cover it with other items as I helped unload the car.

Once finished I raced upstairs and locked the door. Eyes once more fixated on the puzzle chain as fingers manipulated it’s length, it was a tangled mess but I was determined to solve it. Laid out on my grey comforter I slowly saw the pattern emerging as the pieces became undone. It was well into the early morning hours, I hadn’t slept at all but I felt find, I didn’t even realize dawn was approaching as I looked in awe atop my bed with the entire chain untangled.

Full lips filled with a smile of relief, fingers ran gently atop the chain and then began the solving of the puzzle, the twisting and contorting of the shards of metal till one fit with another perfectly. Taking another piece in hand I did the same but nothing, so I tried another piece and clicked it slipped into position. This process took a few hours but as I saw the shape forming a soft gasp vibrated my lips as I held my breath. There atop my bed was the 4 spears , two crosses forming an X atop two more crosses, forming another X.

I Don’t know how long I sat there just staring at it before it dawned on me to grab the parcel. Reaching beneath the jacket I pulled out the leather parcel and stared intently at the two, they matched, perfectly. Picking up the necklace with the emblem I placed it atop the lock pressing down slowly feeling as each piece fit into it snugly with a snap. I finally exhaled as the emblem was being held by the lock , but it hadn’t opened. I felt a sigh escape as my fingers grabbed the parcel, thumb on lock and scooted backwards then CLICK. My thumb pressed down on the lock and it released the leather parcel. Startled I dropped it on my lap, the unfolded leather collapsing around my thighs as there lay a black leather bound book, it resembled a journal or diary.

I ran my finger slowly along the page edge, tracing it from one side to the other, the varying roughness causing my finger to dance upon the paper. Finally I opened the book,

Nothing, it was blank. In frustration I pushed the book off my lap to the bed where it flipped and landed upon a different page. Suddenly the pages began to swirl and fade and began filling out. Words and symbols I had never seen before began scrolling across the pages in varying directions till it was filled. I just sat there with a mixture of awe and fear as I pulled myself forward upon knees and stared into the book laying open before me. I extended my finger to trace along the drawings, more symbols I didn’t understand, the words were in a different language one I couldn’t even begin to comprehend.

Sitting back against the headboard, my fingers fumbled with the necklace till it dropped with some force towards the open book, landing in an awkward position. Looking at the position of the key, which is what I considered it I suddenly paused with wide eyes “the KEY!” I felt ridiculously dumb at that moment. With hands on the “key” I moved it around the page as one would operate the pointer of a OUIJA board and there within the various lines and curves it obscured the pictures till they formed another true picture within the necklace.

With every passing day that I delved into the book I found that there was a confidence and power which seemed to course through my body, I could feel it as if pulsating within my veins. With being able to understand the book I felt as though it were communicating with me as if it was fully aware of things that happened in my daily life. The days passed like hours as I continued to focus on the book .With any confrontation or issue that came across, I would consult the book , who seemed to have all the answers resolving the most trivial of issues. My most recent concern? Finances. My mother needed to put all her money into my grandfather's estate who was $20,000 in debt for taxes. This meant no camp for me this summer, No trips.

I was fuming, how could she take away something that meant so much to me? Storming up stairs I slammed the door and without instigation the book opened and began flipping through pages till it landed on a blank one. I concentrated on my problem, with all my desire, all my wants, which came from anger I watched as the book began to fill up. Around my neck I wore the key, fingers subconsciously caressed it's surface. I began to read from the book once more, louder, with all the energy I could gather, tears rushing down my face I felt as though a piece of me was breaking, a piece of me was dying just as the book stopped and closed.

Out of breath, light headed, I sat there unsure of what had just transpired. Surrounded by an almost euphoric sensation within silence until it was broken by a loud knock at the door. I waited , someone else would answer it, but there it was again, loud and resounding. I pushed off of my bed and made my way down stairs to the front door, standing there was an officer and two patrol cars. I opened the door and stepped out.

His words seemed to fade in and out of clarity as the world around me spun out of control. My legs became weak and the next thing I knew I felt my body falling but could do nothing to stop it. The next time I awoke my brother was there and other people who quickly vacated the room. He explained how I had been in a coma for 6 months after finding out mom died in a car accident. Filling in the blanks of his diagnosis of leukemia , the accident with some of the popular girls at school and numerous other incidents that seemed to lead up to my coma.

From within a stack of letters Josh held one tumbled to the bed. It was an envelope addressed to both Josh and I . Opening it, from it’s folds fell a check for $20,000 signed from the mortuary for overpayment. My mind reeled as I felt my body go cold . Fading in and out of recollection my memories were pulled from all of those nights, late and long where I read aloud from that book to seek a way to help or what I thought was help, with finances, revenge on my brother , those girls that teased me daily, the boys that spread rumors. Everyone that he mentioned had ill fallings were part of the readings. My face went white as the realization hit me hard, eyes fluttering as darkness once more washed over them and I collapsed onto the bed.

Blinking my eyes open I pushed up from the dark musty attic as my hands fell atop a leather wrapped bundle with a peculiar metal lock holding the pieces together…..