The Search

I reached Day 22 of the StoryADay Challenge for the month of May. Today's prompt is: "The banging on the cabin’s door is incessant. Your character throws the soufflé into the oven and rushes to open the door. No one is there, but on the floor, they see three antique brass keys and a Tarot card... Write what happens next." Because of the nature of the prompt, I gave myself some leeway today. I won't do tarot cards, so what did my character find when she opened the door? I chose three antique brass keys and an old Bible, and this is what I came up with:

The Search

Harper looked around. The cabin was rustic but immaculate. There was a fireplace just begging to be furnished with wood and flame. The braided rug in front of an overstuffed chair reminded her of the one in her grandmother's sewing room when she was a child. The kitchen was simple: a small refrigerator, an old stove, and a copper sink. The countertops were bare except for a little drainboard and a box of wooden matches. The bed just across the room was exactly like she had pictured: a simple wooden frame and a colorful handmade quilt. The owner had replaced the outhouse with indoor plumbing only a couple of seasons ago. Everything she could need for the week. And solitude. Of it all, Harper felt she needed that most.

She began settling in, stowing groceries and placing toiletries around the tiny bathroom sink. As she did, she glanced at her reflection in the mirror. She looked as tired as she felt. When had things gotten so bad? She couldn't point to one specific event; she simply felt weary and burdened by even the most common things. When had hanging out with friends become a chore? Why had her mail sat for weeks in the same spot? Silly, really, but she had lost her motivation for everything. Things she'd been turning over and over in her mind were beginning to spill out into her work, her health, and her relationships. She was getting sick of being with her. She had to find some answers. This week would be more than R&R; this week was about doing some serious soul-searching. 

Before leaving home, Harper had decided the best way to focus on the task at hand was to eliminate all unnecessary distractions. The cabin had no wifi or television, the rest was up to her. She hadn't brought with her a single book except for an empty journal and a couple of pens, and her meals would consist of anything previously prepared. For tonight's dinner, a frozen spinach and cheese souffle. She'd grab a quick shower and settle down to wait for the sound of the kitchen timer. 

A gentle knock interrupted her thoughts. "Who could be knocking on this door?" she wondered. She pulled back a curtain and attempted to look out without being detected. The front porch was concealed in darkness. The knocking continued. It was getting louder and she was becoming uneasy; Harper had told no one the location of the cabin. Just then, she heard the PING! of the timer. The oven was ready. She hastily threw the souffle in and reset the timer, all the while listening to the impatient knocking coming from the other side of the door. She took a deep breath, slid the bolt, and flung the door wide, ready to let her would-be interloper have it. No one. She eased her head out, looking carefully from side to side. No one. Her eyes narrowed. She'd been under some stress lately, hadn't been getting much sleep, but that was not her imagination. Harper eased her way out onto the porch looking once again from left to right. She was stepping back inside when she noticed something on the edge of the steps; it was a book. Kneeling down to grab it, she also noticed three small keys shining in a sliver of moonlight on the step below; they were tied with a red ribbon. She picked up the items, took one last look around, and headed inside. As she closed the door behind her, her eyes fell on the words stamped in gold across the cover of the book: HOLY BIBLE. "Really?" she thought and tossed the book on a small table next to the overstuffed chair. "I guess they forgot to hide one in a drawer somewhere."

As she sat eating her dinner, she examined the keys. All three were unique, though they were about the same size and made of brass. Her eyes naturally moved about the room, looking for anything that might require a key. She saw nothing. "Keys lock and unlock," she thought, "but why would someone drop them off that way? and so insistently?" She refused to be distracted, however; she'd come here for answers and answers she was going to get. 

Throughout the evening, she contemplated the things that had been going on in her life. She was thirty-three, had been at her job for almost eight years, felt as though she was going nowhere with that, and had a core group (read: small group) of friends. Her parents lived hours away, along with the rest of her family. She hadn't really considered marriage up until this point and, honestly, hadn't been asked. At this stage of the game, she felt like children were all but out of the question. Was school the answer? She couldn't see herself plowing her way through another thirty years until retirement. Maybe a career change. "Now?" she asked herself aloud. Her voice was met with the warm but very firm sound of silence. She tumbled the keys in her hands. "Back to this again, are we? It might just be time for bed," she said. And it was.

See you here next Saturday for the ending!