A Chest in The Attic

When a Allison's mother had passed, she was passed a key with no instructions or answers. How can Allison understand the meaning with only a key and no explanation?

I was six years old when my mom got a brain tumor but back then, I never knew how serious it really was. She was so brave when they diagnosed her and lived everyday as if it never happened, so how could I never know that on a windy October day I would leave school early to find out that I would never see my mom again. For the first couple years it was mostly hard on dad, she was his best friend and spent everywhere with her so now that she was gone he had no one and had to take care of my little brother Dylan and I.

During the week of her funeral there was a lot of chaos, how was the burial going to be, whom we invite, and so on. After the day of the burial all my aunts, uncles and my grandparents all got together with a lawyer and discussed her will. Some got her clothes and old belongings, my dad got their old pictures and anything from when they dated and my grandparents got anything from her high school and college years. After everyone left my dad walked over and handed me a necklace “your mom wanted you to have this, please take care of it okay” my father says to me as he puts it around my neck.

My brother Dylan tried to pretend like she never left, he would tell us he would still hear our mom having phone conversations in the living room and always saw her rushing though our halls like it was cleaning day. Soon it was getting worse so we started taking him to a child therapist, but because he was only four, there was no point into trying to see into his imaginative mind.

When I became a junior, I started thinking about my mom a lot more than before. It started when I was sleeping one night and I felt a soft pat my mom used to which it woke me up quickly, that is when I saw the same dress she was buried in. She had that same smile she always wore and stood at the foot of my bed as I froze in shock. “mom please tell me this you” all she did was nod “mom please tell me something, anything” I pleaded in a whisper “the attic” was all she said before the door opened and she began to walk but I did not want her to leave. For that, reason I ran after her into the hallway and looked for her but when I quickly looked around the hall she was gone.

The next day all I could think about was why all of a sudden she came, and why did she say the attic, what did she mean by it. I tried to find reasonable explanation for what she meant, but I could not find anything, so I thought to check when I get home. That was the first thing I did, I pulled down the stairs and looked up at the attic praying there would be an answer. As I climbed up, I looked around, stood up, and only saw boxes. I thought to myself maybe she left a sign that would lead me to it. I began to start with the small boxes at the top and saw they were only Christmas decorations so I set them to the side. I looked tiredly for hours even when the attic became dark from outside giving the window that gave me the only light no purpose. I looked around and figured I had only checked not even close to half the attic. Maybe I should just try again tomorrow, or maybe mom can show me tonight. I decided to call it a night and come down just as my dad and gotten home, then I realized I did not cook dinner. What can I make that was quick enough; I ran downstairs and greeted my dad.

“Hey sweetie, what’s for dinner?” he had his tired smile and his eyes hazel eyes were becoming emptier than I remembered the day of my mom’s funeral.  “I was uh doing some school stuff, sorry but I’ll get on it” I nod and kiss his cheek. He nods and says thank you then climbs slowly up the stairs. When dinner was done, I called everyone to the table and surprisingly not my brother was down first then by dad. “It’s about time I was about to starve” my brother had said smiling before sitting down and already serving himself. “Relax I saw you make a sandwich as soon as we got home.” My dad had smiling slightly but not enough where it seemed back to normal.

We spoke about our day and my brother asked to stay over at a friend’s house. My dad agreed then looked at me “sweetie you don’t want to go out with your friends” I didn’t speak at first because I tried to find an excuse “my friends are all busy this weekend” my brother laughs “what are you talking about you don’t have any friends, you don’t speak to anyone.” I shoot glare at him as my dad sighs “Dylan don’t talk about your sister like that” he says as I nod “yeah”  I say trying to defend myself but I knew it was no use.

After dinner I could not stop thinking of what could be in the attic. What could be up there, it felt like a scary movie like something would pop up if I went up there. I washed the dishes after everyone was done and read in my room. I couldn’t focus on the book my mind kept screaming “go to the attic” but I didn’t know what would be up there. Then I heard it “the attic” it wasn’t in my head and it sounded like last night. I looked around from my closet to my door and both were closed. I got tired of it and stood up with a lazy sigh and walked to the hallway pulled down the stair and went up again. This time I brought a flashlight and turned it on once my head peaked through the top. It looked the same as when I left it, but somehow some of the boxes were moved as if they were pushed farther towards the wall which I don’t remember doing.

I walk up and look around again flashing the light at the boxes that were moved there was a cloth that I don’t remember seeing. It was blood red and it was draped on this huge box. I walked up to it slowly and see that the box was dark almost black I noticed that all the boxes around it were pushed off and nothing was on top. I kneel to face the box and pull of the cloth, the box was cold and I realized it was a chest. I looked on how to open it but it was locked and that’s when it hit me, the key on the necklace the only thing my mother left me was a clue but to what. I ran down to my room and looked everywhere but it was gone. I threw everything out from my desk and my drawers but it didn’t turn up. I sat against the wall, the one thing that could help me is gone and there’s no way to find another one. I hear a knock against wall towards the door, looking up I see it dangling across the knob like it had been moved.

I walk over shaking, thinking of how it could have gotten there but I waste no time. I grab it and go back into the attic kneeling at the chest again. My heart pounding and my mind racing of things that could be inside. My mom who told me to come in here and find this chest and for what. Should I open this, what if there is nothing, what is there that she badly wanted to find. I hold the key to line it up to the lock “Open it” a voice whispered, one that sounded familiar but also sounded different. “Open it” it said again with a deeper tone and more demanding. I think of my mother as I press the key into the lock once I do the stairs pull up quick and slams shut. I try to pull the key out but it becomes stuck and footsteps begin from the middle of the attic and begin getting louder as it begins to come closer. A dark shadow that my brother recalls seeing one night that he called mom.