The Secret of the Box/Part 1A Story by Judy When an old lady at a yard sale tells Luke the box he buys is magic, he doesn't really believe her. Soon, he finds out that he was wrong, but sometimes magic isn't all it's cracked up to be. Luke turned the small wooden box in his hands looking for a price. It felt warm, as if it had laid unnoticed in the sun all afternoon. There was no tag on it. He sighed. It was probably more than two dollars anyhow. Two dollars wasn't even enough to buy anything at a yard sale. He lingered anyway, still staring at the box. It was pretty cool looking, kind of like a small treasure chest. Not a girly kind of thing, either. This box had some kind of old metal studs lined up in strands across the domed top. It even had a lock on it. He picked it up again.
Out of the corner of his eye, Luke noticed the woman approaching him. He looked up from his treasure. The woman moved very slowly. Even from all the way over here, he could tell she was very old. She leaned heavily on her cane. Her long skirt swished around her ankles with every unsteady step. Long gray hair framed her face. The wind blew it back slightly, and Luke realized that the woman was staring straight at him! He quickly dropped the box to the table.
'Seriously?' his own mind mocked him. 'You're scared of an old lady?' Although he no longer held the box, the woman's eyes didn't waver. He considered walking away, but for some reason he felt rooted to the spot. Besides, now he really wanted the box.
“I see you noticed the box,” the woman said when she finally reached him.
He nodded. Suddenly, this woman wasn't scary at all. “I didn't see a price on it,” he answered. She smiled, showing crooked teeth. “This box belonged to my brother. I 'll bet he was around your age when he had it. He saved up his money to buy it. I believe it cost him ten dollars.” She paused for a moment. “I'll let you have it for ten dollars, too.”
He frowned, and put the box down for the second time. Just wait, when he got back to his mother, he would tell her that kids a hundred years ago had more money than he did. It just wasn't fair. He glanced back at the woman. “I don't have that much,” he mumbled.
“Well, how much do you have, young man? I think people are meant to haggle a little at this sort of thing.”
“I only have two dollars.” Luke could feel his face flaming with embarrassment.
“You know what? I'll let you have it for that. You remind me a bit of Charlie, and I think he'd like you to have it.”
“Really?” Luke couldn't hide the hope in his voice. Then, he remembered his manners. “Are you sure. Ma'am? I wouldn't want to cheat you. I mean, I don't want to only give you a little money if it' s valuable, or if it's special to you.”
“No, no, Dear. It's done. This is a boy's box. It should belong to a boy” She picked the box up and held it out to him. As he reached for it she wrapped her other hand around his forearm. Her grip was surprisingly strong. “You just remember one thing.” Her voice had dropped to a raspy whisper. “Magic isn't for the faint of heart.”
Luke twisted out of her grip. He hastily pulled his money from his front pocket. He shoved it into her outstretched hand, and hurried away. His feet quickly ate up the distance of the yard. When he reached the table where his mother stood, he dared a glance back. Even though it was fairly warm, goosebumps covered his arms. The old woman still stared at him from across the yard.
He didn't begin to inspect the box, until he was in the backseat of the car. He slid his fingers over the metal studs, and looked at the lock. A key hung from the lock. His stomach flip flopped. He was sure there had been no key at the table. In fact, he was going to ask her about it before she'd grabbed him. The goosebumps were back. 'magic isn't for the faint of heart,' Her whisper echoed in his head. He touched the key. He grasped it firmly, and twisted it in the lock. It opened with a click, and the wooden lid lifted slightly. Was it his imagination, or did a hiss of air really escape the box?
He moved the lock, and set it carefully in the seat beside him. He slowly lifted the lid. Nothing. There was nothing in the box. He shook his head. What had he been expecting? Magic? Really? Well, it was still pretty cool. He could keep his pocket knives, and maybe some other stuff in there. At least the lock worked.
His mother twisted around in the seat in front of him. “Can I take a look at it?”
“Just this once.” He gave her a sly grin as he passed the box to her. “It has a lock on it, you know.”
“This is really nice. You'd better take care of it. You wouldn't find something like this in a store. It might be an antique.”
He took the box back into his hands. He'd decided not to mention the ten dollar part. He had the box now. Besides, he didn't really want to talk about the strange lady who owned it. She was probably having a good laugh of her own by now. Ha ha, magic isn't for the faint of heart.
When Luke got back to the box, it was after dark. He was supposed to be in bed already, but he just wanted to put in a few things first. The box had sat forgotten on his dresser all afternoon, while he'd played outside. Now that he saw it again, he wanted to at least use it a little.
A thin beam of light shone from the hall, and he tiptoed across the room without turning on the lamp. The lock emitted a faint click as the tumblers released. He glanced quickly over his shoulder. It wouldn't be good if his mother caught him up after bedtime. She had a hard enough time getting him out of bed in the morning as it was. He grabbed the box, and slipped back into bed.
He leaned the box against the wall, where it wouldn't be seen, and slowly lifted the lid. He gasped. A greenish light escaped the box and glowed across the bed. He snapped it shut. His heart thudded heavily against his chest. The light seemed to be growing brighter, still, spilling over the edges of the closed box. -'Magic isn't for the faint of heart.'- His fingers felt numb as he reached for the box again.
He opened the box quickly this time, and the green light filled the room. He thrust it under the covers, hiding his head as well. The light was bright, and he could see inside easily. His reflection shone clearly in the tiny mirror. Wait!! He jerked back sharply, his head thumping the wall. That wasn't his reflection at all!
“Luke! It's time for you to be asleep!” It was his mother's voice from downstairs. She didn't sound happy.
“Okay! Sorry!” The words were forced. He hoped he sounded normal.
Holding his breath, he reached for the box again. He peered at the unfamiliar face.
“Please don't tell me she gave my box to someone who doesn't even have the sense to use it.” The voice from the mirror was scornful.
Luke's arms were tingling, and his face felt hot. The world began to spin around him.
“If you will take a breath, you probably won't faint,” the voice suggested.
Luke opened his mouth, and all of the air whooshed from his body. He dragged in another breath with effort. “Are you Charlie?” He managed a hoarse whisper.
“Of course. Who else would you think?”
“A-a-are you a ghost?”
“Don't be silly. The box only captured my spirit when I was ten. I actually lived to the ripe old age of seventy nine.”
Luke's mind was spinning. What in the world did he mean by that? However, Charlie didn't give him any time for questions.
“Didn't she tell you it was magic?” he demanded.
“Yes... but,” His mind traveled back to the old woman's icy grip on his arm.
“You didn't believe her?”
“I--” His mind searched frantically for an explanation.
Charlie laughed, but it was a cruel sound without a trace of humor. In the tiny mirror, his expression never changed. “If you could use magic, what would you want?”
“To not have to go to school tomorrow.” Luke didn't even hesitate to think about it.
Charlie snickered. “Is that it?”
“Well I--”
“No. You said it. If you don't have to attend school tomorrow, you'll believe me then?”
Luke was taken aback. Why would this boy think anyone should believe in a magic box? “Yes,” he said firmly. There would definitely be school tomorrow, and nothing short of magic would get his mom to agree to let him stay home.
The box immediately went dark.
“Charlie?” He closed the box, and opened it again. There was no glowing green light, and the reflection in the mirror was his own. He tried locking it, then opening it again. Nothing happened. After fifteen minutes of closing and opening the little wooden box, Luke was feeling foolish. He managed to convince himself that the whole thing might have come from his imagination, and drifted off to sleep.
Ugh, Ohhh... He awoke feeling awful. There was something clogging his throat, swelling, filling it up. Oh! He was going to be sick! He jumped from his bed. He spent the next ten minutes with his head hanging over the toilet, expelling what seemed like every bit of food he'd eaten in the last week... or two. When he was finished, he felt too weak to even leave the bathroom. So, he sank to the floor in a heap of misery.
Within an hour, Luke had thrown up more than all the other times in his life, combined. He vomited until there was nothing left but a vile green liquid. Then, he tried to heave up some more. His mother made him get dressed, and helped him into the car to go to the doctor.
“You poor thing,” she said sympathetically, as she pulled out of the driveway. “I'll bet you'd rather be at school than feel like this.”
Luke's blood turned to ice. Last night's conversation with Charlie replayed itself in his mind. Suddenly, he knew exactly what was wrong. What kind of magic makes you so sick you wish you were dead?”
His day went from bad to worse when the doctor sent him to the hospital. It was late in the evening when he finally returned home. All he wanted to do was go to bed, but he box was glowing again. He turned the key, lifted the lid, and glared at Charlie's reflection.
“Food poisoning? Really? Is that your idea of a joke? Have you ever had your stomach pumped? If this is magic, I don't want any part of it!”
“I'm sorry.” Charlie's demeanor seemed to soften a little. “It just seemed like such a waste of power. You seem intelligent enough. I shouldn't think you would want to waste your education.”
“It's not about being smart!” Luke snapped. “I do fine with school work!”
“Have you thought about using magic to correct the problem instead of avoiding it?”
It was in the tip of Luke's tongue to tell Charlie that that he'd never thought of using magic for anything before, so how was he supposed to know. However, the question intrigued him. He sank down on the bed. “How would I do that?” he asked.
“You'd have to tell me what the problem is,” Charlie responded promptly.
Luke leaned back, still holding the box where he could see the mirror. “Well... when we play baseball at recess, all of the guys make a big deal out of every little thing I do wrong.”
Charlie hesitated. “Is the problem that you're … uncoordinated?”
“No! I actually play pretty good.” he sighed. “It's kind of complicated. Sometimes, people just pick somebody out. Jacob says something smart, and everybody just backs him up. Then, they never let it go.”
“Then, these boys, your friends, they tend to follow what Jacob does?”
“He's kind of like the leader of our group.”
“What if you were the leader? What if they followed you?”
Luke shook his head. “You don't get it. It's not that easy.”
The boy in the mirror raised his eyebrows. “It is you who doesn't get it. This is magic! If you put your mind to using it right, you can have whatever you want!”
“How do I do that?”
“This boy, Jacob, is he your friend also?”
“Sort of … well, we used to be good friends.” Luke fidgeted nervously. “He's my cousin,” he finally explained. “Sometimes, when Aunt Janet brings him over things are fine. Then, when we're at school, he acts like a jerk.”
“Oh, I see,” said Charlie. Then, he smiled. Strangely, the smile didn't seem to change his face. If anything, he looked even more menacing. Luke felt goosebumps break out on his arms again. “Perhaps, if Jacob were to be gone for a while, things would change.”
“What do you mean? You can't just food poison everybody! People die from that, you know!”
“No. No, of course not. You should get some rest. I'll think about it.”
Luke put the box on his dresser before going to bed. He no longer doubted the power if it, or Charlie, or where ever the magic came from. He just wasn't sure how he felt about it, now. -Magic isn't for the faint of heart.- He was beginning to worry about what that really meant.
Luke's parents let him stay home again the next day. He was still quite weak from being so sick the day before, and spent much of the day in his room. When he wasn't resting, he filled his time conspiring with Charlie.
It was simple the way Charlie explained it. If Jacob sustained a small injury on the field, he wouldn't be able to play for a few days. The other boys would be forced move on without him. By the time Jacob was able to play again, he wouldn't so important anymore. All Luke had to do was bring the box... and concentrate on the magic.
The next day, Luke surprised his mother by getting up early. He was so restless during class that his teacher had to call him down twice. When it was finally time for recess, he was breathless with anticipation. Charlie had told him to wait for the right moment, and concentrate on the effect. He wasn't sure what that meant, but he was determined to try.
The game started out good. When it was Luke's turn to bat, he hit the ball so hard, he got to third base. Dalton hit a low bunt toward the pitcher, and sent him home. In the outfield, though, things started to get messy. First, Luke missed an easy fly ball. A little later, when he threw the ball to the Eric, at first base, it was too late to tag out the runner.
“Maybe you should go back to the hospital!” Jacob yelled across the field. “They might be able to cut off your arm and give you one that works!”
Laughter broke out across the field. Even boys on the other team were laughing. Luke's eyes narrowed, and suddenly Charlie's voice was in his ear. 'You have to really want it.'
What happened next, began the confusion that was to change Luke's life. A loud crack cut through the laughter on the field as the bat slammed into the baseball. The white sphere arced high above their heads. Then, it made a rapid descent. It was headed straight toward Jacob. Luke could tell it was going to be too high, but Jacob jumped anyway. © 2013 JudyAuthor's Note
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Author
JudyNCAboutMy name is Judy Roberts. I am married with 2 kids. I write children's fiction. I'm not published yet, but have a manuscript out to publishers. more..Writing
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