“Could this be it?” wondered
ten-year old Maggie, her face glowing with excitement, as she showed her twin
sister, Mattie, a huge, gold key she found in the garden.
“Wow!”
replied Mattie. “We can finally solve the mystery!”
A
battered, old, wooden trunk had been collecting dust and cobwebs, in a dark
corner of the attic for years. No one had opened it to the best of their
knowledge. Where the key was, or what the trunk contained, no one seemed to
know. There was always dead silence when the children asked their parents and
grandparents about it. Its contents remained a mystery.
“Children
should be told things like this,” said Maggie. “It is not right for families to
have secrets.”
“We’ll
figure it out ourselves,” said Mattie.
Maggie, less aggressive, followed
Mattie’s lead, as they raced toward the century-old house through the heavy,
oak doorway and headed up the winding stairwell to the attic.
“I
found the key!” Maggie hollered to Todd, their younger brother, who was on
the computer. “Help us open it!”
“Do
we dare, without Dad and Mom?”
“And Grandma
and Grandpa, too,” said Maggie.
“We’re
not waiting for anyone!” replied Mattie, with a mischievous grin. Determined to
learn the truth, she grabbed the key. ”We’ll tell them later, maybe.”
“I am
the one who found it!” protested Maggie. Visions of ancient, gold coins danced
in her head. “Whatever is in the trunk is mine, too!”
“It’s
probably old clothes, shoes and hats, like women used to wear on pirate ships,”
said Todd. He was much more interested in computer games.
“Maybe
it’s elegant, priceless, old jewelry.”
As
Mattie turned the key in the lock, it sounded like there were bones rattling. A
deep, grating noise rumbled through the room. Dust started to fly everywhere. A
door slammed shut.
“What
on earth?” Todd shook, as he ran downstairs and outside.
“Oh,
no! What have we done?” asked Mattie. “Have we unleashed a haunted house?”
“Don’t
open it!” ordered Maggie.
It
was too late. The lid of the trunk was rising on its own.
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