Riley's Box

Part 21

Shortly after I had asked my question, my grandmother's face brightened with an expression of surprise. 

"Oh no, Riley. I've already told you- don't open the box," she said. 

"Yes. I just don't get it. Why can't I open it?" I asked her. 

"'Cause I say so. Now be a good granddaughter and follow my instructions, si?" 

No. I would very much not be saying 'si' to that instruction. My curiosity had piqued and I knew that the next time I saw that box, I was simply going to have to get it open. 

Of course, I wasn't about to let my grandmother know about that. 

She had given me simple instructions to not, so I was going to go against those and open it anyway. 

Alright, I was in my teenage years, I was allowed to have these acts of rebellion now! 

I convinced myself that it was healthy to do so, anyway. 

"Riley," my grandmother's voice spoke again. 

"Si abuela?" I asked. 

"I mean it. Do not open it under any circumstances," she said. 

"I don't understand why you gave me a box and now you won't let me open it!" I replied. 

She sighed. 

"It would take too long to explain," she replied. 

"We have time," I said. 

"No, Riley," she said. 

I felt a little guilty then. 

Grandma sounded tired. 

I supposed that the bingo club had worn her out. 

"I'm going to see your mother and father. Where are you going?" she asked me. 

Unfortunately, checking up on Jason was going to have to wait a little while longer.

I needed to figure out what was in the box. 

"Study time," I said, with my most convincing smile, before I turned and headed back into the house.

 I held the front door open for my grandma and she thanked me with a hug, before she went to check up on my mom and dad. 

I raced up the stairs towards my bedroom, walked inside and promptly closed the door behind me. 

Then, I returned my attention to my new, most interesting 'gift'. 

Before I could even think about opening it again, though, my mother wandered into my room. 

"Hey mom. Not hard at work?" I asked her, "This is most unlike you." 

I appreciated my mother's company, of course, but now was not exactly the time. I had a mystery to work out. Another one, I considered, as my mind drifted back to the whole subject of those shadow people. 

"I've been working hard all day, hija, on financial reports and the like for the business..." she trailed off, as she glanced between me and the box. "You're still curious about it, aren't you?" she asked me.

I nodded. 

"Of course, I am," I said. 

After all, it was one of my birthday presents. It was basically my job to want to find out more about it! 

What was the purpose of it? 

"Maybe it's purely decorative," I mumbled under my breath, but I honestly could hardly believe that statement. 

"What was that, Riley?" my mother asked me. 

I gave a shake of my head. 

"Nothing," I said, "Is everything alright?" I asked her. 

She nodded. 

"Yes. Of course, it is. I only came up here to see if you wanted another piece of birthday cake," she explained. 

In response to that offer, my stomach grumbled noisily. 

"It seems that I would," I said with a small smile, as I turned to leave my room again. I couldn't prevent myself from glancing over my shoulder at the box, on my way out of the room. "Did you bake this cake, mom?" I asked her. 

She hadn't mentioned it, but she had been so busy recently that I had to wonder if she would even get the time to. 

Much like me, though, my mother had always loved to bake. 

"Of course, Riley!" she said, with a proud smile. 

I took a bite out of the pink icing and smiled, as I rested my back against the back of the chair. 

Delicious. 

"That explains why it's so delicious! Thank you," I said, with a warm smile in appreciation. 

My mom really did work so hard. 

I felt as though I was going to need to buy her a present soon enough. She certainly deserved it. 

I ate the cake in a flash and then went back upstairs, hoping that I wouldn't suffer from indigestion. Ordinarily enough, I would have savoured every last morsel, but now was not the time for that! I had things to do. I was a busy person. 

Swiftly closing the door to my bedroom again, I returned my attention to the golden box that was positioned a few yards away from me on the floor. 

"Don't look at me like that," I said, before I realised that I was, in fact, talking to an inanimate object. 

My eyes glanced out of the window to find that a shimmering crescent moon was beginning to rise in the sky. 

How was it already night-time? 

I supposed I had had a busy day, so that much made some sense. 

Time certainly flies by when you're distracted. 

I knew that I needed to get the box open and I really preferred to do that before the sky turned to a baby blue again. 

I couldn't waste any time, so I picked up the key and searched for the keyhole. 

The stars in the night sky gleamed in through my window, allowing me to finally make my birthday wish. 

It was several hours late, but it would do. 

I shut my eyes tightly and thought about what I wanted- right now, I wanted to work out what was in the box. 

It hadn't meant to be my wish, but it had ended up that way. 

As I placed the key in the keyhole, one of the windows of my bedroom flew open. 

Stupid old windows, I thought to myself, ignoring the cold draft that was infiltrating the room. 

I positioned the key properly and turned. 

The box opened. There was a sudden burst of light, like a camera flash, and then complete silence.