mythandlegend prompt: you receive a box from a mysterious stranger who tells you it brings you good luck so long as you don't open it. Your curiosity gets the best of you and you open it, revealing something you least expected.
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Someone, or something, stood before her, swathed in endless opaque layers of every color imaginable. Their brightness and colorfulness clashed with their ominous warning as they placed a box in her hands.
"A tiny box it may be, but a big responsibility it is. For as long as it remains sealed, it shall only bring good fortune."
Before Evangeline could utter a single word, they disappeared in a swirl of luminescent ribbons and dots which slowly faded and returned to the boisterous mall. She winced from the sudden onslaught of noise and loud voices.
The passersby resumed their actions, having been frozen like statues made of flesh when the stranger appeared out of thin air. Everything had stopped moving, breathing, existing. It was only Evangeline and the mysterious entity.
She stared at the small, ornate box resting in her hands. Its intricate carvings told a story of mystery and enchantment. Curiosity gnawed at Evangeline's resolve, tempting her to unveil the secrets hidden within but the weight of the stranger's warning lingered in her mind.
After a quick sweep of her surroundings, Evangeline hid the box from herself inside her bag.
Days passed and her insatiable curiosity only grew larger until it weighed heavily on her shoulders and plagued her mind. She was never good at suppressing her inquisitiveness. The allure of the unknown was simply too great to resist. It was what mainly drove her to choose a career that not only allowed her to unveil the hidden but also get paid for it.
And so, with trembling fingers, she carefully set the box atop the table before her and finally granted herself permission to study and examine the ancient runes adorning it and the intricate patterns etched into it.
Her eyes traced the contours of each symbol, her mind racing to decipher their ancient message. The script appeared unfamiliar, a language she had never encountered before, but that only fueled her determination further. Giving up wasn't in her dictionary.
As she studied the markings, Evangeline recognized familiar motifs from her studies, drawing upon her vast knowledge of history and mythology, forming connections and patterns that danced across her thoughts. She scribbled harder and tapped faster on her keyboard. Her eyes burned. Her fingers cramped.
But, she didn't stop.
Slowly, a story was forming. The carvings seemed to depict a tale of a mythical Goddess, faraway realms, and a quest for ultimate power. They seemed to whisper secrets of long-forgotten struggles and untold treasures.
"What in the world is in there?" Evangeline sagged against her seat.
As the box sat there, its enigmatic aura continued to beckon her, tempting her to give in to her insatiable desire for discovery.
