The roads were quiet as it was only 1:30pm so everyone was either still in work or school. He could hear distant sirens but that was about it. Jacob quickly stepped out of the school grounds and dashed round the corner of the street. He kept running as he only lived four streets from the school. As he rounded the next corner he could feel himself tiring. He decided to power walk the rest of the way.
*
Jacob walked through his front gate and round the back of the house as instructed. He walked to the small koi pond in the middle of the garden. Surrounding it were the many garden gnomes that his mother collected from many different places. There was an Australian one with a cork hat and sunglasses sitting on what appeared to be a dingo, a French one that wore a stripy top and a black beret standing on a snail, there was even one from Scotland with a set of bagpipes wearing a kilt that stood between the French and Australian gnome. Jacob looked at the many Gnomes but couldn’t see one with a blue hat. Then it dawned on him It was a trick. Obviously someone forged the note and placed it on the desk for Mrs Kingsley to find. I’m going to get in so much trouble when I get back. In his frustration Jacob found an old football a few feet from his own. He kicked it with such force once it went through the flowerbed he heard a smash. A little worried about what he had broken he stumbled through the array of plants and small bushes til he got to the fence at the side of his garden. There he found his football and beside it, smashed was a gnome…with a blue hat. Sitting in the debris of the gnome was a folded up piece of paper which Had one word scribbled onto it
Attic
The attic? Jacob thought to himself. Usually he was not allowed into the attic. That meant there was obviously part of what his parents had been hiding from him for the last sixteen years must be up there. In the excitement of finally learning the truth Jacob eagerly ran up the stairs and towards his parents room. Once inside he looked up and saw the entrance to the attic. He grabbed a nearby char and placed it under the trapdoor. After about five minutes of fumbling with the stiff lock on the trapdoor. He hear a small creak and then placed both of his hands onto the trapdoor and pushed up. Once inside all Jacob could see was darkness. He felt around the walls behind him and next to him and found nothing. He checked his blazer and trouser pockets and luckily found a small pocket torch that he had won in the school raffle earlier that week. Click. Jacob switched his pocket torch on. A small circle of light appeared dimly lighting up a small area of the attic. it was just as normal looking as any attic. Dark, cold and a bit musty. Looking around Jacob could see a variety of some of his old toys. For instance he found his old rocking horse, set of toy cars and his favourite teddy from when he was five.
Jacob spent a good hour and a half searching for anything that seemed remotely interesting or relating to spies. He dug his way through boxes and old books until he thought he should take a break. He made his way back towards the trapdoor. Suddenly Jacob saw something that looked promising. It was an old silver, tin box. It was just further than the trapdoor. With a feeling of hope Jacob ran around the trapdoor and towards the box. Shining his torch upon the box. Written on the label
For Jacob. Keep the contents of the box on you at all times.
Smiling, Jacob picked it up and left the attic.
*
Sitting on his bed he took a good look at the box. It was a bit on the rusty side and had looked as if it had a bump or two. Keeping the box closed was a padlock that required a number combination to unlock it. Jacob frowned, there was no way he could guess the combination needed on his own. He took the previous notes out of his pocket and scanned through them for any kind of secret code. Nothing. Think Jacob think Jacob repeated to himself over and over trying to think of the four numbers that would fir the combination and unlock the box. He tried everything he could think of…birthdates, marriage dates; he even tried last week’s lottery numbers, but still nothing. Looking around his room for some kind of help. Suddenly something came to him. Before he forgot it he entered the numbers 7912 this was his fathers personalised number plate combination. At last the padlock click and the box lid flipped up. Jacob looked inside and gasped.
