THE LOST ONES - Short Stories

His Final Puzzle

Lauren Whitter sat on her rocking chair as she stared down at the wooden lockbox in her hand. Her tears fell onto the latch—the piece of the box she could never open. She had been trying to pry this old box open for the past day after she returned from her husband's funeral.

"Ben..." she whispered. His name felt heavy on her tongue. Lauren could hardly speak without choking on her words nowadays.

Her husband had passed away from cancer. His death was not a surprise, but that itself made it hurt no less. Lauren and Ben had been married for sixty-two years, and over these last five years together, they knew their time was dwindling. Lauren had prepared for this day, and her heart ached every time she thought of Ben's inevitable passing. And at last, she was all alone, with this wooden box being the last of Ben Whitter's mysteries to unfold.

After Lauren returned from Ben's funeral, where extended family members had mourned beside her and pitied her, she took to finding the secrets within Ben's lockbox.

"Take care of this for me, won't you?" Ben had told her, handing her the wooden box with its shining, golden lock.

"What is this?" Lauren had asked, confused by this sudden gift.

"My heart," Ben had laughed and patted her hand. "Find the key to it, and we will always be with you."

Lauren swallowed hard as she recovered from the memory.

"We?" she echoed. "What did that old bloke mean by we?"

Lauren and Ben had no children, yet they both had plenty of nieces and nephews to spoil. However, none of them had offered to share a heartwarming story of her late husband at the funeral. Instead, they all cried for him, for her loss. All she received were hugs of comfort, well wishes, then distances. Why did everyone at the funeral distance themselves from her after talking to her? Her extended family made her feel even more lonely in this time of grief, and now all she had left was this simple wooden box from her mischievous Benny.

After sixty-two years of Ben's company, Lauren was used to his troublesome shenanigans and puzzles. He always loved riddles. As a teenage boy, he would pester Lauren with his tricks.

Since the funeral was over and her family hadn't dared to pay her a visit yet, Lauren figured she would attempt to solve her husband's final puzzle. Compared to some of his other riddles and pranks, this one seemed rather simple. He had given her one thing to seek.

Find the key.

Lauren left her rocking chair and set the box down on the kitchen table. She set off on a journey throughout her lonely abode. She couldn't think of anywhere else her husband would leave this special key other than their home.

"First thing's first," she muttered, opening the cabinets, "the kitchen." Lauren shuffled through the plates, the glassware, and the cutlery. Perhaps he snuck the key in with the knives. One by one, she scrambled through the forks and spoons. She lifted the knives carefully, only to be met with disappointment. Nothing out of the ordinary, it seemed.

"How did he even manage to hide a key with his condition?" Lauren huffed. She opened the kitchen window, then followed the breeze to the bookroom. She needed some fresh air to guide her way.

Lauren scrutinized the bookshelves, inspecting each book in case the key happened to be stuffed between the pages of Ben's old history memoirs. These old pages were already ruddy and torn, but nothing out of the blue. No key in sight.