On The Run

Part 8 - The Uncovering

Thank you to everyone who is still reading this and to those of you who have voted and commented and followed me, it means a lot to see that people are still enjoying the book. I want to dedicate this chaper to Lone_Rogue seeing as she was the one who made me want to update it so fast, so thanks again for your comment :)

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I took a seat on the small wooden chair in the room and simply sat looking at the boxes. Logic told me to start searching in the box labelled 1 and then work my way up. But knowing my luck I wouldn’t find the book until the last box, but then again even if I were to start from the opposite end cruel fate would make it so my task was ever harder, the book probably again being in the last box I open no matter the order. Either way I knew I was going to be here for a long time and could only hope that time would be kind to me for one night.

I got to my feet and started to pace, there had to be a more logical solution, a clue or something to help me find it. At one point I thought about just emptying all the boxes on the floor and rummaging around for it that way, but it would only make my task of putting them all back harder, plus with it being presumably quite an ancient book I couldn’t risk heavy handling it for the fear it would fall apart.

I knew I was simply putting off the inevitable by pacing rather than searching, but I just couldn’t bring myself to search through each giant cardboard box without having some strategic plan. I sighed in frustration and walked over to the first box; pulling it from the top of a stack of four and having it land with a thump on the cold tiles. I knelt beside it and pulled off the packaging tape before carefully folding back the lid. Inside were four neatly stacked piles, probably about ten books deep for each. That meant roughly forty books per box and by some rough estimations about one thousand eight hundred plus books between all of the boxes in this room.

I sat back on my heels and rubbed a hand over my face, the realisation of such a task now dawning on me and with the little sleep I had I wasn’t finding it any easier to accept. An idea sprung to mind, it was to put it simply pretty crazy, but it was worth a shot and wouldn’t take much long that a few minute. I got back to my feet and hovered a hand above the box numbered 1. I had seen it done once on a show we used to get to watch every Thursday; this guy would place his hand over an object such as a upside down bowl and by moving over them all he could tell which one contained the ball or coin. I mean I know it sounds ridiculous but anything at this moment in time sounded better than searching through endless boxes.

I kept my hand steady over the first box before starting to move slowly around the room over the other boxes. I didn’t really know what should happen if it was the right box, but my lack of sleep and desperation pushed me on. After hovering my hand over about ten boxes I started to feel a little stupid, knowing that the guy on TV had mostly done it as a magic trick and probably already knew which bowl had contained the ball despite them having moved them all around.

I frowned, but kept at it, simply starting to quicken my pace. However as I neared the next stack of boxes I felt a warmth spread across my chest and as I looked down my locket seemed to be glowing through my T-shirt. I gasped and pulled it from around my neck and sure enough the small rose engraved into its surface held a metallic glow. I brought it closer to the stack of boxes and it seemed to glow brighter. A grin sprung to my face and I pushed the stacks surrounding it further out of my way, holding it closer still to each box in the stack. After a few minutes studying the glow I think I had narrowed it down to only two boxes, or at the most four. This was a by far a large improvement from the forty-six boxes I was originally going to search through.

I pulled down the two boxes, pushing them further out into a clear spot on the tiled floor. There I sat on my knees besides the first box, its number being 18. I returned the still glowing locket back around my neck and quickly pulled off the tape and almost threw open the lid. I grabbed a few books out at a time and stacked them neatly besides the box. I then picked out those with a red or similar coloured cover, hoping that the book from the dream I had had was the one I was meant to find. After searching through all forty books of box 18 I had a pile of twelve similar red covered books. I picked them up one by one and examined the cover before opening them carefully and flicking through the first few pages.

After a good twenty minutes I concluded that none of these books were it, and although my locket was still glowing I knew it wasn’t as bright as before. That left only the other box to search through. I stood up, pushing all the books from box 18 over to one side, clearing some space for this next box. I turned it to face me and again read off the number, this one being box 17. I once again pulled off the tape which seemed to secure them all and was quick to pull out all the books and stack them. Again I searched through the piles for the red covers and managed to accumulate only seven books that fitted the bill this time.

As I examined them and discounted all of those with titles, or those that were too new or contained only fiction stories I was down to only three. I still didn’t know exactly what it was I was looking for, but I knew once I lay my eyes upon it I would know it was that one for sure.

As I placed the last book down I huffed in irritation, it was none of them! Not a single one fitted the book I had seen in my dream. I mean I know it was only a dream but I had been so certain it was of some relevance to this whole thing. I sat back on the floor, books now splayed out around me, the once neat stacks turned more into small piles of a variance of coloured covers. It seemed I was back to square one, searching though all forty-six boxes or well forty-two boxes now.

I fiddled with the locket around my neck, the glow no longer comforting or reassuring, but that of a taunting glow that seemed to only hammer in further my disappointment and failure at the task. I pulled the locket from around my neck and threw it to the floor, hearing it land with a soft thump amongst the pile of books. After the amount of times I had thrown it around before in attempts to try and open it, I knew that the floor would do no damage not even a small scratch would grace its silver surface.

I turned away from the mess I had created and moved to grab another box, this time starting from the beginning as I had originally planned. I dragged it out to the middle of the floor, but my eye was quickly caught by the bright glow emanating from the pile I had thrown my locket at. I frowned in confusion but quickly drew closer, carefully pushing the books out of my way with my foot before sitting on my knees besides the locket.

As I tried to pick it up it seemed to have stuck itself to one of the books. I grabbed it with as many fingers as I could and tried pulling at it hard, but it was stuck fast. I paused for a moment and looked at the book; it was rather large, wait scrap that it was huge! I pulled it closer and ran my fingers over its dusty grey cover.

As I pulled open the front cover the locket seemed to disconnect itself and landed with a clatter on the tiles. However I paid little attention to it, instead my gaze drawn to what the book contained. The inside had been hollowed out, the pages now only a boarder around what lay within. A disbelieving grin overtook my features as I removed the smaller book inside.

It was exactly as I had dreamt it, its dark crimson cover beginning to fade around the edges from age. No titles disturbed its face, yet as I turned it to the side the yellowed pages filled with words unknown were easily recognisable even without opening it.

I placed it delicately besides me, now retrieving the locket and slipping it back over my head. The book wasn’t the only thing contained within this larger one. Sitting at the bottom of the compartment was a small perfectly spherical object no bigger than the palm of my hand. Its surface graced with intricate gold patterns matching the same style of my locket. A large rose blooming in its centre.