Not Normal

The Treasure Box

Seki kept on running. She couldn't afford to stop this time. She stole a quick glance behind her and saw the thick smoke floating into the horizon from the burning bus. She struggled to keep the tears away and kept on running. She felt like blaming herself for this disaster that has befallen her, befallen them.
But it was too late for regrets.
If only she had not come on this journey.  If only she had dissuaded Pamela and Ayuba from this. But she had needed the money, the reward. Her mother was dying in the hospital. Her siblings were hungry and sad. No help was forthcoming for them; well, unless she counted the disgusting "help" Chief Oni had offered. God forbid she sell her body to that disgusting old man for money.

Now she was going to die.

When she felt she had put enough distance between her and the burning bus, she slowed down to check her tracker. With the distance remaining before she got to the point marked "treasure", she knew she would get there in about four hours if she walked without stopping. The sun had already set, and she had to rely on her good vision and the tracker, to get to her destination.
The Oldman had told them it was going to be an easy task. How wrong for them to have trusted him.
Seki could remember that day vividly, when Pamela had come to her house excitedly, to tell her the Oldman of the Hills needed young men and ladies of the village for a mission.
The Oldman of the Hills was an ancient warlock of the village. He was mysterious, revered, and surprisingly very wealthy. Not that he actually spent money in acquiring cars or mansions, but people who have been to his cottage in the hills have testified to the rare, expensive stuffs hanging around the cottage. What he uses them for, no one knows.
The few people that have gone there out of curiosity find this out to tell the other villagers.
The other few that had gone there to steal come back to the village insane.
Once in ten years, the Oldman organises "missions" such as this to get more rarities, and he uses young people from the village for this.
Parents always warn their children against participating in such missions.
"The Oldman is evil. Don't even go near his cottage."
"Even the Ruler is scared of him, that's why he hasn't been banished all these years."
"His reward of wealth is evil, do not thirst for it."
And the most favorite of all...
"Those that go never return."

Well, even with warnings over the years, young people in search of the easy life have always gone on the Oldman's missions. When they don't return, it is assumed that they've gone to better villages and towns to reside instead.
The one person in the village that has ever returned from the Oldman's mission was Mister Esau; and he never talks about it with anyone. He never actually talks about much to be realistic, he prefers spending time alone in the house he built twenty years ago from his reward money.

As Seki trudged forward in the desert, she tried to ignore the thirst that was gnawing at her insides. Even though the sun had set, it did little to lessen her thirst. They had been trying to preserve the little water they had amongst themselves before trouble struck. Now she was without water.
And her friends were dead.

She continued on her journey, determined to get the treasure box and go home. How would she even get home? The thought crossed her mind.

Ha, she remembered now, and almost screamed for joy. The Oldman said the treasure box was magical, and could transport them back home, as long as they still had his charm necklace around their necks.

And as long as they didn't open the box.

The realization that she could still get back to her family gave her more energy to move faster towards her destination.

The furious desert wind beat against her mercilessly, threatening to bring her down.  She persevered, pushing on with her tired legs and resolved mind. She tried to block the screams of her friends and the other two village boys that had come with them on this journey. She couldn't even comprehend how she got out of the somersaulted bus, before it caught fire.

She couldn't stop hearing their screams.

She needed to block this and concentrate on where she was going. She needed the treasure box. That was her only hope, Her family's only hope.

Suddenly, she heard loud beeps. They were coming from her tracker. She could also feel the warmth of the charm pendant on her neck.
She was very close to her goal now.

As the beeps got louder, and the pendant got hotter, she felt rooted to the spot, as if something was calling to her just in front of her.
She crouched and started digging with her hands. Digging and digging.

The call got louder in her head as she kept on digging.
At last, she felt something solid under her fingers. She struggled to pull it out.
As she held the exquisite Treasure Box in her hands, she couldn't help but wonder how beautiful it looked.
"I'm more beautiful inside." She heard in her head.
Curiosity overcame her thinking, and she started wondering how it would be like inside the box; what sort of treasure was in it.
Common sense reminded her of the Oldman's warning.
"Do not open the box."
But how do you heed to common sense when you had such beauty in your hands?

Like the legendary Pandora, Seki let curiosity be her master.

She opened the treasure box.

And as she did, the ground beneath her opened and swallowed her and the box.

Her screams echoed in the vast desert.