A Room Full of Strangers

Door 3 - Door of Envy

Austin, Rebecca, Timothy, Felicit and Brett entered the third door, immediately closing right after they were all in. The place was much lighter than the previous two. The setting seems to be typical. A long rectangular table with a basket of fresh fruits at the center, wooden chairs pushed beneath both sides and on the opposite ends; a dining table perfect for a large family. At the far end of the room were sink followed by a translucent cabinet with a single drawer complete with plates and soup bowls. Next to it was a separate cabinet for drinking glasses, china cups and mugs. A distance of a meter separates them from the counter containing condiments. Right after the counter was the stove that seems to be unused for a long time due to the thick dust covering it. Chandeliers and huge fan blades decorated the ceiling. Opaque curtains with intricate pattern prints were hung even if there are no windows behind. A wall that faces it opposite holds the calendars which dated back to 1847, 1848 and 1850. A fridge was leaning against the very right corner of the room. It was like a common house kitchen but the fridge's position was quite irregular. It was positioned away from the dining table when it should just be a few steps away from it. Austin has the impression that it was like whoever placed the fridge there, he or she doesn't want the diners to have desserts. He also noticed the bills and notes posted on the fridge's door but before he could move towards it, he was stopped by his surviving mates' disturbing silence. Silence could mean many things; it can be an affirmation, weariness or the worst,
Danger.
Austin turned to them. Their eyes are all on him.
He's starting to think that they are up to something against him. He knew from the start he shouldn't trust any of them even his own brother.
'Why? What's bothering you?' Austin asked as he inspects the looks being thrown on him.
'We're waiting.' Brett answered.
Morbid thoughts began entering his mind; could it mean, 'We're waiting to get rid of you'? He slightly shook his head. He must throw the question to find out.
'What are you waiting for?'
'The warning,' Brett said. Austin sighed in relief. He cleared his mind of horrible suspicions.
It seems like they've already learned about the importance of the warning.
He motioned towards the fridge. The printed letters on the bills had faded and were barely recognizable. He detached the magnet adhering it causing other paper bills to fall and scatter on the floor. A crisp brown paper with its one edge slightly burned was revealed. He decided to remove the other three magnets as well but due to his rushing, he missed to catch the crisp paper. He knelt down and dug into the heap of scattered paper. After a series of shuffling, he found the one with a burned edge. Quite ironic because that paper looks like the oldest among all the papers but it has the most visible writings.

Those people who are implanted with grudge
Their fiery emotions affect their capacity to judge
Same with those who are envious
Never contented and always ambitious
Hungry for what others have
Dragging them down like the mentality of a crab

'I've found it!' Austin cheerily announced as she showed the paper to his mates. While the others were waiting for their turn to read it, Austin caught Rebecca staring at the calendars.
'Hey,' Austin initiated as he stood beside her. 'I thought you were never fascinated by artifacts.' He said.
'I wasn't fascinated. I'm puzzled.' She clarified.
'Puzzled?'
'Look at them. The years were 1847, 1848 and 1850. 1849 was skipped.' She expressed.
'What are you thinking?'
'I'm just wondering. Is it lost? Or is it, intentionally hidden?'
'Lost, probably, but hidden? Why would someone hide a calendar?'
'Then there must be something in there.'
Austin cleared his throat before he spoke, 'Guys, over here,' the other three stopped from perusing the warning and joined him and Rebecca.
'What to do?' Felicit said sounding like an enthusiastic student waiting for her teacher's instruction.
'We need to find the missing calendar.' Austin said with a tinge of eagerness in his tone.
'Calendar? Are you serious bastard? There's not even a word pertaining to a calendar mentioned in the warning. I won't waste a drop of sweat finding a nonsense thing.' Timothy protested crossing his arms over his chest.
'It's not nonsense!' Felicit opposed. 'That calendar might be containing something important.'
'This isn't compulsory okay? If you want to help in searching, go ahead. But if you don't, I won't be asking for your participation. Clear?' Austin said, sounding a little bit pissed off.