The Mysterious Safe(Short Story)

My heart pounded against my chest as I felt the car shaking beneath me. I gripped onto the seat desparatly as mum started swerving the car aimlessly around the road.

"Mum! Stay on the road!" I screamed as the car skidded towards the footpath.

"Hold on!" Mum yelped, spinning the wheel around and stopping the car with a thud.

I let out a sigh of releif once the ground stopped grumbling and got replaced by silence.

"Get out the car, honey" Mum ordered, flinging her door open.

Even though my legs were numb from shock, they still seemed to carry me outside. I froze as I saw the caotic city, it was in shambles.

Familes were scrambling out of half-broken buildings. Their screams rippled down my ears and made me tremble. What had just happened?

A hand wrapped around me and made me jump. I spun around and relaxed immediately when I realised it was mum pulling me into a hug.

"Are you okay Rose? Everything will be alright. I promise" Mum soothed.

I nodded, trying to understand what was going on. But I just couldnt connect the dots. Something had made mums car go out of control and buildings were falling apart, people running out of them.

Tears gushed down my face and soaked a patch of mums shirt. My breathing got heavy as the never ending waterful of tears poured out my eyes. Why had this happened on the first day I come and live with mum? I didnt even want to live with her, I was happy with dad.

Mum let me cry on her shoulder until I was ready to stop. I was partly crying because something bad just happened to the city which was frightning, and I was partly crying because I wanted to move back with dad.

"Are you okay?" Mum asked softly as I pulled away.

I nodded, sniffling out my words."What just happened?"

"There was an earthquake" She whispered, fear overpowering her voice.

A cold shiver rolled up my spine. I had heard about earthquakes at school, and almost every time there is one, somebody dies. What if someone close to mum dies? What if hundreds of people die? What if schools fall down and hundreds of students die? I shook those thoughts off when I saw mum staring at me with a worried expression plastered over her face.

"Im..okay" I said unsurely."Can we just go"

"Of course we can" She nodded, wrapping her arm around my shoulders and guiding me into the car.

I slipped into the front seat, praying we wouldnt feel any aftershocks. Mum drove carefully, putting light presure on the pedals. As we drove along, water slushed against the car and up the windows. A damp, sandy blanket covered the footpaths and I was confussed at what it was.

Mum gasped as we turned around a corner and pulled up beside a pile of rubble. Was this her house? I was scared for her.

"Mum?" I croaked nervously, biting my lip."Is that your house?"

She nodded, her eyes full of pain as she got out the car and stood near the rubble. Her legs turned wobbly as she got closer to the pile. I heared a quiet sigh escape her lips as she picked up a small silver safe. I crept closer and peered over her shoulder, studying the safe.

There was a cloak of dust covering a key hole on the top. It looked ancient, like it belonged to my great great great great grandmothers mother. Finger prints were smuthered around the top, dust caked inside them. Mum turned around slowly and placed the safe in my hands.

I gulped as the heavy safe made me stumble slightly. My heart speed up as I tried to grip the safe, but I couldnt control it and suddenly it was plunging to the ground. I tumbled backwards, dodging the safe so it wouldnt crush my toes.

Mums eyes widened in shock as the safe smacked against the ground, making a cracking sound.

"Im so sorry mum" I blurted out, rushing to the ground and picking the safe up. Once it was securely in my arms, I spoke."What is this?"

"Its a secret safe. It has been locked away in my house underground. It has been passed down generations for many many years. Now its time for me to pass it down to you. Every generation has tried to find the key that unlocks it" She gestured to the key hole."But nobody has seemed to be able to open it. Its your time to try and find the key, but if you cant then you will pass it down to your child when they are thirteen like you."

I swallowed down a deep breath, trying to take in all that information mum told me. A safe gets passed down generations until someone finds a key to unlock it. Now its my turn to try and find the key. How will I ever find one singular key in this big wide world? And what is inside it that is so important?

Mum started walking towards her neighbours house.

"Where do I keep it?" I asked, following mum towards her neghibours.

Mum put on her thinking face."Um....just hide it under your jacket"

I slipped the safe under my jacket carefully, not wanting to damage it. My stomach looked massive and pointy, but if mum said it needed to be hidden, then I would hide it.

Mum rung the doorbell and we waited in silence until a girl and who I assumed was her mother answered it.

"Linda! Are you alright?" The lady gushed, hugging mum quickly."Oh, and you must be Rose" She smiled at me.

"Yes, this is my Rose" Mum smiled, ruffling my hair and earning a frown for messing up my pony tail.

"Im so sorry about your house" The lady sighed."Anyway, you are most welcome to stay with us. Come inside. Oh Rose, I am Amber"

We followed Amber inside her small but cosy house. The lounge was toasty warm from the fire. Amber introduced me to her daughter, Talia. Talia gave me a tour of her house and helped me set up my own bed in her room. They were both very friendly and welcoming.

As the day passed by, my curiosity towards the safe grew stronger. I needed to find out what was inside, I just had to know. While everyone went to examine the rubble of mums house, I stayed behind to examine my safe.

It was hidden under my two pillows. I clasped it in my hands and ran my finger tips over it, feeling the rough surface. The safe felt cold beneath my hands and rough against my fingers. Curiousity built up inside me as I pressed my ear against the safe, the jaggered surface prickling my skin. I wondered if anything was inside that made a noise. Silence was the only thing that my ears heared, so I placed the safe back in my lap and deciding to hide it away in case the others returned.

The week flew by and I still hadnt opened the safe. Talia and I had became closer and talked alot more. On a Saturday night Talia and I were staying up late in our room, chatting and laughing. But I stopped laughing when I saw a shiney key laying up on her dresser.

My heart rose in my chest. Could that be the key?

"Talia" I whispered, a smile spreading across my face."Where did you get that key?" I pointed at the one on her dresser

"Oh, I found it in the liquifaction" She said easily."Why?"

My heart skipped a beat as I started getting excited. This could change my life, this could either be a very proud moment, or a very dissappointing one. If that was the key, then I would be the first one to finally open the safe after generations and generations have failed.

"I have a safe that needs a key to open it. Mum gave it to me. Can I try that key?" I asked, my hopes rising.

"Sure!" She grinned, passing me the key.

I clasped the key in my hands and pulled out my safe. This was the moment of truth. The moment that would make me a hero or a failure. Closing my eyes, I gently put the key in the hole. My stomach started fluttering and my face flushed red in anxeity. Slowly I turned the key, praying this was the right one. I let out a huge breath as the key unlocked the safe.

Talia crouched beside me as we peered inside the safe.

Our eyes widened in shock at what we saw.