Out of The Blue

Chapter 18

     I had told him to stop the car after a long while of thinking. I don't want to go back to the house just yet. I will be taken for questioning and probably to the hospital for examination. Who knows how long it will be until Alice, Bob, and I can get together again to examine the things in the box? Who knows if I will even be allowed to be on my own and with Alice and Bob? I know that my stepdad wouldn't allow me to be alone; from that family I think he's the only one that would care that much for me... at least a little.

     Wait, but my cat! My poor Garfield! I need to see my cat; I need to see if he's okay. For now, though, us three are sitting, leaned against the wall of a small, deteriorated, abandoned bridge in the woods far from the cabin. We're starring at the box that lays in front of us; pondering. Studying it.

     "What do you think is in it?" Asks Alice, breaking the silence.

     "I have no clue. Money?" Bob guesses with a low voice.

     It's a small, dark, matte, wooden box. Now that I come to think about it, I don't think there's a million dollars' worth in cash; that would have to be a lot and I mean a lot of shillings and pence. That was the currency of then. However, this box is too small for that.

     "Only one way to find out," I reply as I lean forward towards the box. They both lean towards the box as well. I undo the metal clip and take a deep breath before I flip it open and reveal what's inside. Our eyes are wide, and they've leaned so forward to see, they're practically on me. But once I open the box, my confusion makes me frown; there was no money.

     We stare into it for a moment in surprise. I narrow my eyes and scrunch my eyebrows in confusion. What? There's no money?  There's only a folded envelop. I take it out and reveal another envelop. One envelop is written in French with beautiful cursive that says: To my first 6th great Granddaughter. Well that's very specific. I wonder why he worded it like that. Was it to make sure it goes to the right person? It seems like it. But why would he write something for someone so far into the future? It's me isn't it? I'm that Granddaughter, what could he possibly want to tell me?

     The other envelop had the word "Map" written in the same handwriting and language. This is very odd, there's no money. The men said that they were looking for money hidden with the map in the place we found it. If it's in the envelop, I don't think that it's worth doing what they've done. Unless the money itself has great value for being antique. But then again, it's been decades within centuries and if words get twisted by others with ease and so quickly, my Grandfather's words of about 150 years have certainly twisted.

     "Come on, Marie, it would be much better for you to do this in your own home, comfortable, calmly, privately," Bob says in a comforting manner.

     "I feel more comfortable, calm, and private here than back at the house," I reply softly.

     "He's right, Marie. Look, now we know what's in the box. Let's go back home; you're tired and hurt, Marie," Alice complains in a soft way.

     Ok, they win. I do miss my cat. Just the thought of having to go back to that house – to that family – makes my chest ache. That's not my family, Navey barely talks to me and gets jealous anytime John talks to me and is enjoying it, like a dad does. I hate to say it, but I have a better father-daughter relationship with him than his own daughter, even if it's small or he doesn't want to show it. I can feel it. I can see it. I understand why; he doesn't want to show favoritism, or that his relationship with her is worse than mine. 

     She needs to soften up and be more kind to her family because at least she has one. She should appreciate them while they're still here! Because one day they're not going to be here, they're not going to be with her forever, and she will regret never letting them know she loves them. She will regret never appreciating them! I tense up at this thought. I can feel my ears hot. I take a deep breath and sigh.

     On the other hand, there's that disdainful woman, Lauren. She's so sneering, disrespectful, and insolent and not just to me, and I can understand why she's like this; she has anger and sadness trapped inside of her after all she's went through. Her terrible experiences have made her worse than she already was. I understand, but she also needs to understand that it's no one's fault and that her negative way of being is not right and at least try to change those awful ways. Nevertheless, I don't want to go back to that house but they're right. 

     I breathe to calm down and lean back against the wall with my head tilted back also against the wall and close my eyes. It's okay, it will be okay. It always ends up being all okay no matter how long it takes to get to okay.

     "Ok, you win, fine! But for my cat." I added lowly, and for some reason... for John too, and that was kept a secret even from me. Hidden so deep inside, I never saw it even when I'd feel the essence of it, I never truly knew it. I never really saw it. Until now.