A Watch in Time – Chapter 11, Part 2

A WATCH IN TIME

A Full Length Short Story by Golden Keyes Parsons


2-7-06 022 Chapter Eleven – Part 2


Click here to start with Chapter One


(Mrs. Kleine quirked her eyebrows and waited…)


Lily Kate put her hands on the front of the desk leaned toward the woman. “Please. We have reason to believe that perhaps some of our family’s heirlooms were left in the attic. Would you be so kind as to let us go up and look around? We’d be forever grateful.”


The woman hesitated. “I don’t know … I don’t know if my husband would approve. He’s not here right now. He’ll be back tomorrow.”


“Oh, please. We won’t disturb anything. We’re looking for a family album that is probably in a trunk. That’s all we’re interested in right now.”


“There are several boxes and a couple of trunks up there that were left from the previous owners. Someone was supposed to come and retrieve them, but no one ever showed up that I know of.”


David stepped back and threw out his arms. “And here we are! Let us go see what is up there and … then we’ll be sure someone returns later with a truck to get it out of your way.”


Mrs. Kleine turned and took a key off the board. “I suppose it will be fine. It’s not really in my way. That stuff’s been up there for several years now.” She walked around the desk to the door, and pointed down the hall. “The stairs to the attic are in the kitchen … oh, I guess you all know where the attic is, don’t you?” She offered a terse smile, and handed the key to David.


David took it and waved as they hurried out the door. “Yes, thank you.”


The two fled into the kitchen and up the stairs. They unlocked the door at the top of the landing, clicked on the light and stepped into the dusty garret. Lily Kate swept a cobweb away from the rafter above her. “It smells the same.”


“Yeah, amazing, huh?” David looked around. “We could use a flashlight. I don’t know where to begin. You start looking. I’ll go ask Mrs. Kleine for one.” He clambered down the steps leaving Lily Kate in the gloomy light.


The attic was full of trash and treasures. Boxes piled helter-skelter. A dress form. A large wardrobe that she remembered they refinished in her time, and put in the guest bedroom. Guess no one ever came and picked up the stuff. Old chairs attic3hung from the rafters. Tables stacked upon one another. Several trunks. She squatted down, and opened a humpback trunk. It was full of old dolls. She slammed it shut as David beamed a light on her. “Find anything?”


“No, just old dolls in there.” She stood, and brushed the dust from her skirt. “We need to have an agreement.”


David lifted his eyebrows and cocked his head. “And would be … ?”


“When—if we find the album—let’s not touch it until we touch it precisely at the same moment, so we can … uh … can ‘go’ together.”


“Think that’ll work?”


“We can try.” Lily Kate pointed to some trunks by the window at the far end of the attic. “Why don’t you take the flashlight, and look through those? I’ll check out the ones on this end.”


David made his way through the relics, and propped the flashlight on a stool. The minutes ticked by as the pair sorted through the trunks.


Lily Kate opened the fourth trunk and gasped. The album lay on top of a stack of newspapers and books. “David. I found it.”


David tripped over a bucket as he hurried to peer into the open chest. The siblings stared into each other’s eyes.

“Are you ready?” Lily’s voice came out in a raspy whisper.


“You bet.”


“Here we go—on three. See you there.”


They held their hands above the album.


The pair chanted together, “One. Two Three.” Placing their hands on the book, they closed their eyes. In which century would they awaken?


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Join us next Friday for part 1 of chapter 12.


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Published on July 17, 2015 07:00
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