Boxed In: Poison or Present

Hand in hand, we stepped through the opening into a room about the size of our kitchen at home. Every surface, floor, ceiling, and walls, seemed to be made of rough, unpolished

wood. Evil looking splinters stuck out in various angles around us, waiting for an opportunity to dive into our unsuspecting flesh. In the center of the room was a huge banquet table piled high with a variety of food and beverages. Immediately, my stomach grumbled audibly and my dry mouth ached for water. It had been hours since we had woken up and neither of us had eaten anything. All the time we had wandered through the empty white space, we hadn't had a thing to drink. We had been so distracted by being lost that neither of us had realized we were starving and parched, until now.

Cautiously, we approached the table, looking for any clue of who had provided the food and why. We walked around the entire table twice, examining the array of choices, searching for a trap or a sign that we should partake. Everything looked as though it had just been laid out, steam still wafted into the air over some dishes while moisture glistened on the surface of fresh berries.

"Do you think it's safe?" I looked hopefully to Ryan.

"Honestly, it's probably drugged. But I'm pretty sure we've already been drugged." He laughed bitterly. After a long pause he added, "But really, why would someone go to all this trouble just to poison us?"

"Great point," my stomach grumbled in agreement. "Seems like there are a lot easier ways to kill us than to do...whatever this is."

So, we each grabbed a soft roll, dripping with butter and blackberry jam, and shoved it in our mouths. Nothing had ever tasted so good. Ryan reached over and wiped a drip of jam off my lower lip. I grabbed two bottles of water and handed him one, then we guzzled them happily.

There were so many options laid before us and we quickly reached for the next enticing treat. First, I chomped down a handful of juicy raspberries then reached for a plate of cheeses. Something bit into the side of my hand as it slid across the rough table top. I yelped and jumped back from the table. Ryan dropped the plate of ribs he'd just picked up, the whole thing shattering across the floor as he raced to my side.

"Sorry, it's just a splinter," I looked sheepishly up at him and held up my hand for him to see the angry red welt surrounding the sliver of wood that had burrowed into my hand.

Ryan pulled his pocket knife out and slid out the tiny tweezer attachment. Carefully, he snagged the end of the wooden shard and gently pulled it free from my skin. Then he leaned forward and kissed the wound softly, as though it was not the first time in months his lips had touched my skin.

"Try to be more careful," He smiled. "I'm kind of fond of this hand."

I smiled back then shook my head sadly, "It looks like that was the only plate of ribs and now its ruined."

"Oh dear, what else will I have to eat?" he winked at me then laughed.

"Good point," I giggled. It felt so good to laugh together again.

We turned back to the table, each of us sampling a variety of foods. Between bites, we laughed together about times we had shared similar dishes. I ate some lasagna and Ryan reminded me of the time I had misread the recipe and put in a full tablespoon of salt, rather than just a teaspoon. Ryan was chomping on some nachos and I reminded him about the time he'd tried to match my level of spice on our second date. He did not have the benefit of growing up with a mother from the southwest so his pallet hadn't been trained to withstand high levels of capsaicin at a young age as I had. Still determined to impress me, he had kept eating despite the sweat and tears dripping over his cheeks. As usual, he denied my version of the story with the telltale twinkle dancing in his eye.

I was just about to bite into a German Chocolate cupcake when I realized that despite the plethora of dessert choices there was only one German chocolate cupcake on the entire table. I really liked German chocolate, but it was Ryan's absolute favorite.

"Here, Babe, you should have this, " I handed him the cake and watched his face light up. It was so much better than eating the cake myself. I'd forgotten how much I liked doing things just to see that smile on his face.

"Kayla, look," Ryan pointed behind me.

Where the wall had been solid before, there was now a door, open just a crack. It took both of us pulling with all our strength to widen it enough to squeeze through. As we did we found ourselves falling a short distance into pitch blackness.

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Read all of Ryan and Kayla's strange journey.

Chapter One:

Chapter Two:

Their journey continues soon...