Below the Waves

Looking around the empty house, Alex let out a big sigh. Remembering, this was the house she and her son grew up in and at the end where she found both of her parents dead. As much as she wanted to keep this house to retire in her old age in the years to come, she couldn’t let go of the image of seeing both her parents at the breakfast table starring into the abyss. They were there looking towards the dark blue ocean, stiff, blue, and cold. These thoughts haunted her more than just in her dreams. Not understanding how to escape it, but to let go of the beautiful, loving home that now has become a nightmare. A nightmare that she needed to let go of and move onto something new.

She was going to turn off the light and leave when she heard the faintest sound leading her to go up the stairs slowly. As she got to the top of the second floor, the sound got louder and sounded like footsteps running back and forth in the attic. The footsteps would start from the window that overlooked the forest she would run through as a child and stop in the middle of the attic. Each time, the footsteps would restart back at the window. Alex screamed, “Hello?” with a crackle in her voice as she walked closer to the opening of the attic. Again, she screamed “HELLO?!” this time with a stern voice. Although her voice could be heard echoing throughout the empty house, no one responded. The footsteps just faded out one lightly step after another from the window to the middle of the room.

She reached for the ladder and couldn’t quite grab it. She hesitated and looked back towards down the stairs. She wondered of all the worst thoughts; Is there someone up there? Will he or she hurt me? Will I see my son again? Those thoughts fled when she could no longer hear these footsteps. She stood as still as she could be and tried to hear any movement at all, but her heartbeat beat louder and louder. The noise of her internal heartbeat made it harder for her to tune out. At that moment, she decided to leap for the ladder and pull it down. She screamed, “I have a bat, don’t mess with me!!” She walked up the stairs stomping her feet. She tried to seem bigger than the 95lbs 5’4” she was. Hopefully, to scare off the person she was about to face. She reached for the light and popped her head up, looking for someone. However, no one was there, but the empty attic, rustic old hardwood floors, and the white-trimmed window that overlooked the forest.

She walked quickly to the window, looking for any signs of forced entry or exit. Yet, the window was intact, and nothing was out there except the orange-reddish sunset and the trees with the wind blowing the leaves side to side. She took one last look around and walked back towards the ladder. Just as she went over the floorboard in the middle of the room, one creaked up and wobbled. Immediately, her heartbeat went faster and felt as if it would jump out of her chest. Knowing this was the exact step, the footsteps stopped each time before restarting from the window. She looked down and lifted the old footboard, scared of what she might find.

Just under this floorboard, she found a little black book.

The book was worn, bent in several places, and looked like dust piled on it for years except for a few fingerprints that laid across the cover of the book. Alex quickly looked around to make sure no one was there and grabbed the book. The pages inside were torn out except for the last page with an entry that stated, “We will always love you, look below the waves” and a key taped to the page. A tear dropped from her right eye, knowing this was her father’s writing. However, that moment of sadness quickly drained from her forethought and replaced with the nightmare of her parents staring coldly onto the dark blue waves of the ocean. And just then. Immediately, she thought of the bay window that always gave the optical illusion it fell below the waves. Wiping the tear from her face, she grabbed the book and ran down the ladder as quickly as she could. She almost fell on the last step, catching herself right before she tumbled down the stairs. She didn’t feel like she could stop and catch her breath. So, she decided to keep running down the stairs with her heart beating faster and faster. Finally, she arrived at the kitchen gasping for breath remembering the image of her parents. She stood frozen in front of the opening of the kitchen that overlooked the waves, holding the little black book pressed against her chest.

Her heartbeat went faster and faster. Thump, thump, THUMP! Her heartbeat echoed throughout her body, waking her out of her freeze. Slowly, she walked towards the window and overlooked the waves with the sparkle of the sunset shining back on her. She looked down at the water and pressed her face against the glass but didn’t see much. Nothing but dark blue waves and a hint of orange from the sunset. Looking around the window seal, she noticed a small string nailed to the inside of the window frame. She wiggled the window open as it almost seemed stuck. She pulled up the tiny string and up came a clear plastic bag. It appeared to be the rest of the entries from the book and a small box. Quickly tearing open the bag, the pages and the box spilled across the kitchen floor. She bent down to look at the entries, and noticed they were all in different languages. A few she might recognize, but nothing in the moment. She scooped all the pages up and opened the book to find that they fit perfectly. At that moment, she saw the key reminding her of the small box. She ripped it out from under the tape, and turned to grab the box. The key also fit perfectly. She opened it quite slowly, scared of what she might find. As the lid popped open, flung out hundreds. In fact, 20 of them. Leaving her $20,000 richer than before.

As she stared at the black book and the money now scattered across the floor, she wondered how did she get here? Did she hear footsteps in the attic? Was it her parents? Did they know this day was coming? All these questions she would only find out once she understood these entries. Or possibly never knowing the truth of her parents’ death, the money, and the little black book.