The Book

The Book

The shop smelt of mothballs and potpourri and everything was coated with a thin layer of dust. There were a multitude of items that looked to be pulled from the basement of a house that hasn't been touched since the early 1900’s. I walked past doilies that were stained a light yellow, handmade clothes that I couldn’t imagine were ever in style, and an abundance of old vinyls from the 60’s. I wish I could say I had a passion for old stuff. Truly, I only wandered into the local antique shop while I waited for my laundry to finish drying at the nearby laundromat. I was always told that it was rude to walk into a store with no intention of buying anything. My mom would always leave the store with something after a day of browsing. She would often gift it to me once she got home and told me that she was thinking of me. I knew the truth behind the small gifts but whether it was a pack of gum or a pair of shoes, it meant the world to me.

I came across a small trunk with the letter ‘E’ etched in the top. What once was a beautiful walnut trunk with a brass lock and leather handles was now worn and tarnished. I picked it up to examine it and I heard something slide on the inside. I set it back down and went to lift the lid, but it was locked. “Excuse me” I said, interrupting the young cashier at the front of the store. “This trunk is locked.”

“Great observation.” He said rudely, barely looking up from his computer. There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment before the cashier sighed and stood up, reaching under the cabinet to reveal a small box of keys. He quickly grabbed a key with a tag that read #583, and handed it to me.

“Thank you.” I say quietly, ignoring his rudeness. I put the key into the brass lock and wiggled it around a little before I heard a small click. I lift the lid and instantly smell a musty odor. I wave my hand over it to air it out and realize it's empty. Dumbfounded at what the sound was that was sliding around inside it, I search for pockets or compartments but find nothing. Shocked from the alarm that went off in my pocket, I realize I had been away from my laundry for too long. I hadn’t bought anything and I had to get back to the laundromat so I took a look at the money in my wallet. A twenty dollar bill and 5 quarters that I needed for the last load of laundry.

“How much is this?” I ask the cashier.

“Thirty.” He says in his familiar careless tone.

“Will you take $20?” I ask, fully expecting he would say no.

After a long sigh and a far too obvious eye roll, he says “Fine”. I hand him my last twenty and take my treasure out the door.

I don't know what possessed me to buy the trunk. Honestly, I would have much rather bought something cheaper so I would have some money left over. For five years now, I have been working as a teachers assistant during the day and a waitress at night. I wish I could say I lived a comfortable life but even with two incomes I am barely getting by. In the end it's worth it though. I get to give my son, Jack, his own room and enough toys to keep him happy.

I lug my laundry and new purchase up to my second floor apartment and into the cramped hallway. I step out my door and knock softly on my neighbors door. Ms. Reimer, a retired lady in her late 60’s opens the door with my exhausted toddler in her arms. “I turned on his shows and he was out like a light!” She beamed. I allowed her into my apartment to go set him down in his bed. Once she came out, she stretched her arms and shook them to waken them. We sat on my couch and talked for a bit of today's events. She told me all about Jack's day and hers.

After an hour or so she looked at the clock on the wall and decided it was time for her to retire to her apartment. I walked her out and when I locked my door, I turned around and walked into the hallway. I stubbed my toe on the large obstacle and forgot all about my purchase from today. Moving the trunk to the kitchen table, I decided to open it and clean it out. I knew with a bit of cleaning and possibly some paint, I could turn it into a cute pirate chest for Jacks toys. I wiped the surface with a damp towel to collect the dust and on the inside to remove any residue. It took almost half the roll before the towel came back white. I turned it on its side to get the bottom and I heard the familiar sliding that I did at the shop earlier that day. With further examination, I grabbed a screwdriver from under the sink and ran it along the edges of the trunk to see if there was another door hidden by the lining of the trunk. Along the bottom, my screwdriver hit a snag and I pried further. After a moment of prying and removing the lining, a big wooden panel popped out of the bottom. I set down the screw driver and removed the bottom of the trunk. Underneath was a small key which I assumed was a spare for the trunk, a necklace with the Star of David on it, and a small black book . The book was dated like the rest of the trunk. The spine was worn down and cracked, the cover was curled at the edges, and the pages looked to be the same tint of yellow from the doilies in the store. Wrapped around the book was a piece of ribbon that seemed to be high quality for the time that the book was placed in the trunk. I felt as if it was an invasion of privacy to look at the contents in the book, but at the same time I couldn't bring myself to ignore them. I untied the ribbon and revealed that the book was full of writing. I took the book to the couch and sat down to read it.

“To whomever will listen to my story” It read in curly handwriting. I read on to learn more about the writer's life. She identified herself as Elaine Briggs, a Jewish woman who had escaped from Germany during the holocaust and married a businessman from New York. She wrote all about her struggles of keeping her past life hidden along with her joys of becoming a mother and a wife. She shared the pain of losing her only child and husband to a disease that can now be prevented by a simple vaccine. Each word was filled with pain and I could feel everything she was writing as if it were my own story. I couldn't imagine living a life so full of heartache and loss. I forced my eyelids to stay open as I read page after page. I felt grateful for everything I had in life, knowing how many opportunities my son and I have. I was on the final page of the book when I heard two small feet hit the floor in the next room over. I look at the clock and realize that I had been up all night reading the book. I set it down to say good morning to Jack and pour him a bowl of cereal to prepare for the day.

Throughout the day, I couldn’t stop thinking about the book I was reading. I knew I only had one page left to read but with being Jacks first day of school I had a full schedule. I had spent an hour at school with him until the teachers were ready to begin class. I got into my car and reached for the book I had tucked under my arm before leaving my apartment this morning. I flipped to the last page and prepared to finish the book.

“I don't know when this will be found or who will find it, but I want to thank whomever you are for listening to my story of my life. I had no one to tell and no one to carry on my legacy. I hope you will do this for me, dear reader. I have left directions to a location where you will find a trunk similar to the one that fell into your possession. With the key that I left with the book, open it and all the items inside it are yours. Always be kind and generous, and your life will be full of fortunes far greater than this.”

Nervous and a bit unsure of what to do next I went to my apartment to collect the rest of the contents from the trunk. I began to follow the directions to find exactly where the book would lead me to. After getting turned around a couple times due to there being new streets since the directions were originally written, I ended up at a cemetery across town. I felt uneasy as I walked up to look at the different headstones of people who walked the same streets that I do every day. I approach the destination in the last direction. A small stone mausoleum with the last name of the woman who has captivated my attention for the past twelve hours. I walked through the wooden door and saw the resting place of the three people from the book. I looked around and noticed a small hidden door flush with the floor of the mausoleum. I reached down and lifted the door to see exactly what Elaine said would be here. I managed to lift the much heavier trunk out of it’s hole and pulled the key from my coat pocket. When I heard the familiar click, I lifted the lid to see what was making it so heavy. I stared in astonishment as I looked at the contents of the trunk. Multiple pieces of jewelry were gently placed on top of bars of gold. More cash than I have ever seen, stacked in neat piles, banded together by the same rich ribbon that I had seen before. Personal belongings that meant a lot to the woman who had compiled this box. I had felt tears welling in my eyes as I thought about what this meant for Jack's life and how I could finally give him the life I wanted. I thought of how grateful I felt for the woman who had not only shared her life with me but given me the perspective to appreciate my life as it was.

I took the necklace that came with the book and laid it gently on top of Elaine's headstone. I wiped away the tears from my eyes and placed my hand on the stone.

“Thank you.”