May 16, 2024 – Writer's Treasure Chest

When Orson returned to the warehouse a little bit later, it was a sad day. He was unhappy and apologetic at the same time.

“What’s wrong?” I asked worriedly. He sighed a deep sob and informed me: “In the hospital, they found out that I have a progressing illness, no cure. They said the treatment most likely will get me a little more time, but ultimately, I’m advised to manage my matters and prepare to go. I’m very, very sorry, Mia. I would understand if you’d hire someone else to get this shop of yours renovated.”

I stared at him. “What do you mean you would understand?” Orson’s eyes got watery. “Well, I think I’ll be able to finish the project, and I really would like to see that shop renovated. Also, your payment would help my family. But I don’t know if you…”

Quickly, I got up from my office chair and walked over to him, my fists on my waist… “Why would you think I’d hire someone else, after all we went through together? What I owe you will help your family, too. So, why would I let you go? Oh, no. You won’t get off the hook so easily.”

Orson looked at my smirk and caught himself smiling. “Well, if you see it that way, let’s return to work then.” I nodded and briefly took his arm. “Just make sure you won’t overdo it, ok? Supervise and delegate. I’m sure this will help you concentrate on the main things. If you need to hire more people to complete the work, please do so.”

The man gratefully looked at me and secretly wiped his cheeks. I winked. “Darn dusty in here, ain’t it?” He laughed. “Yup, that it is.”

*****

A few days later, the store’s plumbing was renewed, and while the group worked on the bathroom and the upper office floor, Orson and I went to pick the flooring.

Tez was nowhere to be seen that day, and I had fun with Orson. While he was driving, we joked around. He suddenly got serious when we had to wipe our laughter tears off the cheeks. “Mia, I have a question.”

I looked at him. “Yes?” He cleared his throat. “One of my furniture restaurateurs is coming in later this week to look around your shop and warehouse to make a list of everything that needs to be worked on and restored for use. But she couldn’t find a babysitter. So, she asked if she could bring her daughter with her. She won’t be long, maybe a few hours. And I know the girl. She’s ten now and very well-behaved. Will that be a problem?” I shook my head. “Of course not. Tell her to bring the girl. And if she’d like to leave her with me, that’s fine, too.” Orson laughed. “I don’t think that will be necessary; Sherylee is a nice girl, a bit shy though.” I smiled. “Still no problem.” Orson nodded. “Thank you.”

He parked the truck, but before he could get out, I held him back. “Since we’re talking about serious things, I got this for you. Make sure you’ll have it with all other things prepared for your family.”

Orson looked at me and swallowed. “What is it?” I smiled. “Just a little something that might help.” He didn’t continue asking, and we got out of the truck to go and look at the floor tiles.

*****

A few days later, I woke up in Tez’s arms, as I had lately done, and stretched. Then I felt my eyebrows furrowing and sighed. Tez carefully watched me. “Is everything okay?”

I shrugged. “I wish I could tell you. Seriously… I have a really odd feeling, and it won’t let me go.” Tez held his head high and I watched him discreetly sniff the air. I had to laugh. “What on Earth are you doing?”

He smiled. “Sometimes tense moments are feelable, like events before they happen. But honestly, I can’t feel anything right now.”

I swung my legs out of bed. “Oh well… maybe I’m just overly sensitive, hallucinating, or suffering from PMS.” Tez chuckled. “I doubt it. But let’s see what the day brings.”

While I was working with customers in the temporary warehouse store, Tez was nowhere to be seen. I was used to that. After all, he had things to do and couldn’t stick to me like glue. He would reappear when he thought I needed protection or when it was time to go home.

In the meantime, I was living with him more or less. It was all a trial, but we got along wonderfully, and I got rid of my brothers and nosy mother. I had particularly asked her not to come to the store or warehouse at the moment. Of course, she was showing up not even two hours later. I furiously told her off, and she turned around and left with an insulted snort. I hadn’t heard from her since, and that was almost four days. However, I texted my father, and he informed me that he told her off as well, and despite her still being angry, she also missed me.

I was so busy I could not concentrate on my mother then.

All of a sudden, I felt nauseous. I lifted my head and knew something was off. I just didn’t know what it was. The tension I had felt that morning was gone. I left the warehouse in a rush and ran to my car. I knew I had to worry a lot, but I was too far away.

I drove toward the store and stopped the car. Without locking the vehicle, I burst into the shop, where the raw flooring was prepared for tiling. The plumbers still worked in the back, the electricians did their job by the walls and outlets, and in the corner, on a small picnic chair, sat a girl about ten years old, knitting.

The plastic and sheet cover Orson, Tez, and I had fabricated was lying on the floor, and I saw through the dusty glass that the knitting work was gone. The colors were unmistakable… the girl had continued knitting the thread of life.

With a scream that blew through the house with the strength of a hurricane, I sent everyone in the building into freezing where they were. It was a spooky situation and an eerie picture. But I couldn’t consider taking care of anything else at that moment than the problem that had arisen when the girl picked up the knitting needles.

I felt anger and incomprehension at so much stupidity. Besides the cover, we had fixed a clear sign to the corner cabinet that said, “DO NOT TOUCH!” Even a ten-year-old should have been able to read that.

Behind me, Tez, Lachesis, and Atropos came running into the store and froze in shock when they looked at the situation, staring at the little girl with the knitting work in her hands. We looked at each other, Atropos shook her head in disbelief, and Lachesis said just one word that summed it all up: “Shit.”

I took a deep breath, walked over to the girl, and heroically resisted slapping the child’s face when I carefully removed the knitting from her small hands. I looked down and recognized that I could see where she had continued knitting and that she didn’t get very far. And then I knew what I needed to do. And I could not accomplish that task alone. I needed my sisters. Klotho in me woke up, stretched, and her knowledge, experience, age, and everything that separated her from me spread through me and filled me up with fear, but at the same time, satisfaction and a feeling of homecoming.

I turned around to face my sisters. “Welcome back,” Atropos whispered. I looked at Tez, and I knew who he was to me. I had always known it, but Mia in me had just closed her eyes. My memory rushed over me; I saw images of romance, intimacy, fights, arguments, and a breathtakingly beautiful Jaguar.

He winked at me. “Hello Klotho.”

Lachesis sighed. “We need to wake up these people. But first, let’s find a bag to hide the knitting. We might as well take everything that’s in that cabinet. It must have a meaning and a purpose, but I’m too old, I forgot.” I got a box out of my car and we cleared out the cabinet, then Tez hid it in his truck.

I searched and found the thread of time within me and used it to make sure everyone in the building continued working as they had done before, without reversing the time.

Lachesis went a few steps to the girl in the corner and placed herself next to her. The moment she came to, Lachesis gave her a speech that widened the girl’s eyes in fear, and I didn’t even mind. ‘Well-behaved, my ass.” I muttered while I watched Atropos walking to the back of the shop to find the mother.

Furiously, I sent them both home and called the entire group of workers to the ground floor. “I’m very sorry, troops. But we’ll have to wrap up for today. I really apologize, but something came up that I urgently need to get done before we can continue. I’ll call Orson first thing tomorrow in the morning about the next steps.

I could see, the workers weren’t overly happy, but they didn’t have the guts to ask for a reason, not with Atropos there staring at them like a cannibal.

After they left, I locked the building up and we all climbed Tez’ truck to drive to the warehouse, where I closed the shop for the day, before we drove to his place. On the way from the truck to the front door, unnatural wind gusts and odd whizzes from the bushes made me feel jumpy. But it seemed, neither my sisters, nor Tez were particularly worried.

Once the box stood on the coffee table and we all sat around it, with a cup of tea or coffee in our hand, Lachesis nodded to me. “Let’s hear the worst… What needs fixing?”

And so it began…

*******************

This episode story was written for ‘Writer’s Treasure Chest’ and currently stops here. I know many writers out there might have already imagined how the story continues. That’s why I decided to set up a little ‘Writer’s Treasure Chest’ contest.

If someone is interested in writing a continuation of this story, please do so.
Don’t forget to write your name and date to your writing, a link to your social media account, blog, or website, and send it to me as a .docx file by emailing aurorajean.alexander@aol.com (You can write as much or as little as you please, but a minimum word count will be 1,000 words.)

Write ‘Writer’s Treasure Chest Magic story in the subject line.’

Please be aware that I will publish your work on ‘Writer’s Treasure Chest’ with your name and the link to your blog, website, or social media account. Therefore, please keep your work clean. (No detailed intimacy, bloody violence, or horrific swear words.)

The contest is open until June 21, 2024.

The winner can choose between two of my books from the ‘The Council of Twelve’ series or a $20 Amazon gift card.