It was officially the start of summer vacation, yet the sisters maintained their usual schedule. Madison woke up right at six o’clock, while Erin took her time sleeping in until someone woke her up or she felt that the “time was right”.
Madison opened her eyes to find her closet glowing as if it was calling her to hurry and open it, which she wasted no time doing. After pulling mounds of clothes out of her messy closet, she still had no answer on the source of light.
an hourglass with a girl sitting at its edge
Suddenly, a crisp white envelope lowered itself in front of her, hovering a few inches from her hands. In the back of her mind, she wondered where it had come from, but she pushed the thought away and grabbed the coarse paper, inspecting it carefully. An hourglass design was stamped on the seal of the envelope. Madison realized that it was addressed to her; then, overcome with curiosity, she carefully tore it open. She expected a classified letter of some sort, but instead found a poem.
If you are two siblings who find you can never agree,
You must rely on each other to find the key.
Once placed together, a box will appear,
But the instructions given will not be clear.
In two day’s time, the key you must acquire,
For once unlocked, inside it you will find your greatest desire.
“Two days?” Madison gasped. She soon realized she wasn’t the only recipient.
At the exact moment she had planned to march into her sister’s room, Erin roughly swung open her door and almost ripped it off its hinges. Madison’s jaw nearly hit the ground.
“Yeah, I have it. See how special you feel now,” Erin smirked. “Just wanted to make sure you knew; you don’t have a chance. Don’t even start with that so-called intellectual gift you have. We have to put the letters together.”
Sticking her hand out, Erin waited for Madison to give her the envelope, which she did. They momentarily glowed in the same blue light as before, then vanished. A wooden box with an hourglass carving on its lid took its place just as quickly as it disappeared, the tiniest keyhole right below the latch.
Madison scoffed. “You’ll regret you said that.” She glared at her bratty nine-year-old sister. “Game on.”
>>> <<<
Madison had had enough. She’d looked everywhere she could to look for the key to open the box, but had no luck. It was now day two, and she was still nowhere near finding it. She’d lose to Erin, and she’d be reminded for the rest of… well however long Erin remembered.
Sighing, she neatly folded the square of paper and slid it back into the envelope. Box in hand, Madison walked back to her closet and opened the door, gently placing the two items in the front of her now (temporarily) organized closet, ready to give up and wave a white flag. But before she did, a light flashed before her, making her jump and stumble onto her bottom.
She peeked at the very back of her clothes and saw a small velvet box. Madison realized it had the same hourglass design embroidered on its lid. She delicately picked up the smooth container and opened it, the lid snapping open easily to reveal a tiny silver metal key, its touch cold against her warm hand and the handle, yet again, another hourglass.
The key! It had been there all along! Madison raced out to where the box was placed and slid the key in, her grin broadening by the minute —
It didn’t turn.
She’d gotten her hopes up for nothing. Why wouldn’t it turn?!
Madison inspected the keyhole. How ignorant of her! There was a small space right above where she put in her key, meaning Erin had the other one.
>>> <<<
Meanwhile, Erin had been racing up and down the stairs, searching the house. Finally, she’d given a grunt and lightly kicked a tile on the flooring right before the first stair. After a slight grinding noise, the tile parted and a once concealed velvet box whirred up to the surface. It was only junk.
Just as she turned to leave, she lingered and finally decided to open the box in case there was anything useful, which she highly doubted. What good would a tiny ring box do to figure out where the key was?
To her delight, it uncovered the smallest key imaginable, and the same design on the envelope and box stamped into the handle. It was time to claim her greatest desire.
>>> <<<
Erin happily hopped up the marble staircase and slipped the key into the lock. What luck she had, finding the key.
But when the key didn’t turn, she knew something was wrong. After a final push, she took it out. She was so close, and Madison couldn’t win now! She needed to find a way to get Madison’s key and open it.
>>> <<<
Erin and Madison met at the intersection of their two rooms, each with a key in their hands. The anger in their eyes was intense, but neither of them flinched nor wavered their stare.
“Give me my key,” the sisters said simultaneously.
“Your key?” Madison scoffed. “I’m older, and with age comes responsibility. I don’t know what’s gotten into you these days, but you’re purposely annoying me and getting under my nerves!”
“How are we even related! You’re such a sassy drama queen. Give me my key. We need both to open it and you know I deserve it more than you,” Erin hissed. But for some reason, she also felt a tinge of guilt. But why? What was holding her back from simply snatching it out of Madison’s hands?
After a moment, Madison spoke. “We’ll put both keys in at the same time.”
“And you’re going to turn it; that means you get your greatest desire and I don’t,” Erin snapped. “That’s hardly fair.”
“I’m not done,” Madison said. “We open the box at the same time, too.”
Erin tried to think of another solution that would let her open the box first, but she couldn’t and just sighed. “Alright.”
With a silent agreement, the girls put the keys together and slid it into the keyhole. Another look at each other, and they turned it and heard a small click from the box.
Unable to wait any longer, Madison and Erin swung open the box, to discover…
Hands shaking and eyes welling, Erin reached for the object inside the box.
It was a picture of the two of them and their mother at the beach on Erin’s fifth birthday.
“I don’t even remember her anymore,” Erin whispered.
Madison pulled her into a hug.
After their mother had been diagnosed and hospitalized, her death soon followed, grieving the entire family. Being only five, Erin only had a fuzzy memory of her face.
“I’m sorry I’ve been ignoring you so much, Erin. I was just looking for someone to get mad at, especially after she left.” Madison’s voice was barely audible.
“It’s not your fault,” Erin admitted. “I know I’ve been rude. I was just too proud to acknowledge it and didn’t know where to channel my anger when I was upset.”
Madison closed the box, ready to lock it once more.
“Wait,” Erin said. “I think there’s something else in there.”
Indeed there was. Madison pulled out a photo of the two of them splashing each other in the waves at Hawaii.
Erin gasped. “I completely forgot about this!”
“Yeah, me too! It feels like it’s been ten years since we went!”
Erin put her hands on her hips. “I’m only nine years old. Honestly, how much has your phone dimmed that brain of yours? And you say you’re ‘intellectually gifted’.”
“Hey!” Madison said jokingly. “I know I’m on my phone a lot, but that’s since it’s been what, two weeks, since I’ve gotten it!”
Madison’s eyes suddenly sparkled. “I just remembered! Dad’s coming home early today!”
Just as she said those words, their father entered the house to see the two girls happily laughing and giggling at old memories they had shared in the past.
“Since when have you two been so close?” their father asked. “I didn’t think this would be possible after a couple of hours.”
Madison and Erin just grinned, the box tucked away in the storage room.
“Hey Dad?” Madison asked.
The two girls spoke together, both smiling as wide as the other.
“Can you keep a secret?”
