The Key

I didn’t remember what happened.  I was just three years old.  All I can remember is very loud shrieks.  Then I woke up in the hospital.  They only left me this key.

       The key has beautiful patterns on it.  I feel like it’s too fragile to touch.  My mother had given it to me when we were in the car that day… just before she died.

       I keep it in an old shoebox under my bed along with my lucky marble and some old spelling bee ribbon.  Those are the only things Mrs. Morgan hasn’t seen in my room.

       Mrs. Morgan is the woman I live with in this little town house in New Jersey.  She’s a neat freak.  She’s always telling me to clean up my room, vacuum or clean the bathroom, which I personally hate.  Mom and Dad never made me do that.

       Today, in school, Jon and I were partnered up for Science which is good because we both love science and that’s how we became best friends.  Today we are trying to figure out a mystery powder that our teacher gave to us.  Of course, because we both love science, we found it out in about ten minutes.  It was powdered garlic, flour, and sugar.

       When I got home at about 3:00, I looked under my bed, opened the shoebox like I do every day and my mother’s key was gone!

       I yelled down to Mrs. Morgan.  She replied. “Oh that old shoe boxe? Threw it away.  The garbage man just picked it up.’’

       After I heard that, I screamed a big, long, high scream that I’ve never heard myself scream before!  Mrs. Morgan came rushing up the stairs.  “Good heavens, what’s wrong with you?”

       After that, I spilled the beans.  I told her everything about the key.

       “Oh that good looking old key? Sold it.  Got $20.00 out of it.  Could of cost more.  Oh well.”

       “Who did you sell it to?” I asked loudly ( okay I was yelling but could you blame me)?

       She responded, “Mr. Long down the road…he’s been collecting antiques.  I didn’t need the key, so I sold it to him.”

       I ran down the road sprinting.  When I got to Mr. Long’s house, I knocked on the door politely.  I kept on knocking until my knuckles got red.  Nobody was there so I tried twisting the doorknob…the door opened.

       Inside was very organized and tidy.  It seemed that Mr. Long liked flowers because there was flower wallpaper that covered the whole wall.  I was starting to drift off, like I was one of the flowers, thanking God for the rain that made my roots nice and strong and for the weather, like a warm sunny day that made me grow big and beautiful.  Then I realized what I had come there for.

       I looked down to the floor. I realized this powder was on the floor.  I took it to the lab and it seemed to be the same garlic powder Mrs. Morgan had used.

       All I needed was to follow where the powder went. Then I was pretty sure I would find the key and maybe, the door it went to.

       I kept following the powder.  I sometimes lost it, and then found it again.  Then I lost it and found it again.  Finally, I came to a door.

I knocked on the door.  This time someone opened it.  It was Mr. Long.

       “Oh…Rachel.” He said in a happy but sad voice.  “I was looking for you.  I found out where the key went to.  Your dad told me the address even before you were born.  We were the best of friends.  Then something happened.  I don’t know what.  Well we weren’t friends any more.  But when Mrs. Morgan sold me that key, I thought she would do something bad with it so I took it.  Why don’t you come on in, see what’s inside!”

       I went inside.  I saw ton off pictures of my mom and dad.  One was of my mom with a big tummy.  She was pregnant with me!  I started to sob and saw Mr. Long was already sobbing.  They must have really been good friends, I thought.

       Mr. Long gave the key to me.  I gripped it.  When I got home, I decided that the key didn’t belong in an old shoebox, so I strung it on a string and hung it near the window.  It twinkled.  All the light shone on, Mom, Dad’s and my light.