Suspense Story – THE PADLOCKED CHEST
Photo credit: earl53 from morguefile.com
I sneaked into the old abandoned house at the end of the street. I was surprised to find a small padlocked treasure chest on a dresser in an upstairs room. There was a note that said, “Do not open. Ever! ” I also noticed a small key hanging on the wall. I tried the key in the padlock. It was a perfect fit. I twisted the key. I heard the sound of the lock opening. For a moment I stopped. I knew there was something wrong. A cracking sound brought me back. I looked down and was the chest opening slowly by itself. I could not believe my eyes for what I saw in there. It was pitch dark in the chest, although there was a little sunlight coming through the dusty window. I lit my torch and brought it close to the chest but I could see nothing. No end!
Just then I slipped on something and fell straight into the chest. As I fell I heard the chest shutting. I closed my eyes and when I opened them I was lying down on the floor of a big room. I stood up and looked around. It looked familiar. The window, the floor, the chest.Wait a minute!The same chest in which I had fallen. It was the same room. Only cleaner. I didn’t realize that before but the room was very large and furnished very well. Suddenly a man entered the room and as he saw me, he shouted, “Thief! Thief! How dare you step into my house without my permission!” His house? What did he mean by his house? This house had been abandoned for years and no one lived in it,as long as I can remember,for decades.
Then I realized it all. That chest had brought me back in time. That is why all the things were so clean and tidy and the man was living there. But as I was thinking about all this the man came running towards me. He grabbed my both shoulders and tried to bring me down but unintentionally I pushed him towards the window. He stumbled and fell down from the window in the front yard. I was terrified. I did not dare to go down. I couldn’t even look down the window. I thought about how I could get back. Then I had an idea. If the chest could bring me back in time it would be able to send me in my time as well. I ran to the chest, took the key, opened the padlock and jumped inside.
When I opened my eyes again I was lying in the old dirty room. I hurried down to the door and ran down the street.
When I asked about that house from my father,the next morning,he told me that years ago,the owner of that house was found dead in his front yard. No one knew how is happened. The workers in the house just reported of a small boy who they saw going into the chest that was placed in the owner’s room. People never stepped into that house again and the chest was left untouched with a warning sign over it. Then and only then I realized that the house had been abandoned because of me.
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