Secret Garden

Prompt ▼

You have just moved into a new house. While unpacking at your home, you find a box left behind in the corner of your new bedroom closet. Write a story about what's in the box, what the items tell you about the previous residents, and what you do with the items.

Winning Entry for 01/06/06

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         "I have dibs on this one!" My kid brother, David, yells as he all but pushes me out of the way to claim the bedroom I had originally wanted.

         "Mom!" I bellow in growing agitation. I'm tired and hungry and to think I'm about to lose my bedroom... "David took the room I wanted!"

         "You heard what mom said in the car," the cheeky demon says as he sticks his head out the door with a smug look. "She said, first come, first serve..."

         "But you KNOW I chose this room the first time we came here!" I snap angrily. My arms are beginning to ache from carrying the cardboard box filled with my personal items, but I'll be damned if I give David the satisfaction of knowing that.

         "Too bad!" he says and blows a loud raspberry which sends a small spray of spittle on my face. Oh, that's it!

         "You are so dead!" I drop the box and lunge for him, but a strong hand pulls me back just as David slams the door in my face. "Dad!" I huff as I meet my father's smiling visage. "You know he's not being fair!"

         "Let him have his fun, Danni," he says, patting my head gently. "Look," He opens up the door to the other bedroom and walks up to the window to throw it open. "Ah, feel that fresh air! Feel that warm breeze! Feel that..."

         "Its view is the neighbor's wall, Dad. I'll be staring at that thing for the rest of the year!"

         "But you can make the best of it! Now, cheer up and get to work. We've still got a lot of things to do, sweetie." He kisses the top of my head and trots out, humming some tune beneath his breath. God help me and my father's enthusiasm. Ever since he announced we were going to be moving to a bigger house (and a really old house at that. I think it was built in the nineteenth century or something), it's been nothing but roses and sunshine in my family. My parents have been living on Cloud Nine since then, and it looks like they have no plans to return back to earth any time soon.

         I kick the box angrily and sit on the floor with a scowl. I hate this room. I hate everything about this room. Besides the horrible view, it's much smaller than the other bedroom and beneath the pungent smell of fresh paint, there's this faint smell of wet socks, dirty underwear, and age.

         I look toward the bedroom closet, groaning inwardly at how small it looks from here. It's going to be a miracle if any of my clothes can fit into that space. I crawl on my hands and knees toward it and push the door open, only to blink in surprise at the small wooden box sitting in the corner of the rectangular space. I don't recall any of us having such a box and on closer inspection, I can see that it's dusty and quite odd in design – like something out of an antique shop, I think.

         I bite my lower lip and consider calling my parents to take a look at it, but remembering that it's my bedroom now – whether I like it or not – I figure it's my business and no one else's.

         Careful now, I tell myself, hoping that nothing strange or weird pops out of it. I brush away the dust and seeing that there are no locks on it, I open it slowly. At first I'm not sure of what I'm seeing since it looks rather out of place to begin with. The box is lined with a rich red velvet cloth and sitting within is a small but old-fashioned pair of binoculars and a folded piece of paper which looks yellow with time and flimsy to the touch. I open the paper as carefully as I can, noticing that the words written are barely legible. How long has this thing been in here, I wonder? Had the previous owners seen and simply ignored it, or did they not see it at all? Squinting, I try to read what's written and this is what I can come up with:

Once you believe in a world without limits
Then you'll see the beauty within.

         Huh? What does this mean? I pick up the binoculars (blowing the dust away) and take a good look at them. It's nothing extraordinary at first glance but there's something about it that feels so compelling. Well, there's really no harm in trying it, is there? I rise to my feet and walk to the window, staring glumly at the neighbor's wall and for no reason at all, I raise the binoculars to my face and peer through its lenses.

         What I see simply takes my breath away.

         Gone is the ruddy wall with its creeping vines for in its stead is a magnificent garden filled with every flower imaginable. I can smell their sweet fragrance and it fills my bedroom, transporting me to a world I have always dreamed of. I can't help the laughter that escapes my lips and the undeniable peace that fills my soul as I stare at my secret garden.

         However, I am brought back to reality by my brother's petulant voice. "What's so funny?"

         I spin around quickly, unconsciously hiding the binoculars under my arm. I do not plan to share this with anyone...at least not yet. "Nothing, dweeb. Now go away!"

         He stares at me for a moment longer before looking smug again. "Oh yeah? Well my room's still better than yours so there!"

         He slams the door shut, perhaps thinking I'd run after him for saying that, but I couldn't care less about that now. I have no doubt that I have discovered something wonderful and amazing today. Perhaps the original owner of this bedroom had left the binoculars as a gift to his or her successors. For although it is small and miserable at first glance, its true beauty can only be revealed through the power of one's imagination.