Monday, 28 March 2011

• Do You Want The Key? Continued

     Working with 12 year old students is an interesting journey.  12 year old young men takes it to a whole new level.  I highly recommend it for those who want to build patience and a sense of humor.  If you didn't get a chance to read his first chapter of The Key To The Universe, click the link read it first, then come back and check out the next chapter.
  
    

  PART 2

  Hands shaking, he jammed the key into the lock, shoved open the door and slammed it behind him. With his back against the door, he slid to the ground out of breath. The key was still clutched in his hand.

  Outside, Jack pounded on the door. “You can't stay in there forever kid! I'll wait here all night if I have to. You have no way out.” Josh jumped every time Jack's fist hit the door.

  What Jack didn't know was that in the basement there was a ladder that was already propped up against the window and the window opened to the backyard. Josh didn't like going down to the basement. It wasn't used for anything but storage. The lighting was dim and as he moved carefully down the steps the light flicker. A chill ran up his back. He took a deep breath and his nose filled with dust and dampness. Sneezing into his shirt so Jack couldn't hear him he kept moving. He heard a quiet creaking sound as he walked across the old wooden flooring.

  “Thump!” Jack jumped about a mile thinking he'd stepped on a snake but quickly recognized it was only an old rope. He was still shaking as he scaled the ladder, pushed open the window with his elbow and rolled onto the grass outside. He lay there, chest heaving and tried to calm himself down. As he lay there he realized that he still had the key clutched in his hand. He slowly let the key fall from his grip was shocked to see that it was the gold key with the M on it. How did Mom's key open Dad's house?

  “Oh no!,” he thought. That strange Mike guy mixed up the keys. He could still hear Jack pounding and yelling at the front of the house, so he picked up the key, slipped out the back gate and headed home.

  After catching his breath, Josh jumped his dad's fence and started home. He got to his mom's house and thought that the key that said Dad on it would work in the lock since the gold one with the M on it worked at Dads. He tried to push the key in, but it wouldn't work, so reaching in his pocket, he tried Mom's key. “Huh?” It worked. Confused, Josh opened the door.

  “I'm home,” he called.

  “Glad you're home on time,” she called back from the kitchen. “Dinner's almost ready.”

  “Be there in five, Mom.”

  “Okay Josh.”

  Josh didn't say much at dinner. He was still going over in his head how one key opened two doors.

  “How was your day Josh,” Mom inquired.

  “Alright I guess. I'm not very hungry and I'm tired Mom. Thanks for dinner, but I'm going to bed.”

  “Are you sure you're alright?”

  Josh shook his head and left his mom at the table wondering if she should take his temperature. She'd check in on him later just to be sure.

  Josh lay in his bed with the events of the evening still occupying his thoughts. About two hours later, he was still wide awake and his mom opened his door to check on him. He pretended he was sleeping as she checked his head for fever, then finding none, she whispered “goodnight Josh” and went to bed. Josh waited to hear his mom's door click shut. Five minutes later he could hear a soft snoring coming through the walls. Just then it hit him. He sprang out of bed, got Pop's box from his drawer and the gold key from his pants pocket. He turned on the lamp on over his bed and inserted the key into the slot on the back of the box. “Click” It was open. His hands were shaking a bit as pulled a note with Pop's writing from the small opening.

  “Josh, If you're reading this I'm dead. I have two things to say. I miss you Bud!” Josh stopped reading. At that moment it felt as if Pop was right there next to him. A shiver ran up his spine and he returned his gaze to the note. “The second thing I have to say is follow the map and you'll find yourself in a place you'd never think possible. Trust me Josh. I know you're the one for this adventure.”

  Josh put the note down and pulled the map out of the box. He unfolded it and lay it out on the bed. The paper was old and the map lines were made with what appeared to be some coal like substance. Josh sat there on his bed wondering what it all meant. The keys were somehow linked too, but how and what did the strange hardware guy have to do with it? He folded the map back up, put it in the box, and then put the keys and the box in his drawer. He tossed and turn for another few hours, then sat up in the dark of his room waiting for morning light.......

  
  

  
  

  
  

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