Mystery Trunk

Mystery Trunk
by Terry Burres



What the small trunk held was a mystery. I saw it at first under the table at the auction house. It was about the size of a cat carrier that I used to take my small mutt of a dog to the vet. I asked the auctioneer what it was but he didn’t have an idea. The trunk was locked, I was told, and the key was no where to be found.

It was a dreary Tuesday evening. The bidding was as slow as thick mud. I bought a nice lamp for a dollar, a set of bisque ladies for two dollars and seventy five cents, and box of odd glass things for five dollars. I was having such a great time.

By the time the small trunk came up there was only about a handful of us still there. No one, however, wanted to take the chance that the small trunk could be opened safely without ruining it. The auctioneer must have been tired because when I started the bid with a dollar he ended the sale. I was the proud owner of a trunk.

By the time the sale was over, the rain had stopped. A light fog covered the ground dancing under the street lamps in slow swirls. I loaded my car in the spooky stillness.

It was the next morning before I took the time to unload my car. I sorted through my treasures. Some things I would keep while others I would give to members of my family or my friends. The last thing from the car was the trunk.

I took a soft rag and started to clean it. I didn’t realize that it was more of a brown instead of a graying black. The more I clean on the trunk the more excited I became. I was thinking about where I could display it. I had almost decided that if it didn’t open I was still thrilled.

On the bottom of the case in faded blue ink there was something written. I couldn’t make it out. I was afraid to rub too hard. I didn’t want to rub it off in case it was important.

As I was cleaning the lock with a little alcohol and a cotton swab something strange happened. I had taken a swipe at the lock and I heard a very faint metallic sound. I gently swabbed again and was rewarded with another click.

I was thrilled. My hands shook slightly as I continued to apply the alcohol to the small brass opening. My patient work was rewarded when the lock sprung open. I gently opened the lid to that trunk.

A cloud of dust hung in the air above the trunk. Then it swirled up toward the open window. As the cloud neared the open window insects emerged from the churning mass. With a buzz and a flit the whole cloud, bugs and all, fly from the room.

Looking inside the trunk I saw a message written in blue ink. It said, “WARNING!!DO NOT OPEN!! DANGER TO THE WORLD!!”