By Vincenza
"Mommy!" yelled a little girl who looked around the age of seven, running towards a beautiful woman in the lounge.
"What do you want, Elizabeth?" the woman replied harshly.
"Look what I drew for you, Mommy!" Elizabeth said excitedly handing the woman the drawing that was actually quite good considering her age. The woman looked at the picture.
"One of the arms is longer than the other one," the woman criticized and threw the picture at the little girl. Elizabeth watched the paper float down. Her heart broke every time it got closer to the floor. When it hit the floor, a single tear ran down her cheek. As she bent down to pick up the picture, a little girl ran out of the room that Elizabeth just came from. She was also carrying a picture. She ran towards the beautiful woman.
"Here, Mommy, I drew this for you," the little girl said, handing her mother the picture that looked much worse than Elizabeth's picture.
The mother looked at it. "Oh, Aurora, it's beautiful!" the mother exclaimed as she walked into a separate room with her daughter, Aurora. The room was separated from the other room by sliding doors. They entered the room leaving Elizabeth all alone crying on the floor.
The maid walked into the room where Elizabeth was and saw her crying. The maid rushed to Elizabeth. "What's wrong, Sweetie?" the maid asked, pulling her into a hug.
"My mother doesn't love me," Elizabeth cried on the maid's shoulder.
"Yes, she does" Yvette, the maid, said. "I'm going to talk to your mother." Yvette walked into the room where the mother and Aurora were talking, laughing and gossiping and closed the two large, wooden sliding doors.
"Mrs. Kensinton, may I talk to you for a minute?" Yvette asked firmly.
"Oh, Well, of course," Mrs. Kensinton said, giggling from a joke earlier. "Aurora, dear, go in the other room while I talk to Yvette." Aurora walked out of the room into the kitchen. "Now, Yvette, what's this all about?" she asked pouring herself a glass of wine.
"I want to talk to you about Elizabeth," Yvette said confidently.
"What about her?" Mrs. Kensinton sighed as she got comfortable on the recliner and put her drink on the nice table carved from the best wood.
"What about her?" Yvette mocked and walked over to Mrs. Kensinton. "Elizabeth is in the other room crying her eyes out!"
"Oh, well. She's a big girl. She can take care of herself," Mrs. Kensinton said, not giving a care in the world.
"She is only seven," Yvette pointed out.
"And your point?" Mrs., Kensinton said with the same attitude.
"Mrs. Kensinton, you don't think I see what goes on around you, Aurora, and Elizabeth," Yvette said. "Well, I do. I see what you do to Elizabeth. You ignore her. You treat her like dirt and you don't love her. Oh! But when it comes to Aurora, you favor her," Yvette said. It was true. Mrs. Kensinton began to feel a little uneasy because she knew it was true.
Mrs. Kensinton got up in a hurry and started walking around the room. Yvette closely followed. "No, I don't," she denied.
"Yes, you do. I've seen it happen all the time around here. You always ignore Elizabeth, always," Mrs. Kensinton walked around the room hyperventilating with Yvette right behind following her every move as she kept talking. Mrs. Kensinton leaned against a corner and said, "Elizabeth is our daughter." Suddenly, Mrs. Kensinton looked at Yvette with rage. "You are exactly right. Elizabeth is my daughter and it should be none of your business what I do with her."
"Now, Mrs..."
"Don't you Mrs. Kensinton me, young lady. Now go back to your work before I fire you!" Mrs. Kensinton demanded.
"But..."
"Now!" she screamed. Yvette left the room. "The nerve of that woman." She muttered to herself as she sat down in the recliner and picked up her drink. She went back to her business and decided to take a nap.
Suddenly, the Grandfather entered the house. He was the Mrs.' father. He loved both of his granddaughters very much. Sometimes Mrs. Kensinton felt jealous of her own daughters when it came to her father. He always spoiled them, however, when it came to his own daughter, he gave her anything she wanted. She knew it, too, but he didn't show any "love" toward her.
"Hello!" the old man called, walking through the front door. "Is anybody home?" he called looking through the _?
"Grandpa!" The two girls came running into the arms of the old man.
"Hello, my dears. Have you two been good for your mom?" the grandfather asked with a smile on his face.
"Of course, Grandpa" the two girls replied simultaneously.
The whole time, the mother had been watching enviously. Finally, she decided to say hello to her father.
"Hello, Dad," she said walking into the room to join them. She walked in casually. You never would have guessed how jealous she was at that moment. She hugged her father. Pulling away, she asked, "How have you been?"
"I've been doing well," he replied with a grin on his face.
"Well, that's good," she said. She bent down and looked at the girls. "Girls, why don't you go wash up and get ready for dinner," the mother suggested.
"So, how have you been?" the grandfather asked trying to start a conversation.
"I've been doing well. Why are you here?" the mother asked knowing her father had to have a reason for visiting.
"Ha, you know me all too well, don't you, Gracie?" the grandfather asked as he sat down on one side of the love seat and she sat down in a matching chair. In response to his question, she stared down at his feet. She was obviously in a daze.
"Well, to answer your question," he said, straightening up which caused his feet to move which caused Gracie to snap out of it. "I came here to write my will," he declared.
"What?" she asked.
"You heard correctly. I'm getting old and there is something very important to this family, which somebody has been destined to have. Now, don't worry. You're getting your share of the money. But what I have in store is more important than money." He said.
"Dad, I am very flattered that you chose me." She was cut off by her father.
"I didn't say you were going to get it," he said.
"What? Then why are you here?"
"I'm here because I want Elizabeth to inherit it," he stated.
"Well, Dad, what is it?" she asked absolutely furious that her father didn't choose her.
"Do you remember that box that was in your mother's room?" he asked.
"Wait a second. Do you mean to tell me that a seven year old little girl is going to INHERIT A TEN MILLION DOLLAR BOX!" She was past angry and jealous. He voice raised with each word.
"Well, it's not the box itself," he said. "It's what is inside the box."
"Oh, then what is inside the box?" she asked a bit annoyed.
"That is something I can't tell you," he said, scared of what his daughter might say to his answer.
"Why can't you tell me?" she asked impatiently. She was trying to keep her temper down.
"Because it's not the right time," he said simply.
"What makes you think that it's not the right time?"
"Your mother," he said sadly, remembering his wife.
"Dad, mother is dead," she said, "and she's not coming back. You're an adult. You should know this." She was disappointed in her father for he did not move on and he was acting like a child.
"I know she's dead but something tells me she doesn't want me to say!" he yelled, every word getting louder.
"Why?"
"Because I have not found the key yet."
"The key! Why does the key matter?"
Suddenly, he grabbed her face and she looked into his eyes. She saw craziness. "Because I need the key to open the box," he whispered, his breathing heavy.
"Where is it? She asked as he let go of her face.
"I don't know. Your mother said it was somewhere unexpected and I've looked everywhere unexpected."
"Why are you giving it to Elizabeth?" she asked.
"Because it was written in your mother's will."
Elizabeth wasn't even born when Mother died. I was only ten years old when she died," she said confused.
"I know," he replied.
"I didn't even know Mother had a will," she stated, looking up at her father as he started to pace around the room.
"I found out when the lawyer came to the door last week," he replied.
"How did mother know to write her will?" she asked.
"I don't know. During the last few days before she died, she was a little paranoid. It was like. she knew she was going to die!" he said, trailing off and going into a daze. He realized he was dazing out and snapped out of it. Gracie looked a little guilty. The grandfather noticed this and couldn't figure out why, but Gracie knew why. She knew everything about the "accident", probably more than her father knew, and definitely more than the police knew.
- Flashback -
A beautiful woman dabbed perfume on her wrists and rubbed them together. She started to brush her hair softly with a soft bristle brush. While she brushed her hair, a little girl stood in the doorway. She was obviously the woman's daughter because she looked exactly like her. The little girl had blond hair and blue eyes and just about every little feature resembled the woman's, except the eyes. There was hatred in the little girl's eyes. Her blue eyes were cold with an icy stare to match. The woman's eyes, however, were kind, warm and gentle. You could tell when you looked at her eyes, her surroundings, and her actions that she had the dream lifestyle. She had a perfect, loving husband, a loving daughter who respected her parents (that's how it appeared to her parents and everyone else), a big house, servants who waited on her hand and foot, and money. She was a "people person". She was a good, Christian woman. She went to church every Sunday. She prayed before she ate. She was a firm believer in Christ. Her husband was the same way.
The little girl looked at her mother. "Hello, Gracie," the mother greeted her daughter. "What are you doing today?" the mother asked.
"I don't know," Gracie replied. Gracie looked at the box. It was beautiful. It was all silver with diamonds on the top, two centimeters in diameter, along the perimeter. It was so beautiful. In the center, a riddle was written in tiny diamonds. It said,
"Wealth is for the poor,
For what I have in store
Is so much more."
No one knew what was in the box. Everyone except Clara, the woman, didn't know. Clara would never tell anyone, and she wouldn't make an excuse or comment on the question. She would just ignore the question. Suddenly, Gracie got an idea. "Mother, would you like to go for a walk?" Gracie asked sweetly.
"I'd love to, Gracie. Let me get my parasol, and we're on our way." The mother left to get her parasol out of the walk-in closet.
The two left the room together and they were walking down the stairs when, all of a sudden, Gracie pushed her mother down the stairs.
- End of Flashback -
"We have to start looking for the key," Gracie said.
"It's nowhere to be found," the Grandfather complained.
"Do you even know what's in the box?" Gracie asked.
"No."
"Have you tried breaking open the box," She asked.
It's no use. The box is silver through and through," he said.
"Where is the box?" she asked.
"Where your mother left it," he replied.
"We can't tell anyone about this," she suggested.
"You're right. We'll discuss this in a more confidential area," he agreed. Little did they know, they were being overheard right then. Yvette heard everything from beginning to end. The door leading to the kitchen was not even half-open but open just enough for Yvette to eavesdrop. Yvette couldn't believe what she was hearing, and, the best part, was Elizabeth was inheriting it. Dear, sweet Elizabeth, who trusted her. Yvette had an evil plan forming in her head to get that box, and whatever was inside. "It must be gold, diamonds, and rubies in that box," Yvette thought greedily. Yvette's plan to get that box would surely work as long as Elizabeth trusted her.
At dinner, nothing happened. No one talked, afraid they would spill something. The children never talked unless they were spoken to at the dinner table.
In the girls' room, the girls were talking about their grandfather. "Aurora, what do you think Grandpa and Mother were talking about?" Elizabeth asked curiously.
"I don't know. I heard something about a key," Aurora replied.
"Maybe Grandpa lost his key again," Elizabeth said. Aurora laughed.
"Remember what happened last time?" Aurora asked.
"Yeah, he had to come here so he could get Mother's key," Elizabeth said laughing.
"Oh yeah, and then she lost that. They were running around the house like crazy people," the two girls laughed at the memory and decided it was time for bed.
In the middle of the night, Elizabeth was awakened by a bright light. She rubbed her eyes and saw a person. a lady. The lady was glowing. She was very pale and had a bright light around her. She was dressed in a beautiful white gown. The lady looked exactly like Elizabeth's mother except for here eyes, which were kind and gentle, unlike her mother's cold eyes with an icy glare
"Elizabeth, follow me,' the lady said. Elizabeth got out of her bed and slowly walked out of her bedroom. Suddenly, she was in her Grandfather's house. The ghost just kept moving toward the bedroom. The bedroom, which belonged to Elizabeth's grandfather, looked different from the last time she saw it. Perfume and makeup were on the dresser. Women's clothes were in the closet. "Elizabeth, I need to tell you where the key is hidden," the lady said. "Elizabeth, the key is hidden in."
"Elizabeth, wake up," Yvette, the maid, whispered trying to wake her up.
"It was a dream," Elizabeth thought as she sat up. She looked around her room. Her eyes landed on Yvette.
"Elizabeth, c'mon, let's talk," Yvette said. Elizabeth just nodded, still in shock from what had happened.
Yvette took them into the den and sat down on the couch. "Elizabeth, are you okay, dear? You look a little flushed." She was right. Elizabeth went from pale to a reddish color.
"Yes, I'm feeling fine. I just had a strange dream," she said.
"What did you dream about?" Yvette asked.
"I was asleep, and then, this ghost lady woke me up. She told me to follow her and I did. Suddenly, we were at Grandpa's house, in his room, and she was about to tell me where the key was hidden," Elizabeth said, completely clueless about how important that key was.
"Well, where is the key?" Yvette asked, trying not to sound too excited.
"You woke me up before I could find out." She said.
"Wait. You said that you were in the bedroom, right?"
"Right, however, there was something different about the room," Elizabeth said and yawned.
"What things?" Yvette asked.
"There was makeup and women's clothes were in the closet," Elizabeth said.
"Oh, really," Yvette said.
"Yes, and the ghost looked just like mommy except the eyes were different. They were nice and didn't look evil like mommy's eyes do.
"You can go back to bed now," Yvette said, satisfied with the information that she got out of the little girl.
When Elizabeth shut the door to her room, Yvette ran to get the spare keys. She remembered that the grandfather was staying there for a few nights.
Yvette started the car and drove to the grandfather's house as fast as she could. When she arrived at his old house, she unlocked the door and ran upstairs into the bedroom. She started throwing thins left and right. "Where is it?" she kept repeating, as she looked for the key. She was there for about two hours before she gave up. She was furious.
She arrived back at the house at exactly 2p.m. "Yvette, where have you been?" Mrs. Kensinton asked.
"I just went for a walk," Yvette said.
"Yvette, don't do it again," she warned. The whole day was boring. Nothing happened. As for Elizabeth, she didn't have the dream ever again until that one night.
It was exactly ten years from the night when Yvette went to the grandfather's house. The twins were now seventeen years old. Things are the same. Their mother favors one daughter and ignores the other. The grandfather and the mother stopped looking for the key about a month ago. Elizabeth still trusted Yvette, and Yvette was taking it for granted.
They were at the funeral of their grandfather. It was a foggy and gloomy day. A casket was being lowered into the ground. Everyone present was mourning their loss. Later, at the party, everyone was saying that they were sorry for what had happened. The girls hated the attention, but the mother loved it. Elizabeth decided she wanted to be alone. She was standing at her dear grandfather's grave. She started at the stone. No expression was on her face, just tears flowing down her cheeks.
"It's sad, isn't it?" a woman dressed in black asked. Elizabeth quickly wiped her eyes and turned around.
"Yeah," she replied. She looked down at the grave and started to cry a little. "So, you knew my grandfather?" she asked.
"Yes, very well," the woman said. Elizabeth looked at her, but couldn't see her face. A black hat created a shadow that covered half of her face.
"How did you know him?" she asked. She turned her head back to the grave.
The woman moved closer to her "old friend". The woman replied simple. There was something familiar about the woman's voice. "Your grandfather wanted you to have this." The woman handed Elizabeth a note. Elizabeth took the not and opened it. "The key is in the ." Elizabeth couldn't read the last word. It was smudged. "Hey!" Elizabeth yelled and turned around. She saw the woman run away and disappear.
That night, Elizabeth told Yvette what happened. She even told her about the note. "May I see the not", Yvette asked. Elizabeth was hesitant. "Come on. You can trust me," Yvette pushed.
It only took those words to make Elizabeth hand her the note. Yvette now had Elizabeth where she wanted her. Elizabeth would do anything for her because she trusted her. She would tell Yvette anything. Yvette did not even feel bad about taking advantage of , as long as she would get whatever was in that box, she was happy.
While Elizabeth slept, she had the same dream. She was in her grandfather's house. It looked like it did the last time she had the dream. "The key is in the." Then she heard a loud thump. She ran toward the sound. She saw a woman fall down the stairs and the key fell out of her pocket. She saw the woman's hand move to push the key underneath the carpet before dying. Elizabeth ran to get the key but woke up. Elizabeth started at the ceiling for a few hours thinking about what had happened. Finally, she fell asleep.