Hi my name is Sophie. Sophie Warren to be exact. I'm 18 with straight brown hair with hazel eyes. I was abandoned by my parents when I was a baby but, I don't remember anything. I live with my grandparents, or my grandmother right now. Today is the day of my grandfather's funeral. (He died of old age.) He was a very interesting man who was one of a kind just like everything he owned. When he died it was tough sorting out the will so many things had to go to so many people. My grandfather lived to be 108, and his name was Edward Bailey. He left me a golden key. Yes it was real gold and very over sized. It had a golden head of Gabriel, the angel at the very end of it. Little did I know what it unlocked.
Saturday morning, 9:00 a.m.
"Hello miss, how can I help you today?" asked the burly hardware man.
"Um, well I was wondering what this key might unlock." I said timidly.
"Well I don't know, do you have any trunks or locked doors in your house?"
"No, not that don't have a key." I answered.
"Well I don't know what to tell you this key doesn't look like any regular key. Who gave it to you?" He asked.
"Um my grandfather." I answered.
"Oh you mean Mr. Bailey!" he blurted. See that's what I love about this town: Star's Hollow. Everyone knows everyone and everything.
"Um yeah" I answered.
"Well sorry miss I can't help you but here" he thrust a business card at me.
I took it, "What's this?" I asked.
"It's my cousins business card, he owns a hardware store in New York. It's said to be magical where you can always find the answer." he said in a mystical voice.
"Um well ok thanks a bunch!" I said in a flurry of words.
"Oh you're welcome miss. Have a nice day!" he said turning his back on me to work on a lock. I left the store in a hurry to get to my car. I sat there and looked at the business card. It read:
Chinco's Hardware Store!
Where we unlock your questions!
I had a lot of questions by the time I got home. I called my best friend Lucy. I told her all about my experience with hardware man and about the golden key. She said
"Omgiggles!!!!!!!!" (It was her new saying) "I'm going to New York Monday! If you want me to I'll take your key to get it looked at!"
"Um I don't know why don't you and I go to Jeff's for lunch?" I asked.
"Sure! See you a 12! Bye!" she responded.
"Bye" I said, but she had already hung up. I put the phone back on the cradle and went up to my room to think.
Next thing I knew I heard the door slam. "Sophie?" I heard my grandmother call "Are you home?"
"Yes mamn I'm upstairs." At 8 in the morning she had a book club that ended at 10.
"Ok, well come on down lets make some cookies." When she was sad or bored or happy she cooked. "Um well I'm going to lunch with Lucy and I want to get a book at the library." I said quickly.
"Ok darling well I going to have the knitting club over for lunch" She informed me. She has been doing a lot of things with her clubs recently to take her mind off of Gramps.
"Ok have fun" I said getting antsy.
"Well put on a sweater It's kind of chilly for early June." she said.
"Ok I will" I said grabbing my keys.
Bye" I said halfway out the door.
I could hear a "bye" when I closed the door.
"Well what have you decided?" Lucy asked impatiently.
"Well I think that…" I stopped.
"Well" she prompted.
"I think… I guess so." I said.
"Ok well does it have a case?" she asked.
"What do you mean?" I asked a little confused.
"I mean like a little box you keep it in." she responded.
"Oh um no not that I know of I just keep it in my wallet."
"Ok well do you want to come by Sunday and give it to me" she asked.
"Sure I call you" I said suddenly wanting to get out.
"Ok well keep in touch" she said
"Bye!" she called but I was already gone.
Sunday morning 10:00.
"Hey Lucy, can I come over now?"
"Sure but will you help me pack?"
"Yeah I'll be right there"
"Bye!"
"Bye"
I put the phone on the cradle and rushed out the door.
"Hey Soph"
I heard Lucy call. For some weird reason I rushed upstairs as if it was the last time I would see her. Little did I know.
"Sophie?" I heard my Grandmother call.
"Yes mamn?"
"It's Mrs. Walker." She was Lucy's mom. I could see tears in her eyes as I approached her at the kitchen table. Mrs. Walker was with Lucy in New York and it was 12:00 at night here in Louisiana so, I knew it was early in the morning there.
I took the phone "Hello?"
"Sophie?"
"Yes mamn?
Mrs. Walker stifled a sob "It's Lucy."
"What happened?" taking a sideways glance a Gram who was avoiding eye contact.
"She…She's dead." She ended in a whisper.
I felt like I was just punched in the gut with a 10 ton brick.
"What?" I asked my voice barely a whisper.
"Yes a car was being careless and backed up into her taxi" I was speechless.
"She was in a coma for 4 hours, and they just pronounced her dead."
My legs felt like lead and I had to sit down.
"Well I have to go so I guess I will see you when I get back."
"Yes mamn" I said each word feeling dry in my mouth.
"Bye sleep well" As if I could do that.
"Bye you too" I gave the phone back to Gram and went to my room and tried to get some sleep.
I had a restless sleep last night and