Nessa Mc Nassa, comes across a strange key. At first she thinks it's rather useless. Despite being a skeleton key (or master key) it will open no lock, and what's the point of having a key that will open no door? But she hold's onto it , and in time she slowly begins to learn its shocking secrets.
"It's meant to be a skeleton key"
Tara informed me with a solemn sigh.
"But it wont open any lock, old or otherwise"
With a raised eyebrow I put down my news paper.
"Well,"
I intoned as I examined the old tarnished key.
"The man did say that it dates back to Victorian times correct?"
The tall brunette nodded her head in agreement.
"Correct."
She replied in a chirp tone as I turned the key over in my hands.
"Well then..."
I said in a matter of fact tone as I placed the key back onto the table top.
"I'm sure it will work perfectly well on a Victorian lock."
With that said I picked up my paper and once again began to read as Tara began to whine beside me.
"But...But... I spent all of my pocket money on it... and now I find out that its completely and utterly useless!"
With eyes closed I released a little sigh. She'd be at this all day. All week even if I didn't do something about it.
"How much was it?"
I asked in a board tone as I considered the key. It was attractive in its own right. Made of a shiny (although currently tarnished) metal, what I wasn't entirely sure (maybe pewter or silver even?). It was long and slender at about 15 centimetres (6 inches) in length . The head of the key was fashioned into the shape of a human skull. Two small garnet stones rested in the eye sockets and winked in the light. I rather liked it really. If I polished it up a bit it would make a nice (if not large) pendent.
"40 Euros, way too much I know, but I thought it would be sort of cool..."
I considered this for a moment.
"I'll give you 25 Euro for it..."
"Deal!"
It wasn't a normal key. Far from it in fact, but I didn't realise this at first. At first I thought it was a key with no purpose. It would fit no lock (to my knowledge) and open no door. For that was the use of a key, to open doors and this key would open no door. To me, the key was totally useless. I was wrong of course, but I wouldn't find that out till much later.
For a long time it merely hung from a silver chain around my neck. Once it was shinned with a little polish of course. Many people commented on how unusual it was, and I took a strange kind of pride in that. My key became a large part of me. I wore it every where I went. To school under my uniform, out as a fashion accessory and even to bed. It was a comfortable weight on my chest and, in a strange way, I knew I would miss it if it wasn't there.
It wasn't until I had owned the key for nearly a year before I noticed something was... off... about it... and it happened in a cliche kind of way as well.
I was walking home for school one winters evening. I left later then usual that evening. I had stayed after class to study for an upcoming exam. it was almost 6 o'clock by the time I left and it was dark out. Very dark and windy too. The weather man had forecasted a storm for that night. I was hoping against all hope that I would make it home before it got too bad.
In my hast to make it home as quickly as possible I cut thought some fields, it should have cut 15 minutes off my walk home. I realised my mistake 10 minutes later. Despite the fact that I knew these fields like the back of my hand (having spent the past fifteen years playing in them) I had gotten myself lost. It wasn't a matter of not knowing my way round the fields.
On a good day, when the weather was good and it was still light out I could easily navigate my way through but with the wind blowing so strongly and the beginnings of heavy rain, adding to the uneven ground and long wild grasses I was hopelessly lost. I couldn't see a thing. So it wasn't too surprising when I dumped into an old abandoned tower house in the middle of one of the fields a full 25 minutes into my 'short cut'.
I was cold and wet and miserable. A terrible combination. With trebling hands I felt my way towards the large wooden door Mr Kelly (the owner of the field) had had put into the doorway of the tower house many years ago. I pushed at the sturdy old door fully expecting it to open then crushed. The door was locked.. It frustrated the hell out of me. With hooded eyes I glared down at the old, rusting lock. A distant part of my mind noted that the lock was big... and the idea strook me. I had a large skeleton key...
It was a long shot, I knew, but I was desperate. I needed the shelter from the elements if only to ring home on my cell and tell my parents that I was ok and only two fields away in the tower house (instead of on the other side of town or walking down a dangerous country road in the dark) . With a little sigh I pulled my key out from under my school jumper and keep it at eye level. I gazed at it with flat eyes.
"I've taken good care of you key,"
I told it in a dead lifeless drone. A tone I only ever took when I was annoyed as hell with someone or something.
"I liberated you off of my psychotic cousin, polished you up and gave you a nice, warm ,dry place to stay."
My eyes narrowed further in a hopeless effort to keep the unrelenting rain out of my eyes, the key remaining in my sight the whole time. The key's silvery skull's head caught in some unseen light and the garnet red eyes flashed at me in such a way, that it almost seemed as if there was a life to the key┘ and there was┘ although I didn't realise it at that moment in time.
"The least you could do for me is open this lock."
With a little shake of my head I closed my eyes and pushed the key into the lock. I was pleasantly surprised to find that The key, did in fact, fit the lock. With a hopeful heart I turned the key slowly and was reworded with a load, audible click. The key had worked. With a satisfied smile I pushed the door open and stepped inside the tower house and closed the door behind me, my eyes remained closed the whole time.
I stood there for a moment with my eyes closed. Simply savouring the fact that I was out of the wind and rain. It was after a few seconds that I noticed the warmth with caused my brows to furrow. The tower house was made entirely of stone. Its walls over a meter thick (about 3 feet 3 inches), so it was cool even in summer. Absolutely freezing in winter.
With some confusion I opened my eyes to a startling discovery. I was in the hall of my house. I blinked once. Then twice. Then I rubbed my eyes, in total disbelieve. I turned round and stared at the white front door, then down at the key in my hand. Its red eyes glowed eerily in its silver skull and its fixed skeletal grin seemed somehow wider.
"Ah! There you are Nessa, dear,"
I jumped at the sudden voice of my mother and whipped around quickly to stare at her, hiding the key behind my back like a guilty child. My mother eyed me for a second before continuing on her rant.
"I was beginning to worry about you! Why didn't you call me and tell me you were going to be late?"
I could do noting but continue to stare at her with gazed eyes. I was still too confused (not to mention freaked out )about what had just happened. My mother either didn't notice my distress of chose to ignore it continued on with a shake of her head.
"Never mind..."
She sighed and shook her head.
"go upstairs and change, dinners ready."
I didn't respond verbally, merely trudged up the stares to my room. I didn't utter a word for the rest of the evening. Which earned me some odd stares from my family. But to be honest, even if an UFO crash landed in my living room that night and Elvis himself jumped out and began to sing 'Love Me Tender' I wouldn't have been more surprised then I was then.
I went to bed early that night. My key resting heavily on my chest. For the first time it wasn't such a comforting presence, but for the life of me I couldn▓t take it off.