it was now the night of my eighteenth birthday and i decided to spend it at home with my mother, father, younger brother, younger sister, and two young cousins my parents had adopted after my aunt had died due to liver failure. i had moved out a few days after graduating high school, which was only a month ago, due to the crowdedness of the three bed room house.
Lillian had a neighbor who was a land lord of an apartment complex a few blocks away for the beach near the coffee shop, and only a fifteen minute walk to my parents house. She was kind enough to let me rent it for only five hundred a month as long as I kept the place in good shape and didn't get any complaints from the neighbours.
I wasn't the nicest place, and it wasn't the biggest, and my neighbours were loud as hell, but it was home and it was mine and I loved it for that very reason.
After diner, cake and a present from my loving family- help with my first months rent- I decided to go down to Lillian's house a few blocks away.
Lillian lived in a nice upper middle class neighborhood filled with mostly families and old retired couples. As I was walking toward her house the wind picked up a bit of a chill and breeze so I flipped up the collar on my grey peacoat.
Then the breeze got stronger and I heard a terrible wheezing noise. As I looked around for the source of the wretched noise I was in utter shock to find a big blue police box only ten or so feet behind me.
I blinked a few times thinking I was just seeing things, because I could swear on my life that there was no box there less then three seconds ago. The the box opened on the side facing the street and out walked a man he looked around for a second fixed his bowtie and muttered to himself something that sounded like "no this isn't right" with some kind of British accent.
Then the man in the bowtie turned my way and noticed me. I briefly made eye contact with him but quickly I could feel feel the sensation that I get right before I am bombarded with someone's thoughts, history and emotions. It feels as if your jumping off of the worlds tallest building and all the air leaves your lungs and the ground has vanished from under your feet, but right as I felt that start I looked away.
"Are you alright" he asked in a slightly suspicious yet concerned tone. I gave slight breathy chuckle " yeah. Just kinda cold is all."
"Well it would be best to get inside, don't wanna catch a cold." He replied.
I smiled a little and gave a nod, "yeah, the last thing I need is that." I nodded goodnight and continued to walk.
When I got to Lillian's house i walked in side and was immediately bathed in warmth. There was a fire roaring in the living room and the smell of baking cookies permeated the air. I shrugged off my coat and through it over a chair in the dining room and put my purse on the table.
I walked over to were Lillian was baking like crazing in the kitchen gave her a kiss on the cheek and stool a cookie. "What's all this" I asked gesturing to the mountains of baked goods plied up on the counters and table. She stopped her rapid whisking for a second and pushed her dark hair from her eyes and turned to me "new recipes I wanna tryout for treats in the shop." She beamed. "And you have impeccable timing," she pointed at me with the wooden spoon she was using to mix the concoction in the bowl. " I need a guinepig to test this out, and quite frankly I don't trust my own cooking."
"I don't think I trust it either," I mumbled picking up some thing that resembled a green chocolate chip cookie. "But I'll endure it because something in here actually does smell really good." And so the night continued with eating tasty treats and watching old black and white movies.
Lillian fell asleep on the couch and I got up to go to the bathroom. While I was walking down the hall I passed the big armour that sat up against the wall and stopped walking. And thought back to a time when I was very young.
I was running down the hall chasing Lillian's grumpy old cat Waldo. In my efforts to pick up the cat I tripped over a wrinkle in the rug and landed on my bum right in front of the big armour. I looked up at it with eyes big as saucers, the piece of furniture didn't seem to be just a piece of furniture. It had a presence to it, almost like it was alive and it was calling to me, whispering my name. "Keely... Keely...keely."
I stood up and straitened out the wrinkles in my pants and reached up to twist the nob. It clicked and before I could open it I heard Lillian behind me. "Keely. Close the door." I did as I was told and turned around to face Lillian. She crouched down to my height and looked me in the eye, " until I say you are not to open that door." And all I could do was nod.
I ran my fingers over the delicate design s carved into it and heard it singing to me again, like it did for the first time in all the years sense it first did. "Keely...keely. Keely... Keely." I tore my hand away and continued down the hall to my original destination.
