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Description
The Search
Prompt #7
12/16/12

It was an odd tradition of ours: The Search.

None of my still-breathing family knew who started it or why, but they didn’t question. They simply searched without thought, seeing it a fun Christmas activity for the whole family.

The whole family, that is, except me.

What was the point? Search for the stupid key, put it in the stupid lock, and get the stupid prize, which was very stupid, if I might add. Some silly stuffed Santa Claus or new ornament to add to the tacky tree. I hadn’t won once, of course, but that didn’t add to my sour attitude towards the whole routine. I didn’t try, anyways. Who cared?

Out of my three other brothers and five sisters, only one actually truly enjoyed it, excluding my parents, which actually thought that all of us liked The Search. She was nine years old, the youngest of us all, me being the ignored middle child of fifteen.

Despite her desperate attempts at victory each year, she hadn’t won once. She was a good sport, always congratulating the sarcastic brother or sister that flaunted their prize before throwing into the garbage secretly that night. But I always saw the way she sulked in the corner the next day- on Christmas. I felt bad for her, so I would always sit beside her on the couch when we unwrapped gifts, though do nothing more than that. I wasn’t very good at comforting, or being a ‘good brother’.

But this year was different.

It was the first year ever that we had gotten snow- it was a freakish accident of Mother Nature, I thought. Snow, in Southern Florida? The world was all screwed up, it seemed. But the snow sparked something in Lila- my little sister. I saw the way her odd brown eyes shined. They were shining in confidence- she had an idea to secure her win this year, I knew she did.
Christmas Eve; it was time to begin. The nine of us all shuffled into the living room and squeezed like sardines in a can onto the pair of couches, as was routine each year, and waited for mom and dad to show up.

They did, of course. They always did, with that same happy expression on their face, like they were doing something to bond the family.

Pff. As if.

“Everybody ready to Search?” Without answer, mom steamed ahead. “Okay, you guys know what to do. The key is somewhere on this property. Find it, open the case, and you get the prize inside.” Between mom’s blood-red finger nails was a small silver box with a keyhole in the center, its surface smooth and plain. I never liked that box- it was so… normal. If it had been more intricate or pretty, I might have tried. Maybe.

“Go!” As usual, little Lila leaped to her feet and dashed into one of the house’s many hallways, while the rest of us sauntered around, half-heartedly looking beneath and inside of possible hiding places. Our big house was full of tinks and clinks as objects were rearranged and feet thudded against the floor. It was more alive this night than it ever was- most of the time, everybody was locked in their rooms or sitting in one place, minding themselves. But The Search was mandatory family time, so all of the hermits emerged from their bedrooms for twenty-four hours a year on Christmas Eve and day.

It went on for an hour and a half, and I was just about ready to slip into my room until somebody found it when the front door crashed open, colliding into the wall behind. Everybody whirled to face the commotion, shivering involuntarily as unusually cold air flowed from the opening.

“I found it! I found it!” Lila danced in the doorway, her fist thrust into the air with the tiny silver key nestled between her fingers. I stood up from the couch, where I was supposedly ‘looking’ behind some pillows. Despite myself, a smile curled my lips. She had won, and I was happy for her.

Dad came rushing into the front room, trying to find the source of the crash. When he set eyes on his daughter, a small, half-smile painted his face. “Good job, Lila. You get the prize.”

She looked surprised, which in turn surprised me. She seemed to have forgotten about her reward. I thought that that was the whole drive for her Searching? Maybe she just wanted the pride from winning.

She crossed to the little container resting on the coffee table, and clicked it open. Inside the plush purple fabric lay a glittering white snowflake ornament. Gently Lila cradled it in her hands and lifted it from its nest, inspecting it. She didn’t smile nor frown- she just gazed. After a brief moment, she padded to the grand Christmas tree and placed the snowflake on a branch near the middle, allowing it to be the centerpiece.

Everybody was quiet- some even seemed ticked off. I hadn’t realized they had liked winning, but apparently this was so. They didn’t like being shown up by a little sister.

“Alright everyone, time for bed. Tomorrow is Christmas!” With that, Dad turned and marched up the stairs to his and mom’s bedroom, shutting the door and clicking off the light.

* * *

“Kyle.” Something was shaking my shoulder. I rolled over and grunted, wanting the disturber to get the message.

“Kyle!” Something sharp poked me in the back, and I instantly sat up, yelping in pain. My bedside lamp snapped on, flooding the room with artificial light and making my eyes burn.

“Ow. Ow. Ow.” I muttered, squinting through the blinding light at whatever had so rudely disturbed my nice sleep. I saw a mane of shining brown hair in the darkness, and sighed. “What do you need, Lila?”

“Come on. I need to show you something.” She tugged at my arm, and I growled, totally and completely annoyed. I kind of wanted to sleep on Christmas Eve. But I could see there was no way I was going to get her to give up, so grudgingly I rolled out of bed.

My little sister insistently tugged my arm the whole way to the living room, like I didn’t know the way there. “We can see the presents in the morning, Lila. Santa probably hasn’t come yet.”

“It’s not the presents.” She said, continuing to pull me through the hallways.
We stepped into the dimly lit living room, the only lighting coming from the glowing Christmas lights outside. The room looked just as we had left it that night, as I expected. Santa’s cookies and milk lay untouched on the center table, and no new presents lay beneath the tree or stuffed into the eleven stockings crowding the fireplace. So why did she want to come here?

“Mom let me keep the key for the night, because I wanted it.” She said in stage whisper, as if I should know that mom gave her everything because she wanted it. Which was only partially true; we actually weren’t as spoiled as some might think.

Lila released me and clambered onto the couch, balancing on the sofa arm. “Lila, be careful! What are you doing?” She didn’t answer. Balancing precariously on her toes, she reached to the top of the tree and pulled off the big silver star that had been so perfectly rested before. I wanted to rip my hair out, but settled for angrily smoothing it. “Now we have to put that back up! Lila, I’m sure Santa will be here any minute, we should just go back to b--“

“Kyle. Look.” Slowly, as if she was holding the most valuable thing imaginable to man, she turned over the Bethlehem Star, pointing to a tiny black marking at the base of the last point. Narrowing my eyes, I leaned closer to what she was pointing at.

It was a keyhole.

I blinked, confused for a moment, before the logic donned on me. “You don’t actually think that will work? Lila, the key is centuries old, I don’t thi-“
“So is the star. Mom said that the star had been passed down through our family. We need to try.” The star did look quite old, and it looked hand-crafted. Made of silver metal that had turned warped or rusted on some points, it had extremely intricate, beautiful designs chiseled throughout in the forms of reindeer and vines. At the bottom there was a carving of a tiny chest, with the keyhole in the middle.

I sighed, falling silent for a bit. What could it hurt? It was doubtful anything was inside. We could just open it, put it back on the tree, and get back to bed before Old Saint Nick ‘slid down the chimney’.

“Okay, Lila. Go ahead.” I kneeled next to my sister, the star set carefully in front of us on the coffee table. Lila’s eyes were glittering with anticipation. Slowly, ever so slowly, she pulled the key from her pink monkey’s pajama pocket and slid it into the star. It was a perfect fit.

I took a breath, staring hard at the star. Maybe something could be inside. An ancient message? A gift from our great-great-great-great grandparents?

Before I could gather my thoughts, Lila was twisting the key. A soft popping sound whispered from the keyhole. I looked over at her to find her looking back at me. I nodded, and we looked back to the mystery before us. Lila gently set her finger on the chest, slipping her fingernail between the hairline crack that traveled the perimeter of the star. And then she opened it.

Our faces glowed in the magic that burst forth.

* * *

Story (c) Sunshockk.deviantart.com

Description
The Search
Prompt #7
12/16/12

It was an odd tradition of ours: The Search.

None of my still-breathing family knew who started it or why, but they didn’t question. They simply searched without thought, seeing it a fun Christmas activity for the whole family.

The whole family, that is, except me.

What was the point? Search for the stupid key, put it in the stupid lock, and get the stupid prize, which was very stupid, if I might add. Some silly stuffed Santa Claus or new ornament to add to the tacky tree. I hadn’t won once, of course, but that didn’t add to my sour attitude towards the whole routine. I didn’t try, anyways. Who cared?

Out of my three other brothers and five sisters, only one actually truly enjoyed it, excluding my parents, which actually thought that all of us liked The Search. She was nine years old, the youngest of us all, me being the ignored middle child of fifteen.

Despite her desperate attempts at victory each year, she hadn’t won once. She was a good sport, always congratulating the sarcastic brother or sister that flaunted their prize before throwing into the garbage secretly that night. But I always saw the way she sulked in the corner the next day- on Christmas. I felt bad for her, so I would always sit beside her on the couch when we unwrapped gifts, though do nothing more than that. I wasn’t very good at comforting, or being a ‘good brother’.

But this year was different.

It was the first year ever that we had gotten snow- it was a freakish accident of Mother Nature, I thought. Snow, in Southern Florida? The world was all screwed up, it seemed. But the snow sparked something in Lila- my little sister. I saw the way her odd brown eyes shined. They were shining in confidence- she had an idea to secure her win this year, I knew she did.
Christmas Eve; it was time to begin. The nine of us all shuffled into the living room and squeezed like sardines in a can onto the pair of couches, as was routine each year, and waited for mom and dad to show up.

They did, of course. They always did, with that same happy expression on their face, like they were doing something to bond the family.

Pff. As if.

“Everybody ready to Search?” Without answer, mom steamed ahead. “Okay, you guys know what to do. The key is somewhere on this property. Find it, open the case, and you get the prize inside.” Between mom’s blood-red finger nails was a small silver box with a keyhole in the center, its surface smooth and plain. I never liked that box- it was so… normal. If it had been more intricate or pretty, I might have tried. Maybe.

“Go!” As usual, little Lila leaped to her feet and dashed into one of the house’s many hallways, while the rest of us sauntered around, half-heartedly looking beneath and inside of possible hiding places. Our big house was full of tinks and clinks as objects were rearranged and feet thudded against the floor. It was more alive this night than it ever was- most of the time, everybody was locked in their rooms or sitting in one place, minding themselves. But The Search was mandatory family time, so all of the hermits emerged from their bedrooms for twenty-four hours a year on Christmas Eve and day.

It went on for an hour and a half, and I was just about ready to slip into my room until somebody found it when the front door crashed open, colliding into the wall behind. Everybody whirled to face the commotion, shivering involuntarily as unusually cold air flowed from the opening.

“I found it! I found it!” Lila danced in the doorway, her fist thrust into the air with the tiny silver key nestled between her fingers. I stood up from the couch, where I was supposedly ‘looking’ behind some pillows. Despite myself, a smile curled my lips. She had won, and I was happy for her.

Dad came rushing into the front room, trying to find the source of the crash. When he set eyes on his daughter, a small, half-smile painted his face. “Good job, Lila. You get the prize.”

She looked surprised, which in turn surprised me. She seemed to have forgotten about her reward. I thought that that was the whole drive for her Searching? Maybe she just wanted the pride from winning.

She crossed to the little container resting on the coffee table, and clicked it open. Inside the plush purple fabric lay a glittering white snowflake ornament. Gently Lila cradled it in her hands and lifted it from its nest, inspecting it. She didn’t smile nor frown- she just gazed. After a brief moment, she padded to the grand Christmas tree and placed the snowflake on a branch near the middle, allowing it to be the centerpiece.

Everybody was quiet- some even seemed ticked off. I hadn’t realized they had liked winning, but apparently this was so. They didn’t like being shown up by a little sister.

“Alright everyone, time for bed. Tomorrow is Christmas!” With that, Dad turned and marched up the stairs to his and mom’s bedroom, shutting the door and clicking off the light.

* * *

“Kyle.” Something was shaking my shoulder. I rolled over and grunted, wanting the disturber to get the message.

“Kyle!” Something sharp poked me in the back, and I instantly sat up, yelping in pain. My bedside lamp snapped on, flooding the room with artificial light and making my eyes burn.

“Ow. Ow. Ow.” I muttered, squinting through the blinding light at whatever had so rudely disturbed my nice sleep. I saw a mane of shining brown hair in the darkness, and sighed. “What do you need, Lila?”

“Come on. I need to show you something.” She tugged at my arm, and I growled, totally and completely annoyed. I kind of wanted to sleep on Christmas Eve. But I could see there was no way I was going to get her to give up, so grudgingly I rolled out of bed.

My little sister insistently tugged my arm the whole way to the living room, like I didn’t know the way there. “We can see the presents in the morning, Lila. Santa probably hasn’t come yet.”

“It’s not the presents.” She said, continuing to pull me through the hallways.
We stepped into the dimly lit living room, the only lighting coming from the glowing Christmas lights outside. The room looked just as we had left it that night, as I expected. Santa’s cookies and milk lay untouched on the center table, and no new presents lay beneath the tree or stuffed into the eleven stockings crowding the fireplace. So why did she want to come here?

“Mom let me keep the key for the night, because I wanted it.” She said in stage whisper, as if I should know that mom gave her everything because she wanted it. Which was only partially true; we actually weren’t as spoiled as some might think.

Lila released me and clambered onto the couch, balancing on the sofa arm. “Lila, be careful! What are you doing?” She didn’t answer. Balancing precariously on her toes, she reached to the top of the tree and pulled off the big silver star that had been so perfectly rested before. I wanted to rip my hair out, but settled for angrily smoothing it. “Now we have to put that back up! Lila, I’m sure Santa will be here any minute, we should just go back to b--“

“Kyle. Look.” Slowly, as if she was holding the most valuable thing imaginable to man, she turned over the Bethlehem Star, pointing to a tiny black marking at the base of the last point. Narrowing my eyes, I leaned closer to what she was pointing at.

It was a keyhole.

I blinked, confused for a moment, before the logic donned on me. “You don’t actually think that will work? Lila, the key is centuries old, I don’t thi-“
“So is the star. Mom said that the star had been passed down through our family. We need to try.” The star did look quite old, and it looked hand-crafted. Made of silver metal that had turned warped or rusted on some points, it had extremely intricate, beautiful designs chiseled throughout in the forms of reindeer and vines. At the bottom there was a carving of a tiny chest, with the keyhole in the middle.

I sighed, falling silent for a bit. What could it hurt? It was doubtful anything was inside. We could just open it, put it back on the tree, and get back to bed before Old Saint Nick ‘slid down the chimney’.

“Okay, Lila. Go ahead.” I kneeled next to my sister, the star set carefully in front of us on the coffee table. Lila’s eyes were glittering with anticipation. Slowly, ever so slowly, she pulled the key from her pink monkey’s pajama pocket and slid it into the star. It was a perfect fit.

I took a breath, staring hard at the star. Maybe something could be inside. An ancient message? A gift from our great-great-great-great grandparents?

Before I could gather my thoughts, Lila was twisting the key. A soft popping sound whispered from the keyhole. I looked over at her to find her looking back at me. I nodded, and we looked back to the mystery before us. Lila gently set her finger on the chest, slipping her fingernail between the hairline crack that traveled the perimeter of the star. And then she opened it.

Our faces glowed in the magic that burst forth.

* * *

Story (c) Sunshockk.deviantart.com