She was searching through some old things in the attic to reminisce while she was up here. She had grown with stories he’d tell about his crazy exploits around the world. There were a lot of odds and ends in this room.

She would join him in his study while he theorized on his crazy inventions. He’d had hundreds of ideas. They’d flowed out from him almost without end. He would sit and stare at the ceiling, as if lost in himself. He wouldn’t even blink while he was in his trance, it was kind of unnerving to her now. It was just weird.

Back when she was young, she didn’t really think much about such things. It was comforting to just sit in his company and wait for him to come around from his “meditations” as he called them. She had asked, “but uncle, is it not strange to meditate with your eyes open? I mean everyone else does it with their eyes closed.” His reply had been simple, “Guess I’m just weird, eh?” That was that. He wouldn’t discuss it anymore, just waved the topic away, like he was clearing smoke out from in front of eyes. She never thought him rude for that, he was a very kind man at heart. He just didn’t want to waste his time with what someone else thought normalcy was. “I chart my own path” Was all she’d managed to pull out of him the other time she’d asked about it.

He wasn’t a genius. Though he had genius ideas. He was a down to earth normal man who said he got lucky with an idea once. Which landed him “Richer than anyone!” he declared. He was very spry and didn’t look at all ninety-three. He’d had surgery for vanities sake he’d said. He looked fifty.

Can a ninety-year-old have cosmetic surgery like that?

He never seemed to want for anything. He had decent clothes, he drove a new car every year, on lease of course. So, he had to have had some means. Though he never flaunted his money. So, you couldn’t tell if he was being serious or not.

Now she had some idea.

This house for example. It was classified as a historic home. Solid, red brick, square thing, like a fortress, three stories tall, though one was this “Attic”. The attic portion started at the square foundation of the second story and slightly angled in toward the top flat roof. It was an ugly grey stone that she didn’t like.

In fact, it was the first house in this town. She found out recently he owned the whole area. Over two hundred thousand acres! Which included soft rolling hills, a not so small forest, and more than a few lakes fed by a river running through it. It was owned by his family for generations. The people that lived here rented the land they’d built their homes and business on. So, his wealth wasn’t all his own. Though he said he only used his own money, and never his family’s fortune. He’s teased her once she was sure, about being descended from royalty.

Maybe he, was… She tilted her head at that thought as she walked into another portioned off area of the attic. She walked through rows of old chests of various designs. Some just wooden squares with reinforced metal bands. Others that looked like old round topped pirate treasure chests. Another more decorative type over there inlaid with precious metals, another with what looked like, marble? It was… some kind of white stone anyway. There were about a hundred of these up here. All neatly aligned in rows.

Even as a child she had loved coming up here to see these chests. They just screamed Adventure ! She loved adventure novels. Her great grand uncle would read some stories he had made up when she was young. Opening a door of imagination and wanderlust in her mind. When she went home, she would read all kinds of novels on her tablet. From old classics to newly minted E novels. Even the not-so-great stories had something to say to her spirit.

After a bit of time just looking at different chests and trying a few to see if they were open, she gave up and went to a door in the side wall at the rear of the chest room. She laid a hand on the door. It was a large obviously thick oak door. Tall and wide enough for an elephant to squeeze through she’d bet. She was never allowed to go into the room behind this door. It was always locked. She would always check. That brought a smile to her face. She always tried to sneak in there every time she visited.

Although she had always come here without her parents, starting at the age of five, Darian, her great grand uncle, never let her feel lonely or homesick. This became her summer get away from her more mundane life. As she grew older, she looked forward to coming here more and more. Even the countryside seemed adventurous to walk through. Darian had cut walking paths here and there. Small bridges over streams, benches to rest on, there was even a small cabin set up far away from the house for her to stay in when she was far afield. She had found it four years ago. At twelve years old it was like finding a magical hut in a faraway kingdom. Darian said it was ok if she wanted to stay there on her own. He said he kept his lands and forests clear of any dangerous wildlife and it would be perfectly safe. The cabin was obviously well insulated, as even on the colder nights it was still warm inside without a fire. But who could stay at a cabin without one?

Her eyes grew clear as she removed herself from her memories. From her backpack, really, more of a full hiking pack, you never knew when you’d need one here. She removed a large envelope that contained two items. One was a letter from her great gran uncle Darian. The other was a key? It did not look like any key she had ever seen. It had the thick head of an old-fashioned grey iron key you would see in movies, where they locked prisoners in castle dungeons. Instead of the usual teeth that would allow the lock to turn, it had a small two-inch hand sitting flat against the stem, in the stop don’t walk position. As there was no keyhole to be found, she had always wondered how the door was to be unlocked.

The handle itself was the long full hand grip style with a thumb depressor on top. It was mounted on an even slightly longer brass plate. There was a square under the handle just the perfect height for the small hand at the end of the key. Who could have even guessed? It just looked like an etched in square depression only a hairs width deep. A design to add character, but now she knew it was more.

She had discovered this not by her own ingenuity, but from the letter that came with it. The letter itself was short, with a perfect drawing of the door handle and the key pressed flush onto the square.

Shae

I hope this letter and key found you in good health.

Along with this letter there is a key to open the door in the attic. Below you can see how the key fits the door. Turn the key ninety degrees to the right. That’s clockwise. Once you enter the room you will find yourself in a space that resembles the cabin in the woods. Remove the key and relock the door behind you. Turning the key ninety degrees to the left. Counterclockwise. Once done, come outside and find me.

Darian

She had found this letter, and key in the envelope attached to the front door when she had come for this year’s summer visit. There was no sign of her GG uncle anywhere in the house. She had checked before she opened the envelope.

How very exciting. He always made things adventurous here for her. Games, puzzles, crafts, camping and “seeker quests”. The seeker quests went farther afield each year, which was how she had found the cabin to begin with.

The quest would begin at a certain starting point of Darians choosing. Then she had to follow clues or signs of his passage to find her goal. Which was usually a picnic or present. As she got older the tacking portion of her quests got harder and harder. With less and less of his passage to notice. She loved the challenge of tracking him the last few years. Last year had been the hardest. It took her three days of picking out slight foot impressions, dirt scuffs from a dragged heal, and small bent branches where he’d passed through a denser wooded areas where it was harder to see signs. She’d realized he was training her in tracking by the third year of these games. Life skills because he said, “You never know what the future holds. Maybe you will have to hunt me down and rescue me some day.”

“Huh, I guess even the riddles and puzzles got harder too.” She murmured to herself. But the tracking was her favorite part. It forced her to use all her skills last year. She’d even learned to follow her intuition. “Your mind behind the scenes, can often see what your consciousness cannot.” He would say.

He would say a lot of sagely sounding stuff to make himself sound wiser. Even though he himself would admit to being nothing really special. “I’m not really that smart. But you should always try to be.” Another thing he’d say. Lessons his father or mother taught him maybe.

Key now in hand she moved to press the hand portion of the key flat to the square indent on the handle as shown on the letter’s drawing. When the hand was about half an inch away from the square it pulled itself into place like a strong magnet was inside the door. It sat firmly. In fact, she couldn’t even wiggle it, much less pull it off.

“Huh, another invention I guess.” She didn’t find it too odd. After all, not everything in and around the house were all normal. Some things were his “inventions” Odd little things that just seemed to keep her guessing. As she grew older, she wanted to know how they worked, but just couldn’t figure it out. Of course, Great Grand Uncle D. wouldn’t give her any clues. “Figure it out on your own if you really want to know. But don’t break it!” He’d say.

Like his stove. It was a flame top… but there was no gas cable connected. Nor was it wood burning. You turned the knob; a small blue spark would happen and then the burner would ignite. Just like that.

Although his fridge was not plugged in to anything, not that it even had a plug, it stayed cool like a fridge should. She though it was battery powered or something, but she’d never seen him charge it once. And that was over two months’ time.

Oddities.

She turned the key ninety degrees, clockwise. There was a soft click then a deep thump, with vibrations that she felt in her chest. Like a large chunk or iron fell onto a stone floor in the room below. After a second the door cracked open inward, soundlessly. As it did the room beyond lit up. The room beyond the cracked door smelled like… old fragrant wood mixed with clean, very earthy, forest air. It was even better than the cabin in the woods smelled inside.

With some haste to see more she pushed the door, which swung effortlessly on its hinges, open.

She was greeted with an exact copy of the cabin in the forest. The main and only room was roughly 8 meters by 8 meters. A very simple square log cabin with one bed in the left corner across the way next to the fireplace that sat in the middle of the far wall. There was a table and two chairs in front of the fireplace. Not so close you’d get too hot. The table was a plain wooden four-legged thing nothing special. The wooden chairs were a bit more stylish and padded. Even the simple white vase with flowers sat upon the table. Along the middle of the right wall was a low row of cupboards with drawers covered with a countertop for fixing your meals. In the right corner closest to the door, she stood at, she knew there would be a small wood cook stove. Though she wouldn’t see it until she stepped in. The exit door to the cabin is where she stood.

She swept her eyes over the interior of the modest cabin replica, slower, taking in all the details now and saw an envelope leaning against the vase on the table. But little else. Though she was almost certain it wasn’t there a second ago.

Just another oddity. Or she had missed it with her cursory glance. And just where was that light coming from…