The clock struck ten with a sound that was muffled by the wood of the cabinet. Just a few more minutes, and then I’ll check if she’s still here, I thought to myself as I remained in a fetal position inside the tiny wooden prison. I didn’t even know how I’d gotten myself into this mess; I shouldn’t have listened to what David had said. He told me this morning that the old lady living across the street had a tank made of real diamonds, and if I stole it, I’d become a millionaire. Even though I didn’t believe him at first, his story sounded pretty convincing. The old widow lived in a huge mansion---almost three times the size of my own house---complete with a large swimming pool and greenhouse. I had given in to my greed and curiosity and decided that I wanted to see for myself what this tank looked like. That’s how this whole mess started, and now I was stuck in a cabinet in the old lady’s kitchen.
Every 20 minutes, I would open up the wooden door of the cabinet, just a little bit and look to see if the old woman was still there. For 3 hours, she hadn’t moved from her spot in the ornate chair next to the cozy fireplace. But now, when I dared risk a peek outside of my confinement, I heard the loud rasping snores coming from the chair that had been previously unheard due to the thick door of the cabinet. Yes! Now I can sneak out, I thought to myself jubilantly as I unwound from my curled position and stuck a foot outside of the cabinet. Using my hand as a leverage point, I pushed myself out of the cabinet, and everything was perfect for a few seconds. That was, until I tripped and sent an entourage of steel pots and pans tumbling across the hardwood floor. I had mistaken just how much one’s legs would cramp up if they’re forced to remain the same position for three hours, and I had fallen the second I had tried to stand upright.
OH NO!! I winced as I looked at the damage around me. I peered cautiously around the corner of the island located smack in the center of the large kitchen and braced myself for the gasp of shock that would come from the old lady when she saw me sprawled in the middle of her kitchen, but instead, I was shocked to hear that she was still snoring in the cozy armchair. Jeez. This woman can sleep through an earthquake, I thought to myself as I smirked in triumph. Clouded by confidence, I abandoned the little powers of stealth I had and blundered through the house noisily, in search of the tank that didn’t even exist.
I spent the next hour, rifling through old stacks of paper, opening drawers, and looking in closets, but to no avail. When I made my way to what felt like the 9898th bedroom on the 1098th floor, I found a nice, soft bed and let my exhaustion overcame me. The troubles of my day blurring away as the dark fringes of sleep clouded my vision.
A shrill shout of alarm ripped through my peaceful dreams, and I snapped my eyes open in alarm to see the old lady standing over me with a shocked expression on her face.
“Who are you, and what are you doing in my house?” she demanded with a curious, but stern expression on her face.
“Umm,” I stammered. “I-I’m a part of the girl scouts, and I was sent to assist an elderly person, but you were sleeping, so---”.
“Ohh I see,” the old woman smiled, her fierce expression melting away, “But the middle of the night is an odd time to assist someone,” she added, with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
“Sorry….I’ll head home now,” I muttered back, avoiding her eyes and pushing myself up off the bed.
The lady turned and hobbled out of the room with a swift nod, but stuck her head back in and whispered, “If it makes you feel any better, you aren’t the first one to come looking for this supposed tank”.
My mouth dropped open in surprise, and I was left staring, dumbfounded, at the door through which she had just retreated.
“Wow, what was I thinking. A tank made of diamonds?!?” I scoffed out-loud, vowing to myself right then that I would never believe another word that came out of David’s mouth. I’d had enough adventure that night to last me a lifetime….