Lunar Enchantment

The Legacy Unearthed

"What are you doing here?" I asked, trying to catch my breath.

"Just thought I would stop by is all."

"And stand creepily on my porch? That's weird."

Aiden shrugged his shoulders and walked down the few steps to where I was. "You inviting me in?"

I shook my head. "It's kind of late."

"Oh." He diverted his gaze from mine and stared up at the moon. "The moon's beautiful."

He walked down the sidewalk and made his way around the corner. I hurried inside and locked the door behind me.

"He's hot, but man can he be a weirdo. What the hell was that about?" 

My mouth was dry so I went right for the fridge before anything else. The house was so quiet when grams wasn't at home. I hated it really. 

Music. I thought to myself.

Grams had an old record player that she absolutely refused to get rid of and a few old records. My grandpa would always play them on Saturday's when I would visit. 

I dug through the old vinals until I found the one that grandpa loved. I put it on and waited as the crackly music started. I smiled remembering my grandpa dancing around and singing to the music. 

It's amazing how one thing can really make you remember someone and miss them so much.

"Now what," I asked myself out loud. "Oh! The attic!"

I ran to my room to dump my backpack and grab the key to that trunk. It was still right where I had left it. 

"She didn't find it. Did she even know it was missing?"

The attic door was just down the hall from my room. Not far. And I was all alone for who knows how long. I gripped the door knob and turned it slowly. I don't know where. There was nobody there to stop me.

Flicking the old light switch, the dim lights came to life, lighting my way up.

I climbed those stairs. Determined to finally open that damn trunk.

Kneeling down in front of it, I held the key tight. So tight my knuckles started to turn white. I took a deep breath and inserted the key into the trunks lock.

It fit.

"Okay, Rory. Just turn the key and you'll finally see what's inside this thing."

I heard a light click as I turned the key. Lifting the lid, it squeaked ever so lightly. I left it fall back as I gazed down at the treasures within.

Papers and books. A lot of papers and a lot of books.

"Lunari kept papers and books in here? What? Maybe these will tell me who Lunari is."

I pulled everything out and put them in piles next to where I sat, hoping I could get through them all before grandma came home.

I picked up the first stack of old, yellowed papers nearest to me. 

Gently, I placed the bundle of old letters bound together with a delicate, faded ribbon, on the floor in front of me. Each letter bore the weight of time, its yellowed pages crinkling slightly as I examined them. The handwriting varied, but each word seemed to carry a whisper of secrets long guarded.

Please, don't fall apart in my hands.

I carefully untied the ribbon with more care than I had ever had in my life. I imagined they were letters that were in some ancient, newly unearthed tomb like mom and dad would find. The first was written on parchment that had aged to a soft, sepia tone, bore the elegant script of someone long gone.