Friday:An Unexpected Gift
After hours of walking in the cold, a low rumble echoed in the distance—something that sounded like thunder, but it was different. There was no storm in sight. The feeling of isolation began to creep in once more, but then something strange happened.
Ahead of them, along the trail, a small parcel was left at the base of a tree. It looked like it had been there for some time, weathered but still intact. It was wrapped in what appeared to be scraps of cloth and twine, an odd, old-fashioned gift.
“Do you think someone left this for us?” Roman asked, eyeing it warily.
Jas knelt to inspect it, and with a cautious hand, they unwrapped the bundle. Inside, they found a small wooden box, intricately carved with symbols they didn’t recognize. The box was old, with a weathered patina that suggested it had been buried for quite some time.
As they opened the box, they found a vial inside, filled with what looked like a shimmering liquid. There was a small note attached to the inside of the lid, written in neat, flowing handwriting:
“Use when all hope is lost. A gift from those who once cared.”
The words sent a chill down Jas’s spine. The note, like everything else they had encountered, felt like part of a puzzle they couldn’t yet solve.
“Should we take it?” Ivy Mae asked, her voice barely a whisper.
Jas hesitated, holding the vial up to the light. The liquid inside caught the last rays of the sun, shimmering in an almost unnatural way. “I think we should,” they replied quietly. “But we have to be careful. This might be the answer we’ve been searching for.”
They sealed the vial back inside the box and continued on, the family’s words still echoing in their minds. But now, with this strange gift in their possession, something shifted. There was hope—fragile, uncertain—but still hope.