Short, Light, Free

Chapter 158: Door of Truth II

It was dark both inside the room and outside since it was already getting late.

My flashlight simply illuminated a blank darkness.

I put it down and used both hands to pry open the door fully.

It was very tough, which made me wonder what the hinges of ancient doors were made of.

Wood or metal?

No matter which, time would’ve caused them both to rot and rust.

After much effort, I finally got the door open wide enough to squeeze a person through.

I shone my light in once more and was surprised to note that it was actually quite spacious in there.

I slipped through the gap and the moment my foot landed on the floor, a dust cloud rose up.

Under the light, I could see the dust particles fluttering and flying upward.

The sudden surge of dust carried a musty smell that assaulted my nostrils, causing me to cough a few times.

I pulled my collar up to cover my nose and started breathing with my mouth.

There were about eight wooden tables in the room.

I was disappointed to see that there was nothing on the tables.

I had been fantasizing about the things I would find in this room for the past few years.

The reality was a disappointment, but I was somewhat at peace.

If I had been greeted by something else, I might not have been able to handle it.

I inspected my surroundings carefully and the one and only window in the room caught my eye.

I thought about opening it to let some fresh air in; the dusty air was starting to give me dizzy spells.

I walked over and looked down through the window.

It overlooked the bustling road on the other side of the church. Cars were zooming by every few seconds.

Upon a closer look, I noticed that the window frames were made, old-fashionedly, of wood.

There was no glass, only wooden crisscrossed strips.

It came as no surprise, then, that dust would enter and collect.

I checked the four corners of the window and unhitched it inward.

Bells sounds rang.

I let it down gently and more faint bells sounded.

I shone the light on the window and discovered a hidden row of fragmented little bells.

They never would’ve been seen if the window wasn’t pulled down.

They were connected through a thread.

The thread was already broken, but at the end of it was a cavity.

I wondered what was the purpose of the bells.

They were definitely there to get the attention of the people in the attic.

I looked down the cavity and figured that it was a thread to reach the people downstairs.

Probably a corridor downstairs.

I started to get excited.

Things were getting interesting.

It looked like this place wasn’t just an ordinary attic after all. There must be some underlying secret behind it.

I looked back into the attic.

I placed the flashlight on one of the four dust covered tables.

Thud.

Why did that sound so crisp?

I knocked on the table gently before giving it a hard push. The table was unexpectedly solid.

It sounded hollow yet it was completely solid? Strange.

I tried lifting the table but only the wooden board came off.

My flashlight was thrown onto the floor and the light went out.

I quickly fished my mobile phone out and turned its light function on.

My battery was at 63%, thankfully.

I found the flashlight with my phone light, picked it up, and gave it a few knocks.

It was no longer working.

I put it in my pocket before turning my mobile light on the now opened table.

There was a big black case inside.

Definitely not an ordinary attic.

I placed my phone in my breast pocket and used both hands to completely remove the wooden board.

I fiddled with the table further and discovered that all four sides could be dismantled.

Upon taking them apart, the black box became wholly visible.

What was it?

I grabbed the box with both hands in an attempt to carry it up, only to realize that it was just a cover. Beneath it was a rusty metal piece, and beside the metal piece was a small lever that was pointing upward.

I put the black cover on the floor and observed the gears before me carefully.

I noticed the densely packed words that had been engraved on one wooden board.

I immediately placed all the wooden boards together.

I understood the words on the board. They were Arabic numbers and letters.

Another row was made up of lines and dots. Morse code?

I observed these boards and the lever on the table.

I reached my hand in and pressed it down.

Nothing happened.

At a side was another round handle. I turned it counterclockwise, but it was locked tight.

I turned it clockwise and it worked, albeit with much difficulty.

I managed to turn it a few rounds with more force.

I fiddled with the lever a bit more and was greeted by tak, tak, tak sounds.

Just then, a small light bulb on the board lit up.

It felt familiar, and I realized after a while that it was actually a telegraph.

I quickly stopped what I was doing.

I seemed to have sent a signal of sorts.

Would someone receive it? I had no way of finding out.

My instincts told me to run but curiosity overpowered it. I had to look at the other wooden tables.

I turned the light toward the other three tables and repeated the steps.

Two of the four were lever-controlled telegraphs.

One contained an ancient typewriter. There was a yellowed paper slotted inside it but not a single word had been transferred.

The last one contained some old and tattered clothes. I lifted them up and realized that they were army uniforms made from flax.

I couldn’t tell the style of the clothes but I could see that the hat had a canvas hood.

Beneath the pile of clothes was an island nation flag. A chill ran down my spine and I shuddered uncontrollably.

I quickly stuffed the clothes back in and assembled the boards.

I found myself shivering as I was doing so.

I left the attic, but I had to run back up when I remembered that I hadn’t returned the window to its original position.

Suddenly, I heard the familiar bells.

I heard footsteps coming from the corridor downstairs.

It wasn’t just one person and it would take less than a minute for them to reach the attic at this pace.

I had nowhere to run.