Part 18 (1/2)
”Yes, boy. The box in your hands.”
A vague memory came to Max, a memory of sitting at a table fiddling with a box. He concentrated hard to raise his arms. In his hands, he held the same box.
”This? It was my father's.”
The voice drew closer. ”Oh? Well, I like it very much. May I have it?”
Max struggled to find his voice. ”No, I haven't found out what's inside of it yet.”
”Really, why not?”
”The latch is stuck.”
The voice was right next to him. ”Perhaps I can open it. Hand it to me.”
Max started to hold out the box, but pulled it back to himself. ”N-no, what if you don't give it back?”
The voice became stern. ”A locked box will do you no good. Give it to me.”
Max felt a tingling sensation all over his body. The blue sky started to turn gray as his body sank towards the ground. He clutched the box tightly to his chest.
”No, you can't have it.”
”I have no time for this. Give me my box!”
The anger in the voice re-awakened Max's senses. In the distance he heard another voice.
”Maxy, where are you?”
Eve!
The alleyway snapped back into focus. ”Eve, over here, in the...”
Max felt a tug at the box. He looked back just as the little girl yanked on it again.
”How did you...?”
The girl let go of the box and let a small knife slip out of her sleeve and into her hand.
”Let go I said!”
She stabbed at his left hand. Max twisted his body enough that the blade missed its target, instead striking his bracer and bouncing off. She swung again, this time the blade slid across the top of his hand. A streak of blood welled up in the long cut. Startled by the pain, Max backhanded the girl, hitting her square in the face. She rocked back on her heels, lost her balance, and fell. Max yelled towards the street.
”Eve! I'm over here!”
Dust whirled behind him. When he turned back, the girl had disappeared. Eve, Melody, and Lysander ran up behind him. Melody fought to catch her breath.
”Here you are. Why did you wander off like that?”
Max stared dumbfounded at the empty alley. ”I...I followed someone.”
Melody scanned the alley. ”Who?”
Max shook his head in an attempt to clear it. ”I don't know, a strange little girl holding a parasol, but...she disappeared.”
Melody stared accusingly at Lysander. ”Lysander, did you slip Max some beer at the tavern?”
Lysander tossed his hands in the air. ”Hey, I had nothing to do with this! Maybe the alcohol fumes got him.”
Eve's ears twitched. ”No, there was another person here.”
Everyone watched as Eve stepped farther into the alley. She sniffed at the air, her ears erect and alert.
”I smell flowers, but it's not from a perfume.”
Max pointed at Eve. ”Yes! That's what helped me follow her!”
”It's very strange though. It's new, yet very old at the same time.”
Melody gave her a curious look. ”What do you mean?”
”Well, you know how babies and old people smell differently?”
Everyone nodded.
”It's like that, only all at the same time.”
Eve sniffed again and made an odd face. ”Then there is this hint of decay or sickness, like a pile of old, rotten leaves.”
”I think the furball is getting her smells mixed with all the farmers around here.”
Max nodded. ”Yeah, I only saw one person, and she was definitely a child.”
Eve glared at Max. ”Have I ever been wrong?”
Max cringed. ”No, no, sorry.”
Eve shook her head. ”No, it's all from the same person. I...I think I've smelled it before, but I can't remember where.”
Melody sighed, putting her hands on her hips. ”Well, at least we know Max isn't drunk on fumes, or anything else.”
Eve nodded at Max. ”The cut on his hand was enough proof for me.”
Max lifted his hand. ”Huh...oh.”
A trickle of blood flowed down the back of his hand, dripping off of his fingertips. Everything had happened so quickly, he had forgotten about the cut. Now that things had settled down, the pain returned. He grimaced.