The Gift (A short story)
written by Buffykamikaze
Don't trust gifts, especially the ones with no sender... Inspired by a dance at my modern dance class. By Violet Kohler.
Last Updated
05/31/21
Chapters
2
Reads
399
The Gift.
Chapter 1
The young woman looked at her fellow storytellers in the tavern.
“Do you have a story?” The young boy asked innocently.
“Of course,” she responded. “If I didn’t, I wouldn't be here.” She stared at the room in general. “Now listen.”
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
Ivy yawned as she stretched out of bed. Her short curly red hair swished around her neck. She blearily blinked at herself in the mirror. Ivy’s usually flawless tan complexion was marked with pillow creases. She also noticed with dismay that a few pimples had popped out since last night. Ivy rubbed her face to get rid of the blur in her vision.
Ivy got dressed and headed downstairs. Her mother was making eggs. “Morning!” she said.
“Evening,” Ivy mumbled, putting bread in the toaster. As she ate her breakfast, her morning voice went away and her eyes started seeing things properly. “I’m going to be up at the cliffs today, tell Viv if she looks for me,” Ivy said as she pulled her vest on.
“Be back by noon!” her mother called as Ivy raced out the door. She began the familiar trek up the slim mountainside trail.
“Phew!” Ivy panted as she reached the cliffs. She went to sit down but then realized that there was a box sitting on the rocks. “What are you?” she asked. The box didn’t seem to have an opinion about that. It wasn’t fancy, just a square black box. Ivy picked it up, examining it from all angles for a tag. There was none. Ivy took a deep breath, and opened it.
All of a sudden she was on the ground. Her head hurt, like she had fallen. The box was lying closed on the ground. “I thought I opened it,” she said. Ivy picked it up, and opened it again. Nothing happened. She peered under the lid, and there it was. A toothpick and a tissue. “WHY?” Ivy yelled at no one. “Why this? Who would bother putting that in a box? Is it garbage?” She closed the box in disgust and leaned back on the rocks. After a minute, she was asleep.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
“Ivvvvyyyy!!!” a voice called out. “Wake up!” Ivy blinked her eyes open to see a girl with short light brown hair that looked like it had been chopped with safety scissors (It had been) and light brown skin.
“Vivian!” Ivy said happily. She stood up.
“What’s this?” Vivian said, picking up the box. Ivy tried to remember what it was.
“Oh!” she said. “It was here on a rock this morning. It has a tissue and a toothpick in it.”
Vivian laughed. “I have to see that! Who would put that in a box like this?” She admired the box from all sides. She opened the lid to peep inside… And colorful birds sprang out, knocking Ivy and Vivian over!
“What the…” Ivy said looking in amazement as a lime green bird allowed Vivian to climb on it’s back. But then a pink bird gave her a lift and she was soaring over the mountains, unable to hear even Vivians screams of excitement, only seeing the view and hearing the flap of wings and the rush of wind and feeling the bird’s feathers and the air whistling past them.
But as suddenly as it had started, the birds landed. They all flew into the box and the lid shut behind them.
“What was that?” Vivian said, the realization of what had happened sinking in. “What was THAT?!”
“The b-box,” Ivy said, trying to calm down her pounding heart. “It’s magic.” Vivian picked the box off of the ground.
“Since when is a toothpick and a tissue magic?” she asked. “That’s what showed up when you first opened it.”
“When I opened it the second time,” Ivy realized. “The first time I passed out for a few seconds.” Vivian stared at Ivy with realization growing on her face.
“Every time you open the box, something different happens!” Vivian said.
“And when you close it, it goes away!” Ivy exclaimed. “When I woke up, the box was closed!”
“This is…” Vivian paused.
“Dangerous,” Ivy said decisively.
“Ivy!” Vivian looked surprised. “This is awesome! Just think of what we can do!”
Ivy shook her head. “And think about what might happen. A tornado, or a hurricane!”
Vivian considered that idea for a whole 60 seconds. “But-”
“VIV!” Ivy frowned severely. “No. Buts.” She picked up the box. “I’m putting this in a safe place. We can’t risk anything happening.”
“Okay,” Vivian said. She looked discontented.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
“The next day, the box was gone, along with Vivian. Ivy searched her town, but to no avail. When she could leave home for good, she devoted her life to finding Vivian and the box. But they were nowhere to be found. One of her trips led her to a small tavern. And here I am.” Ivy looked around the room at the faces watching her. A young boy, the owner of the tavern and her wife, an old woman who never spoke, a musician, a gambler, and an aunt.
“You’re Ivy?” the boy said.
“In the flesh.
“Do you think you’ll ever find Vivian?” he asked.
“I used to be certain, but now I’m not so sure,” Ivy sighed. “But that is my story. The end.” There was a hushed silence following the end of the story.
Outside the tavern, a figure gave a short laugh as she raced away. Ivy might be looking, but she didn’t want to be found. But after a few seconds, she turned back and placed an inconspicuous box by the window.
“There,” Vivian whispered. The box would be safe forever.
“Do you have a story?” The young boy asked innocently.
“Of course,” she responded. “If I didn’t, I wouldn't be here.” She stared at the room in general. “Now listen.”
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
Ivy yawned as she stretched out of bed. Her short curly red hair swished around her neck. She blearily blinked at herself in the mirror. Ivy’s usually flawless tan complexion was marked with pillow creases. She also noticed with dismay that a few pimples had popped out since last night. Ivy rubbed her face to get rid of the blur in her vision.
Ivy got dressed and headed downstairs. Her mother was making eggs. “Morning!” she said.
“Evening,” Ivy mumbled, putting bread in the toaster. As she ate her breakfast, her morning voice went away and her eyes started seeing things properly. “I’m going to be up at the cliffs today, tell Viv if she looks for me,” Ivy said as she pulled her vest on.
“Be back by noon!” her mother called as Ivy raced out the door. She began the familiar trek up the slim mountainside trail.
“Phew!” Ivy panted as she reached the cliffs. She went to sit down but then realized that there was a box sitting on the rocks. “What are you?” she asked. The box didn’t seem to have an opinion about that. It wasn’t fancy, just a square black box. Ivy picked it up, examining it from all angles for a tag. There was none. Ivy took a deep breath, and opened it.
All of a sudden she was on the ground. Her head hurt, like she had fallen. The box was lying closed on the ground. “I thought I opened it,” she said. Ivy picked it up, and opened it again. Nothing happened. She peered under the lid, and there it was. A toothpick and a tissue. “WHY?” Ivy yelled at no one. “Why this? Who would bother putting that in a box? Is it garbage?” She closed the box in disgust and leaned back on the rocks. After a minute, she was asleep.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
“Ivvvvyyyy!!!” a voice called out. “Wake up!” Ivy blinked her eyes open to see a girl with short light brown hair that looked like it had been chopped with safety scissors (It had been) and light brown skin.
“Vivian!” Ivy said happily. She stood up.
“What’s this?” Vivian said, picking up the box. Ivy tried to remember what it was.
“Oh!” she said. “It was here on a rock this morning. It has a tissue and a toothpick in it.”
Vivian laughed. “I have to see that! Who would put that in a box like this?” She admired the box from all sides. She opened the lid to peep inside… And colorful birds sprang out, knocking Ivy and Vivian over!
“What the…” Ivy said looking in amazement as a lime green bird allowed Vivian to climb on it’s back. But then a pink bird gave her a lift and she was soaring over the mountains, unable to hear even Vivians screams of excitement, only seeing the view and hearing the flap of wings and the rush of wind and feeling the bird’s feathers and the air whistling past them.
But as suddenly as it had started, the birds landed. They all flew into the box and the lid shut behind them.
“What was that?” Vivian said, the realization of what had happened sinking in. “What was THAT?!”
“The b-box,” Ivy said, trying to calm down her pounding heart. “It’s magic.” Vivian picked the box off of the ground.
“Since when is a toothpick and a tissue magic?” she asked. “That’s what showed up when you first opened it.”
“When I opened it the second time,” Ivy realized. “The first time I passed out for a few seconds.” Vivian stared at Ivy with realization growing on her face.
“Every time you open the box, something different happens!” Vivian said.
“And when you close it, it goes away!” Ivy exclaimed. “When I woke up, the box was closed!”
“This is…” Vivian paused.
“Dangerous,” Ivy said decisively.
“Ivy!” Vivian looked surprised. “This is awesome! Just think of what we can do!”
Ivy shook her head. “And think about what might happen. A tornado, or a hurricane!”
Vivian considered that idea for a whole 60 seconds. “But-”
“VIV!” Ivy frowned severely. “No. Buts.” She picked up the box. “I’m putting this in a safe place. We can’t risk anything happening.”
“Okay,” Vivian said. She looked discontented.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
“The next day, the box was gone, along with Vivian. Ivy searched her town, but to no avail. When she could leave home for good, she devoted her life to finding Vivian and the box. But they were nowhere to be found. One of her trips led her to a small tavern. And here I am.” Ivy looked around the room at the faces watching her. A young boy, the owner of the tavern and her wife, an old woman who never spoke, a musician, a gambler, and an aunt.
“You’re Ivy?” the boy said.
“In the flesh.
“Do you think you’ll ever find Vivian?” he asked.
“I used to be certain, but now I’m not so sure,” Ivy sighed. “But that is my story. The end.” There was a hushed silence following the end of the story.
Outside the tavern, a figure gave a short laugh as she raced away. Ivy might be looking, but she didn’t want to be found. But after a few seconds, she turned back and placed an inconspicuous box by the window.
“There,” Vivian whispered. The box would be safe forever.
