Unadventurous Curiosity

by - May 28, 2020


Her socks were mismatched, eye gunk crystals stuck to her lashes, and the morning sun had risen far to early. But what else was new? Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and splashing her face with water, Ella slid her shoes on and grabbed her bag of bricks. She took a few steps out the gate, and tripped on a shoelace. Owww. Luckily, the spring was still chilly and had prompted her to wear her pair of go to jeggings. She laughed at herself in her head as she hurriedly laced up her shoes properly. With two sloppy bows, Ella checked her watch. Phew, fifteen minutes to spare.

She then began the morning stroll to school, savoring the feeling of a gentle breeze blowing through her damp locks. As the bright streaks of sunshine slowly woke her up from her half asleep adrenaline haze, Ella appreciated the blue bird's whistles and the neighborhood's blooming gardens. 

A turn, and a larger street with small shops appeared. At this point, Ella was running a bit behind after stopping to write a few observations in her notebook, with ten minutes left to finish her trek. Passing the candy shop, she promised herself she'd begin speed walking at the next bend, which was marked by the lot of a dilapidated drug store. The lot had already been vacant for months, and a large FOR RENT sign on the rickety wooden door attempted to beckon new owners. As she approached, the sunlight glinted off the gold door. Hold on, gold?! Ella stopped in her tracks. Well, that certainly wasn't there before. 

Looking around, Ella watched as strangers sped by in a tide of rushing cars. So focused on their own lives, nobody else had taken notice of the ornate entry way and the missing FOR RENT sign.

Staring at it, Ella was a bit at a loss. She had always been the good child that had never caused anyone to give a second thought to her. Decent grades, a respectable number of friends, and a member of her town's Girl Scout troop. Nobody would've ever described her as "adventurous" or "daring". No, the well worn path was enough for her. Yet still, the golden door had presented itself to her. 

Trying to peer through boarded up windows, Ella couldn't quite see what lay beyond. What could be behind it? Driven by her curiosity, her hand reached towards the knob.

School. Trespassing. The hand hastily retreated. Checking her watch again, Ella groaned in frustration. Eight minutes until school started. Eight minutes until all of her classmates would be shut into math class. The sand was spilling fast.

Desperate, she called her dad. Ringing for a few seconds, then voicemail. Another wasted minute. What was behind the door? Gnawing her lip, Ella decided to open it. "One peek and then we're sprinting to school," she said firmly. 

Grasping warm metal, Ella twisted, shutting her eyes. Pushing.

The door didn't budge. Feet pounding the pavement, Ella shook her head and smiled at how much time she had wasted debating whether to open a locked door.
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