Poems and Stories

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Key Number 45



I found a key in my drawer.  It was attached to a green plastic keytag thing with a clear window on a key chain. The tag read "45"...That's all. There were 7 or 8 other keys there too.  KRYPTONITE, MASTER, YAKIMA, EXCEL, but I knew what they were all for.  But what about Key # 45?

Where did it belong? What does it unlock?  It says STEEL PRO on it. Naturally I GOOGLED "STEEL PRO" and got something strange and scary:

Steel-Pro is a custom manufacturer of ASME pressure vessels, biopharmaceutical equipment, modular skids, vacuum chambers, storage tanks and other custom designed equipment and stainless steel applications. Industries served include biopharmaceutical, semiconductor, alternative energy, power generation, and other industrial applications.
Steel-Pro’s clients consist of well-established and industry leading firms that require exceptional precision and quality engineered components delivered on time and at competitive prices.

WTF?  I do not remember having anything like this!  Vacuum chambers, storage tanks, ASME pressure vessels, ?  These applications were foreign to me, too.  I know, I will ask my wife, Lucy, she remembers everything.

"Lucy!  what is this key number 45 with STEEL PRO on it for?"
Silence.
"Lucy?"
Nothing. Where is she now?  I guess I will go and find her.

Locking the basement door, for safety first, I went upstairs to our bedroom, calling out her name as I climbed the stairs;
"Lucy!!! Where are you?

Nothing. total silence. Then, a muffled sound like something under water,  then, a scratching sound and a whimper.  WTF?

I went into the bedroom. Bed was made, clothes put away. Silent order.  No light shone through frosted windowpanes, covered with dark pull-down shades.  I looked towards the closet.  Padlock was in place, combination lock intact.  Quiet inside when I pressed my ear to the door.  As I moved away from the closet I noticed something in the corner of my eye. Blood on the door where I had pressed my ear.  Strange.  I looked for the mirror that always hung in the hallway, leading to the other bedrooms, all empty this time of year.  No mirror.  I touched my left ear and pulled my hand away to look at it. Nothing. Then the right ear. Blood. Dried flakes and fresh blood too.

"LUCY!!  Where the fuck are you! I am bleeding! "
Nothing at all. No answer.

I found a small hand mirror in the bathroom. Old fake gold handle, regular mirror on one side, magnified on the other side.  I held it up to my face using the magnified side as I always did because it makes me bigger.  It makes everything bigger.  I liked that.  I looked at my huge right ear and saw the blood dripping out onto my vest and bare shoulder.  Cool.  I looked like a tough MMF fighter just out of the cage!  Awesome.  Where is that fucking Lucy?  She HAS to see this.

to be continued...end here at 8:54 am on Wednesday 12/16/15








1 comment:

Unknown said...

Tom, I can't wait to hear the rest of this story! It was great visiting you today, thanks for coming by. Norman