XVIII. BOX

Background color
Font
Font size
Line height

CHAPTER XVIII. BOX
It was the next day, after another gruelling day of school, that Harry and I both got into the car to travel to Nico's coordinates. The weather was especially cold, both of us wearing thick winter coats and boots. Harry had spent the last five minutes, moving two shovels from my family's garage to the trunk of his car. I, on the other hand, was already inside his car and making use of the car's heating. It didn't take long before he too entered and enjoyed the warmth with me.

'Jeez, it's like Ibiza in here.' He says with a chuckle, turning the ignition on and driving us both away. His cheeks were red from standing in the cold weather for so long. 'I think it's going to snow today.'

'Is it really? Is that what the news reports say?'

'No, but I feel it. This is the coldest it's been this year.' He confirms and I nod, agreeing.

I couldn't believe 1986 had flown by so quickly, and that I was spending so much time with Harry. It was something I had never saw coming but I'm thankful that it did. Harry was somebody you'd only have the pleasure of meeting once, and I'm happy that I took the chance.

'What are you thinking about?' He asks after a few minutes.

'That I'd rather be inside with a cup of hot cocoa right now.' I begin. 'Oh, and how thankful I am that I met you.'

'Don't start getting sappy on me, Andy, we have a job to do.' He tells me with a chuckle. 'But thank you, I feel the same way.'

This causes a large smile to crawl onto my face. It stays that way until we near Greenville Road and I realise that it isn't appropriate to smile during such a deed. He eventually stops the car and we both escape the warm interior, much to my dismay. I grab the map and an old compass from the glove compartment before closing the passenger door, joining Harry near the now-open trunk. He grabs the two shovels before closing it and stepping away from the car.

It takes a small while to figure out my bearings and where to head. Soon enough, I figured out how to use the compass and map cooperatively. We first had to head north before turning north-east and we should oarrive to Spectacle Ponds. Our feet began to move over the crunchy grass, Harry followed me as I led the way. We didn't say much, mostly to conserve our energy on such a cold day. The wind was such a harsh breeze that I couldn't feel my cheeks after only a few minutes. I turned around to find Harry's cheeks and nose were red too.

I keep my eyes on the map, following every trail it told us to take and keeping updated on the distance to our destination. Soon, I hear Harry's footsteps stop and peer up to find a beautiful sight. A long frozen lake, filled with greenery and flowers; all decorated with white frost.

'Wow, this is beautiful.' Harry remarks, his voice creating fog in the air before him. 'Imagine this in summer.'

'It looks like an ice-rink.' I say and Harry chuckles.

'Damn, I didn't bring my skates.' I glance at him to see his usual smirk over his face and roll my eyes. He chuckles again as I look back down to the map in my hands, figuring out where to turn next.

It didn't take many more steps before we got to Nico's coordinates. Harry dropped both of the shovels onto the ground once we had reached the spot, and I grabbed one; holding it within my thickly gloved hands. I peered to Harry to only just realise that he had no gloves on, his knuckles a raw red in colour.

'Do you want to borrow a glove?' I offer and he raises an eyebrow. 'You can put it on one hand for the shovel and put your other hand in your pocket.'

He eventually catches onto what I mean, looking at his hands. 'Oh no, you need to shovel with two hands.'

'We'll take turns with the shovel.' I instruct and he nods, with a genuine grin.

I start first, placing one hand lower down the shovel's handle and the other one at the top, pushing hard into the frosty earth. It took ten minutes to get through the top layer of mud and soil. That was when Harry took over, taking my pink winter gloves from my hands and putting them on his own with a deep chuckle. I stood nearby as he shovelled deeper, feeling the frostbite nip at my face and now-exposed fingers, even with them inside my pockets.

'Stand by me.' Harry muttered after his third shovel.

'Pardon?'

'Stand by me, put your body against mine; it's what penguins do in cold weather, they stand in packs and huddle together to expand their body heat. Try it.' So I do what he says and huddle against him. I put my arm against his as he shovels and I feel a small, albeit no, difference.

It was my turn to take over when we had dug even deeper, and I had to bend my body slightly to get to the deepest areas. Once I couldn't reach any further to dig, Harry took the gloves again and pushed into the soil with all his might. It took twenty minutes in total, which felt like a lifetime in such a cold climate.

Harry's fourth push of the shovel caused it to abruptly stop, jerking backwards and making a loud bang. It was clear that he had hit something. Our eyes caught each other as we wondered what it could be, Harry crouched to the grass to get onto his knees. His hands flew down to push the soil aside, finding a wooden box small in size; about the size of a A6 piece of paper. He carefully leant further down to grip both sides of the box, pulling it out from the dirt. It was oak in material and seemed to be of medium weight. Once Harry had lifted it, small pieces of pure-white snow began to scatter down from the clouds above and onto the crispy field surrounding us.

He held it in between our bodies and silently beckoned me to open it. My hands unhooked the four hooks on each corner of the box's lid. Harry's face was intense as he watched my hands and I felt frightened to even unlock the box, wondering what could possibly be inside. It wasn't large enough to fit a body, so what else could it hold? A brain? A heart? I took a deep breath as I finally lifted the lid, gradually pulling it away from the box. One look into the box caused Harry to yelp and drop it. The contents revealed the carcass of some kind of animal, small and furry. A cat.

'It's a dead cat.' Harry stated with fright laced through his voice. I shivered as I stared at the dead animal, a few roses beside it's body and a small envelope labelled Teddy.

'It must be his dead pet cat.' I say with a sigh, the expectation of something linked to our case being completely diminished by this find.

'God-damn it.' Harry cursed before grabbing the lid and pulling it over the box, before much snow got inside. I help him lock back up the hatches and lower it down into the hole. Harry takes control of pushing the soil back over the box as I stand beside him, the snow falling all over our hair and coats.

The drive back to the house was depressing to say the least, our disappointment flooded the air like an aura. I wanted nothing more than for Harry and I to go to my room, away from everyone to allow time for our disappointment to fade. But, as we pulled outside of my home, we could quickly spot my father gesturing for us to hurry inside through the window. So we did as he ordered and hurried through the snow to the front door. He opened it with a giant smile, holding the door for us to step inside and take our jackets from our bodies.

'Harry, you've had a call from the engineers. They told me to let you know that your house has been completely fixed and any leak-possibilities have been boarded up. So, you're free to go back to your home sweet home.' He grinned widely but Harry and I weren't feeling so happy about the news. I knew Harry wasn't glad because he had to be alone again until his father came home, and he disliked that. I knew I wasn't glad because I'd miss him.

My mother still cooked a warm meal for Harry and I; who thought we had just been outside playing in the snow for the past hour. We sat around the dining table, and for the first time, we ate every last bite. I blamed it on the cold weather. Through the whole meal, my mind was consumed by Harry leaving. It had only been a few days, but it had meant a whole lot to me and I hoped nothing would change on account of it.

You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net