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ArtemisiaFlower t1_iuh7tcc wrote

I send yet another box flying downstairs, and get to the next one.

"Could you stop doing this?" Ada shouts all the way from the first floor.

"Does it matter, though?" I answer, "it's going to trash, anyway."

"Yeah, along with our flooring, if you keep throwing these boxes!" Her voice is more annoyed than angry, so I just apologize quickly and chuckle to myself. The oddities of owning a house.

I turn around looking for something to help me lower the boxes, because I am not spending half a day running up and down the stairs. My knees are messed up enough already. The dust is swirling in the light from a small window. Most of the attic is still pretty dark, but I spot some cables coiled on top of an old chair. Those will do. As I wade through an endless sea of boxes, stumbling and cursing, I trip and grab onto something, but it slides and falls on top of me.

I sit up and rub my left elbow. Where is the flashlight? Ah, there it is. The treacherous thing that didn't help me keep my balance is lying on my knees now. A binder, and a heavy one. I flip through the files with some board game cards in them. Well, Ada's about to regret sending me to clear up the attic. I am too curious to be productive, after all. Still, I get to the chair and grab the cables. Now set next to the window, I keep looking at all the cards. Could they be worth something? I take one to check if there's the name of a game on the other side. Nope. Just some off-white pattern on a dark blue background. I flip it. 'Lesser explosion' it says, with a picture of a few sparks underneath. I'm about to put it back when it escapes my fingers and falls to the floor.

But before I even think of picking it up, some light, weak and shortliving, is next to my feet, and something sounds like a small firecracker. I shine my torch on the floor and find the card. It's the same, not even burnt at the edges, unlike the floor underneath it. Scorch marks radiate from the card, still warm to the touch. I take the card reluctantly. What kind of sorcery was this? Ok. Open a random page, pick a random card. Garlic bread? All right, let's put it on the box right here. A plate of garlic bread spawns in front of me. Huh. I pick it up and find the garlic bread card still intact underneath.

A few hours later, we sit on the floor in our soon-to-be living room, cards sorted in a few piles around us. Ada pockets a few.

"What are we supposed to do with those?" she asks.

"Well, we could or could not save on groceries," I grin, eyeing a pile of food cards.

"Are those even safe to eat?"

I choose a watermelon one this time. Ada gets the knife. The fruit is so ripe it almost cracks under the blade, revealing red pulp with rare drops of seeds inside. It feels like a trap, but I take a bite, and soon Ada joins. It's sweet, and juice drips down our hands and forearms.

"Seems fine," she says, "hope we won't die." The flashes in her eyes say she's sure we'll be fine.

"Even if we die, it's worth it," I smile. "By the way, what are those cards you seized earlier?"

I don't mean anything by the question, but she tenses. She narrows her eyes for a moment before answering.

"Oh, just some cleaning supplies and stuff. We still have a lot to do in this wizard house," she sneers.

But something feels off.

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ArtemisiaFlower t1_iuh818j wrote

I'm not a native English speaker, so I'd appreciate it if anyone pointed out some mistakes and/or gave me advice on how to improve my writing.

10

magestromx t1_iui8tsr wrote

Nah, it was a great fun to read. Check out my version if you want.

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Sk1mm3dM1lk t1_iuj5sbs wrote

It was a good read... The possibilities are endless (insert maniacal laughter)

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