Unpacking
The old wooden stairwell echoed with soft, creaky footsteps as Kei walked up the stairs, carrying a large cardboard box. When she reached the small door at the top of the stairs, she pushed it open and stepped inside.
It was like stepping into another world.
Kei put the box down on the floor and looked around. Her eyes followed the sloping ceiling from the peak of the roof down to the angled ends, then squinted as the late afternoon sun streamed through the windows.
The house itself was old, built back in the Victorian era, but was recently renovated. Kei’s mom had wanted to stay in a house with history attached to it, while Kei jokingly brought up the possibility of the house being haunted. But when she found out there was an attic bedroom, Kei quickly changed her mind and hoped no spooks resided in the house.
The moving company had done a good job moving all of the furniture. Her bed, desk and bookshelves were placed as if they had always been in the room. All she needed to do was fill them.
Kei quietly opened the box on the floor and started pulling things out. She placed her laptop on the desk, opening it and turning it on, even though the net company wouldn’t come to install the WiFi until the next day. She placed a few more knickknacks on the desk, then moved on to the bookshelves, opening the boxes of books and toys sitting in the corner.
Once everything was situated, Kei turned back to the box she brought into the room. She pulled out the stuffed Terriermon plush that Rion had given her and placed it on her bed atop an old patchwork quilt. She took a step back, smiling, then looked around. Everything looked perfect, and the room had taken on a cozy, lived-in feel.
Just one more thing…
She reached back into the box and pulled out a small multicolored prism tied with a string. She held it up, looking into the sunburst-cut glass, then hung it in the window, tying the string tightly. She stood back, staring as the prism caught the sunlight and scattered it into thousands of rainbow-colored droplets. She smiled.
The prism had been one of the last gifts from her dad before he died. But until now, she had never had a chance to hang it up in a place where she could appreciate it.
There were so many things she never had the chance to do with her dad. So many things she never got to say, and so many things he would never see her do. For just a moment, the pain of it was unbearable.
Kei closed her eyes and sighed, expecting a wave of memories to hit her. But nothing happened. Puzzled, she opened her eyes and looked around, seeing only a room that wasn’t yet familiar. She looked through the window and saw an unfamiliar city before her, as afternoon turned into evening and the light through the prism slowly faded.
Perhaps the distance was already working.
Notes:
I had the video game Unpacking in mind when I wrote this, since it’s literally about unpacking boxes in a new house after a big move. I was also inspired by the ending scene of “Don’t Look Behind You,” by Lois Duncan, where the main character hangs a multicolored prism in her bedroom window after a big move (among other things).