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THE SECRET IN THE KEYS
BY JULIE MORGAN
For my daughter who never stops believing in the power of the imagination.
CHAPTER ONE
Emma Sullivan sat at her kitchen table and sipped her morning coffee. She loved the familiar scent of the aroma, so much more than staring at the stack of bills that had arrived in the mail. It was an ordinary day, much like any other in her quiet, uneventful life. Not much excitement happens around the township of Turn-Around-And-Go-Home, Kansas.
Emma would get lost in her books, daydream of times spent in other worlds, and would hope, one day, an adventure would come to whisk her away, like the cyclone did with Dorothy Gale.
However, as an adopted child, she had always felt a sense of longing, and never belonged. She was curious about her birth family, but she had accepted that some mysteries were meant to remain unsolved. Once her birth parents both passed on, she was, once again, left alone in the world.
And she had never felt lonelier.
With a sigh, she picked up the stack of bills, and an envelope slipped out and landed on the table. The peculiar package was made of yellowed parchment and sealed with a wax stamp bearing an intricate design. The address on the front was written in elegant handwriting, and it was addressed to her: Emma Sullivan. The return address was simply listed as "Florida Keys".
Intrigued and curious, Emma's heart quickened as she tore open the envelope. Inside was a single sheet of aged paper, its edges frayed and delicate. She unfolded it carefully, her eyes scanning the words that sprawled across the page.
"Dear Emma,"
the letter began,
"If you are reading this, it means that I have passed away, and you are the rightful heir to my estate. Enclosed you will find the key to a house I bequeath to you in the Florida Keys. It is a place of secrets and wonder, and I hope that it brings you the answers you seek.”
Emma's hands trembled as she read the letter repeatedly, her mind racing with questions.
Who was this mysterious aunt who had left her a house?
Why had she never heard of her before?
And most importantly, why had she chosen Emma, an ordinary woman who led an ordinary life?
I mean, there really is no one else?
Unable to contain her wonder any longer, Emma decided, right then and there, to embark on a journey to the Florida Keys to visit a house where an aunt she’d never met used to live.
She was just wanting an adventure, and one landed in her lap!
* * *
The next day, Emma's excitement mingled with a sense of trepidation. She booked a flight the night before, and today, she was in the Florida Keys. She had always been drawn to stories of mystery and the supernatural, but she never thought she would find herself entangled in one. The thought of her newfound inheritance and the possibilities it held sent shivers down her spine.
She hailed a taxi and handed him the address to the house. As they drove through the narrow streets lined with colorful houses and swaying palm trees, Emma couldn't help but feel a sense of otherworldliness. It was as if the very air around her was charged with an unknown energy whispering secrets she was yet to discover.
The driver pulled up in front of a grand, weathered mansion that stood tall against the backdrop of the ocean. The house had an eerie beauty, its paint faded and its windows adorned with ornate ironwork. Emma took a deep breath, her heart pounding in her chest, and stepped out of the taxi.
“Looks like something right out of a scary movie,” the driver stated flatly.
She didn’t want to agree with him, but also couldn’t argue. She stepped out of the cab, and the driver hesitated for a moment.
“Are you sure about this, ma’am,” he asked.
“Yes. No. I don’t know.” She whirled around and faced him in the taxi. “I have no idea what I’m doing, but I’m excited to do it but also scared to death!”
“It’s that moment where you’ve moved to a new school, and you’re meeting all new kids again, huh,” he asked.
“Something like that,” she said with a smile. “Except the kids don’t go to school in an old mansion.”
