093/2012 The Vault

Word Count:  526

She knew it was three turns to the left, one to the right, two to the left and the vault should have clicked and swung open. She kept trying that over and over until she grew confused and tried different combinations: two left, three right, one left; three right, two left, one right. By this time she realized she’d likely screwed it up so bad that the starting point of it all was completely and hopelessly lost.

Still, she had to keep trying. He’d left her, took off, disappeared, and the paychecks stopped coming a month later. Though she was pretty sure he’d likely cleaned out the vault she had to at least hope he’d left something behind.

He’d given her the combination years ago, in case of emergencies (like this?) of needing to sell some of the coin collection, get cash, pawn jewelry. Or, since the vault doubled as a safe room, in case she got herself accidentally locked in. She’d opened it a few times the first month, with him watching to make sure she’d gotten it right. He told her never to write it down anywhere but to commit its simplicity to memory.

She lost interest shortly thereafter and didn’t think of it again until now. When she had to get in there. Hoped beyond hope that he’d at least left her some sort of security. Some way of holding onto the house.

It was a shock to accept that he’d left her. No note, no warning, no reason, she’d thought, for him to have been so unhappy with her, with his life. But there you have it, he just picked up and left and she had to find some way to carry on all alone.

Every night after dinner she would go into the library and work at the combination until she could no longer see. She finally said something to her sister in Cincinnati who suggested she just call a locksmith. Or the company who manufactured the safe. For a fee they would send someone out who likely could get it open. She made the appointment for the first date they offered.

She felt humiliated because she had to once again tell the whole story to the man who came, showed his credentials then asked her for something to prove she was who she was before he would attempt the lock. It took several hours of watching him listen and dial, dial and listen, swear under his breath until they both heard the loud click! and grinned.

He wrote down the following: Start at 0 – turn 3 full turns Left (counterclockwise) to 0 — turn 1 full turn Right (clockwise) to 0 — turn 2 full turns Left to 10 and pull the handle Down to open. Ten! That was the mistake she’d made–he’d left it at 10, the 10th of April, their anniversary!

She thanked him and paid him and after he left, hurried back and with a huge sigh of relief, she pulled open the vault door. Oh, the money, the coins, the jewelry, it was all there. Along with her husband, who lay shriveled and dead on the floor.