“Oh for GOD sakes!”

The cardboard box lay on its side by the bedframe, bottles rolling out onto the carpet in a rainbow heap. Minny sighed dramatically, wiping the sweat from under her eyes and bending down to pick up the perfume bottles. A few lids had popped off, and bounced under the bed. Unpacking sucked so much. She tossed the perfumes onto the comforter as she picked them up and then righted the box. There were still clothes inside. She heaved the much lighter box back onto the bed, letting it bounce into place.

Her parents had left their youngest alone in her apartment two hours ago, and so far, all she had managed to accomplish was the placement of the furniture within her bedroom. Unpacking alone sucked so much. She leaned against the wall, looking at the absolute disaster she had created. Maybe her mom was right: maybe she should have started with one box and emptied it completely before moving on to the next. But, being the stubborn mule she was, she instead opened several boxes at once, and bounced between them. The young woman was starting to get overwhelmed: it was so much..

And the worst part was, she couldn’t find her stationary, so she couldn’t even make a list to go by.

Minny slid down the wall, hot and tired. She spied something else that had rolled out of the box: a black whiteboard marker. The whiteboard was….somewhere in the apartment. She wasn’t sure. Her green eyes darted around the room, but couldn’t immediately find it. They fell on the closet doors. One was made of wood, but one was a large mirror. Her real eyes connected with her mirrored eyes, and she got an idea.

She picked up the black marker and hauled herself up. Striding to the mirror, she uncapped the marker and began to write directly onto the mirror.

1. Clear off the bed

2. Organize perfumes on shelf

3. Put boxed clothes in the dryer

4. Locate hangers

5. Fold the empty boxes and take them to the trash

6. Hang clothes

7. Dinner

8. Hang curtains

Green eyes avoided the mirrored eyes this time; she was busy checking over her list, easing the rising panic back to the depths of her soul. This. This was something that she could work with. Creating a timeline rejuvenated her desire to unpack. She turned around, staring at the bed again. Instead of an insurmountable mire, she saw instead a progress bar. One she could chip away at. She began to organize, throwing clothes in a pile to be fluffed in the dryer. Perfumes went on the shelf near the door, waiting to be placed in neat rows. Slowly, the comforter below the chaos began to reveal itself.

Minny was feeling confident, halfway there. She picked up a small box that was tucked away within the pile. Probably was in a box of clothing, as its previous location was in her dresser drawer. She paused, momentum derailed completely by the sight of this box. It was her sentimental box; a collection of treasured items that she added to throughout her life. The girl smiled, opening the box. She carefully examined old theater tickets, birthday cards and a fake flower from the set of the only play she had a role in. Deep in her memories, Minny reached below the papery reminders, and brushed something cold and hard. Her face froze, and her smile faltered.

She withdrew a stick, yellow and orange in color, about the size of a large pen. It had a gem with a honeycomb pattern at the top. She stared down at the pen that slowly warmed in her hands, and began to hum with energy.

Ambrosia..

She had not held this pen in years. Not since….middle school? Freshman year? Minny could not remember. It brought back more memories than the theater tickets. It held more joy…and more pain than those things combined. Her eyes seemed to shine as her hand shook. Why had she stopped?

Minny lifted the pen higher to the light, examining it closely as it shimmered with alien power. Years ago, she and her friend had been superheroes. Superheroes determined to save the world from bad guys. Trained at night in secret, fought monsters that screamed and tried to kill them. Wore costumes that magically appeared….

Traveled to far away places….A girl with deep purple-red hair floated into her mind’s eye. Someone with laughter in her face and confidence in her movements. Lenka. Now there was a name that hadn’t graced her memory in about as long as the pen had avoided her hand.

Her whole body began to shiver as the sweat on her back dried.

Could she ever go back? Not literally of course: time didn’t work like that. She was long past the age of playing hero….right? A tiny thrill shook her heart. There was no way that this thing could still work. It’s been too long…

But the pen seemed adamant to disagree with her. It was warm and humming, the gem practically shining with its own power. Begging to be used, pleading for Minny to say the magic words. The ones that would turn her back into a superhero. The ones that would release the enchantment that would throw her back into a war.

Minny rolled the pen in her hand, flipping it between her fingers. Dare she do it? Not at home. That would invite danger into her brand new home. Hilariously, she thought first about her security deposit, and how she would definitely lose it if something were to come looking for her here. But what was she thinking!? There was a reason she put that pen away, and let the thoughts of crime fighting wither away. She couldn’t keep risking her life! She had PLANS. She had GOALS. Goals that definitely required her to be alive.

“Still” she muttered to herself, grasping the pen firmly now. “It could be fun.”



Word count: 1,001