LAWRENZ TYBALT'S POINT OF VIEW
Never trust everybody else unless you know their weakness. "They all need the power to unlock it, I hissed to myself."
I visited the box, and it relocated. As some people got interested in this, they stole it from our house. While visiting, I knew there was a guard watching me from afar.
I forgot almost everything, but I remember how I found out the passcode. They just forgot one thing: I was an architecture student 9 years ago. The very mathematical test can open this box. I was so close in the time before the accident happened.
But I am too skeptical to open it. I remember once I finalized unlocking it, I was so hesitant to finally open it widely. I unlocked it because fear swallowed me.
"Who owns that car?" I asked as someone stood behind me.
"Hmmm, Lawrenz, you have a luxurious car. I'm amazed. The car which bumped into your Lamborghini Veneno and an owner of Bugatti Divo. Who do you think?" That arrogant voice still echoed in my ears.
"Nick, I know that you don't have any luxurious things especially if you can't buy Bugatti Divo," I said.
He laughed.
"Your father became a janitor," I added.
He suddenly stopped. "Your family's fault!" He punched me as he was furious. "You should die!"
"Don't be so aggressive this time," I uttered weakly. "I won't open the box again."
"You won't open the box? You found a blueprint on it. You know how to open this! Open it!" He aimed the gun at my head.
"Stop chasing this; you never have any idea about this box," I stated.
"I don't care. I already lost everything."
"The shaman told me. Know the past if you want to unlock it. Ironically, I never had an idea about the past of the box, and yet I am able to open it. That's funny, right?"
He got pissed. "Who's the shaman?"
"Well, why don't you ask your own mother. Maybe she was thinking that her son is a big fool and stupid at the same time," I chuckled as I mocked him.
I was startled due to the sudden commotion as Daisy Lunaire rushed into the scene with her eyes wide in shock. "Lawrenz, what's happening?" she exclaimed.
Nick turned his back on me and toward Daisy's entrance. Taking that as an opportunity, I moved fastest and snatched the gun from his hands, which totally surprised Nick.
"You've done enough damage, Nick. It's time for this to end," I declared firmly, so cool renewed in my tone despite being embroiled in this tense moment.
Daisy came up to Nick, white as a ghost, yet firm. "Violence won't get any of us anywhere. It's all over now, and we gotta move on."
Nick himself was smashed and cornered, and with gleaming fury in his eyes, he threw at me one last desperate look. "You don't understand, Lawrenz. It is not only that darn box; it's all that which we lost," he muttered.
I held the gun, but vengeance didn't burn in me, so I could reply calmly, "There is more to life than this box, Nick. We can have a way to rebuild, heal."
"To heal?" He mocked the word. "Your family destroyed my father's reputation!"
Gingerly, I sidestepped the gun pressed against his forehead. "Your wife is here now. You can be a father with a reputation, Nick," I said, looking straight at Daisy Lunaire. "Thank you for taking care of me," I expressed my gratitude and left them.
Mr. Reigh helped me get inside the car. The chaos at our back started fading away as we drove off. Daisy's worried eyes remained in my mind, but the intensity of Nick's anger lingered.
"What do you think people want to have while they are chasing the box?" I asked my driver.
"It may be power, wealth, and good life," he replied.
"Well, do you have it, Mr. Reigh?" I asked him back, and he grinned at me.
"Ah. I have a good life, sir. I have wealth, which is my family, and I don't feel the power. I consider power as love and contentment," he answered simply.
"People have never been satisfied," I replied. The quest for the mystical box had shown much more than its probable power and wealth it had unraveled the depth of human desire and what it does when ambitions are given a free run.
While walking back home, I turned to my mother and asked, "Why did you put me with Daisy to care for? To look after?" and without giving her a chance to answer, I walked upstairs.
I found comfort on the veranda with a cup of coffee. Nurse Sarah, whom I had hired to keep an eye on me, waded softly. "May I join you, Mr. Tybalt?" she asked.
I nodded for her to take a seat. The evening breeze carried tranquility as we stared at the horizon.
"I know you have questions, Mr. Tybalt," Nurse Sarah began. "Your mother believed that having someone familiar and caring like Daisy would aid in your recovery. She saw how Daisy stood by you during your challenging times."
"I appreciate their concern," I admitted, sipping the coffee. "But there are still so many unanswered questions about the past."
Nurse Sarah sighed. "Some mysteries may never have clear answers. What's important is now: your health and the chance of rebuilding."
***
That evening, later, I sat under the veranda light of the moon, lost in thought. The day had worn me out mentally and emotionally: the box, the confrontations, the latent pulls at my mind. I turned to look at Nurse Sarah, who had slipped herself away to allow me some space, her presence a comfort.
This box had always fascinated and scared me; there was something mysterious about the content but commercially undeniable about the effect. It could drive people to the edge of insanity, have them sell out their loved ones, or do anything besides that extreme. But even with its beauty, it was a memory of the past—where I was running but could never hide.
I couldn't help but think about Nick's words. His anger, his resentment, the accusations against my family in the destruction of his father, all resounded in my mind. Whatever my father had done, it was obvious that he had hurt young Nick and his family. Consequences of actions, known and unknown, from the past had almost shaped our present realities.
I sat and thought that it wouldn't be over between this box and me. I needed to find out the truth—for whom, I am not sure, but for myself and all others affected by whatever its existence gave way to. It was time for facing the past head-on, seeking answers, and finding a closure event for this chapter of my life.
The next morning I woke up with a lot more determination. I called Daisy, hoping to find some clarity in the middle of all the chaos. "Daisy, can we talk?" I asked and could tell by the tone of my voice that I had caught her off guard.
She nodded, a mix of concern and curiosity etched on her expression. We sat down in the living room, where the morning sun poured in through the windows to make everything very warm.
"I need to understand everything about the box," I began. "It's been a shadow over my life for too long. I need to understand its history, its purpose, and why it holds such sway over people."
Daisy took a deep breath. "The box has always been a family secret, passed down through generations. Its origins are shrouded in mystery, but it is said to hold immense power and knowledge. Many sought it, but few were able to unlock it."
She tipped forward, her eyes locked onto mine. "Your father believed the box held a key to something beyond extraordinary, something that could change the world. But with this also came great risks. That is why he protected it so vehemently."
"And Nick's father?" I asked. "Why does he blame my family?"
Daisy hesitated for a little before she replied, "There was business rivalry between your dads. Both of them were ambitious men. Their rivalry with each other only kept getting bigger through the years. There were accusations, betrayals, and eventually, a fallout that scarred both families irreparably."
The puzzle pieces began to fall into place now. This box was way more than just an inanimate thing. It had provoked a chain of events that led to the fate of our families. It was a symbol of ambition, power, and the result of wishes gone wild.
"I have to find some way for this to end," I said finally. "To find closure and move on."
Nodding, Daisy said, "That's a hard path, but I think you can whip it, Lawrenz. You have got guts and the will to face up to the past and forge a bright future."
All I had to do was know what to do. It was going to be a difficult journey ahead, but it was one that needed to be traveled. What was once a box of fear and uncertainty became for me now a beacon of fresh hope—a chance to rewrite history and find peace.
Calm, I stood, ready to face this uncertain road ahead, knowing the power lay in my hands to unlock the box and the future that held so many secrets. And with this thought, I stepped first toward the truth and opened myself to possibilities.