“Something just touched my foot!” the middle sister screamed. “It was really furry!” she added. 

"Darla, if you had worn different shoes you would not have felt it,” said Ava. Ava shined her flashlight around the old family vacation cottage.  

"Why are we here TONIGHT?" Darla asked. 

“Girls!” Melissa  yelled. "Stop fighting so we can go home." Melissa was the oldest sister. Darla and Ava stopped fighting. 

“What is it that we are looking for?" Melissa asked.  

"A small box. Maybe it is in the cellar," Ava answered 

“Why did we have to come tonight, Ava?” Darla asked again. "Could this not wait until morning? 

“Because we need to find it first,” Ava answered. 

Darla and Melissa looked at each other. They were worried. “What do you mean by that?” Melissa asked as Darla looked around for more furry animals. 

Ava sighed. She would have to tell the whole truth. But not right now. Anyone could be watching and listening. 

“We need to find it quick. Let's look in the cellar first,” Ava said. “Look through everything," she added. 

Melissa frowned at Ava but followed her down the hall towards the cellar. Darla shined her flashlight all around her feet. She did not want to meet her furry friend again. 

Ava moved a small table. She saw the hidden door below it. She pulled up on the gold handle. The door opened with a loud squeak. Melissa and Darla followed Ava. They all stepped down the wooden stairs.  

Ava found what she was looking for. It was an old wardrobe. It was painted a dark brown. It was dusty. Ava blew dust off of the gold handles. 

"I never liked that thing,” Melissa said. “Dad made me keep it in my room during that summer when Uncle Phil stayed with us,” she added. 

"Do you want to open it, Darla?"  Ava asked. She smiled at her sister.  

"No way! Another animal might be hiding in there," Darla said. 

“I will  do it! I am ready to go home,” Melissa said. 

Melissa looked at the wardrobe a long time. Finally, she took a deep breath and turned the knob. The door opened with a loud creak. 

Anna stepped forward. She felt along the bottom panel. She felt the cut in the wood and pushed on it. The panel lifted. Both of the girls behind her gasped.  

“How did you know that was there?” asked Melissa. 

Ava looked at her sisters and smiled. “I will tell you on the way back home,” she said. 

Darla held the flashlight while Ava dug through the mess. She found buttons, pins, and an old pair of glasses.  

“I think I found it,” she said. “I think this is the box we need.” Ava held up a blue box. It had gold hinges and silver lock. It was heavy for something that was only the size of a bar of soap. 

"What is in it?” Darla asked with wide eyes. 

"Where is the key?” Melissa added. 

"I do not know what is inside. I do not see the key," Ava answered both of her sisters. She put the small box into her bag and waved for her sisters to follow her out of the cellar. Ava shut the cellar door. She pulled the table back over the door. The door could no longer be seen. 

They heard a noise outside. The girls tried to look out the window.  

“Turn off your flashlights," Ava whispered. 

“Ava, who is out there?” Melissa asked. Ava grabbed b her sisters. She pulled them down the hall to the back porch. They could hear voices. They were coming closer. Ava pulled on her sisters. They all stopped. They hid close to the wall. 

“How do we get in? Do you have a key?” a woman asked. They could hear another voice. It was too far away to understand. "Phil?” the woman yelled. They heard the woman walk away from the door. 

Ava opened the back door. She pulled her sisters out and shut the door. 

They had parked the car in the woods, so they walked quickly. They reached the car. Melissa pulled out her keys. The car beeped twice. The doors were unlocked. Three car doors opened and they jumped in. Melissa locked the doors again. 

The three sisters sat in the car in complete silence for several minutes before Melissa put the keys in the ignition. The car roared to life. Darla looked at her sister with many questions in her eyes. 

"Ava, what is going on?" Darla asked. 

Ava pulled the small blue box out of her bag. She wondered why a small thing was causing so much trouble. 

"I overheard Mom and Dad talking about this box," Ava started her story. "They said that Uncle Phil was going to try to get it and they didn't think they could stop him. They said they hid it in the secret part of the wardrobe. It sounded important." 

Melissa focused on getting out of the woods. Her eyebrows were wrinkled with confusion. She stopped at the edge of the woods and turned to Ava. 

"So we broke into an old cottage and took an old box but we don't know why," Melissa stated. "And how did you know that the wardrobe opened like that?"  

"I saw Dad open it once. He didn't know I was watching. I used to open it a lot," Ava answered. 

"Think, Ava. Did Mom and Dad say anything else about the box. Maybe, what's inside?" Darla asked. 

Ava was quiet while she thought. The image of her Mom and Dad whispering over their morning coffee came to her mind. They didn't see or hear Ava come down the stairs. Ava had stopped at the kitchen door when she heard whispers. 

Her mom had said, "He told me he would find the box. He knew that we hid it in the cottage." Her dad had grumbled something about never getting it open, even if he did find it. Her mother had sighed loudly and said, "I hope you are right. Only the girls should open it." 

Ava shook away her memory. She looked at Darla and Melissa with certainty. "Our family depends on whatever is in the box." 

They had been driving for almost ten minutes when headlights appeared in the rearview mirror. Melissa glanced up to see a black sedan speeding toward them. Ava and Darla heard the car's engine and turned to look at what was following them. 

"It's him! Floor it!" Ava yelled. 

Melissa pressed the gas pedal and the car jerked forward. Darla and Ava were forced back into their seats.  

"Go, go, go!" Ava yelled. 

Melissa pressed the gas pedal even further. Her eyes were fixed on the road ahead. Darla looked back at the car behind them. It continued to get closer. 

"We have to lose them. Find somewhere to turn off," Ava said with panic in her voice. 

"You watch way too much TV, Ava,"  Darla said. 

"How are we going to get away from them? They are right behind us"  

"Just look for a side road!" Ava yelled back. 

The car behind them continued to get closer and closer. Melissa kept the car steady. 

"There! There is a side road up ahead!" Darla shouted 

"I see it. Hold on to your seat!" Melissa shouted back. 

Ava and Darla held on tight to their seats and each other as the car quickly rounded the turn. All three girls screamed. The black sedan could not turn fast enough to follow. 

Melissa continued drive as fast as she could down the dirt road. Darla looked out the back window. They were alone again. 

"I think it's safe to slow down now," Ava said to her oldest sister. Melissa stared ahead. Her knuckles were white on the steering wheel. 

"Melissa!" Ava yelled. "Slow down!" 

Melissa seemed to snap out of her daze. She moved her foot from the gas to the brake. The car started to slow down. 

They pulled up to an old barn and came to a stop. Melissa put the car in park and took a deep breath. 

Darla was the first to break the silence. "So, Uncle Phil wants this box. We have no idea why he wants it or how to open it." 

Ava looked at her sisters. She was sorry she had gotten them into so much trouble tonight. "I know it sounds crazy but I know this box is important to our family." 

Melissa looked at Ava and put her hand on her shoulder. "We will figure this out. Maybe we should talk to Mom and Dad." 

Ava nodded. She knew she could not handle this family secret alone. Melissa slowly turned the car around. The three sisters rode in silence.