My throat stings with disappointment, though I should be ecstatic.
It’s the first real meat we’ve found since I showed up here.
Too bad it feels so lacking.
“There must be more,” I whisper, sweeping the flashlight around the room again.
I’m looking for paintings, something else Grams left behind, completed artwork.
Nothing.
The wall behind the statue glints sharply in the light, and I grab Kane’s flashlight for a better look.
There’s a beautiful stained glass window in the wall. The light can’t quite filter through it when I stop and focus the LED beam.
Still, the colored light scatters gloriously in the brightness.
“What’s that?” He’s already standing over me, running his fingers along the sides of the window. As I get closer, I see what he means.
It’s like some kind of old artsy cabinet, more like the type of thing you’d see in a church than some strange underground cellar.
There’s even a handle on the side.
But when I pull, it won’t budge.
Disappointing.
For a hot second, I thought this was it.
Our great mystery.
“Was your grandfather religious?” Kane asks softly.
“I don’t think so. He had his beliefs, but he wasn’t too serious.”
“Huh. There’s a real chapel vibe here with that window.” He tries the handle, but again, it doesn’t move. Almost like it’s locked.
I exhale sharply, one long deflated sigh.
“Guess we should leave it alone for now,” he says. “I don’t want to risk breaking anything. And if we can get more light down here, all the better.”
“You’re right.”
“We’ll come back,” he promises, running a hand down my arm. “I just don’t want to force it. They don’t make glass like that anymore.”
I nod in agreement.
The glass is beautiful, all bold colors set in irregular patterns. For all I know, maybe my grandmother made that, too.
There’s no denying she was multitalented.
It hurts a little, knowing I’ll never be able to ask her or Gramps. These are just breadcrumbs, scattered for us to find.
Kane kisses the side of my head as he grabs the flashlight from my lifeless fingers.
“We’re getting warmer,” he says as he heads to the bottom of the stairs. “Okay, guys, it’s all clear,” he calls. “No snakes, bears, or evil clowns. Careful on the stairs coming down.”
Dan moves first.
