Page 469 of His Hungry Wolf

I kneeled next to him and helped. With anticipation rattling through us both, we found the edges of whatever it was. Pushing our hands down the side of it and finding the bottom, I counted to three. With a yank, the box was free and we lifted it to the surface. It was lighter than either of us expected.

“Do you recognize this?” I asked once it sat between us.

“No. How does it open?”

I pushed my hand over it. It was the size of a small microwave oven.

“I think it’s rubber.”

“Rubber?”

“Yeah. Like one of those containers you store leftovers in.”

Lou reached down exploring it with me.

“You’re right. So it’s probably vacuum sealed. Doesn’t that mean we just have to pull the top open?”

“Try it.”

I gave Lou space. As he searched the lid, he found a tab and pulled it. It didn’t release on his first attempt. But digging all of his fingers into it, he popped it open. It was his turn to land on his ass.

I shined the light into the box. Neither of us expected what we found.

“It’s a video camera.”

“I know this camera,” Lou said. “This was my grandmother’s. She got it as a Christmas gift about a decade ago. For a while, she was recording everything. She couldn’t believe how small it was,” Lou said with a nostalgic smile.

Lou took it from the box.

“What’s in that?” I said seeing a sandwich-sized rubber container.

Lou took it out and handed it to me. I gave him the flashlight to free my hands. Opening it with a pop, I found a small videotape.

“I think it’s for that,” I said handing it to Lou.

Fidgeting with it, Lou pressed the power button. After a series of flashes and some buzzing, it turned on.

“There’s still juice in it.”

He opened the flip-out screen.

“It’s still half charged. She couldn’t have buried it that long ago.”

With our hearts thumping, Lou loaded the tape and moved so both of us could see. An old, spritely looking woman appeared on the screen.

“Grandma Aggie,” Lou said with heartbreak.

She steadied herself in front of the camera and spoke.

“I, Agatha Armoury, being of completely sound mind and body, hereby leave the entirety of my estate including my properties, books, and all of my holdings to my grandson, Louis Armoury. This is not a decision I’m taking lightly. Nor is it one where my mind will change. If a will appears saying anything otherwise, know that it is fraudulent.

The old woman paused and looked down. When she looked back up, her demeanor was softer.

“Louis, if you are the one who has found this, then it means my plan didn’t work. It had been a long shot, but I had hoped,” she said disappointed.

“Anyway, there’s something you need to know. It’s what I have wanted to tell you since I looked into your gorgeous eyes for the first time. And it’s that magic is real. Not just that. There are creatures that exist that will make you question everything. You think your friend Quin is special? Well, he’s not the only one. You are special. I’ve been wanting to tell you that your whole life.

“I couldn’t, though. Sometimes telling you the ending ruins the magic, literally. For generations our family has lived on top of something amazing. It’s known by different things in different cultures. The people who lived here before us referred to it as sacred land.