It stood there in the gloom just waiting for me. I had exited my room on the pretext of getting something to drink before returning to the depths of Hamlet, but I couldn’t even take that first step past it towards the stairs. For Pete’s sake, I was twenty-two-years old, not some snot-nosed child! So why did I suddenly feel the urge to break my father’s golden rule? Maybe it was a little late rebellion or perhaps all the mystery novels I’d ever read were finally pushing me over the edge and this was the beginnings of a mental break down, I could not tell.

This is ridiculous, get a grip! I fumed within myself, making up my mind to “resist the devil” rising up in me. I picked up one foot, put it down on the ground about a foot and a half in front of me and then repeated the process until I was standing before sin itself. For some odd reason, I could go no further without at least looking at the forbidden fruit. It was six feet high, two feet wide and was crafted lovingly of sturdy pine; it was a thing built to withstand the test of time—or three nosy boys. All in all, it was a normal door that one might see in any home this side of the Sierra Nevadas. No, it wasn’t the barrier in and of itself that was special, but what lay behind it. Reaching up with my right hand, I just touched the door nob; it was cool under my sweat-streaked palm. I turned my head first to the left and then the right. No one was in sight. I grinned.

What harm would there be if I just took a little peek? Anyways, it’s not like I’m gonna get caught or anything. Pa’s asleep and Hoss and the little tattle-tale are playing checkers downstairs. I can get away with it.

The fruit proved to be too sweet to pass up and feeling a bit like Pandora before she unlatched her box of horrors, I turned the knob.

Squeak! My heart leaped in my throat as the hinges protested at being forced to move, but I was soon able to get the organ to return to its respective place in my body. My boot toes scuffed the rough wooden floor lightly as I began to cross the threshold, my spirits lifting at the prospect of what I might discover within the murky darkness of the room.

I did it! I’m in! Triumph flooded through my veins.

“Adam Stoddard Cartwright, what do you think you’re doing?” A voice that I knew all to well bellowed from barely three feet away.

Busted!

Hastily, I backed out and slammed the door closed before turning to face the wrath of Benjamin Cartwright—which was worse that any evil wingéd creature the Greek gods could have created.

“I-I-I….” I stammered as my wits seemed to desert me like rats jumping from a sinking ship.

“You what? There isn’t anything you can say right now that will get you out of trouble, young man. Even so, I demand an explanation!” I scoured the empty recesses of my mind, coming up with nothing. Finally, I hung my headin shame. I was too old to let curiosity get the better of me, especially around this time of year.

“I’m sorry, Sir, I don’t have a reason for disobeying your orders.” I mumbled. Ben glowered at me, his oldest son. I glanced up in time to see the twinkle of amusement in my father’s eyes that he was trying hard to suppress. He failed miserably as the humor of the situation hit him. He finally mastered himself enough to speak sternly to me.

“Well, if that’s the case, we’ll skip the reasons and get right to the punishment phase of this whole affair.” I scrunched my eyes closed as dread flooded over me. Pa might find this funny, but he still had to deal out judgement on me–even if he didn’t want to.

“Tomorrow you will have charge of Little Joe when he is in the yard for the entire day, do you hear me? You will be responsible for all of his actions outside of this house!” Stunned, my eyes popped open and I stared in disbelief at the man in front of me.

“Wha-what?”

“Do I need to repeat myself?”

“N-no, Sir!” I hastily responded, although I was completely befuddled by my parent’s words.

“Very well.” The older man stated and then headed for his bedroom, the door swinging soundlessly shut behind him. I could not figure it out; in the past, any “snooping” in the gift room the day before Christmas had always ended in some kind of severe punishment, but this…? I headed down the staircase and towards the nearest window to peer out into the whitening world. The blizzard still swirled endlessly past the leaded glass showing no signs of letting up in the near future and I shook my head.

“I’ll be.” I proclaimed. Maybe I was getting too old for punishment or maybe it was just my father’s way of welcoming me home from college at last. Either way, I felt relieved and a little baffled, but there was no way I was ever going to cross that particular threshold ever again—not unless hell itself and the devil with it froze over!

~THE END