Hidden Truths

Chapter 3: The Mysterious Flower Pot

John’s POV

The flower pot occupied the passenger’s seat for my entire drive home.

Each time, I’d glance at it and back at the road.

A small sigh escaped my mouth.

“The guys at work won’t let me hear that end of it if they found out I paid fifty dollars for this old pot.” I whispered to myself.

My mind went to the interaction I had with the florist.

I couldn’t exactly blame her for seeing me as a jerk.

I didn’t even introduce myself properly before wandering around her shop like some suspicious criminal.

The thought of it made me feel some form of embarrassment.

As I waited for the traffic light to turn green, the radio suddenly interrupted the hip hop music playing in my car.

“...Residents are advised to stay indoors when the storm comes. Weather experts predict intense winds approaching that are very much capable of causing structural damage…”

I switched off the radio without thinking twice.

People always panic when they hear the word ‘storm’

If there was anything being a firefighter taught me, it’s most warnings turn into nothing.

The traffic lights finally turned green and I zoomed off.

A few minutes later, I arrived home and pulled my car into the parking lot of my apartment building.

I grabbed the flower pot from the passenger seat and went upstairs.

Immediately I got into my apartment, I took off my shoes and placed the flower pot beside the kitchen sink.

I took a good look at it and actually saw that it was in terrible condition.

The edges of the pot were chipped and tiny cracks spread across its body like spider webs.

I reached into one of the kitchen drawers and grabbed a small cleaning towel.

“Might as well clean you up” I said as I damped the towel in water and carefully wiped its body.

As I turned the flower pot in my hands to make sure every corner gets cleaned, I noticed a c***k near the bottom. It looked deeper than the other cracks.

I curiously brushed my thumb over it.

Then…

I heard something.

CLINK..

I froze

I thought it was just my imagination.

I gently tilted the flower pot.

CLINK..

I heard the sound again.

It didn’t seem like it was just my imagination this time.

I lifted the pot closer to my ear and gave it a little shake.

CLINK.

I confirmed that there was definitely something inside.

I searched the surface to see if there’d be any opening.

There was nothing. No removable sides, no hidden compartment, just nothing.

I placed it back beside the kitchen sink and stared at it for a long while.

“Well… I guess there is only one way to find out.” I murmured.

I reached into one of the kitchen’s drawers and removed a small screwdriver then I turned the flower pot upside down and examined the c***k closely.

It didn’t look natural.

It looked like someone had repaired it years ago. I also noticed that the clay around the c***k looked smoother than the rest, like it had been sealed shut on purpose.

That was enough to convince me to examine further.

I carefully slid the tip of the screwdriver into the c***k and applied some pressure to it.

I pushed a little harder and a tiny piece of clay fell onto the sink.

I was so eager to see what was inside this flower pot so I continued pushing.

Soon, the bottom of the flower pot began to separate.

I knew I was getting closer and closer to revealing what was hidden inside.

The flower pot eventually broke into pieces and dry soil scattered across the counter.

I reached inside and emptied the rest onto an old newspaper.

There was nothing.

Just dirt.

I sighed.

“I actually thought I was onto something.”

I was about to pack up the broken pieces into a box.

When…

CLINK.

There was that particular sound again.

Something rolled down from the clump of dirt.

A key…

I was shocked.

I picked it up and held it between my fingers.

The key looked old, very old and it didn’t look like a house key either, it was too small to be one.

The brass had darkened and tiny scratches were all over its surface.

I turned it over and noticed another thing.

There was a tiny flower symbol engraved into the head of the key.

“Why would anyone hide a key inside a flower pot?” I thought.

I searched through the dirt again to see if I’d find another thing.

I couldn’t find anything.

So I just kept the key safe inside one of the drawers and proceeded to clean the kitchen as it looked really untidy.

I also planned on fixing up the flower pot later.

As I bent down to sweep the broken pieces into a box, I noticed another thing.

There was a folded piece of paper inside one of the broken clay fragments.

My heart started beating fast as I carefully picked it up.

The paper was delicate and yellow, I was sure it had been left for ages.

It looked like it would tear into pieces if I didn’t open it with care.

So I unfolded it as carefully as I could.

There was only one sentence written in faded blue ink.

What I saw on the paper bemused me.

“...What the hell?” I said to myself.