The Key to the Treasure

I grabbed the nearest book: Tolstoy Lied by Rachel Kadish. I’m about ten pages from the end, but I picked up the book and opened to a random page in order to complete today’s Daily Prompt.

Grab the nearest book. Open it and go to the tenth word. Do a Google Image Search of the word. Write about what the image brings to mind.

The tenth word on the random page i opened was “key.”

I was disappointed.

But also determined to complete the prompt. Google images produced a somewhat ordinary, but dirty old brass key at the top of the results page. I studied it.

Nothing.

I zoomed in. Stared at the grooves and tried to feel inspired.

Nothing.

I closed my eyes and meditated on the key.

Still nothing.

What did the key open? What was behind the locked door? Inside the sealed box?

Zzzzzzz…

Finally, I stopped trying to feel inspired — it’s the end of a long day after all,and my kids are begging me to read them bedtime stories already.

I decided to just follow the directions:

“Write about what the image brings to mind.”

So here goes:

A key. Another
mystery awakening
my humility.

What does it open?
Perhaps it doesn’t matter.
This time, just a key.