Babushka and Dedushka wanted Natalia to get started cleaning out the attic, so she got to work. She constructed a cardboard Home Depot box, filled it with clothes. She constructed another box and filled it with dusty house décor. Another box. More junk. Rinse. Repeat.
By the afternoon, she was covered in dust and sweat and had had enough for the day. At least now, there was space to walk around in the attic a bit. It looked like there were a good two or three more days of work to fully clear it out, though.
As she packed the last box for the day, she noticed an old, wooden chessboard sitting on top of a dusty bookshelf along the vertical wall of the attic. She walked over to it and ran a finger along its smooth finish. Despite the fact that everything else was covered in a fine coat of dust, the chessboard was not. It’s smooth, maple length was pristine and clean.
The pieces were all standing in their proper places, ready for a game to begin. She moved a white pawn forward two squares on a whim before examining the rest of the flawless board. It was just… odd. There was something about it that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. She stood there for a moment, just staring at it.
She shook herself out of it. What was she doing? She needed to take this box down to the garage. Then, it was time for a nice, long, hot shower.
She couldn’t wait for that shower!
***
The following morning, Natalia pulled down the expanding stairs and ascended them into the attic again. She walked over to the pile of collapsed cardboard and began to build another box, when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye.
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