The Shell - PART 1

Sandie didn't recognize the house. It had undergone a total restoration, but then her aunt and uncle had always wanted a basement. Its little windows attracted her attention.

"What's in there?"

"I'll show you", uncle Jeffrey calmly said.

She noticed that the cold increased at the very bottom of the basement. Jeffrey suddenly stopped in front of a big door and opened it. They entered a hall full of wooden benches. At a distance, Sandie caught a glimpse of some aquariums.

"What's in them?" she asked.

"Shells".

Sandie sighed.

"Perhaps not that interesting to you", Jeffrey admitted. "But it's my hobby. I've collected them ever since I was a kid."

Sandie glanced at the biggest aquarium. She saw a gigantic shell, almost wide open.

"Oh, that one is special", Jeffrey mumbled. "I don't know what to do with it. It smells terrible."

He walked away and didn't notice that Sandie was left behind. She opened the aquarium and observed the shell. A disgusting smell immediately met her. You'd think it was spew.

"I've got to help Eric with his homework", Jeffrey shouted. "I don't mind if you stay down here - as long as you keep an eye on the shells."

"No problem!"

She heard him shut the door and got an idea: she would open one of the bottles and pour out a little into the shell. Sandie seized the black bottle and got the cork out. The liquid was black as well. What if she'd pour out more of them? What would happen? She'd always liked experiments.

In a little while, ten bottles were empty and lined up in front of her. The shell was besmeared, the liquids ran into the hole. Sandie was worried about the bottles. She'd have to hide them, otherwise Jeffrey would discover her experiment. A safe-deposit box became the rescue. And she was lucky. It wasn't locked.

During the dinner, Sandie pretended to listen to aunt Mandy.

"Come on, tell us", she eagerly said. "What's down there? Jeffrey is so secretive."

"Shells", Sandie answered. "Nothing but shells."

"Really?" Aunt Mandy disappointedly said.

"Unfortunately", Jeffrey laughed. "No swimming-pool, no doll house, no statue. Just my shells...and their liquids. I don't want them to decay...."

A rapid thought dashed through Sandie's head. Something was wrong.

"I must go down again", she resolutely said.

"What?" Mandy exclaimed. "But my strawberry ice cream...."

"I'll eat it later."