Boredom was setting in when he remembered the old chemistry set.
Dad was at work, Mum was out shopping, school was out and he’d caught the earlier bus. He had at least an hour to kill. For once he didn’t want to sit in front of the television or play computer games. He wasn’t in the mood to do things that were mindless. He felt the need for something more challenging; some kind of activity that would test him in some way. He was thinking along these lines when he remembered the old chemistry set. That had all sorts of experiments that you could carry out. Would it still be around? It must be years old, but as long as the lid was on properly there was no reason to think that the stuff inside wasn’t as they left it. Where would it be, if it were kept? The attic had to be a good bet. He started there.
He released the access ladder and climbed up. Pushing the ceiling door open was a dusty business. He figured no one had been up there for ages. Once through the door he squatted, looking around. He’d thrown the light switch, but the globe was really dim. The place was a mess. There were boxes and stuff scattered around and it was difficult to move across to where the cupboards were without tripping over things. One by one, he opened doors and drawers without finding the set. Maybe it had been thrown out. He was still searching when he stumbled over something. Falling against a side panel, he was amazed to discover that it popped open with a squeaky hinge. Pulling what was obviously a hidden door open, he peered into the blackness.
He looked around the attic trying to imagine where the void could lead. It didn’t make sense! Could it be some additional loft space? He made his way in slowly. After a few paces he tripped and fell. The light was blinding. Slowly, as his eyes adjusted, he saw that he was sprawled out on the house’s back lawn! In an instant he had gone from the top of the house to the back garden. Of course, this made no sense at all.
Back inside, he climbed the stairs and the ladder until he stood in front of the door again, staring into the dark. It couldn’t happen again, could it? He had certainly found the challenge he was looking for.
Once again, he made his way in, and seconds later, he tripped. Again, he was laying on the back lawn. This time he lay still for a while, thinking. This was certainly something to battle with. It was a conundrum that had him thinking outside of the box. It was time to try some experimentation.
He made his way back up to the top of the house with purpose. At the door he paused for a while, then he slowly turned around to face the attic.
He very carefully began to walk, backwards…