The Floor That Remembered

Apondi’s family home always felt too big. It had squeaky corners and heavy velvet curtains that blocked out the sun. While cleaning the attic, she found a loose floorboard. Beneath it lay a small, tarnished key. It didn’t look like it belonged to any door she had ever seen.

She spent the afternoon looking for a lock. She found it in the guest room, tucked inside an old cedar chest. Inside were letters addressed to a girl named Imani. There were drawings of kites and pressed wildflowers. Apondi realized this was the sister her grandmother never mentioned.