Finders Keepers

            Alex pushed open the creaky door and stepped inside the old mansion. He couldn’t believe that he was even inside. The place hadn’t been lived in for at least 15 years and was the perfect subject for haunted house stories. Kids had dared each other to go inside, but no one had ever found a way in. The doors were always locked, and the windows seemed to be made of thick, bullet-proof glass.

            Alex looked down at the key in his hand. Someone had left the key and a note by his front door this morning. The note had simply said, “There’s something strange inside the old mansion.” There was no signature or any hint of who had left him the note.

            Alex considered himself a pretty good investigator. Even though he was only 11 years old, he had a reputation for tracking down things that had been stolen or lost. That’s why he wasn’t too surprised when he found the note. Someone had a mystery for him.

            Even though it was only ten o’clock in the morning, Alex clicked on his flashlight as he pulled it out of his backpack. He shone it around the darkened entryway. The door swung shut behind him and Alex gave an involuntary jump. There was a thick layer of dust everywhere except for a set of footprints leading down the hall. Alex followed the footprints and came to an ornate set of stairs. The steps creaked as he climbed up and reached the landing.

            Nervously, Alex adjusted his backpack as he continued to follow the footprints. With every step, the wood underneath him moaned and groaned in protest. The footprints stopped in front of a door that was slightly ajar. Alex pushed open the door and stepped inside. He glimpsed an old, dusty room before suddenly, everything changed.

            There was such a powerful whoosh of air that Alex closed his eyes and took an involuntary step back. When he opened his eyes again, he was absolutely dumbfounded. “What the?!!” he said, totally confused.

            Alex was standing in the middle of a bright, sunlit meadow. His eyes darted around and landed on a strange man standing a few feet away. He was wearing a suit and tie, and a warm smile as he said, “Welcome Alex!”

            Alex had never seen this man before. He pulled out the small flip phone that he carried in his backpack, just in case.

            “That’s not going to work here,” the man said kindly.

            All was silent in the meadow until Alex asked, “Who are you, and what is this place? I was in the old mansion, and I suddenly find myself here. What happened? How did I get here?” This all came out very fast, thanks to his nervousness.

            “Well Alex,” the man said as he shook Alex’s hand. “I was the one who sent you the key. My name is Greg.” He led Alex over to a nearby garden bench and invited him to sit down.

            Alex slowly sank down on to the bench and asked, “Where are we and why are we here?”

            Greg chuckled as he sat down next to Alex. “Well, I wanted to let you know that you’ve caught my attention. Not many 11-year-old boys are able to do what you do.”

            “What’s that?” Alex asked.

            “You’re a finder.”

            “A what?”

            “A finder. Someone with the magical gift to be able to find anything that they’re seeking.”

            Alex’s confusion now turned to disbelief. “That’s not magic! I’m just able to find things that people lost or were stolen because I’m a good investigator. There’s no such thing as magic!”

            Greg’s smile grew wider. “I beg to differ, Alex. How do you think we got here?” He gestured to the meadow around them. He continued explaining to Alex. “Usually, people with this magical gift take years to use it properly. You’ve been able to master it without any training at all.”

            Greg paused as he pulled something out of his suit coat pocket. “That’s why I’m inviting you to join the Finder’s Society.” He showed Alex what was in his hand.

            Alex couldn’t believe his eyes. Greg was holding a miniature gold dragon in the palm of his hand that was moving. The dragon paced around his palm as it studied Alex. Alex was shocked and didn’t know what to say. Finally, he asked, “What’s the Finder’s Society?”

            “Oh, it’s just a secret group of Finders like you and I. Yes, I’m a Finder too,” he answered before Alex could ask.

            “So, what does this society do?” came Alex’s next question.

            “We just work behind the scenes, helping others. It’s what you already do, right?”

            Alex thought for a moment and then said, “I suppose so, but what about the dragon?”

            Greg held the tiny dragon out closer to Alex and then said, “Go ahead, take it.”

            Not knowing what else to do, Alex reached out to touch the little golden dragon. Immediately, it wrapped itself around Alex’s finger and became solid. Alex felt something inside him shift and looked up at Greg.

            “With this dragon, you’ll be able to use your finder magic more easily, and other Finders will be able to sense you.” Greg smiled at Alex again. “You will also be able to sense other Finders.” He abruptly stood up and said, “Well, that’s it, time to go.”

            Alex had a million questions and opened his mouth to ask one when suddenly, there was another powerful whoosh of air that made him close his eyes and fall off of the bench he was sitting on.

            When he opened his eyes again, he found himself on the ground outside the old mansion’s front door. More confused than ever, he reached to open the door again, but discovered that it was locked and he had lost the key. He was seriously questioning his sanity when he saw the dragon ring still on his finger.

            Alex went home that day, not really believing or understanding what had happened. But for the rest of his life, he wore the golden dragon ring around his finger. People often came to him for help, and he was a very successful private investigator. They were always surprised at how easily it came to him to get to the bottom of every mystery. Alex would just say that it came naturally, but he always rubbed his golden dragon ring as he said this. People assumed it was his good luck charm, but Alex knew better.