(Writing Contest) Finish the tale#13.... Stranger's gift.

The stranger at the subway station handed me a key and whispered “Don't lose it.” His voice barely audible over the bustling of the station, before turning and disappearing into the crowd.

I stood there, frozen, staring at the key in my hand. It was older fashioned and intricate details that seem to dance across it's surface. I turned it over, searching for any clues about it's purpose or origin of it, but there was none. They key itself was the only thing that seemed to matter.

As I stood there, a million of questions run through my mind. “Who was this stranger?” “What did the key unlock?” “Why had he chosen me of all people, to entrust with the mysterious object?”

I looked around, hoping to find the stranger, but he was gone. The subway trains rumbled, people rushed past me and the sounds of the station seemed to grow louder every passing minute. Without thinking, I put the key in my pocket and continue on my way. As I rode the train to my destination, I keep on touching the key to know whether it still there.

The rest of the day passed without being cleared to me, but my mind keep drifting to the key in my pocket. What could it unlock? A door? A safe? or a secret? My mind keep pondering on those questions. All those were a puzzle I needed to solve.

Days passed, and the key remained a mystery. But one evening, as I was taking a walk in the neighborhood, I stumbled upon an old forgotten park. The gate half closed, I pushed it open and enter. As I entered, I saw a shadow and I followed it, the key weighing in my pocket like a promise.

The path led me to an old wooden door hidden behind a waterfall. I pushed the door but it didn't open, I remembered I had a key in my pocket. I try the key in the door and it fit perfectly and the door creaked open. Beyond it lay a secret garden, filled with flowers that shone like stars in the fading light.

As I walked through the garden, I felt a sense of peace within me. The key has unlocked more than just a door, it has unlocked a part of myself I didn't realize. That was when I realized that sometimes the most, unexpected moments can lead to the most profound discoveries.

The stranger’s gift had set me on the path of discovery, and I knew that I would never forget the secret garden and the key that had unlocked it.

Thank you for reading.

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