• Daddy •

Miss Hawkline opened the iron door to the laboratory. She pulled back the two bolts and took the key from her pocket which soon released the huge padlock. All the time that she was opening the door, her mind was fixed on the elephant foot umbrella stand trying to figure out what person it reminded her of. The recognition of that person hovered right on the edge of her mind.

She pulled back the first bolt on the door. It was a little hard to get back, so she had to give it a good tug.

That umbrella stand was so familiar.

Who was it?

She pulled back the second bolt. It came back much easier than the first one did. She barely had to pull on it.

I’ve seen that umbrella stand thousands of times before but not as an umbrella stand, she thought, but as somebody I know.

She took a large key from the pocket of her dress and inserted the key into the huge padlock on the door and she turned the key and the lock fell open like a clenched fist and she took the lock off the door and hung it on the hasp.

Then she yelled, “DADDY!” and turned and ran down the hall to the elephant foot umbrella stand.