Thrumming

"But what's in there?" Her voice was like a windchime: high, melodic.

He sat down on his bed, looked around at his crappy motel room. Better than the last, at least.

"Just leave it be."

She jutted out a hip, flicked her ponytail over her shoulder. "What's in it?"

She wouldn't stop eyeing the chest he kept in the corner. Small, like a loaf of bread. Sometimes he kicked it under the bed so he didn't have to look at it.

Like he could forget.

When he didn't say anything, she rose from the flimsy chair she'd been sitting in. "Well, fine. Thanks for the mail."

He'd been picking up her mail while she was away. Work business, something he should try sometime.

She reached the door. He only had time to think for a split second.

"Wait up."

She turned back, and he rummaged in his pocket until he found the key he'd been looking for. He flicked it to her.

She gave him a smile. Nice smile, that. She crossed the room and picked up the chest. Slid the key in, turned the lock. Opened the lid.

He heard the thrumming from his spot on the bed. He leaned back, sprawling himself across the covers. Closed his eyes.

"Oh." She didn't seem too surprised. Much less disgusted than he'd thought, too.

"Why'd you hide yours?"

That's all she had to say?

He opened his eyes, looked at the water damage spot on the ceiling. Looked like a wolf's head.

"Don't wanna deal with it. Don't like people lookin'."

"Well, I just looked."

He watched that wolf's head. Like it was gonna come and eat him.

"It's no good to keep it locked away. You don't feel nothin'?"

He laughed bitterly. "I hid that thing years ago. Shame is, I still feel it. Sometimes I hope it just stops."

"I sure hope it don't." She said in that windchime voice. Ain't that sweet of her.

That thrumming was getting louder.

He heard her shut the lid.

"Now I seen it, so it ain't so hidden anymore. Not so bad, huh?" she said.

He sniffed, not wanting to look at her. That wolf was growing some pointy teeth, alright. Gonna eat him up. Rip his flesh.

"You better go."

She laughed. Sorta breezey. Matched the voice. "I see a man's heart in a box, I'm not leavin' that easy."

He ripped his eyes from the wolf. Stretched to look at the peeling paint on the walls, saw her figure standing by the beat-up table in the corner.

"You ain't runnin'?"

"Let me tell you. If you seen my heart, you'd be runnin'." She put his chest back in the corner, locked it.

He sat up.

"Everyone's got reasons to hide. But sometimes, you take a chance." She sat down again. That flimsy chair.

She held out the key.

"Keep it," he said slowly. "I'll take that chance."

From within the chest, he could feel his heart thrumming.