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“When I figure out what artifact did this to us, I am going to find a giant container, fill it with goo, submerge the artifact in it, seal the container, and find some sort of public work, like a bridge or a dam and have the box placed at the base and covered in tons of cement so that it’ll be thousands of years before it can inflict its whims on anyone again,” Helena seethed as she paced around the enclosed space. “We have dinner plans!”
Myka was still standing in the middle of the room where she’d been most of the time since they’d figured out how thoroughly trapped they were. Originally she’d been just as annoyed at Helena, but after a few curses, and a thorough search of the room she’d concluded that they were totally trapped in this space, she’d settled down, resigning herself to being here either until they figured out how to get themselves out, or until the rest of the group discovered they were missing and rescued them.
They had no idea what brought them here. One minute they were in an aisle of the Warehouse “canoodling” as Helena called it, the next there was a bright flash and they were trapped here in this room with no windows and no doors and no means of exiting that they could see.
Oddly though, there was a knife and an orange in the room with them, just resting on the floor. Neither object did anything unusual, and as nearly as they could tell, were perfectly ordinary, but there they were in the room. After determining that the knife couldn’t be used to chip through the walls, Helena had given up on puzzling it out and begun her annoyed pacing, muttering under her breath about a sentient building with a penchant for ruining perfectly good romantic evenings.
Myka was studying the knife and orange, thinking through various ideas and trying to figure out their purpose. It was with a dawning horror that an idea came to her and she groaned out loud as it was fully realized.
“What? What is it, darling? Are you alright?” Helena instantly stopped her pacing and came to her side, solicitously placing a hand under her elbow to steady her and looking anxiously for any cause of hurt or harm.
“No,” Myka shook her head, “no, I just have an idea to try, but I really hope…” She trailed off as she bent down and picked up the knife and orange and Helena watched her curiously. With a sigh, she took the knife and began cutting the orange in half.
“Is this really the right time for a snack?” Helena asked. “We have hardly been in here long enough to begin eating potentially bespelled foodstuffs.”
Myka quirked an eyebrow at the word ‘bespelled’ but finished cutting the orange. When she had two halves, she set the knife down carefully, and then put half an orange in each hand and brought the two halves together. There was another flash of light and an opening appeared in the wall nearest them.
“After you,” Myka gestured at the opening, and Helena cautiously went through it, Myka following close upon her heels. Unfortunately, this opening didn’t lead to their release, it just took them into a second room nearly identical to the first room with no windows, and as soon as they cleared the opening, it sealed up behind them, so there were no doors either. All there was in the room, was a piano.
“What was that?” Helena wondered, looking at the piano taking up half the space in the room.
“An unfortunate combination of brainteaser and pun,” Myka replied grimly. Off Helena’s questioning look, she explained. “I cut the orange in half. Then I put the two halves together. The two halves made a ‘hole’. We climbed out the hole. Though it seems to have just moved us on to a different problem.”
“You mean this artifact is inflicting some sort of ridiculous trickery on us, forcing us to solve puzzles and save the day?” Helena was slightly amused, but still mostly annoyed.
“Yes, that does seem to be the case.” Myka walked over to study the piano, her brain clearly already working through this puzzle. “But what’s the solution to this one?”
“Darling, isn’t it obvious?” Helena walked over to join her, one finger trailing lightly along the smooth surface of the piano once she got close enough to touch.
It was Myka’s turn to look confused, but Helena soldiered on, reaching out and grabbing the edge of one of the piano keys and wrenching it free. She held it up, and then nodded to the wall behind Myka. “Yes, I thought that might happen.”
Myka turned around to see a door with a very oddly shaped keyhole had appeared. “What?”
Helena marched purposefully towards it and as she expected, the piano key fit perfectly into the lock. As soon as she turned it, the door opened.
Without hesitating Myka and Helena moved through it, but this opening brought them into yet another room exactly like the first two, except that this room had a baseball bat and ball lying on the floor. As before, the opening closed behind them, sealing them into this third room with no windows and no doors.
They looked at the baseball and the baseball bat on the floor. “Granted, now that we’ve got the hang of it, this one shouldn’t take all that long.” Myka commented
“I stand in awe of your wisdom,” Helena said dryly, gesturing Myka towards the bat and ball.
Myka gave her a slight grin as she went over to pick them up. “I think I’m spending too much time around Pete; this is coming too easily to me.” She tossed the ball lightly to Helena. “Pitch for me, please.”
Helena raised her eyebrows in bemusement but obliged, lobbing an easy pitch towards Myka who swung wildly at it and missed.
“Well, I’m certainly in favor of you spending more time with me instead of others if you want to reduce your time around friends, but I do think that might be somewhat tiresome after a while. Variety is the spice of life.” Helena watched as Myka retrieved the ball from where it rolled and caught it again when it was tossed back to her.
“Again, please.” Myka directed. And Helena threw it again and once again Myka swung wildly, deliberately so, Helena noticed, and totally missed hitting the ball.
Helena went to retrieve the ball this time. “I think I can see where this is going,” she observed.
“Yeah,” Myka said, waiting for the next pitch, “it sort of becomes obvious after a certain point.”
Helena pitched the ball a third time, Myka swung again, missing the ball entirely, there was a flash of light, and they were out.
When their vision cleared they were still standing in the aisle of the Warehouse they’d been in originally. Myka looked at the shelves around them and mused aloud, “I wonder which one of them--”
Helena grabbed her hand and began pulling her along. “We’ll figure it out later, darling. If we hurry we can still make our reservations.” At the end of the row she stopped and swung around letting Myka collide with her and kissing her fervently. “You were brilliant,” she said as they finally separated.
“So were you,” Myka responded. “We should never tell Pete about this. He’d think it’s fun.”
“Agreed.” Helena nodded firmly. “Now, dinner?”
“Yes, please.” Myka took Helena’s offered hand and they exited the Warehouse sedately, and through a regular door.