Chapter Text
It’s just a normal day.
I was walking home from school when I saw an old man with a cart pass by. It was full of trinkets, antiques, and scraps of all kinds. Each one stuck with a label naming its own price. Normally I would just walk past and mind my own business. But my eyes locked in the box containing various keys.
A few days ago I thought of recreating the Metal Family key holder from the Russian show named, you guessed what, Metal Family. Great show by the way. Too bad there aren't many people who know the show in my country. I’ve been looking around the house for random unused keys and only found two so far. So I approached the old man to ask how much is one.
Suddenly, a cat jumped over the man’s cart, making loud noises as its small body walked through scraps and trinkets. The cat then curled up, accidentally knocking the box full of keys all over the road. I hurriedly helped the poor man grab the keys from the ground before the cars passed by.
“Thank you.” He smiled as I returned the keys into the box.
“It’s nothing really.” I took another look at the cart. Cogs, broken appliances, and all sorts of trinkets shone through the sun’s dawning light. Each piece begging for attention. He took the box with the keys and placed it away from the cat, not wanting it to knock it over again.
“Say kid, do you want anything?” He looked at me with an offer. “I know I don’t have much but I can give you something for free as a thanks.”
“Are you sure?” I asked. It’s not every day an old man shows up and offers you something. So when the old man nodded, I immediately asked for one of the keys.
“Ahh, so you want the keys from the start hmmm.” He placed his hand on his overgrown beard. “I suppose it is time to dispose of this.”
Instead of taking the key box on top of the cart, he dug down deeper and pulled out a smaller box. It was cleaner, neater, in a way better condition than the rest of the things in his cart. “Here, you can take this one.”
Inside the box was a small bronze key. Clean, slightly rusty, but quite elegant. “Are you sure I can have this?”
He chuckled a bit. “Sure! Past owner said it’s so magical that it might actually be cursed.”
I raised an eyebrow at him. “How so?”
“They said the key opens any door and takes you wherever you need to go as long as you put the right keychain.” He said. “I don’t know, I've never tried it.” He handed the box with the key to me. “It sounds more like a curse to me so you can have it, kid. Maybe you can see some use for it.”
I don’t know which is more unbelievable. The magic key? Or the fact that he’s giving me a potential cursed item. It sounds stupid. But free key is free key. Besides, magic isn’t real. It’s probably just some old supposition. Still, I accepted the gift. “Thanks”.
He smiled again before leaving. “Have fun with that thing kid, gotta make some fortune.”
—
The moment I got home, I immediately went to the room and changed. I took the box with the key from my bag and began examining it.
It’s small and looks quite ancient, definitely antique, with a small hint of modern touch in it. But despite its old appearance, the key is flat like any other modern key and barely has rust in it. On top of the key is a loop, supposedly where a keychain should go. My eyes stared at it as the old man’s words rang through my mind.
“The key will open any door with the right keychain huh.”
Then, an idea struck into my mind.
I had previously bought the Metal Family keyholder keychain from the shop and got a free sketch with it. I was thinking of using it as a reference on making the key holder but it wouldn’t hurt to use it to test the key.
I carefully slipped the keychain into the loop. Now it’s ready to use. I went out of my room and plugged the key into the keyhole. Surprisingly, it fitted. I guess that’s what the old man said about the key being able to open any door.
I slowly twisted the knob and opened the door. But instead of my room, I'm greeted with something else.
The room was maroon, with stairs in front of me. The wall beside the stairs has various band posters and different framed objects hanging in it. A shirt, set of drum sticks and even a horn. Something about the room felt familiar, but I've never been in this place before.
This isn’t my room…
This is…
No way…
No fucking way…
Suddenly, a young blond boy walked from the left of the room. The kitchen I supposed, looking at his phone. I tried closing the door as quietly as possible but the door creaked loudly so I immediately closed the door the moment our eyes locked into each other..
It can’t be.
No way this key actually worked.
I'm not hallucinating, am I?
I was about to take the key from the key hole when the doorknob twists and opens. There, I was met by the same boy.
Shit.
----------------------
The kitchen clattered through plates and utensils as the family ate dinner. The youngest kid, Heavy, was rambling about his day while devouring his food like a stray puppy. His mother, Victoria, did the same, only in a far messier way. The two blonds ate much more neatly than the redheads, amused by their antics but still reminding them about table manners.
“I’m done.” The younger blond stood up, having to finish first.
“Oh, Dee. Since you’re already done, would you mind taking out the trash?” Glam asked his son, his usual smile plastered on his face. Dee stood up and headed out of the kitchen, phone in hand. “Alright.”
A few steps out, he suddenly heard a door creaking. He turned his head to the front door and saw a figure shutting the door as fast as they could.
“Is anyone at the door?” his Mom said through a mouthful of food.
“I’ll check it out.” He said, heading towards the closed door.
The door opened to reveal a young girl around his age. Her black hair was tied up in a low, slightly messy ponytail. Lif? No, Lif’s eyes were red while the girl had dark brown eyes paired with big round glasses sitting on top of her nose.
“Can I help you?” He asked, trying to assess the situation. The girl looked at him, slightly panicked. “Nope! I think I'm in the wrong house, I'll just grab my keys and go.”
“Wait” She tried to grab the key, but Dee quickly moved his hand in the way, stopping hers, his brows narrowing. How did she even manage to open the door? He was sure the door was locked. And the key she was reaching for definitely wasn’t theirs. A copy maybe?
But then he noticed the keychain hanging on the key. He took the key, eyes narrowing. Something about it looked familiar. He glanced at the wall to his left and immediately realized why.
It looks exactly like their family key holder.
“Where did you get this keychain?” he asked, still holding the key.
“I… bought it?” She tried to force a smile. Dee felt something was off. Their key holder is custom made. Where on earth could someone get a copy, and a keychain of it as well?
Suddenly, the taller blond peeked through the door. “Who was it, Dee?”
“No one! Just went to the wrong house! Haha—bye!” One hand on the doorknob, she tried to take the keys once more but Dee refused. Moving his arm away from the mysterious girl.
“You haven’t properly answered my question.” He waved the keychain in front of her. “Where did you get the keychain?”
“I already told you, I bought it.”
“There’s nowhere to buy this keychain.”
The father approached them and leaned over to see the keychain Dee was talking about. “It’s an exact replica of our key holder.” He said, a smile still plastered onto his face.
“Exactly, this isn't something you can just buy somewhere.” He looked at his father then returned his gaze to the girl who could only gulp in response. “Especially if it’s custom made and can only be seen in one place.”
His eyes narrowed. Carefully assessing the person in front of them. “Who exactly are you?”
She sighed in defeat. “You know what, fuck it.” She looked him straight in the eye, signing that she's not gonna lie. “Yes, I really did buy the keychain. No, I'm not a stalker. No, I don't know how I got here. And if you're ever gonna ask about how I managed to open your door, some old man gave me keys and told me it opens any door with the right keychain. I'm just testing it out.”
This explanation however raised more questions than answers. “That still didn't explain where you got it.”
“I got it from the official merch shop online.” She grunted. “And if you still don't believe me, take a look at what's behind me and tell me if that's outside.” She moved slightly to the left, just enough for the two blonds to see the other side of the door.
Instead of the usual grass and tall gate they have in front of their house, they saw a blue wall and a hallway, with a pink cabinet placed just outside the door. It certainly isn't outside. “Can I get the key back now?”
Suddenly, another person peeked out of the kitchen. “Glam, what's taking you so long. We're already done eating.”
“Nothing Vicky, it just seems that we have an unexpected visitor.” He said, glancing at the girl by their door. “How about we continue the conversation in the living room? Hope you weren't doing something important before you got here.”
“Wait, you’re inviting a random kid to our house?” Victoria asked, leaning towards the wall with her arms crossed.
Glam looked back and reassured her with a smile. “Don’t worry Vicky, I have it under control.” She shrugged, trusting her husband as he returned his gaze to the girl, still waiting for an answer.
“No, I was just testing it out.”
“Great, let's all gather at the sofa then!” He happily announced, heading towards the right where the living room should be. “Oh! And Dee, you should really return her the key. It's not nice to take something that is not yours.”
Dee groaned as he reluctantly returned the key to the girl. “Fine.”
And just by then, they all headed to the living room.