Animatronics Awaken

Discoveries

Ellie's POV

"May! Gizzmo!" I cried gleefully. The two kids were sitting in front of me, both tied up with balled cloth in their mouths, preventing them from speaking or crying out. Upon recognizing me, their eyes went from a worrisome fear to pure delight and joy. May's dirty blonde hair was now straight brown with spots of blonde, showing how long she hadn't been able to shower and wash her hair. It was also a tangled mess, revealing to me that she's had at least one, if not multiple, struggles with something...or someone. Her brother was in the same condition, except that he had scratches on his face and arms. Both of the siblings' clothes were tattered and torn, revealing bare skin in multiple spots. They each were covered in dirt and grime as if they had rolled in mud.

Even though they weren't my family, I wanted nothing but to rush forward and hug them both, to comfort them with soothing words, despite Gizzmo being older than me. And that's what I did. I shot forward, ripping the cloth out and fiddling with the tight ropes. May began crying in pure relief, "Ellie! You found us! You found-"

"May, shhh," her brother snapped, anxious that an enemy could hear her. She quieted down and nodded, straining her neck to wipe her happy tears on her dirtied, tattered shirt. I could tell it used to be bright blue and pink but was now dull with wear and tear. I struggled to untie Gizzmo from the ropes, using my teeth and hands to tug at it violently. "Ow!" he protested. "Be careful, please!"

"Sorry," I muttered a quick apology and was more gentle with him. "How did you find us?" May squeaked.

"Somebody left a note in here with a series of clues," I answered, trying to keep my excited voice down. Not only was I ecstatic that I found a few of our friends, but I felt proud that I had managed to solve the puzzle to do so, something I was never really good at. "Where are the others?" I asked them, hoping that they had the answers to the next piece of the puzzle. It still wasn't over yet.

"I don't know," Gizzmo admitted. "But I do know that Gabe left a note in here somewhere for you to find."

By now, I'd gotten the ropes on Gizzmo loose enough for him to slip out. He began to work on setting his sister free while I searched the small, black room for the note he spoke of. The secret room was tiny and barely large enough for the three of us to stand in. It was literally painted black, so even with my flashlight on at the brightest setting, it was impossible to tell where the walls were. I kept bumping into them and the two children as I searched high and low for this note. I bent over to inspect the ground, and when I stood back up, my head hit a shelf above me, blended in with the walls. I cried out in pain, rubbing my skull where it throbbed for a few seconds before fading away.

"You okay?" Gizzmo asked, concern tinting his voice. He almost had May free and only had a few knots left to undo.

"I'm fine," I muttered, dragging my hand along the top of the shelf. When my hand met the edge of the wall, I sighed. "Hey, look, what's that?" May said, her soft voice raised in hope. Gizzmo got the last knot loose at that moment, so she leaned forward and reached for something in the corner in front of her. Gizzmo and I both stood behind her, curious about what the nine-year-old found. May reached into a crack in the wall she had somehow spotted and pulled out an old-looking, crumpled yellow note. She held it up for us to see. Her eyes shone with pride as if she just found something helpful to contribute to the mission.

I took the crumpled ball from her and unfolded it, using the flashlight in one hand to read the words and gasping as the message was revealed. Gizzmo leaned over my shoulder to read it, too, while May stood in front of us, begging me to tell her what it said. She squinted her eyes as the flashlight beam reflected and half-blinded her.

Think outside of the box.

Think outside of the box. An old, common phrase meant to think creatively. It annoyed and frustrated me that this was the next clue we received. There were so many meanings behind it, and it didn't give me any sort of lead. Could it mean literally or figuratively? I glanced at Gizzmo, wanting to hear his opinion. But he merely shook his head, suggesting that he had no idea either.