10. HIDING TOGETHER

"You may ask" I tell Brent while setting my cup down.

"I cannot think how you possibly got your hands on the vase. I have the highest security in my antique vault. I do not know what type of magic you used." He seems really puzzled.

How can I explain this to him without explaining it to him? I decide to not offer more information than needed.

"Tell me what you know." If I can know what he thinks I can give enough information to let him fill the gaps. After he leaves here today, I will probably never have to see him again.

"I was in the vault when the vase disappeared. I was looking at it." His voice just raised a pitch. It takes me a moment to really grasp what he is saying. It actually disappeared before his eyes.

"You mean to say that you were looking at the vase when it faded into non-existence?" I sit forward in my chair. This is a turn of events I did not think about.

"Well, nothing like in the movies. Nothing faded. It was there and then," He snaps his fingers, "it wasn't." he shakes his head.

"Alarms went off. Security came running. You have to understand, Lubelle. With a piece like this. With its history, I am not really the owner even if it is in my possession. It is such an important piece of history that I need to declare where it is at all times. If I move it to another location, I need to inform the right people who keep track of where it is." He shakes his head slowly.

"I do not know how to declare this. There is camera footage of it disappearing. The paperwork that needs to be filled out now is going to be a nightmare."

I realise that the vase is far more valuable than I first believed. This is an item that you would never be able to sell out of hand.

"Tell me where the vase was during the eighties" I can see that he expected a clear answer and the disappointment of not receiving one shows on his face.

"Well, during the eighties the vase went missing. It was being moved from London to Paris when they were intercepted. The containers carrying many rare artifacts were stolen. There were seven very rare pieces in the shipment. Six of them surfaced fairly quickly but the vase took about thirty years to surface." He tells it as if he has studied it to know everything he can of this vase.

"Interesting. Where did it surface?" My curiosity is killing me.

"An old street merchant had it in her possession. She had a house full of porcelain and glass ware. She used to sell at fairs and such. Somehow, she got her hands on the vase and thought it to be just another vase. I stood on her fireplace when we found it. She had an interview on a reality show where they talked to various collectors regarding their most prized pieces.

The old lady showed the vase and said it is the most beautiful thing she ever came across. She tried to sell it many times but it just stayed with her. Shortly after that she died but someone had already noticed the vase was worth a lot and when they had it appraised, we realised it was the Original Spirit Vase."

I look at him and decide to be vague but truthful.

"I cannot explain to you why the vase disappeared from your display. I can only tell you that I bought it from a woman who thought it was just a normal beautiful vase. I brought it home and did some research and saw that it had history. I did not realise its value until now" I tell him calmly.

More than that I cannot offer him. He sighs and shakes his head.

The wind outside is now a lot worse than it was before. Something hits against the kitchen door that startles us both.

"We shouldn't be this close to windows. If the storm gets much worse it my unearth trees." He stands up and puts his cup in the sink. The lights flicker and the power go out. It is dark in the kitchen. It will be darker in the rest of the house, as the kitchen is the best lit room in the house.

"The only place I can think of that is away from any windows is the little storage space beneath the stairs." I jokingly tell him.

"I think that is the safest place in your house." He states quite seriously. "It is where I stored the vase."

"Okay I will get things to make us comfortable and we can camp in there. You can go through the cupboards and collect snacks." I tell him as I walk out of the kitchen.

I collect comforters and pillows and big fluffy blankets from the bedrooms. I take it all to the little space beneath the stairs. Brent has moved the box with the vase into the far corner. He also pulled one of my loose rugs into the small space. I throw the pillows in and put the comforters and blankets to one side. I hang the small portable emergency light on a hook inside the storage space.

Brent comes in behind me but leaves the door open. He had put all the snacks he could find in a box which is not set beside him.

The little room is small but you would be able to fit a single bed in it. There is enough space to sit comfortably or even lay down.

Brent chuckles softly. I smile at him as he sits crossed legged looking at me. He looks very uncomfortable.

"What are you thinking?" I ask him while digging through the snack box.

"Never in my life did I think I would be hiding in a storage space with a stranger today" He smiles at me. All the anger and confusion of the morning erased from his face. He is quite a handsome man. He has a strong jawline and his eyes are a deep brown.

"Strangers are just people you haven't gotten to know yet" I tell him while I open a bag of chips.

"Well then, I believe we have enough time now to get to know each other." He smiles and takes the chips I hold out to him.

"What other items do you have in your vault of valuables?" I ask him.

He narrows his eyes before he asks playfully.

"If I tell you, will they disappear?"

"Oh, you have trust issues now. One vase disappears and now I'm the villain."

He laughs at this.

"For the life of me, I cannot think how anyone can think of you as a villain." He looks at me as if I am a small child that need protecting.

"Very well. I have a love of pieces with history. Most of my pieces were either gifts to kings or gifts from kings. The one thing that they all have in common is that they were all once owned by royalty." He sounds very proud of his collection.

"But none of the pieces are actually yours?"

"You see, Lubelle, when a piece has this much history, it really belongs to the people. We all share the history the piece represents. I can keep it safe. Or I thought I could, but should I die, I cannot leave it to a relative. It has to be accounted for. If I should die it would probably go to a museum."

"Why can't it stay where it is?" I ask him. Honestly wondering why whoever stays in the house cannot just take ownership of it.

There is a feint sadness in his eyes when he answers me.

"I am afraid that should I not be there to care for it anymore, there will be nobody to do it. I do not have any relatives or a wife and children who can take over the responsibility of making sure it is safe." The sadness in his eyes tell me that this was not always the case with him. The sadness tells a story of loss.

"I am sorry" it is all I can utter.

"No harm done." He smiles at me. "Are you alone in this house?"

"Yes, I guess. I do not leave this house so I do not see how much of it would change in the near future" I tell him, absentmindedly staring at the wall behind him.

"That is not really true, is it? You have left the house to buy yourself the most beautiful vase you could possibly lay your hands on." He smiles at me and it makes me feel safe with him.

I smile back at him. There is a sudden loud crack as thunder strikes outside. The sound is almost deafening. Brent reaches out to pull the door closed. It is a bit quieter with the door closed but we can still hear the storm raging outside.

I look at Brent and I am grateful that I do not have to brave this storm alone.