The trunk

Secrets of a trunk under a Bed

As he lay in bed staring at the roof, Denzil couldn’t stop thinking about the mysterious trunk box under his parent’s bed. It had been there for as long as he could remember, and he had always wondered what was inside. His parents had told him it was just some old things they didn’t need, but Denzil felt there was more to the story. Denzil couldn’t resist the urge to find out what was inside, to unravel the mystery that had been taunting him for years. With a pounding heart, a sense of adventure, and deep curiosity, Denzil resolved to open the trunk and discover its secrets.

With a grin, he threw back the sheet and leapt out of bed, eager to begin his adventure.

The hours ticked slowly as Denzil waited for the perfect opportunity to investigate the mysterious box. He knew he couldn’t risk getting caught, so he waited until nobody was within sight. His father had left for the day. He spent the morning pretending to read, playing with his things, rummaging through schoolbooks, and keeping an ear out for any signs of movement in the house. His sister and brother were playing in the garden. His grandma was in the kitchen, cooking their lunch. As the clock struck ten, he heard his mother washing clothes at the well. She would not be back until mid-day.

Denzil’s heart leapt with excitement. This was it — the moment he had been waiting for. He had the house for himself. The moment has arrived. With a grin and a sense of adventure, he tiptoed into his parents’ bedroom and carefully opened the door. He peeped under the bed; the metal box was still there, sitting innocently. It was time to see what secrets it held.

As Denzil crept closer to the box, he couldn’t help but marvel at its appearance. It was made of sturdy, dark metal with intricate carvings along the edges. What caught his eye were the vibrant colours painted across its surface. Many colours swirled together in a mesmerising pattern, blending the metal and paint. Denzil couldn’t take his eyes off the trunk. He felt like he was staring at a portal to another world filled with adventure and possibility.

The longer he looked at it, the more excited he became. His fingers itched to touch it, to open it up and see what was inside. It was as if the box was calling him, daring him to uncover its secrets. With a deep breath, Denzil reached out and pulled the metal box towards him towards the edge of his parent’s bed. With excitement, he lifted the two latches. With little effort, the box opened.

As Denzil opened the box, he was excited, and his heart started racing. He half-expected a bunch of dust to fly out and cover his face, but instead, he saw a collection of books and magazines. The first thing that caught his eye was a stack of Filmfare magazines tied together with a green thread. When Denzil looked closer, he saw that the magazines were from the 1950s.

The magazines were so fascinating! Their front covers were red and yellow. Inside were pictures of Indian movie stars like Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Nargis, Vyjayanthimala, Raaj Kumar, Sunil Dutt and Dev Anand. The actors were much younger. The actresses, Nargis and Vyajayanthimala, were beautiful. He wished he could kiss them. These actors were popular household names, and Denzil knew most of them. He carefully opened each magazine individually, ensuring no damage to any delicate pages.

What surprised Denzil was that his dad had been a huge fan of Hindi movies!

After Denzil had finished looking at the old Filmfare magazines, he peered deeper into the box and found a few more magazines. They were Indian news magazines called the Illustrated Weekly of India. Denzil carefully opened them up and skimmed through the pages.

The news stories inside were about India’s prime minister, Nehru, and the war between India and Pakistan. Denzil was fascinated by the stories and the war pictures he saw in the magazines. It was like taking a peek into the past and learning about what was happening in the world not long ago.

A gorgeous linen tape with a leather case was in the corner of the trunk box. Denzil took the tape into his hand and turned the winder, marvelling how the linen tape winded and unwounded so smoothly. He explored the leather case, looking at its markings and label Tre & Ble, made in England. Denzil guessed that it must have belonged to Denzil’s grandfather, his father’s father. Bringing the tape closer to his nose, he smelt the leather.

As Denzil held the tape in his hand, his excitement was tinged with a sense of nervousness. He knew he had to be careful not to get caught. He carefully placed the tape back in the box and closed the lid, trying to make it look like it had never been opened. Then, he tiptoed over to the window and peeked outside. He scanned for any sign of movement, his heart pounding. He could hear his mother pulling water from the well and washing clothes. After a few moments, he let out a relieved sigh — nobody was in sight. His family was still out, and he had the house to himself for a little longer. He turned back to the box, his curiosity getting better. He knew he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t resist taking another peek inside.

Inside a brown bag was another bunch of magazines, smaller in size. They looked yellowed and fragile, as if they had been hidden away for many years. Denzil opened the magazine on top. His heart started beating with excitement. They were novel; Denzil had never seen such material before. The best find in the box was these magazines. His complete focus was on them, a treasure, a gold nugget. He opened page by page, careful not to damage them, for he needed to preserve and cherish them.

Denzil studied the images glancing at the exciting articles. The content was exciting and thrilling. It was filled with pictures of nude bodies and genitals. Denzil could not take his eyes off the images. There was advice about sexual topics like wet dreams and masturbation. Denzil was treading in new space, and he couldn’t get enough. One magazine contained questions and answers on premature ejaculation, sexual positions, and problems. For Denzil, it was like entering unchartered territory — the world of adults. He knew he had to browse and read them at leisure when nobody was around. The anticipation was almost too much to bear. Before closing the trunk, he peeked at them again, particularly the images and illustrations. Denzil vowed to do that again very soon, perhaps tomorrow.

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