#21: Chest of Childhood

           It was in her parent's attic, hidden in the corner and covered with cobwebs. She walked over and kneeled in front of it. She used her hand to wipe some of the dust and webs away. Hidden underneath the ayers of dust and dirt was her name, Ann, written in gold on the top of the wooden chest. It opened with a creak and revealed five toys, all covered with a fine layer of dust. Each toy brought back memories of Ann's childhood. The teddy bear with the orange bow tie and a missing arm reminded her of her grandmother, who gave her the bear a few months before she died. The jacks reminded her of when she broke her arm when she was in third grade, and the candy striper gave them to her to help her take her mind off of the itching that the cast would cause. The baby doll she had had for as long as she could remember. Her parents had bought it before she was born and they shared a crib. THe remote conrol car was from when she had gone through a tomboy phase and she and the neighborhood boys would race them up and down the street. The last toy in the chest was vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place where she had seen it before. She picked it up and realized it was Mr. Potato head, but it was cracked and broken. She laughed to herself as she thought of the good times of her childhood and how she wished they were still here.