Maggy looked at the key in her hand. It was a beautiful custom-made key that had a flower pattern on it. She never held this key before. Her husband, Peter, would have this key on him at all times and he wore it around his neck.
Source: Past Pedia
Maggy inherited Peter’s key when he suddenly passed away. The key unlocked his private office at home – a space that Maggy was never allowed to enter. The space was a private sanctuary for Peter and Maggy never questioned it although she eventually started to become curious and suspicious.
Building their house
Peter and Maggy built their marital house together. They designed it from scratch so that they would end up with a house to their liking. While designing the house, Peter insisted on having an office space. Maggy agreed because she thought she would be able to use the office too.
Source: Past Pedia
But when they moved in, it became clear that Peter had no intention to share the office with her. Peter installed locks on the door and never gave her a key. Maggy did not dare fight him for it. After all, they had a big house. She could do her stuff someplace else.
She waited until the funeral was over
The thought of finally entering Peter’s private space scared her a little. Peter was very protective of his office and maybe there was a good reason behind it. Maggy was not sure she was ready for whatever was behind the door. So, she waited until after Peter’s funeral before she could check.
Source: Past Pedia
Maggy held Peter’s wake in their home. She stayed next to Peter’s coffin the whole time. Eva, their only daughter, was working abroad and when she finally arrived, Maggy asked her to stay until the funeral so she would not have to grieve alone.
Her only daughter
Eva was sobbing hard. Her last visit home was more than a year ago. She expressed her regrets and wished that she should have visited more. Maggy comforts her daughter and told her that it was okay. Although she did secretly wish Eva had visited more often, she understood that Eva had her own life now.
Source: Past Pedia
As they walked through the house together, Eva and Maggy passed by Peter’s locked office. Eva asked Maggy if she ever got her hands on the key. For some reason, Maggy lied to her daughter. “No, darling … Your father must have hidden it somewhere in the house before he died, but I haven’t found it yet.”
Caught lying
On the day of the funeral, Maggy spots Eva crouched by the locked door. Her daughter was trying to pick the lock to Peter’s office. Maggy told Eva not to bother trying to get in the office because the lock won’t budge.
Source: Past Pedia
As Eva looked up, she caught a glimpse of something around her mother’s neck. Could it be the key? Eva asked Maggy again if she had found the key to the office, and Maggy said no. This time, Eva knew that her mother was lying to her.
Wishing for a last moment
But what was in that room and why is Maggy lying to her about it? Eva was desperate for answers but now was not the time to confront her mother. They were about to bury Peter a few minutes from now.
Source: Past Pedia
It was a beautiful funeral. But Maggy suddenly felt angry towards her late husband. But she knew it was not his fault that his death was so sudden. Still, she wished she was able to have a proper goodbye or that Peter left her a letter behind.
She was afraid to know
Maggy knew she should open Peter’s office and get things over with. But she was not ready yet. She was afraid that whatever she would find in the locked room would change how she would see her husband. She did not want whatever she would discover to ruin the memories that she shared with Peter.
Source: Past Pedia
So, Maggy decided to wait. After all, she had gone through a couple of years not knowing what was behind the door. She could wait a little longer. A month passed by and Maggy started to think less about Peter’s office. But one day, she felt lonely and looked for something that could help her connect to Peter.
Who took the key?
Maggy was searching around the house when she walks past Peter’s office. Her hand automatically went up to feel the key around her neck but the chain was gone. She remembered she left the key inside her bedside drawer so that she would not be tempted to open the room.
Source: Past Pedia
Maggy thought to herself that perhaps now was the right time. So, she went upstairs to her bedroom to retrieve the key. But when she pulled out the drawer, it was not there. Did somebody sneak into the room to take the key?
Paranoid thoughts
Maggy could not call Eva since she did not know about the key. Or did Eva find out that Maggy was lying and got the key herself? What if Eva found the key and took it? Maggy would never be able to open Peter’s office on her own. She needed that key.
Source: Past Pedia
Maggy was becoming paranoid. It was as if she felt like she could not trust her daughter anymore. Maggy shook her head. Her thoughts were ridiculous. She must have just misplaced the key herself. Maggy tried to look behind the drawer.
Retrieving the key
She saw something shiny on the ground but she was not sure if it was the key. Maggy struggled to move the drawer. It was the key but how did it get there? Maggy was sure it was not her doing. Maggy quickly picked up the chain and key and put them around her neck.
Source: Past Pedia
She suddenly did not feel alone anymore. But it was not a good feeling. It was an eerie one – as if someone was watching her every move. Then, Maggy heard noises coming from somewhere inside the house.
It was time
Curious, Maggy followed the noise. It seemed to be coming from Peter’s office. Is there something alive inside the room after all this time? Her hand clutched the key near her chest. Maybe it was finally time to open the door. She takes the key out and put it in the lock.
Source: Past Pedia
Maggy’s heart was beating fast and she could feel her hands getting sweaty. In a few seconds, she will finally get to see what is in the room. She has never been in this part of the house ever since they moved in and she did not know what to expect.
It was just an ordinary home office
When she opened the doors to her husband’s private space for the very first time, she could not believe her eyes. She did not know what to feel when she looked around the room. It was definitely not what she had expected.
Source: Past Pedia
Peter’s office was just like an ordinary room. There was a desk, a bookshelf that contained books she never knew he had, and a lounge chair in the corner. The curtains were closed and she opened them to let in more light. But then she noticed that one of the windows was open.
More mysteries
Maggy found this strange. She closed the window and turned around. Then, she gasped. Now that there was more light in the room, she sees a book lying open on the side table. This must be the last book he was reading before passing away.
Source: Past Pedia
She picked up the book and sat down on his chair. She found herself teary-eyed. She missed Peter. The room still smelled like him. Then, Maggy saw a locked cabinet on the darker side of the room. Maggy could not find the key so she grabbed a heavy candle holder and pounded on the lock until it broke.
An old safe
Once she opened the cabinet doors, she saw that there was a huge safe. This must be Peter’s secret. This must be why he kept the office locked up. The safe looked old and heavy. She tried and realized that it had a six-digit code.
Source: Past Pedia
Maggy tried to guess her way into the safe. She tried out the important dates – their birthdays, their anniversary, and Eva’s birthday. None of them worked. Maggy was feeling desperate again. The only way she could open this safe is if someone breaks into it.
Calling a locksmith
So she tried to hire the services of a locksmith. When the locksmith came over, he was surprised when he saw the safe. “This thing must be 70 years old.” The locksmith had to take the whole safe with him to the shop because he needed tools that he could not bring to Maggy’s house.
Source: Past Pedia
Meanwhile, Maggy spent the time looking through Peter’s things trying to see if there were clues as to what the code was. She needed to crack the code since the locksmith told her he was not so sure that he could crack the safe.
A wish come true
Maggy went through all the drawers in Peter’s desk hoping to find a clue as to what the code was. Later, she saw a little black box next to the open book that Peter had left on the table. Could the box contain something important?
Source: Past Pedia
Maggy lifted the box and was surprised – it was very light. When she opened it, there was a folded piece of paper inside. It was a letter from Peter! It looked like her wish for a letter from Peter had come true.
His last farewell
The letter started with “My darling wife, If you read this, I will no longer be with you. I have seen this coming for a long time. You will probably find the safe and wonder what is inside. It will come as a shock, but I hope you can forgive me for this big secret.”
Source: Past Pedia
Peter then continued to write, “I will not make this harder for you than it already is. The code is 865203. I love you, my darling Mags.” Maggy wipes the tears away from her eyes. Peter had seen his death coming but did not even bother to warn her. But she could not really blame him.
Getting the safe back home
What was so important in that safe that he could not even tell her, his own wife? Now that she had the code, she needed the safe back. Maggy called the locksmith. Fortunately, he was not able to crack the safe yet. So, he made arrangements to send someone to bring the safe back.
Source: Past Pedia
Maggy paid the locksmith for all the trouble and had the safe brought back inside the office. Now that Maggy is alone with the safe in Peter’s office, she suddenly felt very nervous. She puts in the code and hears a click. Maggy twists the knob and the heavy door creaks open.
His life was a lie
Inside the safe was a black binder filled with loose papers. Peter had always been secretive. Maggy had never even met his family. He told her that he had lost his family in a horrible house fire. She does not even remember what his hometown was.
Source: Past Pedia
As she went through the binder, she found out that everything was a lie. The binder had a lot of letters from what seemed to be his family and there were also a couple of family photos. It turned out that he has been in contact with his family for years.
A sigh of relief
Maggy was confused. Why did he have to lie about his family? Then she spotted an old document that was already yellowed down. The document was Peter’s birth certificate. But the birth certificate was not American. She suddenly realized what truly happened.
Source: Past Pedia
Peter was an illegal immigrant who left his family to seek a better life in America. Maggy could not understand why Peter had to keep this secret from her but in the end, she was relieved that Peter’s secret was not as heavy as she feared.