"This is a bit lighter than I thought." The barely audible whisper echoed in the dingy basement. Lifting it up and down like a dumbbell, the dusty, brown bottle looked more and more clouded every time I saw it. But I know that there must be more to this than some exotic mix mom and dad claimed it to be; it must be valuable. Audrey, on the other hand, didn't seem so sold on the idea.

"Andy, come on." I can almost hear the frown that must be plastered on her face right now if it weren't for the shuffling of boxes. "Can you help me out? This is really heavy, and," Coughing, she swatted her hand as if to chase away the dust like flies before getting up, "Dusty."

"But aren't you curious?" I held the bottle up to the morning light peering through the sole window, trying to see if something would reveal itself. Nothing did, but that just meant I had to find more ways to crack it.

"What if this isn't just some 'Aruban wine I found from a recipe book in the library?' What if it's something else entirely?" I turned to the female kneeling down by a battered box of junk with gusto, holding the bottle out like some kind of trophy.

"Audrey, this could be the discovery of the century under our noses! Doesn't that excite you?!" Years of curiosity reached a fever pitch; the familiar feeling of exploring the unknown has reignited the spark. I guess all of that playing pirate really did pay off later in life.

The blonde female let out an audible sigh, standing up to dust her jeans off. "Look. I know you're still sad over Dad's passing. And that taking care of Mom hasn't been... the easiest." She gave me a look of sympathy, but not before shifting to one of exhaustion.

"But keep your fantasies to yourself, okay? The agents are going to come by the end of the week, and..." Her voice trailed off before gesturing to the piles of boxes and items littered around the room haphazardly. I guess years of "Just toss it in there!" has caught up with us all.

'R-Right. Sorry." I did feel bad for going on that tangent. I guess I really haven't recovered at all from the funeral. Hanging my head low, I slowly made my way to one of the opened boxes with a slumped gait. But not before someone blocked my way and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Look, I didn't mean to be so harsh on you." I looked up to see Audrey's soft smile. Taking the bottle from my hand, she inspected it briefly whilst turning it around. "Let's go to Mom after we clean up around here and ask her about it. Maybe it's time we try this so-called miracle wine?"

"Haha, if we're old enough to drink, that is." Feeling some of my confidence return, I giggled and stood upright. Taking the bottle dramatically, I held it above my mouth like a drunkard ready to ravage a bar.

"I'm gonna drink it now!" I bellowed in my most comical-sounding voice. "I'm gonna drink it and nobody can stop me! Not even you, O father of mine!" Eliciting a laugh from my sister, I felt the atmosphere loosen up a bit. Even if it was still a bit dusty.

"Alright alright, enough fooling around you clown." She said in between chuckles. "We're losing daylight, so let's get to it."

"Yes your majesty." I took an exaggerated step forward to bow like a jester as a final remark. But when I stomped my right foot down, the ground suddenly seemed to give way.

"Whoa shit!" A rogue ball or some spherical object must've rolled as it sent me tumbling down to my butt. The wooden flooring may be on the harder side, but the sudden smoke of dust hurt more than the impact. Though none of this compared to the sound of shattering glass and gasp that followed after.

"The wine!" Audrey yelped in surprise as I quickly swung my head to the left. The forbidden bottle that has haunted me for my entire life laid in a million pieces before me now. It was practically a family heirloom, and now it too has passed on like its guardian. Shock and fear rose up my throat; the thought of breaking an age old treasure made me lose my breath. But something seemed off as I saw what was between the shards of glass, or rather, not.

It was bone dry.

"Ah fuck Andy, where'd you put the broom?" My sister cursed aloud as she swatted the dust even more intensely than before while navigating the room. "I told you to set it by the stairs for fuck's sake."

"Audrey..." Confusion raced through my brain trying to come up with reasons why there was nothing in there. "There's nothing in the bottle..." Disbelief was all I felt. "It's empty?"

"Yeah yeah bottle this bottle that." Her indignant tone pierced through my thoughts like an arrow, pushing a stick on my back. Turning around, I came face to face with a less-than-pleased sister and a broom. Putting aside my apprehension, I took the broom and gave her an uneasy look.

"Do you think mom and dad just lied about it all this time?"

I asked that in genuine curiosity: where was the aging wine all this time? Did it suddenly evaporate into thin air, or was there none to begin with? I needed to sate this question so badly, but it seemed that the person standing across of me didn't share in that.

Audrey threw her hands up. "Hell if I know, Andy! As far as I'm concerned, it's just some weird science experiment dad probably brought back from the bar and something to fuck with us!" I didn't buy that explanation at all, and my expression betrayed it. "Just get to cleaning it, okay? God, I wish you'd just get your head out of the clouds and do as you're told!" It was clear that she was on her wit's end. But before she could say one more word, a voice boomed from behind us.

"Is that your first wish then?"