The Reluctant Thief

This is a collaborative choose your own adventure story. Click here for the chapter guide. Return to the previous chapter here.

Vacation Roulette is bizarre beyond your imagination.

First, they gave you a weird personality quiz, which ended with some creepy questions on moral dilemmas. You failed the test by choosing the wrong option. Later at night, they texted you with another opportunity to go on Vacation Roulette. But with some disturbing conditions.

You reread their text messages:

You have 24 hours to complete the following task. If it remains incomplete in 24 hours, we will be forced to follow up.

It’s uncertain what “follow up” means, but it definitely sounds ominous, if not sinister.

You must go to 613 Maple Ave between 1:00 am and 3:00 am, break into the house, make your way to the main bedroom, and retrieve the gold locket from the jewelry box on the dresser. The residents may or may not be armed.

You must then take the locket to the coffee shop on the corner of Main Street and Church Street at 9:00 am and give it to the person in the red hoodie reading a Jim Butcher novel.

It’s not that you’ve never broken into a house before, but you’re out of practice, and you promised your partner to leave your life of theft behind.

Now you gaze at your beautiful partner, who is laughing at a funny video on their phone. They have no clue about the text you got, and it doesn’t seem like they received the text, either.

It’s obvious that you can’t tell your partner about this. They would be livid. But you don’t want to let go of the chance to get this vacation back; you’ll give your partner such a wonderful surprise!

And when you do, you’ll make up a story to explain why you got a second chance at Vacation Roulette.

At half past midnight, your partner is fast asleep. They look peaceful and sweet, like a newborn baby. If only you could be so carefree.

Silent as a cat, you slip out of bed, gather your old supplies, and sneak out of the house.

Why are you doing this? This is depressing. You shudder to think of how your partner would react if they ever found out.

Nevertheless, here you are. Right in front of the house on 613 Maple Avenue. You glance at your watch. It’s 1:00 am sharp.

It’s a nondescript house, the same old white picket fence, the opposite of what you pursued for your life. No matter. With a deep breath, you feel your old instincts kick in as you spring into action.

Deftly, you navigate their burglar alarm system, which is disappointingly easy to disarm. Before long, you arrive in the master bedroom. Despite the ordinary exterior of the house, this bedroom looks outright lavish. And it’s cute that the residents even left their nightlights on.

A couple sleeps on the bed, with their limbs lovingly entwined. A pang of envy hits you. This could have been you and your partner if it weren’t for Vacation Roulette!

But you already got this far. There’s no backing out now. The dresser is right beside you, and on top of it, is an ostentatious-looking jewelry box. With a quick glance back at the sleeping couple, you reach carefully for the jewelry box.

When you pry it open, you sigh in relief to see the gold locket right at the center. It’s odd that the locket was the only item in the box, though, with no other trinkets.

You slip the locket into your pants pocket, and just as you’re about to leave, you hear a shout, “Stop, thief!”

What do you do?

1. Run!
2. Confront the person. You’ll even fight if necessary.