Exertion

I ran my index finger along the top of the chest, it left a path, kind of like the way a river does through a valley of mountains. I rubbed my fingertip against my thumb and watched the dust fall slowly to the floor, almost hearing the faint patter as it dispersed amongst the floorboards. I placed both hands on the side of the lid and pushed, my shoulders and the hinges groaned with the effort as if we had pushed a boat out into the water, our muscles relaxed when the boat had left our grasp. The disturbance had made the dust rise into the air, weightless, unaffected by the laws of gravity. The lid elegantly rose to the air, piercing the atmosphere.