Withered Garden

You squeeze your arm into the vines and grab the rope. You slowly pull the rope out but you feel some resistance. The rope has gotten caught in between the thorns of the vines. Yanking it may damage it but it is too much of a squeeze to try to untangle it with your hands. After some pushing, pulling, and twisting, you loosen the vines’ grip on the rope and get it out with one swift motion. The rope is now safe in your hands. You give the rope a tug on both ends to check its strength and once you have determined that it is still strong enough to be used, you loop it around the bucket and descend it down the well. The vines luckily do not get in the way and the bucket makes it to the bottom with no problem.

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With some maneuvering, you sink the bucket into the water and get it directly underneath the key. You scoop up the key in the bucket now filled to the brim with water. The water is heavy and the weight causes the bucket to sway from side to side uncontrollably. With no pulley, it is difficult to control where the bucket is going. The key tips over the edge of the bucket and falls back into the well. You lower the bucket a second time and make sure to spill some of the water so that the key won’t fall out. This time, the key clanks against the sides of the bucket as you pull it up.

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You take the wet key out of the bucket and dry it using your shirt. After you have dried the key, you bring it closer to the lantern. You turn the key around to see if you can find any indicator of what it is used for and see the letters “SQ” on the side. It must be short for something. You pocket the key and get back up.