This story is a response to the Muse on Monday prompt from August 3, 2026: Write a story about an obsolete piece of technology.

The Secret in the Candles

“May I come in?”

It wasn’t a request.

Evelyn stood aside numbly as the well-dressed man stepped inside the house. He did not need a uniform or weapon to convey menace, unlike the three men who followed him in, who had both.

“Do you know why we’re here?” the man asked. Evelyn did, of course, but this was an obvious trap. She shook her head, trying to translate her fear into a look of confusion.

“There is good evidence that you have been conspiring with the Resistance, that you have been passing messages for them. We do have a warrant, if you would like to see it.”

Evelyn shook her head. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway.

The man nodded and made a gesture to the three men with him. They moved through the house, sweeping handheld scanners around for hidden electronics and methodically moving things to look in every conceivable hiding spot. There was no smashing or tearing, which almost made it feel worse. Gentlemanly assault, Evelyn thought.

The man followed the three soldiers, sweeping his gaze over everything, dissecting with his eyes. Evelyn trailed after him, unsure what else to do.

The man stopped at the dining room table. “Those candles,” he said. “They’re quite beautiful. Where did you get them?”

“I make them,” Evelyn said. Her voice caught and she tried to cover it with a cough.

“Really? How nice. And they are two-toned, with the center a different color wax from the outer ring. Lovely. How do you make them?”

“You dip the middle first, then switch to a different color wax at the end,” Evelyn said. Her hands were sweating and she prayed he would not try to shake hands when he left. “It is our family’s trademark.”

The man looked at them closer. “Such fine decorations too, all around them. How in the world—”

“Sir, we’ve finished the sweep,” one of the soldiers said, entering the room. He shook his head at the leader’s inquiring look and Evelyn felt her muscles relax slightly.

“Well, thank you for your time and cooperation,” the man said, turning to Evelyn. “Be aware that we are watching you and if any of the Resistance approaches you, do not let them draw you into anything that you might regret. Good night.”

They turned and walked towards the door. The man was about to leave when he stopped and turned. “I really do love those candles,” he said. “May I send someone over here soon to buy a pair? My wife would adore them.”

“Of course,” Evelyn said. “I would be happy to provide some for you, at no charge.”

The man smiled. “Excellent.”

Evelyn waited an hour of anxious strain, expecting at any moment to hear another knock at the door. After midnight, she finally let herself relax.

She went to the dining room and carefully removed the candles from inside the wax cylinders. She wrapped the cylinders in paper and cloth and packed them inside a backpack. The Resistance courier would come at 3:00 am to carry them to headquarters in the forest where they had an old machine that would let them hear the reports that were recorded on them.

That task complete, Evelyn sat and thought about her next problem. She was going to have to figure out how to make candles, and quickly.