Upon further consideration, Timothy resolved that there was no way he was going to let Saul see him like this. How humiliating! He ran over to the door and locked it, while he could still muster the strength to turn the old deadbolt mechanism. "While I still have the strength?" Tim thought to himself as he turned the knob and heard the click. "Hell! While I can still reach!" Sure enough, he had had to reach up to turn the deadbolt. He was still shrinking.
Seconds after he had locked the door, Timothy heard steps on his porch. Then the visitor, presumably Saul, knocked. Timothy stood still, and waited until his guest gave up. Saul would take initiative and get started without him, as he had the one time Tim had overslept. Sure enough, after three series of knocks, Tim heard footsteps resound back across his porch, then the sound of the gate.
Tim guessed that he had lost another six or seven inches in those tense few moments.
Racing back over to the mysterious box, Timothy scrutinized the gems and keys. What was he going to do?