The library of Hillford was no ordinary place. It rested at the far end of a shadowed path, hidden behind bushy trees that seemed to whisper in the wind. The way was lined with stone walls, their surfaces darkened and scarred by decades of rain and restless storms, as if they were guarding a secret no one dared to uncover.
James had been visiting this castle of horror since he was ten. He liked the environment of the library; the big, bushy trees lured him in, and when he reached there, he would open the broken windows, letting sunlight pour through. The golden rays filtered across the room, turning the drifting dust particles into tiny, floating galaxies. The shelves were as tall as a tower, leaning slightly from age, and were crowded by the books which had slept for a hundred years, wrapped in mysteries. Each page guarded its secret.
That Wednesday afternoon, the library was just like a vacant room. The librarian, Ms.Alexandra, was somewhere muttering some mantras while reading some books. James did not dare to interfere with her; he continued to read the mysteries of ancient times. As he turned the page and noticed that a series of pages had a hollow section that was cut out neatly, which had a key that fit in it. It was a small key of bronze, it had a very smooth surface, which was tied to a yellowish crinkly paper.
Curious James took out the paper attached to it carefully. The handwriting was shaky but clear. Just five words of complete mystery, which said that
"Guard it. Never let it fall into the wrong hands."
He turned the key over in his palm, which was surprisingly cold and had a symbol of a kingdom on it. Suddenly, the footsteps of the librarian were heard, and he hid the key in his pocket and understood that this was a way to something big. And without any further ado, he begin to walk, but the librarian stared at him, but he continued to walk out.
The cool night breeze gently flew over his face as he stepped out of the library's great doors. He had a mixture of emotions popping up on his face, including adventure, scared, and fun. The silence outside felt heavier than ever, as if something was going to happen. The streets were empty, the lamps flickering, dogs barking, and each step he took was like a bell to something disastrous. His mind was still replaying the sighting he had and the weight of the key in his pocket. His hands were full of sweat, twitching, itching to just have its sighting once again and examine it under the moonlight, but he dared not, not here. Not when he felt someone was following him from behind. As soon as he blinked his eyes for a second, the librarian's bloodshot eyes were the first thing he saw. Perhaps she was guarding the secret all along.
The path home never felt very long. Every shadow seemed to be moving with him, and the rustling of leaves sounded like the whisper following his step. He quickened his pace and rushed towards his house.
Finally, the house came into sight, an ordinary wooden door with a lantern above it. For the first time in years, it looked different and Unsafe. Yet it was the only place he could think. He slipped inside quickly, locking the door behind him, and leaned against it, breathing heavily.
The room was quiet, filled only with the ticking of a clock. Slowly and gradually, he pulled the key from his pocket. Its cold surface seemed to comfort in his hand, faintly glowing now in the safety of his room, as though it had been waiting for this moment. He stared at it, both terrified.
This was no ordinary discovery. Whatever it unlocked was not meant to be found. And now, whether he wished for it or not, he was bound to its secret.
James kept the key in his desk but his mind was not stopping to think about and he wished to take a glance of that key just one more time. Whenever he took a glance of that key the red ruby on it shined as it was breathing .The ancient symbols carved on its neck described something but he was unable to unravel it .James then went to his bed but he heard some noises from his desk drawer's but when he checked it there was no sign of anything rather then the key .
He leaned back and held its breath his palms were sweaty,his heartbeat was rushing .Whenever he used to close his eyes the librarian's bloodshot eyes came in his mind,he slept and woke up in the morning by a sudden thud in his room his desk had fallen down due to the key kept in his desk. He got up and fixed everything and shouted
“Why me?” James whispered to himself, in his voice trembling.
The key gave no response to him .
The following day ,he tried to distract himself by writing something in his notebook but its luster kept him distracting away .He touched the key and felt that it was vibrating,Suddenly a deep knock echoed down the stairs because no one visited his house as it was far away from the city.He froze for a moment and gathered all the courage and checked from the window and to his surprise there was no one there .He took a sigh of relief and came back to his desk .The knock came again ,he feared to open the gate but he opened the gate .A breeze blew touching his face and he closed his gate.
He swore not to open the gate if there will be a knock once again. The knock came a third time ,then pin drop silence flew in the room .James waited but he found nothing ,so he went upstairs and started to read his book which he borrowed from his mate Adam.Suddenly the lights went out and got restored after some time ,James stood up from his desk and at his back wall was written
“The kingdom is not dead. It waits.”
In protection he used the key as his weapon but to his surprise the writings on the wall disappeared as they weren't written there .He tried to stand still but he fainted there .
He drifted into a world where air had a sense of mysteriousness in it ,the scene of ancient lore stones and burning torches which stand still in the air.Before him stretched a long path of a grand corridor of a kingdom. With knights guarding the entrance he entered it with a deep sigh of relief. Each step there was a alarm to something big .The stone pillars had some writings engraved on it .The knights dare not to move in the bulky armour. At the very stood a gate on which it was written that
"Once the gate awakens, there is no return… only chains of the forgotten"
As he got closer and closer he listened some whispering near the gate that unravel new mysteries ahead .The person standing there spoke in a deep voice that
"Now there is no turning back from here"
Everything froze and James stood still .
*****
Write a comment ...