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My mind couldn’t believe it. This woman is obviously insane to think I would believe that all this had happened for my own good. Yet there she was, the same tall, thin woman that had offered me the house. She lifted the teacup back up to her thin lips and smiled. After a moment of silence and a few sips of tea, I spoke up.
“So you’re saying this Yuu guy thought it would be a good idea to snuff my parents and my mentor because it would… how did you say… ‘refine me?’ ” I half-whispered “that is utter bull. How does death refine someone?”
The woman answered “You do not understand what you have until you lose it, just like you do not understand what is happening unless you see it from an outer perspective. Face it Ren, you’re a wuss, a coward. And if that man has decided your… composition… is right for the job, I have to refine you. Just look at me as your new… mentor. You can even call me by my first name, Janette” Her voice just annoyed me. Such a smug voice.
“Mentor?? Oh, now you want to mentor me??” I exclaimed “Oh this is rich. Wonderful. I am supposed to listen to the woman that killed my-”
Janette stood up and put her hand on her hip, her heels and broad shoulders making her look more imposing “Oh shut up, little girl. I did no such thing. Wyran killed your ties to this world so you can easily pass on to the next, no regrets. You should thank him. You know you hated them anyways”
“I didn’t hate anyone! I may have had my share of issues, but I always loved them!” I yelled, enraged that she would suggest such a thing. The woman seemed pleased with my answer, and she dropped a card on the table. “Midnight. The gazebo in the garden. Feel free to stay here until then, the fridge is full.” She said, and walked out of the room. Wait, she wanted me to stay here??
After a while I decided to pick up the card. I always wondered to what lengths my curiosity would take me if I let it. And despite all that’s happened, I just wanted to know where this could take me. She was right, I wasn’t tied back by anything anymore. I took the locket out of my pocket and opened it again. Kazuki, she said his name was Kazuki. The man that would be my path from world to world. He looked so familiar…
I took a walk around the house, going beyond the few rooms Janette had shown me in last week’s tour. It had been 3 days since the incident. I had stayed in a friend’s house, but I had gotten a call from Janette telling me to come see her. I came and we talked, and she told me the story of how I was to spend some time going to alternate worlds, other parallel universes, to find a key. She refused to tell me what the key was, or where it was. But she said I would find out in time. Well, it was 11 right now, so all I had to do was wait an hour.
I sat down in the back porch and looked out over the beautiful garden, my dark brown hair blowing about in the slight wind. After the incident I had cut it short for reasons unknown to me, so I had no choice but to let it blow about. Traveling through to parallel universes, huh? I would actually love that. I mulled over the situation and before I knew it, it was 12.
I got up and walked towards the gazebo, enjoying the spring breeze. But the closer I got, the slower the breeze became, until I could feel it no longer. I shrugged off the bad feeling and stepped onto the gazebo, which instantly became blurry and changed. I was now inside a room. It was a dark room with a single light in the center. I walked closer and saw a table and two chairs.
One was empty and on the other one, Kazuki was sitting down. He was a tall and slender handsome man, roughly 6 foot 10, long dark red hair gathered in a long braid and green eyes. He was wearing a dark brown suede coat and a dark blue three piece suit, which seemed odd for the warm weather. He smiled at me and motioned me to sit down. I sat across from him, just then noticing how chilly it was in here.
Kazuki opened a box on the table and showed me a silver chain with a small silver key on it. “Hand me the locket and I’ll attach it” he said, and I complied. He slipped the chain through the top of the locket and stood up. He placed the chain around my neck and clipped it on. For some reason I felt comfortable with this, and it didn’t bother me.
He sat back down and moved the box away from the center of the table, revealing a small painting of a wolf howling at the moon painted directly on the table’s wood. It had a small pool of light shining on it, and it took me a while to realize it was emanating from my locket.
I looked up at Kazuki and he looked back and said “You have a choice to make. We will not force anything on you. We can leave you this house and a good sum of money to make up for what we have done. Your life will be a simple one. But you will never know what would have been had you started the journey, or what you may find. Now you make your choice. You can open the locket and continue on this journey, or you can stand up and walk away, and you will never see or hear from us again”
I looked at him bewildered. I had a choice? This was something I was sure wasn’t given much, and if I chose to, I could live a happy, quiet life. Living out my dream. My dream, huh? What was my dream now? To live in this quiet house? No, I knew now, I wanted to go. I needed to go. This was an opportunity I could not miss. I reached up to my locket, examined the cover closely, and opened it.
I immediately felt the tug, a feeling that was both amazing and painful. My body felt like it was being pushed to the limit, I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t see. My heart beat faster and I felt the sensation of flight, but everything was dark. I knew I was leaving this world, and I may never see it again. Before I completely left, though, I heard his voice
“Thank you”…
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Saturday, December 26, 2009
Friday, December 25, 2009
Chapter 1- Consideration
It was a dark and stormy night…
Ha. I wish. Then I would have been home in my favorite chair, reading the latest borrowed book or knitting and drinking tea. Instead, the day was bright and sunny, birds were chirping, the leaves falling gracefully from the trees. And I was on my way to work, late again, wishing the bus went faster.
I couldn’t help but go back to last night. The offer I was given to move into my dream house. An old but renovated Victorian mansion, with three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms. A beautiful house on a hill, overlooking a valley and a mile away from civilization. In other words, pure heaven. Still, something about the offer itself kept bugging me. Perhaps the way the woman was looking at me when she smiled and showed me around the house.
But I was certain that sense of impending doom was nothing. I finally got to work, a cute little bakery in the edge of a small town. I was learning to bake there and today I would learn how to make the perfect pie crust. Life was good. The short, portly woman smiled as I entered and directed me to the back. “Just start gathering the ingredients, honey. I’ll be right there”
I started taking things out of the fridge and pantry and assembling them on the large table. I went to grab the old cook book, and that’s when I heard the crash. I peered out the door to the front of the bakery and there was a well dressed old man, silvery white hair and deep brown eyes. He looked both familiar and not. His long beard and hair framed his smiling face, a cigarette gripped by his yellow teeth. Before I could react he pulled the trigger to the handgun he was holding and I watched in horror as the bullet pierced the woman’s shoulder. She screamed and clutched her left shoulder, doubled over in pain.
“Marie!” I screamed, and the man looked in my direction. “Don’t worry girlie, this is all fer you” he said, and then winked. Two more bullets were fired, this time penetrating the woman’s skull. From my position, I saw them go straight through, some blood landing on my arm. I hadn’t even noticed that I had come out of the kitchen and I instinctively caught Marie’s body as it fell, my kneed buckling from the weight of the situation.
The bearded man smiled and tossed a small wooden box next to me, then turned and walked away, out the door. “See you at home girlie!” he said, waving as he left. Thoughts raced through my head as I clutched Marie to my chest. ‘Why? What had she done? What had I done?’ I looked at the box on the floor, and decided to pick it up, after laying Marie down gently on the floor. I opened the box, not even noticing the blood all over my chest. It held a single charm. A locket without a chain, a wolf’s face carved on the front, as if it were howling at the moon. I cleaned my bloody hands on my pants and opened the locket.
The inside had a mirror on the frame and a picture of a man on the inside of the cover. He too looked familiar, but I didn’t know his name. I closed the locket, dropped it and the box in my pocket and got up. Then grabbed my phone and called the police. Once I hung up, I remembered what the man said: ‘see you at home’. No, not that. I won’t let it happen. I went to the back of the store and got in Marie’s car. I hated driving, but this called for an emergency.
I drove as fast as I could, heading to my house. I stopped at a red light, wondering if I should speed past it. Too late. I heard the explosion, felt the ground shake. I could see the smoke coming from my house. No. I ran out of the car and sped the rest of the way, stopping once my house was in view.
Flames, a scream and a figure in the window. In a state of shock, my legs took me through the door. The stairs were gone. No wait, the back room. Gone too, just a huge opening, guess the bomb was here. I see him, father. He can see me too. I run to the living room and stop, the sight of his torso too gruesome to believe. “F-father… w-where are you legs?”
I can’t see, everything’s blurry. Right, I’m crying. Oh look, in the corner, there’s Muffin. What’s left of her. And the screaming. Mom is screaming. Mom is… screaming…
Thankfully, I collapse, my mind going blank…
Ha. I wish. Then I would have been home in my favorite chair, reading the latest borrowed book or knitting and drinking tea. Instead, the day was bright and sunny, birds were chirping, the leaves falling gracefully from the trees. And I was on my way to work, late again, wishing the bus went faster.
I couldn’t help but go back to last night. The offer I was given to move into my dream house. An old but renovated Victorian mansion, with three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms. A beautiful house on a hill, overlooking a valley and a mile away from civilization. In other words, pure heaven. Still, something about the offer itself kept bugging me. Perhaps the way the woman was looking at me when she smiled and showed me around the house.
But I was certain that sense of impending doom was nothing. I finally got to work, a cute little bakery in the edge of a small town. I was learning to bake there and today I would learn how to make the perfect pie crust. Life was good. The short, portly woman smiled as I entered and directed me to the back. “Just start gathering the ingredients, honey. I’ll be right there”
I started taking things out of the fridge and pantry and assembling them on the large table. I went to grab the old cook book, and that’s when I heard the crash. I peered out the door to the front of the bakery and there was a well dressed old man, silvery white hair and deep brown eyes. He looked both familiar and not. His long beard and hair framed his smiling face, a cigarette gripped by his yellow teeth. Before I could react he pulled the trigger to the handgun he was holding and I watched in horror as the bullet pierced the woman’s shoulder. She screamed and clutched her left shoulder, doubled over in pain.
“Marie!” I screamed, and the man looked in my direction. “Don’t worry girlie, this is all fer you” he said, and then winked. Two more bullets were fired, this time penetrating the woman’s skull. From my position, I saw them go straight through, some blood landing on my arm. I hadn’t even noticed that I had come out of the kitchen and I instinctively caught Marie’s body as it fell, my kneed buckling from the weight of the situation.
The bearded man smiled and tossed a small wooden box next to me, then turned and walked away, out the door. “See you at home girlie!” he said, waving as he left. Thoughts raced through my head as I clutched Marie to my chest. ‘Why? What had she done? What had I done?’ I looked at the box on the floor, and decided to pick it up, after laying Marie down gently on the floor. I opened the box, not even noticing the blood all over my chest. It held a single charm. A locket without a chain, a wolf’s face carved on the front, as if it were howling at the moon. I cleaned my bloody hands on my pants and opened the locket.
The inside had a mirror on the frame and a picture of a man on the inside of the cover. He too looked familiar, but I didn’t know his name. I closed the locket, dropped it and the box in my pocket and got up. Then grabbed my phone and called the police. Once I hung up, I remembered what the man said: ‘see you at home’. No, not that. I won’t let it happen. I went to the back of the store and got in Marie’s car. I hated driving, but this called for an emergency.
I drove as fast as I could, heading to my house. I stopped at a red light, wondering if I should speed past it. Too late. I heard the explosion, felt the ground shake. I could see the smoke coming from my house. No. I ran out of the car and sped the rest of the way, stopping once my house was in view.
Flames, a scream and a figure in the window. In a state of shock, my legs took me through the door. The stairs were gone. No wait, the back room. Gone too, just a huge opening, guess the bomb was here. I see him, father. He can see me too. I run to the living room and stop, the sight of his torso too gruesome to believe. “F-father… w-where are you legs?”
I can’t see, everything’s blurry. Right, I’m crying. Oh look, in the corner, there’s Muffin. What’s left of her. And the screaming. Mom is screaming. Mom is… screaming…
Thankfully, I collapse, my mind going blank…
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Welcome all!
Welcome to the blog of Infinite Dreamscape! This is going to be my story's blog. I'll post my story here chapter by chapter. Along with landscapes and such that I sometimes sketch of the lands my characters will visit. I'm hoping this will force me to actually write more frequently and allow me to see the reader's reactions. If all goes well and I finish, I might even publish it. (keyword: might)
Thanks for stopping by and thanks to all who urged me to start this! I'll be posting my first chapter soon, and I'll try to post at least weekly afterwards. Feel free to comment on anything I post! I welcome any and all opinions.
See ya soon!
@apple_bacon
Thanks for stopping by and thanks to all who urged me to start this! I'll be posting my first chapter soon, and I'll try to post at least weekly afterwards. Feel free to comment on anything I post! I welcome any and all opinions.
See ya soon!
@apple_bacon
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