Chapter 2
By: Sheldon Hoffman
I decided to test the boundaries of this new
world. I jumped up; to my utter surprise I
flew up in the air and hovered up there for a
few seconds before gently coming back down.
That was interesting I thought. I did that a
few more times before the novelty wore out.
I had a few theories of where or when I
might be. All of them as unlikely as the
other. I finally thought it would be best if
I wandered around maybe I might find a sign of
life. So I walked and walked and walked some
more, it seemed like I had been walking
forever in the “place of shadows” (a name I
had thought up for the place).
I stopped to take a rest; I was worried what
if I starved to death or went insane in this
desolate place of death? But just as things
started to look grim, I looked up and saw a
circle of red, it wasn’t very far. I ran
towards it and bent down to examine the red
circle, as I did this black and yellow light
shot up from it. This time I was smart and
jumped back so I didn’t fall through. It was a
good thing I did this because when I opened my
eyes there standing in front of me was a hole
in the shape of a circle. It stood where the
red circle once was. I walked up to it
cautiously and looked into it, it was like a
window to another world, my stomach lurched it
was really far below which meant I really far
up. I had a big fear of heights. I took one
last look at the world below, before slowly
backing away. The world was like earth, mostly
water and a little bit of green earth. I was
really high up! I kept walking leaving the red
circle behind. I was very confused and
slightly scared. I must have been in this
place for at least half a day since I came
here. I sat down trying to figure out what to
do next. I couldn’t go back because I didn’t
know where to go and besides I don’t think it
would have helped even if I did. For all I
knew I was walking in circles. There was only
one thing to do for the moment and that was
sleep. I curled up on the wispy black and
white ground and closed my eyes within a few
minutes I was sleeping.
When I woke up I noticed two things, one I was
not in the place of shadows any more and if I
was, I was I was not in the same place. Two I
was in a building. Everything was still black
and white. The room looked a lot like an
apartment. I began to get up and realized I
was lying on a strange bed; the bed was made
of the same wispy fog that covered the ground
outside. I stood up and noticed the room was
filled with books, very old looking books on
wispy fog shelves. None had their name on the
spine like on most books. As I began to wake
up more it finally hit me besides the books
the whole room was made of the wispy fog. I
slowly walked to the door (I was really
tired). The door opened and felt like nothing
I have every felt before, kind of like pushing
water and wind in a solid form. I walked
through it and as I suspected the hall way was
like the room (more wispy fog of black and
white). I walked down several flights of
stairs. Until I came to a place looking like a
lobby. There were five doors I looked into
three of them they all had rooms identical to
mine.
But, the forth door was different when I
opened it I nearly fell over because inside
there were three people at a circular table
and on the table there was food. I was just
about to back up unsure if I should talk to
these people. When one of the people an old
man maybe fifty with a grizzled looking face
and grey hair called out “look here is the
wanderer. Awake at last.” I walked in feeling
I had no other choice. I choose one chair of
fog in between the old man who had called me
and a girl maybe twenty or younger she had
blonde hair, brown eyes and she had a circular
face (not a fat face, just a round bone
structure). There was one other person at the
table, the other girl she had pure black hair
like me, green eyes like me except, mine have
speckles of yellow too. I guessed she was my
age. The man then spoke once I got seated he
said “you should have stood in one spot once
you came through the daasly hole”. He said
that more out of kindness then anger.
”I am guessing the daasly hole is the glowing
tree thing I came through”. He nodded in
agreement. I decided these people knew why I
was here. I immediately asked the question
that had been on my mind since I had gotten here,
“Why am I here and where is here?”
“You three are here because you are the only
humans left on earth who have the needed
traits and here is the entrance Edge.”
“What traits?” asked the girl with the black
hair. I noticed she had a very soft voice. Not
weak, soft.
“The traits you three have are ability to
take action, caring, understanding and
questioning everything once. I know that some
of those aren’t traits but you all have them I
hope that answers your question Asrar.” So
that was her name Asrar (sounded Arabic) but,
what were the other two people’s names?
“What are you’re names?”
The old man spoke and he said,
”My name is Arcanus and this is Mystik.”
Strange names I thought.
“What is the Edge?” I asked.
“The Edge is an indescribable place of
emotions. If a person who does not have the
needed traits goes in they will go insane.
That is why you three are needed. What I mean
by place of emotions is there is rooms, rooms
of emotions these rooms are many. This is a
place where who ever goes into them feels only
one emotion until they leave. This may not
seem that bad or hard to over come but do not
underestimate their power of control and
confusion.”
We were silent. I was worried and it showed.
“Why are you worried I have not told you your
mission yet?” Arcanus asked me.
“I am worried that I may be the wrong person
for the job and I am scared.” I hated to admit
this around the girls and this man.
“It is good to worry about the unknown that is
why knowledge is the greatest power and fear
is the bases for not knowing, this is human
nature. So try to kill your fears and worries
by asking the right questions.” This seemed
like a good enough answer.
“What mission do you have for us and how do we
know it is for good not evil?” Mystic spoke
for the first time. Again Arcanus answered.
“The mission is for you to discover but, it is
for the sake of humanity that it is completed.
So I think you can tell that it is for the
causes of good.” And again it seemed wise.
A new thought came into my mind, “Arcanus how
old are you.” He looked at me and smiled
I looked into his eyes and some how I knew he
had left. So with smile he vanished into the
very mist that these walls are made of. I then
knew we had a long and mysterious road ahead
of us.
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