Room23ac

Jora reaches out toward the mirror and the reflective surface rushes toward them. They are engulfed by the mirror and the room around them shifts. The mirrors disappear as does the doorway.

The party stands in the center of the room for a moment before Jora notices that a section of the wall before them is shimmering as if specks of light were erupting across a space the size of a door.

The shimmer effect increases until the rectangular wall section glows like the sun. The rectangle then darkens to gray and finally black and the shimmering ceases leaving behind a black shape.

They stand, dumfounded and then Lamia hesitantly steps forward to touch the black rectangle. Her hand passes through the black surface as if it were mist.

“Oh Gods, it’s a passageway.”

“Can you smell that?” Safir pushes forward, sniffing loudly. “I think it’s—”

“Outside,” Jora says in a near whisper. “I smell fresh air and plants.

“Listen,” Conrad says. “Do you hear that? It’s birdsong.”

“Is it another trap?” Safir backs away from the dark passageway. There have been so many pitfalls that she can’t believe that the way home is suddenly before them.

“Even if it is,” Jora says. “We have to try.”

Jora reaches for Lamia’s hand but then hesitates and instead reaches for Safir. The girl smiles as bright as the sun and places her warm hand in his. She offers her free hand to Lamia who in turn holds her hand out to Conrad. Securely linked together, the group marches slowly down the dark tunnel.

A small glow becomes visible in the distance as they walk. With each step, the light grows larger and the smells and sounds increase.

After a while, the light has revealed itself to be a roughly shaped arched opening through which they can see trees and a sliver of blue sky.

Unable to contain his excitement, Jora begins the drag the little group faster toward the light; after a dozen steps, they are running.

Breathless, legs screaming in agony, the party bursts into the clean air of the outer world.

Looking back, Jora sees the dark tunnel waver before him and then disappear into the hillside, indistinguishable from the grass climbing the hill.

Far above he sees the jagged tooth of Tower Faustus silhouetted against the sky.

“Free,” he whispers.

Then he joyously shouts, “We’re free!”

He pulls Safir into a fierce hug and then draws in Lamia and Conrad. The four friends hug each other and weep. So many times they thought they would never see the outer world again. So often they had faced death and it seems even succumbed to it – if that illusion or truth, they will never know for sure.

He releases his friends and then looks into Safir’s eyes. How had he gone so long not realizing that she was not a child but a beautiful young woman?

“I still owe you something,” he says.

Jora pulls Safir close and presses his lips against her’s. She stiffens for a moment, unsure what is happening but then relaxes and enthusiastically joins in the kiss.

“It certainly took you long,” Lamia says and punches Jora playfully on the arm.

“Get a room,” Conrad says. In truth, he is joyful to see his friends so happy.

The pair breaks apart, blushing.

Jora longs to see his father’s store. If he lives to be one hundred, he never wants to embark on another adventure.

“At least we’ve got one hell of a story to tell,” Conrad says.

“I’m not sure I ever want to think about it again,” Lamia says.

“Let’s just go home,” Safir says.

“Yes,” Jora says, squeezing his friends one final time before releasing them. “Let’s go home.

 

#The End#

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