Lightening, Witches and Dragons

Mystery Scroll

Chapter One

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            It was one of the most peaceful places she had ever been to in her entire life. Not that she had been to that many places let alone peaceful. Having parents who were overly protective played a major role in that. She being the only chid made them think that they should have a constast leash on her. Their protectiveness was welcome a handful of times but was downright annoying the other. She was a city girl to the core but these woods which gave her company right about now were as soothing as it could get. The cool and fresh breeze brushing through her hair was so un-polluted that when she took her first long inhale of it she about choked on it. Taking another of the long inhales the wind passing through her nostrils she felt relaxed like she has never felt. It was fasinating how a simple patch of trees could give you this much positive energy.

          Opening her eyes which she had kept closed for the last 20 minutes enjoying the simplicity and quiteness of the place she looked around taking as much of the place in as she can as if she wouldn't be able to see it ever again. Which could be true to some extend. Being a university student wasn't at all easy. Contrary to popular believes, it wasn't all about parties and procrastination. Not that she wanted to go to any parties. She wasn't the party type to say the least. She had heard and seen enough to know that all they include was teenager's drinking booze like water and hooking up with anything that walks.

              Looking around she was mesmerized once again -much like she had been the moment she stepped in the clearing- by the small pond of clear blue water unlike she had ever seen. The patch of water stood still without any ripples, serene and quite. Her ears perked up by the slight twitter of the birds flowing throughout the clearing much like a tranquil melody. All around her were trees, bushes, shrubs and just about more trees. She was undoubtably in a patch of forest. She didn't quite know where she was headed when she started from her college gate after the last lecture of the day. As it was friday she was looking forward to a relaxing weekend filled with junk food and re-runs of whatever show was on her mind that day along with a bit of studying ofcourse.

                  However, after a hour long English literature lecture she was exhausted. Languages weren't her strong pursuit. She was more of a science girl, a through and through science nerd as most liked to call her. She didn't mind even a bit. It was what she loved to do and wasn't ashamed to let people know. After all she couldn't be thankful enough that she was good at academics as that was the percise thing which landed her a scholarship for the prestigious university she was currently studying at which was her very dream since the time she started understanding the true meaning of growing up. More so that this scholarship helped her to move out of her parents house. It's not that she didn't love them, cause she did. Just that they could be a tadbit overbearing sometimes is all.

                   Her attention was suddenly caught by the rustling of leaves to her right. Moving her head to look at the sound, she got up dusting her pants free of dirt from the ground she was occupying. Looking at the the bushes she found nothing out of the ordinary. Moving further towards the bushes she stopped dead in her tracks as the bushes ruffled again. She froze not moving a muscle. Suddenly a snow white rabbit popped from the bushes hopping towards the opposite side of the pond. She released a sign, smacking herself mentally for being so stupidly paranoid over nothing.

                      Turing towards her bag which lay near the ground she was sitting on, she bent down to pick it up but was blinded by the dust flying into her eyes. Standing straight again she tried to rub out the dust from her eyes and realised the stream of wind flowing all around the clearing. The sudden wind startled her and she was thrown back a couple of steps. Regaining her balance she tried to look around her but to no avail. All around her was wind and dust flowing around madly. She covered herself as much as she could from the harsh wind and moved towards her bag again. After a bit of struggle she finally picked up her bag at the exact moment the waves of wind stopped altogether. She was startled once again and she blinked a few times questioning her sanity as normally a mini tornado of wind does not start and stop in few seconds.Creasing her forehead she thought about the events of the last few seconds but came up with nil explanation. Shrugging and calling the events to be the unpredictable wheather of the area she would have just about turned and left the clearing if not for the abnormal circle of light coming from the centre of the pond.

                           She moved a bit closer to the pond to get a better view of the light but froze in her tracks and took a few steps behind as the exact area where the light was coming from started rippling and sizzling, bubbles bunching around the circle. A single beam of light shot out of the rippling going straight into the afternoon sky. The bubbles started moving about, in either direction of the light. Like the water was forming a rip in itself, one end coming towards the bank where she stood while the other exactly to the opposite side. The entire pond split into half making a gap in the centre.

                            For a few seconds nothing happened and Iris stood there holding her breath not quite believing what she was witnessing. She was not really a fan of English as a subject taught in school but had a love for books. She loved reading, her favourite genre being fantasy and sci-fi, even historical fiction was much liked. And so she had read such events happening only in those fantasy novels of hers.

                              She stood stock still trying to make sense of it all but failing miserably. Her muscles further tightened at the sudden movement from the pond. A rolled object, from what she could see emerged out of the rip, floating a couple of feet above the water surface. Taking a closer look she realised that it was a scroll, rolled on either side and tied but a single velvet red ribbon. Suspended in air it rotated in place for a few seconds and next thing she knew the scroll came directly at her with an immeasureable speed.

                               She scrambled to the ground quite unattractively just as the scroll swished passed the spot where her head was just a second before. Gasping for breath and patting herself for any injuries Iris got up on her feet. Looking at the pond she blinked as the pond lay before her eyes just as it was the moment she walked into the clearing. The beam of light had vanished and the rip in the water was no longer there. The water was very still like all those things didn't happen a few seconds ago. She once again questioned her sanity, but with a new vigour to prove herself that she hadn't imagined all that she turned to look for the scroll. As it bounded past her it may have landed somewhere she decided. Going in the opposite direction to the pond she walked a few steps towards a tree. She didn't have to look far as the scroll lay underneath the tree like its path was stopped as it hit the tree and fell over. As a matter of fact that was exactly what must have happened she finalised.

                                  She bent over to take a more closer look at the scroll but not too close as it might make a sudden move. The material of the paper was thick but rusty, quite old, she thought. The patches of brown made that clear, but still the paper was well kept. She couldn't see anymore as it was rolled on either sides, just the ribbon that tied it. If she hadn't seen all that what happened in the last few seconds with her own eyes she wouldn't have believed it even for a second and would have summed the scroll up to some kids playing a prank but she had seen it and therefore couldn't make the scroll upto just a peice of paper. Iris lifted her hand and moved it closed to the scroll, jutting out a single finger to touch it. When even after touching it, the scroll did not fly away or blast as she had expected Iris picked it up. Smoothly untying the knot of the red ribbon she let it fall to the ground. Pushing both the sides either ways to unwrap it she layed it on the ground. Iris blinked as she normally did when she couldn't believe something and gasped at the words before her eyes.

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Thanks for reading. I apologize for the grammatical and spelling mistakes. 

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