The Final Keeper | Sebastian Sallow Love Story

A Run in with Death

Adelaide was out of breath. So. Much. Stairs. She was glad she wasn't a Gryffindor if she had to deal with that moving staircase all the time- she'd lose her mind. She was quite happy with the dungeons.

She navigated the mahogany passageway and granite stone floors until she came to an another staircase much to her disdain. Finally Adelaide came to a large wooden door and when she opened it, revealed a cold rocky corridor. It was shorter than the rest with a gargoyle made out of gold.

This must be the Headmaster's office gargoyle. Adelaide looked at it steadily, "Toujour Pur."

The gargoyle shot up towards the ceiling with a staircase appearing after it. More stairs, she groaned internally. The Headmaster's office was enchanting with a bunch of knick knacks scattered about. In a glass case, she saw the Sorting Hat, but he paid her no mind trying to think of next year's song. Adelaide didn't have much time to explore before she spotted the portrait behind the Headmaster's desk.

The third keeper greeted her, "It's good to see you."

"All thanks to Professor Fig's quick thinking. Now what?" She inquired.

"Approach the pedestal in the antechamber and read the book that appeared." She gestured towards the structure near the headmaster's desk.

Adelaide walked next to the book, "What's in the book?"

"A story. I cannot say more. You may recognize some elements of it-as I was inspired by a tale which many wizarding children are familiar."

This didn't please her. This didn't calm her. She didn't grow up a wizard. Adelaide also wasn't sure why she had to read a book before the trial. The moment she put her hand on the book, a black smoke circulated around her, before sucking her into the pages.

When she opened her eyes, Adelaide was standing in a sea of white with specks of black everywhere. There was no difference between the ceiling, the floor, the wall- it was all white.

"Professor Fitzgerald." She called out, looking around. "Can you hear me?"

Did she fail the trial already? Was this a trap?

"I am here." She heard her call out from all around her. "In this place, you may call me Niamh. You shall be witness to a fable. Pay attention. Things are not always as they seem."

As she finished speaking, a black scribble ran in front of her and created a walkway. She could make out a path, the grass, and what looked like a stone cottage.

"You must move swiftly and cautiously. Use the tools you encounter to find me."

Adelaide swallowed hard. She walked up the beaten path, but wasn't able to open the door. She looked behind her only to realize there was a bridge. It was disorienting as the scenes that played out before her, only appeared as she drew near.

"In this place," Niamh spoke in a warning tone, "As in life, Death takes many forms. Avoid each of them at all costs."

What? Adelaide jumped as a figure larger than the town before her, peered down over the hamlet. It was a skeleton with a malicious look as it put its hands on the rooftops and appeared to be looking for something or someone. Her.

As it raked its hand on the ground, almost killing a villager, seven human sized skeletons in black robes appeared. The villager that had dodged the giant skeletal hand now cowered in fear as the other smaller skeletons reduced him to nothing more than smoke.