Snow Princess

Chapter 16: Mysterious Wall

After lunch, everyone ended up going into the study room. I didn’t have to do any catching up, since I did all my work after the extra hour, after classes were finished. I ended up going outside for some fresh air. Once outside in the front, the crisp air ignited my senses. I looked at the freshly fallen snow that added fluff to the already beautiful scenery.

         I looked down to my feet and had an idea that I didn’t know would be stupid or the best thing I could do. I walked toward a bench that was at the side of the house and took off my shoes and socks. I set them aside as I looked over the snow one more time. The soft, plush coldness of the cold snow wrapped my feet as I walked.

         It was a heavenly peaceful feeling that engulfed me. I didn’t understand why I didn’t flinch or back away after stepping onto it, but it was like it was calling my name. As strange as it sounded, I felt like it was home. It welcomed and surrounded me in a place of comfort and warmth, much like a blanket.

         I bent down to touch the snow, and I felt electricity and drive spread through me like a wildfire. I didn’t move my hand because I wasn’t threatened by the feeling, rather really curious. It was like someone had pressed a button inside of me, and I was fully loaded and armed if I needed to be. I slowly got up and looked at the snow with curiosity driving me.

         As if my body had a mind of its own, it moved forward toward the forest. I was still looking down at my feet and the sight of it barefoot didn’t settle well with me. I didn’t understand why my feet were moving toward the forest. If anything, they should have been leading me back inside to where it was warm. Then I felt the snow beneath my feet, the thought of retreating washed away. The snow felt good, and it wasn’t like it was cold enough to give me hypothermia. I walked until I was slightly in the forest. I know saw the deep green of wildlife surrounding me. I looked up to see the snow covered trees. I didn' t understand how they weren't dead yet. My mind was reeling with all the dangers I could've gotten into and all the rules I was breaking for doing this. Even when my mind was scolding me, my body continued to walk. I think it was a half an hour before I reached a place where something felt off and something was hidden that I couldn’t see. My feet automatically stopped and the sense that something was before me irked me. I stopped walking. 

         At first, nothing caught my attention. But then as I stepped forward, something not too far away from me moved. It sounded like stones. Stones moving…was that possible? I walked to where I heard it coming from only to come face to face with a brick wall.

         I huffed in disappointment. ‘Well if there was a wall here, what could have made that noise?’ My thoughts directed me in circles, trying to figure out what the noise was. As I turned to walk away, the noise repeated. I jumped in surprise and looked back to see that the wall was indeed moving.

         It wasn’t moving like one of those trap doors, but the wall seemed to be caving to create a circle in the middle of itself. It was like it sensed my presence and was showing me what no one else was allowed to see.

         It was quicker to reveal itself as the circle was completing and writings started to show up. I stood there gawking at it until was finished. I stepped forward, looking at what the strange wall had to say. As I read it, I couldn’t figure out what it was saying. The words were not English.  

          I started to think of a language it would be. The only thing that I could think of was Spanish, but then I didn’t know if that was right. Even if we were home schooled, we didn’t learn much in Language. If we did, we learned the basics and this was too advanced. I tried reading it out loud to see if it would click to me. There was only one word that I could say out of it all, and that was “Lupus." I didn’t know what that meant. After trying to sound the words out, I didn’t understand it at all.