Quest For The Key

Chapter 11: In on It

The Woodmer family now together again went down to Centra’s office and they told him there answer. “ Wonderful!” he commented and walked behind his desk.  Maple couldn’t stop thinking about her dream. Had that really been her? Who was Maïa? What did it all mean? Dod it mean that she would die? The thought made her shiver.

Somehow, Centra opened a secret door in the wall and the family stepped through. How come they hadn’t seen that there before? I guess It was because there were no secret doors in walls let alone they had never seen one in there entire life of living in the village. Jack gave distasteful comments and used a colourful vocabulary the whole trip through the constricting tunnel. They walked for what seemed like  hours before  they came to another door.   It was a fairly large door . Very dull in colour but it had tons and tons of locks and blots on the front. “ What ever is in there must be very important to be lock up like that.” whispered Jack in Maple’s ear. “Oh, it is” replied Centra startling the two as he unlocked the first bolt. “ I wished he would stop doing that” snapped Maple when she was sure he wasn’t listening. Jack nodded in agreement.  

Centra unlocked all the bolts but one. “ Now children and parents , what you see in here you must never repeat. We do not want word to spread of the treasures that are locked safely away behind this door. Many  many ,many bandits and other castles, believe it or not would become very jealous and may try to sneak attack us and steal it .” Centra said , taking a breath for effect. “ So,  Give me your word.”  The whole family agreed and he nodded his head.  

With the final turn of the key and a faint  “click”, the door eased open enough for them to fit a hand inside. It was heavy. So heavy that all of them pushing at once were still sweating and gasping for breath  by the end. As the door opened inch by inch it squealed and screeched, making a horrible nose that made Jack cover his ears. Soon they got the door fully open and peered around the corner or the big door, stepping inside. 

As soon as they took one step into that vault they had to shield there eyes from the bright light. There were mounds and mounds of gold and silver. Precious jews and stones, swords, armours, weapons and more as far as the eye could see, and beyond. It was a sight to see.

Over in the corner there was a little brown door but no one took notice of it. For the four it was just an average door and their needs and greed’s were higher than peasant wishes now. They were considered royal to be shown all this. That some people in the castle it’s self aren’t shown this. It’s just another boring door. This castle is a maze of doors and chambers anyway. What’s one more, really. 

Jack immediately ran to the gold and silver and catapulted himself into the pile sending money everywhere in a shower of nickel and copper. He was disappointed when he was picked up by Centra himself and brought back to where the family stood in awe. “ Not for you young man” was all he ‘d said to Jack. “ your treasures are  behind that door”.  Centra pointed to the sad, little, brown door that  Jack had noticed before and his heart sank.

The family made there way to the door. “ I’m not sure I am in any shape right now to go on pushing doors like that” joked Lauren. “ Oh, don’t worry this door is quite new” Centra assured. “ there will be no Brocken backs on it’s account” Mr. Woodmer chuckled. “ That’s for sure” he agreed. Centra opened the door with no trouble at all and Mrs. Woodmer was relieved. They all went inside. What was in the room made them stop in there tracks, provoke millions of words good or bad, question their questions and build up a hidden, powerful rage. What was in the room was.............................NOTHING! That’s right nothing was in the room. It was empty.  All except a little, gold bell on a stand, with a see through protective cover over it, in the middle of the room. Maple and Jack’s mouths both fell open as  Lauren got red in the face.

This was enough to set Lauren off the edge and her flames went wild. She was a fairly calm women, usually reasonable, but, when someone upset her she was like a bull with it’s but on fire thrown in to a red room “ You want us to send our children on a quest, which they may very well not return from, with NOTHING!!!!!!     NOTHING?????????” Mrs. Woodmer screamed at the top of her lungs.  She was more then angry, more then annoyed or seriously and majarly bugged. She was infuriated. Her nostrils flared and she barred her teeth like she was going to charge him and head but him. Lauren stomped her foot on the ground many times before she spat in centra’s face directly, and walk back to her children.

Jack and Maple stood very still, taking it all in. After Mr. Woodmer had calmed down their mother, the adults huddled together, whispering madly back and forth, sounding like a chorus of seagulls . No matter how hard the children strained their ears , they could not for the life of them, make out what was being said. Maple shiverd remembering as she had flashbacks oh the mumbling girl from her dream. After awhile the two gave up and sat down and waited to be let in on the secret. 

Maple and Jack exchanged guess, but would never have known the exact plan. It was too bewildering. “ Do you think, they’ll let us use the stuff in the other room?” asked Jack. Maple was about to answer, but was interrupted by more questions. 

“ Or maybe, we won’t go on the quest at all? What do you think?  I really wanted to go though. How bout you Maple? Or ,no don’t tell me. Maybe......” . Jack was about to finish when his train of thought was disturbed by the adults! Their done there social party and are ready to let us know the secret now!” thought Maple excitedly, only to ask, and be greeted with disappointment. “ We can’t tell you” giggled Lauren, now in a much better mood. “ You’ll have to find out for yourselves” finished their father with a smile on his face, that stretched from ear to ear. He was obviously, trying to control his laugher. Even Centra’s face was a glow that made him look like a god as he said ‘ Now children, your parent’s, and I have been talking and we have come to the decision that you will go on the quest. You will be wearing the best armours in the kingdoms and will be equipt with everything necessary for this little trip.  Now if you would like to begin. Jack you, the most anxious of most, can go and ring that bell. Maple help him take off the cover.” maple could tell he was still bothered by her little speech earlier, which turned into hatred towards her. 

Maple and Jack did as they were told. As they stared walking in the direction of the pedestal,  the adults shared a quite laugh but Maple and Jack just kept walking , looking towards the shimmering bell the whole time. Once they reached it Maple, struggled to take off the thick, glass case over top, and managed to set it on the ground gently. She looked up just in time to see her brother take hold of the little bell in his equally small hand. Jack swung the little bell back and forth softly, hearing the ball on the inside roll around hitting the walls of it’s enclosed area. For a minute Jack saw everything in slow motion, before time caught up with reality, once more.  The sound they all heard next was of something strange, yet beautiful. The sound of chimes but it wasn’t coming from the bell. It tolled around the room rolling on the walls, bouncing in and out of their ears. It was followed by my a scent of bursting flowers, lilacs, roses, buttercups, ever flower named, before the smell turned dark, earthy and dusty. 

Slowly, the walls stared turning , revealing, what looked like wooden shelves  safely hidden away. As the dust cleared from the silent room, they could all get a better look at what had just happened. Swords and armour untouched upon the selves. It appeared that these treasures were even more precious. So precious that they had to be hidden away in secret, only to be summoned again by the chosen ones , Maple and Jack when the bell was wrung. 

During the next hour and a half, the five decided who would have what. There was much to go around. It was nothing like life in the village where rules went “ First see, first serve, first keep”. Now they shared with one another.  The family would all be sleeping in the castle. The finest rooms and the following day would be the start. The start of a new journey, a new beginning, a great struggle and a quest.