The Book of The Mist

The Book of The Mists

Isabelle 

The power went out forcing a few of the bulbs to blow making everyone yelp at the sudden noise I looked out of the window at the storm the weather-man had promised. If anything, it was stronger. I watched his driveway disappear in sheets of rain and wind splattering up the house. When the power winked out I raised my eyes to the heavens with a sigh and went I search for the flashlight I owned for this exact reason, feeling my way to the bedside table I pulled open drawer only to find it missing. I vaguely recalled lending it to my sister for a sleepover, but she never gave it back. With a spark of relief, I remembered there was still some life left in my I phone battery. From the glow of the screen I could see the girls faces as they turned to look at the source of light. Already the temperature in the house had dropped so much I found myself craving a jumper, we sat there for a moment as if still wondering where the light went. The power was out and I needed some to get some light in here. "Jensen" Ester yelled at the TV. I couldn't see my own hands, stumbling in semi darkness I made my way off the edge of the bed sliding my legs off and feeling for anything on the floor with my feet.

Lights flickered on from the girls' phones illuminating my normally calming room now leaving it in a distorted image due to low lighting. I moved towards the door in a short of shuffle avoiding random things on my floor "There are candles in the basement come on" I motioned the others to follow me as I leave my room to walk across and down the varnished wooden hallway cold wood chilled my feet and made me thing slippers might have been a good idea at the end of the hall that's the last door is the basement because our cottage is one floor other than the converted loft that is my parents room. My hands slowly grasp the cold brass and gentle twist the lock free leaving a blackened descending stairwell into a cobweb frenzy wanted to shiver, the strong smell of damp clogged my nose and mouth making me want to shut that door and never open it again "I never thought I say this but that looks haunted" Charlie murmured from down the hall "don't be ridiculous" Dany came and stood next to me with a sureness about her showing she wasn't afraid of the dark or the spiders or 'man killers' as Ester and Char call them. Esters red hair appeared behind Dany her icy blue eye peering over the taller girls' shoulder "yeah we will just draw a ring of salt around us and we be good, wait is that a spider" she moved to look down the dark steps " oh hell no" she moved back up the hall then behind Maisy giving her a small shove as if offering her to the spider "for a girl who is willing to take on a demon you are a pansy when it comes to spiders" Maisy gave a glance behind her with an unamused look I wanted to laugh. 

The basement was more of a bunker, all concreate and no personality. Near the low ceiling were long thin windows, no wider than the slits in a castle turret used by archers. Without any circulation of air, the stagnant aroma made it dungonesque and the un-softened echo or Charlie's feet were making me feel ever so slightly claustrophobic in the small space. Old Dusty warn moving boxes still sat down here but had been made home to thing you don't want to see upstairs at any time of day. Cob webs gathered in the corners of the room. The low light offered by our phones lit up the room enough for me to see water running down the walls a dripping off the ceilings and though they were high Dani and I had to bow our heads in order to keep everything out of our hair honestly didn't fancy washing spiders out of it. I clapped my hands at the others "okay girls let start searching". 

I was half way through my second box dust was starting to stick to my clothes every time I brushed my hand off on my jeans in an attempt to clean then. The girls were also searching and we had found a dozen or so candles and were now looking for any spear flashlights when there was a shrilled shriek from behind me, I spun and found Charlie sprawled on the dirty floor after having fallen over some chest fallen over an old chest and in doing so opened it, I felt my eyes widen "Char do you know how long we have been trying to open that it's been in the family for years and no one could open it" I climbed around more boxes to help her as she dusted herself off, by this time we had all gathered around looking inside. I was shocked to see what was inside the old trunk. We found bottles of herbs, liquids, ink and some substance that look like it should have been thrown out a while ago. Feathers and quills were bond together in string and a knife which had been roughly wrapped in cloth gem stones where placed oddly around the other items as if it had all been shoved in the chest in a rush but in the middle of all this chaos was a leather bond book tied with blood red ribbon and a pentagram carved in the middle. What was it. I reached forward a picked it up wondering why something like this was in my basement and belong to my family. Pulling the ribbon gently and opening the heavy covered I read the first page to the others. "The Book of The Mists". My stomach dropped and my voice was trapped in my throat I wanted out.