Lilith's Door

Prologue

The journal crunched when I lifted the leather cover, assuring its old age. As I reread my Grandmother Lilith's words, I was filled with curiosity.

    "... he placed the smooth grey stone in my hands, asking me to bury it. Puzzled of course, yet I still did what he asked, because I knew it was important to him. I buried the stone by the garden by my house." I could see her write in a flawless penmanship.

    I flipped a few pages quickly as my eyes heated up at the truthful writing. I ran my pale fingers along the words she wrote.

    "... I checked to see the place I buried the stone, and bright green leaves popped out of a dark branch which sprouted from the stone. Is this not strange? A rock which has no life, yet produces life? I asked him about this, and he never answer such questions, but he handed me a golden key. He asked me to hide it, so I did."

    I flipped through the pages, trying to find the words which revealed the keys hiding place, but I had no luck. I had to find out as soon as possible. Otherwise, I could be too late.

I stopped immediately when I heard John's deep voice which came from behind me at the door, "It's time for you to leave Avaline."

I tucked the book inside my coat, hiding it from John. I walked out of my Grandmother's room to pass him, not looking at his pity.

"I'm sorry for your lost Ava." He commented behind me.

The anger boiled inside me as I spun around. "For the last time, John." I seethed. "He. Is. Not. Dead."

John raised his dark eyebrows, then narrowed his brown eyes and responded calmly. "I know this is hard for you, but it has been almost a year, Avaline, since he has been missi-"

"He isn't missing." I corrected.

He scoffed and shook his head, and walked into the dining room.

I understood why Uncle John treated me as if I were insane. I could understand that, but I wished he believed me when I told him that Carter wasn't missing. I couldn't get to him unless I found Grandmother's golden key. That wasn't right, because Carter was only four years old when he disappeared.

I walked upstairs into my little brother's room. I immediately remembered how and why he disappeared. Carter got sucked into that charcoal colored tree. There was a door on that very tree and it disappeared. I lost him.

I haven't been inside his room for almost a year. I could never bring myself to go inside.

"What are you doing Ava?" John shouted from downstairs.

"Nothing." I responded.

    Just when I entered deeper in the room, I noticed no change. It was exactly how he left it. I ran my fingers across the wooden drawer with little toys scattered on top. I felt a deep creak on the wooden floor once I took another step. I stopped in my tracks, realizing when I pressed my foot against it, the small slate of wood shift around loosely in the floor. I got down and peeled the wood from the floor seeing a tiny dark wooden box.

"Ava!?" John called, jogging up the steps.
I placed the box in my sleeve to hide and stood up. I kicked the small slate back in it's place before Uncle John reached the doorway.

"What?" I sneered as he stood in the doorway with his bulky arms crossed together over his chest as I walked past him.

He grabbed my arm and spinned me back in his direction. The small box crashed onto the floor and a golden key popped out against the floor. My heart skipped a beat when I saw the key, I didn't think the key would be inside.

"Avaline." John breathed out and snatched the key from the floor before I could even touch the fragile metal.

"John!" I screamed desperately as I struggled to snatch the key out of his hand.

"Avaline, where did you find this? Lilith wouldn't want you to have this." John yelled back as he placed one hand on my shoulder, and with the other he waved the gold key towards my nose. "Do you know what this is?"

I stood still, shocked at his words. "Do you know?" I whisper back.

John scoffed and shoved the key in his pocket then walked past me towards the staircase shaking his head.

"No, J-John." I stammer behind him. "I need that, please." I begged as he stepped down the steps.

"Why? So you can get yourself killed? I don't think so."

"Carter is locked inside there, John!" I cried out.

John stopped in the middle of the staircase looking up at me. "What?" He walked back up the steps and placed his hand on my shoulder. "I didn't know."

"Don't you understand why I have to do this?"

John shook his head, "No, it's too danger-"
I quickly shoved my hand in his pocket and grabbed the warm metal from his coat, and I ran down the stairs quickly.

"Avaline, no!" John yelled behind me.

I opened the front door and ran out towards the garden Grandmother spoke about before in her journal. Beside it stood a thick black and charcoal-like tree, with not one leaf on the branches now. The darkness of the tree was truly unnatural. But after all, this tree was far from normal.

I could see the sun reflect off of a gold piece that stuck out from the tree. I rushed against it and ripped of some of the bark that over grew to what seemed to be a lock. My long black hair flew in the cold wind, as my fingers turned black when I scratched off the rough bark.

"Come back here!" John shouted close behind me.

I quickly shoved the golden key into the lock with a twist and I heard a deafening click. A door opened, and was forced through Lilith's door.

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Hey guys! What do you think about my new story?!
It's just a little piece of what I got going.

Thanks for reading this far! 😂

-Aixa