Tales of Aridia

Sanity

The morning held a feeling of promise and excitement. Arising from my bed the sun shone on my eyes, filling my body with warmth. I placed my feet on the cold floorboards and wandered over to the balcony. A little piece of white cloth was wrapped around the handle of the door. I remembered my dream. The white dress that scraped my back. I remember seeing white cloth flowing in the corner of my eye.

I reached my hand out to it and stroked where it had been torn. A small dot of blood hid on the other side. The stain was dry and old, like it had been there for days. A cold shiver ran up my spin and my room descended into darkness.

Stiffly, I turned around and looked bewildered at the flowers that had been delicately placed on my bedroom floor. Stepping towards them they lit up, shining with a small glow that flickered and dimmed as I walked away from it.  The path twisted and meandered downstairs to the kitchen. I looked around, it was quiet and dark and my mother was slung on the sofa half asleep. A few bottles of wine were spread across the kitchen, and more in the living room. A small glass stained with a purple liquid was shattered on the floor. I tip toed around it carefully, still following the lights.

They lead me to a cupboard and once I was there each light went out one by one, being replaced by the morning sun. I opened the cabinet and rummaged around behind toilet rolls and old magazines. Another bottle of wine was found sitting at the very back. I picked up the bottle and opened the back door. With frustration I threw it out and watched it tumble down the grassland. I closed the door with a slam, but my mother still did not wake.

I returned back to the cupboard, putting my anger behind me. Amongst the litter a book covered in dust and cobwebs sat Idly. Waiting for me to retrieve it. Picking it up I realised it was The Tales Of Aridia. My memory had somehow left me of the book that stared me in the eye. The pendant was still lingering on my neck, I had refrained from ever taking it off knowing I would somehow lose it.

I flicked to the back cover and the hole was still there. I lodged the pendant into where I presumed it was supposed to go and waited patiently. I expected something to happen but nothing did. Minutes went past but nothing occurred. Did I do something wrong? I asked myself. The more that time escaped the more I felt like I was losing my mind. My emotions were overwhelming me and I burst into a rage of sadness and insanity. I hurled the book across the kitchen, pushing a few wine bottles off the side where they then shattered on the floor. Slumping myself on the floor I released everything that was trapped inside. How I wished I could leap into somebody's arms.

My rage started to soothe and I made my way across to the book. Opening it I trembled and felt frustration growing as I looked at the blank pages. Nothing happened. A tear rolled down my cheek and fell of my chin, splashing onto the pages with a gentle tap. My anguish had lead to something greater.

At that moment the book came alive. The pages were filled with stories and moving pictures. People danced and people sang. Guns fired and people ran. My tear had triggered something, the pictures began to leap out of the page and around me my world started to dissolve. I was witnessing the story.

Ahead of me, standing in a bright light two parents were huddled around something, it seemed important. I wondered if they could hear me so I called out to them. "Hello?" I said. They whipped their heads around and stared at me vividly. "Isn't she beautiful?" The mother said as I edged closer. She was holding a baby in her arms and paced closer towards me. She placed her hand on my cheek and she smiled, then her smile dropped and she was no longer holding a child.

Something started to push me out of the room I was in. Colour began to seep into what I was seeing and it appeared to be a church.  The force that pushed me was invisible but powerful, I could feel my feet being swept off the floor. I was thrown through two colossal wooden doors and then I was hurled onto a pillar with a crash.  My body fell to the floor and some rubble fell off the ceiling and came tumbling down onto my head. My back seared in pain as yet more rubble continued to fall on top of me.

With great pain I pulled my hand which had been caught underneath a rock to the surface. My little finger was bent and crooked and my wrist throbbed incessantly. The ash filled my lungs, choking me momentarily. "Please help me!" I shouted. I was ignored and the big wooden doors slammed shut, closing away the little amount of light there was to spare.

A tiny beam of light shone through a crack in the door, highlighting the smoke that wafted in the air. Once I had enough strength I lugged myself off the floor and dragged my sore bruised body to the light that was kept isolated from me behind two towering doors.

An adrenaline rush allowed me to shove and throw my whole body at the doors I shouted, kicked and punched, not even my powers could open it. Suddenly I heard the chirp and singing of birds behind me. The building disintegrated and light crept over my shoulders. Once the building had fully disappeared I realised I was stuck in the forest by my house. Following my usual path I headed out to the Kadupal... something was telling me to go there.

In the spot where I usually sat was a little girl. She wore a long white dress embellished with jewels and fine silks. Her ginger hair sat on her shoulders while she stared out to the lake. "Hello," I said timidly, amused that a small child would inspire such caution. She didn't answer. I sat down next to her and waited for some kind of communication but there was nothing. "The flower, do you know how old it is?" She asked unexpectedly. I was confused but answered the little girl nonetheless. "I don't know, maybe a couple years?" I said.

She chuckled but remain staring. "It's okay, most people get it wrong, I wouldn't expect you to know anyway," she said. I wasn't sure whether to be offended but by the expression on the girls face she seemed to not care at all. The little girl finally faced me, "The flower is around 1000 years old." She said.

I was slightly dazed but I pressed on asking her questions. "Where are my real family? How do I get back do Aridia? Where are Jayden and Max? I miss them....can you just tell me who you are?" A moment of silence went by..."am I going crazy?" I finally said, restraining myself from asking anything more. What I hadn't noticed was the tight grip I held around the girls wrist. I loosened my grip and saw the red marks. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to," I said, stroking the marks as if to make them go away.

The girl began to shake subtly, her hands rocking at her sides. "No." She replied hesitantly, "please no," she continued. I bent down to her height and hugged her, smoothing the long ginger hair waiting for the sobbing to cease. "We have to go," the girl said pushing my body off hers. The fear that masked her sweet face mortified me, to see a child so scared was horrifying. "Max quick!" She called out and watched as a small boy rose from the grass and bounced off with her. "Max?" I said.

After they had escaped from my grasp I could hear the siren and the Ricohets of bullets and gunfire. "Come back it isn't safe!" I yelled. I raced through the trees before meeting a closed door.