Dead or Alive, Lonely or Loved

[5] Exploration

5: Exploration

            I felt touches brushing my mind.

            “I sense great turmoil in you, young one, but I cannot see what you are hiding from me.  What troubles you so?” a mental voice whispered.

            “Its overwhelming, I am a wraith, half alive and half dead in a underworld called, Elysium.”

            “Yes, I can see that, but what did you expect, you killed yourself and actions has consequences.  Why did you kill yourself?” The voice whispered and I felt something stroking my brain.

            “My boyfriend cheated me with my best friend…” I said as tears welled up in my eyes and the memories flashed in my head.

            “I see,” I felt arms wrapping around me, “You poor thing.”

            “It doesn’t matter anymore.  What can I do, I can’t stay in bed.”

            “Explore the castle, I can guide you and tell you history and stories, but first you need to wake up.” The voice ended.

            I opened my eyes and saw my room again.  I moaned and got up wincing as my sore muscles moved.  I raised my arms above my head and stretched and groaned as my back popped and I left my arms fall.  My fingers felt something on a pillow; I turned and saw a black rose resting on my pillow.  I picked it up and I saw a note attached to the stem. I opened the card and it said,

                                                Welcome to Elysium,

                                    I’ll be watching you, beautiful boy.

                                    Love,

                                                Secret Admirer.

            I raised my eyebrow, I was feeling slightly freaked out and giddy at the same time. I mean I have been around for one day, well I was around for a week unconscious, and I have been walking around for one day and I got an admirer, I wonder who it is.

            I got up and changed my clothes that were laid out on the chair and I left my room and I walked back in to grab the rose and I walked out smiling for the first time and I really don’t know why.

            “Turn left,” the voice said.

            “What is your name?” I asked it.

            Silence and then the voice said, “Turn right here and go upstairs to the top floor.”

            “You not going to answer the question, are you?”

            Another silence and I I sighed a little annoyed.  I walked the stone staircase until I got to the top floor.

            “Open the door on your left and walk in,” the voice said.

            I opened the wood paneled door walked in.  I gasped as I looked at THOUSANDS of books, shelves that reached the ceiling.  There were several desks scattered through out the huge room.  I scanned the shelves; there were all kinds of stories, romances, history, and mysteries the list goes on.

            I saw a curtain cracked opened and saw the end of a telescope, I walked to it and I peeked through the lenses. I saw a huge hourglass shaped mountain in the distance.

            “What the…” I fiddled with the telescope and zoomed toward the mountain. “Is that an hourglass mountain?”

            “It is an hourglass, but not a mountain,” A voice said next to me.

            I jumped and looked up and saw Kale.

            “Your majesty,” I bowed.

            “Please, there is no need to bow in private,” Kale said lifting my chin.

            I felt a small shock from his touch, I guess so did Kale since he took his hand away quickly.

            “Anyway the hourglass is the glass of damned souls. Every souls that doesn’t become a wraith and done terrible deeds in the mortal world they go through the hourglass into hell, they will never have the choice to live again and they will never be here in the Elysium.  It’s the final judgment the instant death takes them.”

            I looked through the telescope and saw the hourglass once me.

            “What’s that,” he pointed to the rose.

            “Oh, someone left it on the pillow on my bed,” I smiled.  “Either someone wants to kill me or seduce me, since the person left a note calling me beautiful, I think someone was trying to seduce me.  Black roses are my favorite,” I said dreamily.

            “That is nice,” he said.

            I looked up and saw his face sift into a neutral face. I looked at him confused but shrugged.

            “Come. Dinner is ready?”

            He grabbed my forearm and yanked me away from the telescope when I resisted.

            “Oh my, you are so strong,” I flirted and blushed. “Sorry, that was out of line.”

            I saw Kale’s line in a tight line as if he was trying to fight off a smile.  We both walked to the dining hall where dinner was served.  The dinner was silent and quick.  I was in my room, well in the closet changing into my sleeping clothes. I heard a whoosh and I ran into my room to see nothing was out of the ordinary, except another black rose was on the pillow with another note. I picked up the note and it read,

My beautiful angel,

I wish you a pleasant sleep and know that I am dreaming of you in my arms.

Dream of me, my beautiful, for I am only a dream away.

Night, my love.

            Tears sprang into my eyes as the note hit me in the heart.  I slip into the covers and held the rose close and slipped into a peaceful sleep.