The Ring of Fire

Chapter 9

They were back at the hospital. Who knew that having someone on the other side of a fogged glass, hooked up with machines that helped them eat and breath could be so frustrating. It wasn't that they weren't allowed to visit, it was just that the siblings found it unnecessary. Nevertheless, they had to wait. In the morning, when Castor had received the phone call, he had completely freaked out, running through the worst-case scenarios in his mind. Alice had to snatch the phone and answer the call because Castor had completely clammed up. The receptionist then said that their mother was fine and that she had asked for them.

The hospital looked the same with the white walls and the sterile smell of sanitizers and medicines wafting up the walls. They had missed a day of school but fortunately, it had been a Friday and that meant they would be able to return to their usual routine by the end of next week. For the time being their priority was their mother. Though the doctor's had told she was fine she was still weak and her voice was hoarse. Catherine had insisted the siblings continue going to school but they didn't budge. Alice sat next to her mother and Castor went to do the paperwork to discharge their mother from the hospital. It was around this time that Emma and Edin dropped by. Emma walked into the hospital room and pulled Alice into a hug, she knew her friend was hurting but asking her won't do any good, as she was going to act like a stubborn mule and just keep quiet. Alice was looking frail and had started losing weight, Castor was in no better shape either. So when Emma and Edin reached the hospital, they made sure to drag their stubborn friends to the hospital canteen. 

They ordered some sandwiches and cups of hot chocolate and had been sipping it contently when Alice sat up straight and said in a serious tone, "I have something to tell you. I have some kind of clue that is related to dad." 

 They narrated the events of the past few hours that led them to the discovery of the letter, Alice then proceeded to read the contents of the letter

Dear Mr. Albert Coolwater,

This is a follow-up letter that lets us know that the Ring of Fire is safely hidden. The following details are the copy of the clue you left behind. We request you to keep this information safe and hidden so that it may not fall into the wrong hands. Please verify and let us know that it is in fact the right clue. We trust you to have created them in a way only the ones worthy can decipher them.

Seek our home

Or forever roam

Amidst the throne

Attacks are prone

Beware, dear stranger,

Thy path enlists danger

Whoever has the Ring

Shall be crowned the Queen

"King" Edin corrected

"Sorry?" questioned Alice. The last line was 'shall be crowned the king'  and not a queen. Alice rechecked the slip and instantly realised her mistake. Oh yea, sorry it's not a king but queen. Castor's brows came together in a confused manner as he asked Edin whether he had encountered a similar riddle before.

"No, actually 'king' rhymed with ring more than 'queen' so I thought she had misread it." 

The rest of the meal was accompanied by school toast which consisted of fights, suspensions and confessions.

Raymond got indulged in a fight with one of his bootlickers. It turns out he was the one who reported the constant absentia of him in Miss Susan's class which awarded him with detention for a week after school.

 Castor regretted not going to school as he would have given his right hand with a smile, to watch Raymond getting detention from the front seat.

Soon Castor and Alice began to feel their stomachs again and came back to Catherine's room along with Emma. Edin had to leave as he had an appointment with his dentist. 

A few hours later, when they were back home, Castor sat by the window and looked outside to find that the moon was unchaperoned by its stars but still radiated enough light to conceal their truant. He thought about opening the window but didn't consider the thought worth doing. November was approaching and it was getting colder. Trees were now almost disrobed of its leaves except some, which clung for dear life.