Disclaimer: It's all J.R.R.'s
A/N: This is my first actual story on here. Thanks for checking it out!! If you don't like it, then you don't have to read it. :o)
***
Jackie Merriman walked down the street with her friends. It was a hot and sticky August evening, and they were at their town's street fair. At 7 PM, and the sun was sinking low in the sky. Jackie was looking at a booth selling gyros when she was distracted.
"Hey look!" said Jenny, her friend, suddenly. "What the heck is that?" asked Andrea, her other friend, squinting at the thing that Jenny was holding in her hand. It was a small key, no bigger than Jackie's pinkie finger. However, the odd thing about it was the design. Intricately carved all over the sides was some form of writing, a beautiful yet totally unrecognizable script.
"Well that's weird," Jenny said. "That man dropped it. Hey, you!" she called to a man in the crowd a few feet ahead, clothed in dark robes of some sort. He stuck out plainly in the noisy, tank top clad street fair crowd, but yet no one seemed to pay any attention to him. When Jenny called to him, he turned around and winked before vanishing into the crowd.
"That's odd," said Jackie. "What was that all about?"
"Well I'm not sitting around here, I'm going to find out where he came from!" Andrea exclaimed, and raced off after him. Jackie gave Jenny a panicked look. This was a strange man, and would it really be wise to follow him? Jenny gave Jackie a look and shrugged, taking off after Andrea. Jackie reluctantly followed.
It was not an easy task following Andrea through the crowd. Jackie wasn't even sure Andrea knew where she was going. She hurried close behind Jenny, following Andrea's blonde hair as it bobbed up and down, darting between people.
They came to a clearing just outside the street fair, where they saw Andrea, bent over with her hands on her knees, panting.
"Well where did he go?" Jackie demanded.
"He went in there!" Andrea said, pointing to a broad rock 5 feet away.
"What?!" exclaimed Jenny. "Andrea you've gone nuts. That's a rock."
"No I swear!" Andrea said defensively. "I saw him! He just sort of.melted into it!"
"Melted?" Jackie said disbelievingly.
"Yes I swear!" Andrea said, pleadingly. "It was the strangest thing I've ever seen!"
"She's right," a voice said from behind them. Jackie whirled around, and groaned at the figure she saw there.
"Damnit Alex, where did you come from?"
"Hello to you too, sweetie," said the tall blond boy who stepped out from behind her. "Stalking is illegal in all 50 states," Jackie said coolly. Alex grinned goofily at her.
"All right dumbass, how long were you back there?" Jenny demanded.
"Long enough to know that Andrea's story is true," he said. "And to know that something's up, and I want to know what."
"Alex, what are you talking about?" Jackie asked.
"Well you guys aren't following that guy for no reason!"
"Wait! The key!" Jenny exclaimed, remembering why they had indeed followed him. She went over to where Andi was examining the rock.
"There's a keyhole here!" Andi cried. She grabbed the key from Jenny's hand, thrust it into the lock, and turned it. "Oh!!"
Jackie gasped as the rock broke into two pieces, revealing a large hole about 3 feet high. She looked at her friends and Alex, who were all staring at it in utter amazement. She gulped. It was dark and foreboding, but curiosity was slowly winning her over.
"Well, who's going to go first?" Jenny asked.
"WHAT?!" Andi exclaimed. "That's crazy! We don't know what's down there! We could be killed!"
Jackie stepped up. "We found that key for a reason. If that guy really melted into the rock that was here, then there's something weird going on. And I'm finding out what it is." She walked over, knelt down, and peered into the hole. It was black, with no sign of light. She stood up. "Who's coming with me?" she asked boldly.
Jenny stepped forward. Still, Andrea held back. "What if there's someone waiting for us? I don't like this at all."
"Well I'm going." Jackie stooped and lowered herself on hands and knees to get into the hole. She turned back and saw Jenny at her heels. Andi still stood in her original spot, biting on her thumbnail with a worried expression on her face. Jackie turned and crept into it. "It looks like a tunnel!" She shouted back. "Come on Jenny. Bye Andi!" She smiled and Andrea threw up her arms and crawled into the hole after Jenny. "If this turns out bad, I'll make sure you regret it," she said threateningly. Jackie smiled. Then she saw Alex, who had been keeping quiet, follow them into the hole.
"Hey!" Jenny said, "You can't come! We don't want you to!"
"Well I'm coming! I'm not letting Jackie get hurt!! I'm not about to- OWWW!!" He stumbled and a rock slid back from under his foot. Slowly the door began to slide back to its original position, covering the opening. There was a mad scramble for the opening, which only succeeded in everyone getting tangled up. The hole closed up, and the four found themselves in total darkness.
"Oh good job, Alex, just great!" Jackie said, rubbing her head where she had hit it on the rock ground. "Now we're locked in!"
"We're gonna die!" Andi moaned.
"Alex, get your foot out of my face!" Jenny said exasperation.
"Is that-"
"I can't move-"
"It's so dark!!"
"Oh how are we going to get out??"
"Whose arm is that?"
"Stop stepping on my fingers!"
It was nearly 5 minutes before they got everything sorted out. They sat in silence for a while after that.
"Well I guess the only thing to do is to keep on moving," Jackie said, after Alex and Andrea repeatedly pounded on the rock. "Everyone follow me."
***
A/N: This is my first actual story on here. Thanks for checking it out!! If you don't like it, then you don't have to read it. :o)
***
Jackie Merriman walked down the street with her friends. It was a hot and sticky August evening, and they were at their town's street fair. At 7 PM, and the sun was sinking low in the sky. Jackie was looking at a booth selling gyros when she was distracted.
"Hey look!" said Jenny, her friend, suddenly. "What the heck is that?" asked Andrea, her other friend, squinting at the thing that Jenny was holding in her hand. It was a small key, no bigger than Jackie's pinkie finger. However, the odd thing about it was the design. Intricately carved all over the sides was some form of writing, a beautiful yet totally unrecognizable script.
"Well that's weird," Jenny said. "That man dropped it. Hey, you!" she called to a man in the crowd a few feet ahead, clothed in dark robes of some sort. He stuck out plainly in the noisy, tank top clad street fair crowd, but yet no one seemed to pay any attention to him. When Jenny called to him, he turned around and winked before vanishing into the crowd.
"That's odd," said Jackie. "What was that all about?"
"Well I'm not sitting around here, I'm going to find out where he came from!" Andrea exclaimed, and raced off after him. Jackie gave Jenny a panicked look. This was a strange man, and would it really be wise to follow him? Jenny gave Jackie a look and shrugged, taking off after Andrea. Jackie reluctantly followed.
It was not an easy task following Andrea through the crowd. Jackie wasn't even sure Andrea knew where she was going. She hurried close behind Jenny, following Andrea's blonde hair as it bobbed up and down, darting between people.
They came to a clearing just outside the street fair, where they saw Andrea, bent over with her hands on her knees, panting.
"Well where did he go?" Jackie demanded.
"He went in there!" Andrea said, pointing to a broad rock 5 feet away.
"What?!" exclaimed Jenny. "Andrea you've gone nuts. That's a rock."
"No I swear!" Andrea said defensively. "I saw him! He just sort of.melted into it!"
"Melted?" Jackie said disbelievingly.
"Yes I swear!" Andrea said, pleadingly. "It was the strangest thing I've ever seen!"
"She's right," a voice said from behind them. Jackie whirled around, and groaned at the figure she saw there.
"Damnit Alex, where did you come from?"
"Hello to you too, sweetie," said the tall blond boy who stepped out from behind her. "Stalking is illegal in all 50 states," Jackie said coolly. Alex grinned goofily at her.
"All right dumbass, how long were you back there?" Jenny demanded.
"Long enough to know that Andrea's story is true," he said. "And to know that something's up, and I want to know what."
"Alex, what are you talking about?" Jackie asked.
"Well you guys aren't following that guy for no reason!"
"Wait! The key!" Jenny exclaimed, remembering why they had indeed followed him. She went over to where Andi was examining the rock.
"There's a keyhole here!" Andi cried. She grabbed the key from Jenny's hand, thrust it into the lock, and turned it. "Oh!!"
Jackie gasped as the rock broke into two pieces, revealing a large hole about 3 feet high. She looked at her friends and Alex, who were all staring at it in utter amazement. She gulped. It was dark and foreboding, but curiosity was slowly winning her over.
"Well, who's going to go first?" Jenny asked.
"WHAT?!" Andi exclaimed. "That's crazy! We don't know what's down there! We could be killed!"
Jackie stepped up. "We found that key for a reason. If that guy really melted into the rock that was here, then there's something weird going on. And I'm finding out what it is." She walked over, knelt down, and peered into the hole. It was black, with no sign of light. She stood up. "Who's coming with me?" she asked boldly.
Jenny stepped forward. Still, Andrea held back. "What if there's someone waiting for us? I don't like this at all."
"Well I'm going." Jackie stooped and lowered herself on hands and knees to get into the hole. She turned back and saw Jenny at her heels. Andi still stood in her original spot, biting on her thumbnail with a worried expression on her face. Jackie turned and crept into it. "It looks like a tunnel!" She shouted back. "Come on Jenny. Bye Andi!" She smiled and Andrea threw up her arms and crawled into the hole after Jenny. "If this turns out bad, I'll make sure you regret it," she said threateningly. Jackie smiled. Then she saw Alex, who had been keeping quiet, follow them into the hole.
"Hey!" Jenny said, "You can't come! We don't want you to!"
"Well I'm coming! I'm not letting Jackie get hurt!! I'm not about to- OWWW!!" He stumbled and a rock slid back from under his foot. Slowly the door began to slide back to its original position, covering the opening. There was a mad scramble for the opening, which only succeeded in everyone getting tangled up. The hole closed up, and the four found themselves in total darkness.
"Oh good job, Alex, just great!" Jackie said, rubbing her head where she had hit it on the rock ground. "Now we're locked in!"
"We're gonna die!" Andi moaned.
"Alex, get your foot out of my face!" Jenny said exasperation.
"Is that-"
"I can't move-"
"It's so dark!!"
"Oh how are we going to get out??"
"Whose arm is that?"
"Stop stepping on my fingers!"
It was nearly 5 minutes before they got everything sorted out. They sat in silence for a while after that.
"Well I guess the only thing to do is to keep on moving," Jackie said, after Alex and Andrea repeatedly pounded on the rock. "Everyone follow me."
***