BRADLEY'S TALE

Prologue: It Ends Tonight

The evening air was cold and dry, and ice crept across the metal banister Shelly was leaning against. She looked back at the party she was leaving. Not a single person had seen her leave, or at least nobody cared. Perfect. Shelly crept silently down the old, wooden steps to the beach, which was completely abandoned at this time of night. Everyone was in their houses, awaiting the final countdown that would symbolize new promises. New adventures. New beginnings.

But Shelly didn't want new. She loved the old. She loved everything in her life and couldn't stand change. Shelly would just die if something changed in her life. A chill ran through her long blonde hair as she approached the water's edge. The shallow liquid barely touched the tips of her toes, which were tingling in the cold. Shelly had thought that nobody had saw here leave the party. She was wrong. She knew he was coming even before he said anything. Turning around quickly, she already knew who would be behind her.

Bradley. As much as Shelly adored Bradley and all he stood for, sometimes she wished he didn't know her so well. He had short brown hair that flowed straightly over his entire head, always messy and never, ever parted. His penetrating green eyes could always brighten someone up, especially when paired with his adoring smile. Shelly liked Bradley. She really liked him. And Shelly had resolved to tell him her feelings this very night.

"Shelly, what are you doing here?" Bradley asked inquisitively, approaching her slowly, "Everyone's inside. The countdown is in three minutes! Don't you want to be there when-"

"When what?" Shelly snapped. She had turned to face Bradley. "When everyone just leaves this all behind? When everything vanishes and is forgotten? Why does it have to be that way?"

"Shelly, I don't understand what you mean," Bradley told her, still walking towards her, "Nothing's going anywhere. It'll be the same after tonight."

"No, it won't!" yelled Shelly. There was a lingering cold in the wind that made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Shelly ignored it. "Everything will change! People think that after one night, one stupid, senseless night, they can forget everything that happened in the past 364 days! But why? Why can't we remember it all?"
"Please, Shelly, I'll remember." said Bradley. He was a little worried now, not so much for Shelly, but for the strange coldness in the area. "I do remember! Look, I remember way back in 2nd grade when you kicked my locker to try to open it when I forgot my combo, and all it did was dent the locker and I got in trouble, but I appreciated the fact that you tried. I remember these things, Shelly. So what if other people don't? So what if they want to start anew? I can stay with you here, but eventually you need to stop living in the past."

"But I love the past!" she told him sternly. There was something definitely off about her surroundings now. The water had ceased its lapping against the cold sand. "I know what's happened in the past! I can stay here because I manage the past with my heart. It's all in my heart, and... well..."

"Yes?" Bradley insisted, wondering what she'd say next.

"Well... there's something else in my heart, too..."

"Go on..."

"You see... the truth is Bradley..."

"Yes...?"

"The truth is... that I... I like you, Bradley." Shelly turned to Bradley, waiting for a response. Something was very wrong. Bradley was staring into the distance, his eyes wide with fear and shock.

"Bradley?" said Shelly. He didn't move. Shelly turned to look out across the vast seascape. It was silent and waveless. But then, something, way off on the horizon, made Shelly shake. It was as if all her happiness, her relief for finally telling Bradley her secret, had been frozen over by an evil chill.

There was a figure. An inhuman figure out on the very edge of the sea. It was indistinguishable from this distance, but there was a certain dark quality to it. Shelly was frozen in place. She dared not move. She dared not make a sound. The creature was drawing closer, she realized! The eerie sillhouette had grown bigger! As it approached, the water around it shook unnaturally and bent over, almost wilting in its presence. The waves made now were dead and icy, as if the water itself was running away from the looming creature. Now the shadow was closer still. Shelly could make it out more easily now. Whatever it was, it had huge, angelic wings that glided swiftly over the surface of the water. The beast had horns, and a long, dragon-like body. It had come so close that Shelly could now see a ghostly phenomenon happening beneath it. The very area underneath the monster was becoming enclosed into darkness, enveloped into another sort of dimension. The creature had eyes! Glowing, solid yellow eyes that gleamed wickedly in the midnight blue sky. It's mane was composed of black, flowing hair, and its wings were small compared to the enormous span of its two webbed hands. The behemoth's body was a midnight blue, blending in perfectly to the night around it. It slowly opened its mouth. Shelly felt as though her heart had stopped beating. The creature's mouth was rushing right at Shelly. It was all over. This was the end.

Bradley opened his eyes. He was standing on a beach, with the beach house and Shelly nowhere in sight. The water had begun its chilling cycle of splashing against the shore again. Instinctively, Bradley pulled up his sleeve and looked at his watch. It had stopped at exactly one second before midnight. Did this mean it was now 2008? Looking around, Bradley spotted a curious thing. A book. A red book lying in the sand. Bradley started to walk toward the book. As he neared it, he noticed the cover had an odd symbol on it: five circles connected by a strange, pointing line. Bradley picked up the book and randomly opened it. The entire thing was written in some nonsense language. But wait. He could read just one line that was glowing red...

TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 1