I'm not sure what got me to right this. I've had the idea in my head for a good few weeks now so I was just like, "Screw it, I have to write this.." So while I'm taking a bit of a break from Ask The Hero And The Gentleman, here's a little ( I shouldn't say little. ) story. :3
When I was younger, my Mother would tell me stories every night. My favorite ones were the ones that she made up on spot. The last story she told me was about kingdoms based off of playing cards. Every suit had its' own monarchy and different characteristics and they would have wars just like any other world. For instance, the Kingdom of Clubs would try and conquer the Kingdom of Diamonds with the help of the Kingdom of Hearts, who only sided with the Kingdom of Clubs because the King of Diamonds harassed the Jack of Hearts.
My Mother always had the best stories to flow with these Kingdoms. But I didn't care for them; the only one that struck me as interesting was the Kingdom of Spades. It was the smallest kingdom and was stuck right in the middle of the other three. When the continent first divided into separate kingdoms, the other kingdoms tried their hardest to conquer Spades, but they all failed. From that point on, no one ever bothered with the Kingdom and they stayed neutral throughout most wars.
When my Mother finished the story, I told her that one day, I'd be the ruler of a kingdom just like Spades. I remember she pulled me down into a weak but warm hug and mumbled into my hair. "You can do whatever you want, Arthur. You're a smart boy, you'll be able to do what you want and do it perfectly." She kissed the top of my head and smiled into my hair. "I'll always be with you, no matter what you decide to do. You'll never do any wrong in my eyes, love." I laid there with her, my head tucked under her chin, for a good few minutes until I felt her arms go limp. I pulled away and stared at her body in disbelief until the doctors came in and forced me out of the room.
It's been ten years since the day and I'm now twenty one. I just moved out of my family home and moved to London to try and get a job at one of the top book publishing branches. I actually probably shouldn't say I just moved here. I've been living here in London for a few months now with no luck and barely surviving. The book publishing branch I applied to still hasn't said anything to me since I put in my application and now I'm forced to find another job so I can at least feed myself and afford rent.
I sighed and laid my job application on the table. Who the hell can't get a job at a restaurant? According to them, I'm a danger and people would be killed even if I was just a waiter. I sat down and rubbed my face roughly. I let out an exasperated sigh and I felt a hand touch my shoulder. I jumped in my seat and yelled. I looked at my shoulder and nothing was there, but it still felt as though there was a hand there. I continued to look up and there was still nothing. I'm not crazy, right? Sure, when I was younger I would say I saw faeries and all that, but I just had a vivid imagination.
I scooted over in my chair and the feeling disappeared. It really must have just been a random warm spot. It had to have been. I, Arthur Kirkland, am not crazy nor am I slowly losing my mind. A sigh of relief escaped my lips and I picked up the application. Looking over it once again, I still couldn't understand why they didn't hire me. I've had the most pristine jobs and I actually held onto them for a decent amount of time. I'm also a bloody fantastic cook. Or that's what people have led me to believe. Everyone who has tried my food has told me how fantastic it was. Like really, I would turn around for a second and everyone would have cleaned their plates! I wonder how often that happens for their chefs.
Well, not my fault that they're going to miss out on the best cooking they've ever had. I leaned over and placed a scone in my mouth and continued to read over my job application. When I finished reading the application, I got up from the table and headed to my room. There's no point in just sitting here wasting my day reading my job application. I'm going to get a bloody job, even if I have to settle with delivering news papers like I did back in my old town. I threw on my best suit and coat, grabbed my umbrella, and heading out onto the streets of London.
It actually seemed like one of those rare days where we might not get any rain, but I didn't want to risk a surprise shower coming out of nowhere and getting soaked. Or worse than that, sick. When I get sick, by god I get sick. I grimaced as I walked up to the corner, shoving my hands into my coat pocket. It amazes me that it could be so cold in one place without a single drop of snow. I watched for the sign that I could begin walking just like the others who were stood at the corner. I checked the time and while doing so, the warm feeling from earlier returned.
I shivered and looked around me, the people who were stood at the corner kept a good few feet away from me and the warmth was still strong on my shoulder. What the hell.. Could it just be nerves or something? It has to be, right? I nodded to myself and started walking to the opposite street, ignoring the people in their cars that were either yelling or honking at me to get out of the road.
The warm feeling continued to follow me as I made my way down the street. I passed multiple shops that I was planning on stopping in while trying to escape the warm feeling on my shoulder. This was just getting more and more strange. I turned around the corner and the warm feeling disappeared, leaving me in front of a hobby shop. "I can't believe I'm following a warm spot." I ran my hand through my hair and opened the door to the hobby shop, kicking my feet on the placemat that sat in front of the door.
The store owner greeted me with a warm smile and I waved. The warm spot had returned and I walked around the shop till it disappeared again. I passed by some American Fighter Plane models and some books on magic. This was a bit of a unique shop; they even had guides on catching magical creatures. I made a mental note to stop back here during my free time. While I did so, the warmth left my shoulder and I looked around me. The stand next to me was filled with playing cards that were imprinted with the spades logo on the front.
Whatever this is wants me to find bloody playing cards? I furrowed my brows and picked up one of the desks. This is just getting stranger by the minute. What the bloody hell did it want me to do with playing cards? More importantly, why am I acting like this bloody thing is a thing? The shop owner made his way over to me, smiling. "Those cards were imported here from China, aru. They're really nice, are they not?"
Aru, what the hell? I smiled and nodded at the shop keeper, who was staring at my eyebrows, rather than my eyes. "I suppose they are nice," I held the pack up close to my face; "These are normal playing cards, right?" I slightly furrowed my brows and the shop keeper grimaced when I did so. "They're normal cards, why wouldn't they be?" The Chinese man tilted his head questioningly and I laughed nervously. "No reason, I just saw the magic books and all that over there, so I was hoping these weren't cursed or anything"
"I see, well, there's no reason to worry, they are not cursed. Now will you be buying those cards, aru?" I nodded and handed the cards over to him. We made our way over to the check out counter and he hurriedly scanned the cards and tossed them in the bag. I handed him over the money and we said our goodbyes. I made my way out of the shop and sighed. Now I'm buying things according to a warm spot on my shoulder. I wonder how many therapists there are in London and what the chances of them seeing me were.
I looked around outside and I could not recognize the street I was on. The streets were bloody empty and it felt like I was the only person for miles. I looked back into the shop and it looked as though the owner had vanished in thin air. "What the bloody hell is going on here?" I bit my lower lip and began walking down the street. None of this was making sense. London was the biggest city in the European Union, there was no bloody way that there would be a street with just one person on it.
I was cursing everything in sight and especially those cards. Something didn't feel right about any of this and I needed something or someone to blame. I kicked a can that was set on the sidewalk and continued my way down the street that looked like it would never come to an end. Times like this, I wish I could afford a cell phone. I'd be phoning a taxi and then a psychiatrist.
I paused and looked at my reflection in one of the shop windows. I lifted my free hand and traced my reflection. "What the bloody hell happened to me? Why can't I get anything right here? Now I'm losing my mind!" I sighed and banged my head against the storefront. "Mother, can you help me out here? I'm at a complete lost here, literally." I felt something wet run down my face and I quickly wiped it away with my sleeve.
When I composed myself, I looked back up at the shop window to see a young blonde boy watching me from across the street. He wore a hat that looked as though it was covering up cat ears and he had what looked like a devil's tail. I quickly turned around and he smiled at me. "Hello!" He chimed and waved to me. I blinked a couple of times and waved back at him. The boy skipped on over to me, his 'tail' swung from side to side with every step he took.
I leaned against the storefront behind me as he came closer, standing up on his tip toes. He got as close as he could to me and began examining me. Does he not understand what personal space is? I cleared my throat and looked away from him, which seemed to have only aggravated the boy. He furrowed his brows and pouted at me. "You're not nice, are you?" He asked, tilting his head. I raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean I'm not nice? You're the one making this whole situation bloody awkward." He giggled and turned back around to face the way he came, his tail still swinging from side to side. "I want you to open that bag of yours later!"
"Later? Why?" I questioned and the boy only nodded his head. "I'll only tell you this once, Mr. Kirkland! Say goodbye to everyone you know and when the clock hits midnight, set your new possession to four thirty-two ten." The boy walked forward, lifting his feet up rather high as he walked and waved to me. "Wait, what new possession?" I yelled to him but he continued to walk and he began to fade. Wait, he was fading? What the hell was going on here?
I shut my eyes for a second and it felt as though I was spinning. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the street corner surrounded by people, the bag still in my hand. I looked down at the clock to see that it hadn't changed since I was standing at this corner. When the sign changed and gave the okay to walk, I charged down the street and turned around the corner and started walking to where the hobby shop stood.
When I made it to the location, it wasn't there anymore. The shop was boarded up and spray paint covered almost every inch of it. Did I imagine the whole thing? I planted my hand against my forehead and I looked down at the bag. If I imagined it though, how did I manage to get this bag? I shook the bag bit and something inside of it sounded like chains smacking against each other. I quirked an eyebrow and opened the bag. What was in there was not a deck of cards, but a pocket watch shaped like a spade.
It was 11:30PM now and I was sat on my bed, watching the clock. I already said my goodbyes like the boy told me to. Something's going on and I'm determined to figure out what it is. The spade pocket watch sat in front of me, untouched. I folded my hands together and rested my head on them, staring down at the pocket watch. Would it hurt to touch it before midnight?
I shrugged and poked the watch. I waited a few minutes, thinking the world was going to explode. But when it didn't explode, I went ahead and picked up the bloody thing. I fidgeted around with the clasp of the pocket watch until it opened up. The inside was absolutely beautiful. The part that showed the time was lined with gold and the rest was a deep blue. I traced the trim with my pointer and I couldn't help but smile. How could something as simple as a pocket watch be this amazing?
My eyes trailed over to check the clock; the time was now 11:45PM. Fifteen more minutes and something was going to happen, according to that boy, anyways. Now, what were those numbers he mentioned? Four, Thirty-two, and ten, right? I nodded and poked one of the arms on the clock. The boy was hopefully going in order from hour, minutes, and then seconds. This should be simple. I smiled to myself, hopefully with this, things will get better. I went back to examining the rest of the pocket watch and there was something inscribed on the opposite side.
Property of Prince Jones of Spades was written neatly at the bottom. "Prince Jones of Spades?" I tilted my head, inspecting the writing more carefully. "Why the bloody hell does that sound so familiar?" I bit my bottom lip; hopefully all of this will make sense soon. I looked back at the clock and it was time. The clock struck twelve and I turned my attention back to the side of the pocket watch that showed the time.
I spun the arms around until it showed the time as 4:32:10 and the clock began to spin rapidly. I watched in amazement as everything became disoriented like one of Dali's paintings. I continued to sit there and watch as the world I knew melted around me and began to take a new shape. Until, of course, something flew and hit the back of my head, knocking me out cold.
Thank you everyone for reading! I hope you all enjoyed it, I know I'm not the best of writers but xD it was fun. I promise the next chapter is going to contain more Alfred and .. Probably make more sense. xD Please review and I love you all! Ciao 8D!