The Magic Porthole.

CHAPTER 4 - The Mystery Unveiled

It was pretty dark as I headed home from Dairy Queen, right after I have received my package from Adrian Fraser.

Adrian Fraser... The guy creeped me out from his mysterious personality, as well as took my breath away from his charm and superb looks. He had the most dazzling and sparkling gray-blue eyes I've ever seen. They looked as if he had a light shade of eyeliner on, but I know he wouldn't wear eyeliner, being a guy and all. Or would he? Why did he ask me why I bought the key? How well did he know the person who posted the ad?

How come---

"WHOA!!" I swerved back into the right lane right in time, as a horn-blaring SUV roared by. Gasping for breath, and trying to calm my speeding heart, I shook my head roughly, trying to get Adrian out of my mind until I reached home. Shit! This guy nearly killed me just now!

---

Munching on Ritz's at 12:23 at night after a salmon dinner with rice Mom cooked up, I sat cross-legged on my bed, unwrapping the package. I had to just set it on my desk when I got back, because Mom wanted me to eat my dinner and do the dishes afterwards. She announced that she got the job at the Bakery today, and she had the interview over the phone. Mom didn't seem like the type to work at a bakery. She would fit in better at a gym, or a nursery, or something she liked better than baking. But she baked, and she was excellent at it, too.

I pulled the brown paper from around the old wooden box, and tossed it aside. The box felt dusty to the touch, and slightly rough where the veneer began to wear off. But it was in good shape, nonetheless. I ran my fingers over the carving on the lid, wiping the dust away to reveal the matching 'EICo.' symbol.

Taking a deep, shakyish breath, I pulled up the gold latch on the front of the box, and lifted the lid open. I took in my breath until my lungs were full of air when I saw what was inside. The key. It was exactly as it was pictured on Ebay, but the whole thing was as long as my hand - from my middle fingertip, to my wrist - with a thick, twisted, bronze chain looped through the key's loophole. I touched the cold, dark, goldish metal, and lifted the key out. It was a little heavy, but that was okay, since the chain did add to the weight a little bit.

Turning it over and over in my hand, I studied every inch of it. There were engravings of a leafy vine wrapping around the whole thing, except the part where it was supposed to go inside the lock on the mirror. I looked at the mirror directly in front of me, as well as my reflection. To me, I looked dumbfounded, just sitting there on my bed like an idiot, looking at a big, old skeleton key like I've never seen one before, wearing my silly pink and white bunny slippers and all. Then my gaze drifted off to the right side of the frame, where the lock was.

Now was the time to unlock the mystery. Ha-ha, that sounds funny. I thought as I walked around to the foot of my bed towards the mirror. 'Unlock the Mystery', like it was some kind of subtitle to a stupid mystery book or movie.

I stood in front of the mirror for a moment, taking in any second thoughts. Nope. I'm unlocking it. I inserted the key, and it slid right in like butter. Cool. I turned it to the left. Wouldn't move. Rats! I twisted it to the right. CLICK! Went the lock, and the 'door' popped open when the lock was released.

Smiling like a moron, I pulled the 'door' open, my heart gaining in speed, expecting to see...maybe a long-hidden painting, maybe some documents, maybe some valuable jewelry on little pegs and shelves...maybe nothing but the back panel of the mirror. I closed my eyes as I continued to pull it open until it slightly bumped against the wall, and I could open my eyes again.

A deep breath later, I opened one eye, and then the other...

What's this??

My jaw dropped open. A closet?! There is a closet in the mirror?! No frigging way! I shook my head and shut the 'door' again, and opened it again. It was still there.

"It's just a realistic painting to throw somebody off, I'll bet!" I thought aloud. Then I reached my hand in, and it went in. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears as I decided to actually step inside this thing. Cautiously, I placed one bunny-slippered foot inside. It was stable enough to hold me. Okay, so I gripped the sides of the mirror and pulled the rest of myself inside. Slowly I turned around, and saw my bed and room. Then I turned back around, and took a step towards the blackness of the closet. The coats, which felt like velvet, silk, wool, and some kind of scratchy material rubbed by my bare arms as I took that step.

And then, for some reason, I decided to slip out of my bunny slippers and set them right at the 'doorway' of the mirror before I turned and continued on. From the light coming from my room, I could see shelves and shelves of white, ruffly shirts, and more shelves of pants of every color and fabric one could imagine. As my eyes adjusted more, I realized that these clothes were historical! 18th century, to be more correct.

Suddenly, I stopped stalk-still when another realization hit me like a ton of bricks. I am in the 18th century right now? I'm in the closet of some guy from the 18 century? All closets lead to the bedroom, right? Right. Okay, so I'm heading straight into some 300 year old guy's bedroom in the middle of the night. Great. Love the notion.

I groped through the closet as I stepped further and further from the entrance, and further and further towards wherever the exit might be. Reaching out before me, my hand brushed against what felt like a wall. I traces along the wall, until I touch what felt like a doorknob. Right, so this is the exit door into the 300 year old guy's room. We all shall see how this goes. I gripped the doorknob, and turned it, and pushed the door open.

I flinched when the door creaked a bit as it opened. Then I blinked when I saw the big canopy bed before me. The drapes were drawn closed, so I could not see who exactly laid in that bed. Shrugging to myself, I crept across the wood floor, my toes curling into the cool wood as I drew nearer and nearer to the side of the bed.

Holding my breath, I lightly drew the white curtain aside. Right there, with his back to me, was the 'guy', fast asleep. His hair was brown, wavy and close-cropped, and since all I could see was the side of his face, he could be young and handsome. I studied the rest of him. He was short, from what I could tell from his length under the covers.

I can't believe it! This is actually happening! I'm actually here back in time! I thought, a big grin growing onto my face. Just then, a reddish glow coming though the curtain from the other side of his bed brought my attention. What was happening now?

I let the curtain fall, and stepped around the bed, and halfway there, the floor creak really loud! I froze. Oh no! I can hear him stirring! Quickly, I took a huge, quiet step until I was on the opposite side of the bed, where I could see the 'glow' was coming from. The window. The sun was coming up!

Wait - THE SUN IS COMING UP?!?! It's only midnight! I scanned the room for a clock somewhere, when I heard the clock beginning to chime behind me. I turned around to check the time, when I almost had a heart attack -

"AAHHH!!" I yelled aloud jumping back from a barrel of a pistol being aimed right between my eyes! "Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" I held my hands up as I backed into his desk, which stood right in front of the window. Great spot to put a desk, too. But that's not what I'm concerned with right now. Right now, the guy I was watching sleep was standing in his nightgown aiming a little old-fashioned pistol right at me.

"Mr. Mercer!" he shouted. Wonderful! Now he's calling for another guy to haul me to jail! "Mr. Mercer!"

I gulped, my throat suddenly feeling dry and pasty from my rapid breathing. His bright blue eyes angrily studied me. I must've looked pretty strange to him, being in my sleeveless blue pajamas and all.

"Who are you?" he asked me firmly, his English accent clipped and cold, his eyes boring into mine.

I opened my mouth to speak, trying to force some kind of sound out. "I..."

RUN!! screamed in my mind. And I did. I dove past him, and he tried to make a grab for me, but I was too fast, and I scrambled into his closet as I saw his door come banging open out of the corner of my eye. Even though I couldn't see, I kept running through the blackness. "She's gone in there! After her!" I heard the guy's voice shout from his room. I heard heavy bootfalls running behind me as I aimed for the golden light, which was my room.

As the bootfalls came closer, I hopped out of the mirror, and slammed the door after I was half-startled to death by some old, angry, ugly guy's face coming into view with a sword in hand. I turned the key to lock as I felt vibrations and distant pounding and banging coming for the other side form Mr. Mercer and whoever he had with him.

I pulled the key out of the lock and slowly backed away until I sat on the foot of my bed, watching the mirror vibrate until it ceased.

"So, that's why Adrian wanted the mirror!" I whispered to myself. "It's a Magic Porthole!"