It Began With A Letter:
31st December, 1999, 12:59, London,
Serena trudged up the stairs leading to her bedroom, happy, though a little bit tired. She just wanted to use the adjoining bathroom to make sure that she still looked alright, after five hours of partying and dancing. She was having a great time, surrounded by friends and family from her old hometown. It made a refreshing change from certain current circumstances. But that was not something she wanted to dwell on now. After all, it was her sixteenth birthday, and so she had to look her best. Locking the bathroom door, she stood in front of the mirror, admiring her reflection as she mused over how uncanny it was that she was to be sixteen on the stroke of midnight. -Definitely unusual-, she thought. But that was where the strangeness ended, as far as she was concerned. She was just a normal girl, wondering where she fit into the great plan of life. Well, okay, so she was above average, in the normal sense. Exceptionally beautiful, was how people described her, as well as being talented and clever. Still that was normal in a way, wasn't it? Serena shook her head at her reflection, her eyes glinting with amusement, shaking the thoughts away. She'd had a lot of those recently, along with a feeling of restlessness, and not belonging. She didn't know why, but these feelings had sprung up out of nowhere. Still, that was not something to ponder on your sixteenth birthday, at a party, no less. -Now to get back to the party-, she thought, when she had decided that she looked great to her satisfaction. She started to move towards the door.
A sudden bolt of queasiness hit her, and she quickly sat down on the edge of the bathtub. The light suddenly went off, but the light was still there, glowing from somewhere outside. As Serena looked outside to see what it was, something swooshed past her to lie on the floor. Looking at it, she saw that it was a letter in an envelope, and that it was this letter that had been glowing. Now she could see that the glow had faded, thought it was still there. Something about the letter seemed to bind her, enthrall her and fascinate her, with the strange compelling feeling that made her want to pick it up. Slowly, cautiously, Serena moved towards the letter and gently picked it up. She could see her name clearly written on the front of the envelope, and so, with the same amount of caution as before, opened the envelope, slid out the letter. It was made of something like old parchment, and it had something written on it in large slanting cursive script that she had never seen before. Overcome by curiosity, she began to read it.
Once the sacrificed innocent lamb Taken from your true form and homelands Born into one life, brought up in another Having lost a family, a father and mother. But time has passed and ways have been forgotten Gentle, courageous, free from sin, The light in the dark is confined within, The worlds must combine to form one world But first the delicate rose its petals must unfurl. This letter is a token that can transport to all But with guidance and the unnatural your needs of us will fall. The power of will and courage be your guide For you may be the worlds only light. To understand it all from this riddle would be miraculous But wait a moment and we will bring you back to us.
Serena read and then re-read the inscription, puzzled. She didn't understand it at all. The letter was glowing again, brighter than before. Serena was getting a bit scared now, and as she moved again, away from the mirror, to open the door, the whole room exploded in a golden light, and she found herself being thrown into a dark void, still clutching the letter. Down and down she went, falling further and further, spinning faster and faster, and in her panic, Serena fainted.
31st December, 1999, 12:59, London,
Serena trudged up the stairs leading to her bedroom, happy, though a little bit tired. She just wanted to use the adjoining bathroom to make sure that she still looked alright, after five hours of partying and dancing. She was having a great time, surrounded by friends and family from her old hometown. It made a refreshing change from certain current circumstances. But that was not something she wanted to dwell on now. After all, it was her sixteenth birthday, and so she had to look her best. Locking the bathroom door, she stood in front of the mirror, admiring her reflection as she mused over how uncanny it was that she was to be sixteen on the stroke of midnight. -Definitely unusual-, she thought. But that was where the strangeness ended, as far as she was concerned. She was just a normal girl, wondering where she fit into the great plan of life. Well, okay, so she was above average, in the normal sense. Exceptionally beautiful, was how people described her, as well as being talented and clever. Still that was normal in a way, wasn't it? Serena shook her head at her reflection, her eyes glinting with amusement, shaking the thoughts away. She'd had a lot of those recently, along with a feeling of restlessness, and not belonging. She didn't know why, but these feelings had sprung up out of nowhere. Still, that was not something to ponder on your sixteenth birthday, at a party, no less. -Now to get back to the party-, she thought, when she had decided that she looked great to her satisfaction. She started to move towards the door.
A sudden bolt of queasiness hit her, and she quickly sat down on the edge of the bathtub. The light suddenly went off, but the light was still there, glowing from somewhere outside. As Serena looked outside to see what it was, something swooshed past her to lie on the floor. Looking at it, she saw that it was a letter in an envelope, and that it was this letter that had been glowing. Now she could see that the glow had faded, thought it was still there. Something about the letter seemed to bind her, enthrall her and fascinate her, with the strange compelling feeling that made her want to pick it up. Slowly, cautiously, Serena moved towards the letter and gently picked it up. She could see her name clearly written on the front of the envelope, and so, with the same amount of caution as before, opened the envelope, slid out the letter. It was made of something like old parchment, and it had something written on it in large slanting cursive script that she had never seen before. Overcome by curiosity, she began to read it.
Once the sacrificed innocent lamb Taken from your true form and homelands Born into one life, brought up in another Having lost a family, a father and mother. But time has passed and ways have been forgotten Gentle, courageous, free from sin, The light in the dark is confined within, The worlds must combine to form one world But first the delicate rose its petals must unfurl. This letter is a token that can transport to all But with guidance and the unnatural your needs of us will fall. The power of will and courage be your guide For you may be the worlds only light. To understand it all from this riddle would be miraculous But wait a moment and we will bring you back to us.
Serena read and then re-read the inscription, puzzled. She didn't understand it at all. The letter was glowing again, brighter than before. Serena was getting a bit scared now, and as she moved again, away from the mirror, to open the door, the whole room exploded in a golden light, and she found herself being thrown into a dark void, still clutching the letter. Down and down she went, falling further and further, spinning faster and faster, and in her panic, Serena fainted.