The Keeper of the Stones

by M J Webb

  “Oh no!” he screamed, as a second almighty roar made him turn around sharply to look at the top of the house. “No, no, no! The box. They’ve opened the box!” he shouted in dismay.

  An awful sense of dread and foreboding consumed his being when he caught sight of the light that was now emanating from the skylight. It confirmed that his worst nightmare had come true. “Damn! No! It’s all my fault.” he raged. “Why did I let them enter that attic? No! They should never have gone up there. Not alone. I should have foreseen this, I should never have...”

  He stopped shouting in mid sentence as he suddenly realised something.

  “The light. It’s still there! Oh my... Why is it still there?” he asked himself, frantically trying to clear his mind so that he could think straight.

  ‘The boys. They haven’t shut the box.’ he thought, realising with alarm the answer to his own question. ‘Of course they haven’t. They’re just kids. They have absolutely no idea what it is they’ve just done. They’re completely unaware of the horror they’ve just invited into their lives. Into all our lives! ou

  Harry’s eyes widened as he was suddenly overcome with grim determination. His mind cleared and his senses came alive. His heart began to beat rapidly as he decided upon his immediate priority.

  “The box. I have to shut that infernal box!” he yelled at the top of his voice. He rose to his feet and began sprinting towards the house as fast as his legs would carry him. “I have to try to limit the damage that has already been done.”

  He raced through the kitchen and up the stairs, his ageing lungs were burning fiercely and struggling to capture the oxygen he needed to maintain his pace. He stopped at the foot of the attic ladder and gasped violently for air. His chest felt like it was going to explode. He coughed and wheezed his way up the steps, forcing himself onwards and into the attic, even though every muscle in his body wanted desperately to give up.

  “Jake, Ben! Where are you?” he screamed at the top of his voice as he entered the roof space. “You have to shut that...”

  Harry was shouting at no one. He could see nothing but boxes and crates before him. But above them all, in the far corner of the room, was a bright ascending light. He ran towards it, weaving his way as best he could between the objects, until he reached the boys. They were both kneeling over the box, staring intently into it as if mesmerised and waiting for something else to happen.

  ‘You stupid pair of... Innocent fools!’ Harry thought. ‘You’ve probably done for us all. And you don’t even know it.’

  He pushed them both aside and grabbed the box. He placed his palm over the two halves of the crest one by one and the beam of light retracted into the centre stone, retreating as rapidly as it had formed. Then it divided into the four coloured beams once again and they each simultaneously returned to their own corner stone. As they reached it, each stone lost its brightness and they were all once again in their original dormant state. The centre stone then descended into the middle of the box until it came to a halt. Once again, it was mysteriously suspended in mid air with nothing appearing to support it. The side layers of wood each returned to their original starting points, one by one and in rapid succession, until only the two top pieces of wood remained outstanding and they in turn slid effortlessly back into place, to reform the original cube.

  Everything was quiet now in the attic. The only sound that could be heard was Harry’s frantic attempts to catch his breath. The boys were still sitting on the floor, too stunned to speak or move. Harry stood above them facing the box for a few minutes with his hands on his hips, trying to let as much air as possible into his overworked lungs. After a short while, he let out a huge sigh of relief. Then he remembered that the two young boys were still behind him. He turned around quickly to find them both staring at him, open mouthed and wide eyed, with disbelieving, astonished expressions on their faces, looking for all the world like rabbits caught in headlights.

  ‘Look at them,’ he thought, ‘they’re as scared as I am. And yet, they really don’t know the half of it. Oh what have you done?’ he asked himself, the thought of what had happened and the possible consequences of what might follow, overwhelming him. ‘Maybe we could get lucky?’ he tried to convince himself. ‘Maybe nobody saw the light? Stranger things have happened. Maybe they didn’t hear the sound?’

  ‘No.’

  He knew it was forlorn hopeld There can be no escaping the fact that the box has been left open for some considerable time. The thunderous roar to the heavens has twice been heard. The shaking of the earth was certainly real enough. And the light has shined out of the box and up to the sky so brightly, and for so long. No. I can’t evade the truth, however terrifying it is. I have to face it. They will be coming! They’ll probably come in force this time. They must have seen the light. They surely must have heard the noise and felt the tremors. I have to accept it, no matter how much I don’t want to. They’re coming alright. The world we all know will be changed forever. And now, I have to prepare my young grandson for the fight of his life.’

  Harry looked at Jake with a grandfather’s loving eyes. The moment he’d tried to avoid for so long, the one he’d hoped and prayed would never come to pass, had finally arrived. For a brief moment he didn’t know what to say or do. He couldn’t think straight and his mind went blank. Then, he had another moment of clarity. One solitary thought entered his brain like an express train.

  ‘Jake!’

  It wasn’t about him now, it was all about his beloved grandson. ‘It’s all so simple,’ he thought, ‘there’s no real choice to make here. There’s nothing else I can do. I have to explain everything to Jake and fast, if I’m going to give him a fighting chance. I have to tell him everything I know, to arm him with a little knowledge that may just make all the difference when the time comes. But how? Where should I begin? What can I possibly say? How can I recount this story, one so fantastic and unbelievable, but true? How can I tell it to my only grandson after all these years?’

  Harry had no wish to expose Jake to the truths he was about to learn. He loved him dearly and he definitely didn’t want that life for him. A life that could see Jake have to go through the same heartache and pain that he himself had experienced. A life which would always be fraught with danger. One that would be all-consuming, precarious, and take away his innocence and youth. But despite all of his many worries and concerns, Harry had quickly come to realise the awful truth he was now faced with. He knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that now the box had been opened he no longer had a choice. He could protect his grandson and his family from the truth no more.

  Tears began to form in Harry’s eyes as his emotions overcame him at the thought of the magnitude of what he was about to say, and how it was going to change his grandson’s life forever. He fought them back and composed himself. He looked down at his hands to find that they were still shaking violently. His heart was racing and his mouth was still dry, his whole body was aching furiously from the short run to the attic, and his lungs felt like they were on fire. He knew that his ageing body was reacting to events exactly as it should have done, as any normal man in his sixties might react. But this was not how Harry had expected to feel. It was not how he was used to feeling. It shocked him to be so tired from one short burst of energy and it only confirmed what he’d been dreading all along. A pained look of forced resignation overcame his face as he finally succumbed to the realisation and fear that this was a battle he could no longer wage.

  ‘I’m in no condition for this fight.” he thought. ‘My time has come and gone. I have to accept that for everyone’s sake. Everything now depends upon Jake. It’s all down to him. This is a young man’s game, and I can no longer play.’

  But Jake was still so very young. And Harry ’t know if he could handle it.

  ‘Is he strong enough? Mature enough? How will he react?’ he asked himself. He really wasn’t sure. His thoughts turned briefly towards Graham, his son, but he dismissed the notion in an instant. />
  ‘No,’ he thought, ‘it’s Jake who’s opened the box. They’re probably already aware of his existence, but they know nothing of Graham. Maybe I can keep it that way? And in any event, Jake, despite his obvious youth, is probably the stronger of the two.’

  Harry placed his right hand firmly on Jake’s shoulder and looked him straight in the eye.

  “Jake,” he said, “I think we have to talk!”

  Chapter 3

  14th August – Harry’s Attic – Lichfield

  “Talk??? Talk? I’ll say we have to talk!!!”

  Jake replied forcefully to his granddad’s words, they’d woken him from his daze.

  “What the...? I mean... What the hell has just happened granddad? What is all this stuff? I don’t understand. Where did those bangs come from? They almost deafened me. And what was that light? Did you see it? It ran right across the roof, it went out of the window, that’s impossible! How...?”

  Jake stopped himself in mid sentence, realising that he was rambling. A combination of fear and excitement had temporarily affected his thought processes, he was shouting out questions as soon as they entered his head and there were plenty more about to follow, but he was prevented from asking them by Harry.

  “Alright, Jake! Alright. I’ll explain everything in due course, I promise. There’s so many things you need to know. Things you have a right to know. You probably have a lot more questions you want to ask of me? But perhaps we’d better go downstairs, eh?”

  Harry turned his attention towards Ben. “Would you like a cup of tea, Ben?” he asked politely, as if nothing had happened.

  The young lad’s eyes were now wider than ever. His mouth was still open as he continued staring intently at the box, but he’d heard the question and only his eyes moved as he looked at Harry and, without saying a word, nodded his head in reply.

  “Right then, bring that box with you.” said Harry, pointing to it as he walked off in the direction of the stairs.

  Ben looked toward Jake questioningly, unsure as to whether he should follow Harry, and inviting his friend to decide.

  “Well, come on,” said Jake firmly, “this oughta be good.”

  Ben grabbed the box and they followed Harry downstairs. When they reached the kitchen, Harry filled the kettle from the tap and the two boys sat down at the table. He made them all a cup of ea in complete silence. He looked as if he was trying to solve a great puzzle. He seemed to be searching his brain for some way of explaining the impossible, only he didn’t appear to know where to begin. Finally, he walked over to the table with the teas and placed them in front of his expectant audience. Then he looked straight at his young grandson.

  “Jake, what I’m about to tell you will be hard to take. It’ll seem like a work of fiction. You’ll probably think me mad. And I can’t say that I’ll blame you. I’m not even sure you’ll believe a single word I say, at least at first. But please know this Jay; what I’m about to say is a secret I intended to take to my grave. I never wanted to utter a single word of it to any other living soul, least of all you or your dad.”

  Jake was visibly shocked by the sudden mention of his father. He’d rarely heard his granddad talk of him and vice versa. Whenever each of them heard the other’s name it was usually followed by a hushed silence, or a rapid change of subject. They certainly didn’t mention each other freely in everyday conversation. He wondered what all of this could possibly have to do with his dad.

  Harry saw the confused expression appearing on Jake’s face. “Yes,” he said, “it affects your father too. Everything will become clear in time, believe me. But before I begin, Jake, all I ask of you is that you try to keep an open mind. Though you may doubt my every word, I promise you, I speak the truth. And I really need you to listen to me very carefully right now. Your... No, our lives, all our lives, depend on it.”

  Harry left Jake thinking on what he’d said and turned to address Ben again.

  “I’m sorry my boy, but you’re mixed up in all of this now, whether you like it or not. You can leave if you want, but I strongly advise you to stay. It’s in your best interests. You need to hear this as well. Your life may also be in peril.”

  Ben was listening avidly, he gulped hard as Harry’s words ‘hit home’. The sincerity that was etched on Harry’s face was clear for all to see. ‘Come on Harry,’ he thought, ‘spit it out, I need to hear more. What on earth are you going on about?’

  He looked him straight in the eye. “Listen, I’ll deal with whatever I have to Mr West. I’m not easily scared.” Ben lied. “But for God’s sake, get to the point, will ya?”

  Harry smiled. Despite the blaspheming, which he didn’t approve of, he admired Ben’s plucky response. It was typical of the youngster and it reassured Harry somehow that, in Ben, his grandson had a true friend with whom to share this burden. It was something that he never had, and he knew that Jake would need Ben now more than he could possibly realise. ‘Perhaps together they have a chance of meeting whatever challenges and tribulations lie ahead and coming out on top?’ he thought. ‘Ben will never intentionally let Jake down.’

  It was of immense comfort to him as he tried to continue his explanation.

  “Okay,” he said, “here it is.”

  He paused once more, trying to decide how best to phrase his next sentence.

  “Jake. For over three hundred years now, our family has hidden a tremendous secret. One of unimaginable importance and consequence. One which we have had to keep from our nearest and dearest, to protect them. Okay. For three centuries now, each male member of our family, throughout successive generations ending with myself, has been charged with protecting, defending, hiding.... That box!” he said, pointing towards the box which had been placed by Ben in the centre of the table.

  “Or more accurately, the contents of that box, the stones!” he added.

  Jake and Ben were confused. ‘Harry’s gone mad.’ they thought. ‘He’s finally cracked.’ Both had a million and one questions that they were desperate to ask, but they remained silent, allowing Harry to continue.

  “It’s in our bloodlines, you see? Only our direct descendants can open that box. It was made a long time ago in a distant land, to keep the stones from all those who would use their powers for evil.”

  Harry stopped talking. He was fully aware of how his tale would be viewed by the teenage boys; probably in the same manner he would have viewed it in his youth, with scorn and ridicule. He had to find a way of convincing them that he was telling the truth.

  “Here.” he said to Ben. “Try to open it. See for yourself. Place your right hand over the crest. Go on!”

  He pushed the box towards the young boy and Ben did as he was instructed. Nothing happened. He ran his palm over the crest three or four more times and then he swapped hands over and did the same. But still nothing happened. Harry was satisfied now that he’d regained the boy’s full attention and he continued.

  “I was told of my legacy by my father when I’d just turned twenty-one. When he felt I was....”

  He was going to say ‘old enough’, but he was interrupted by Jake, who could listen no more.

  “Hey, hey! Wait a minute.” he said. “Slow down granddad. This is all too much for me to take in. What distant land are you on about? What evil? What does the box, I mean, stones do? And what about dad? You said it stopped with you, why?”

  “Woww Jake! Hold your horses buddy boy!” interrupted Ben. “Let your granddad speak, will ya? He can’t get a word in with you rabbiting.”

  Jake stopped instantly.

  “Thanks, Ben.” said Harry, relieved that Jake’s tirade of questions had been halted. He looked straight at his grandson once more. “Right, Jake. I’ll try to answer all your questions, one at a time. Well, the box was made in a land called Rhuaddan. It’s a real place with real people. Some of them are good, noble and kind, but some are treacherous and evil. You’ll not find it on any map. It exists in another dimension, and the only way to get to it, is throu
gh that light you saw appear earlier - the one coming out of the box. Well, coming out of the centre stone to be more precise. It’s a portal. A ‘gateway’ to other worlds. One’s that exist on a different plain to ours. Some are similar to earth, and some are totally different. Err... They’re not just a portal either. The stones also have the power to send you through time. Though that’s something that hasn’t been done for over two hundred years to my knowledge, and it...”

  “You’re kidding me?” interrupted Jake suddenly, still finding the whole impossible story a little too much to accept. “Granddad, are you seriously asking me to believe...?”

  “I’m not asking Jake!” replied Harry forcefully. “I’m begging.You have to take this all on board. And quickly. I’m deadly serious! We may not have much time. Now, to answer your second and third questions. The stones have unbelievable powers, some of which have yet to be discovered I’m sure. They’ve been sought by many evil characters throughout time, from lots of different worlds, because together they’re a very powerful weapon. They hold the key to time and space. They allow the holder to move through worlds, dimensions, time. Can you imagine what evil you could do with such power?” he asked, searching the boy’s faces for signs that they understood and continuing once he was satisfied that they did.