A Mystical Journey

by Jennifer Esposito

  Annie loved the different colors. She took off her coat tossing it in a corner and began dancing around in circles as they followed the lighted path. To Annie the sparkling lights looked like hundreds of little pixies dancing. She imagined she was one of them as she twirled round and round.

  Chloe reached in her pocket and pulled out her pet, Hubert. She held him up high. “Look at all the beautiful colors.” she whispered to him and then placed him on her shoulder.

  The path took them to the main room. They hardly recognized it. There was a large glass chandelier hanging from the ceiling, the mural on the wall seemed three dimensional, and the room seemed to have quadrupled in size. It was packed with people, many of them wearing strange costumes that none of the children had ever seen before. The oddest thing of all was that at the front of the room there was a large gray slab of stone.

  Strange music filled the air. Annie had never heard anything like it before but, it made her feel like she just had to move her feet. She began to move back and forth. She saw that Chloe was also moving to the beat of the music. Suddenly, Matthew was in front of them. He swept up both girls in his arms.

  “Father!” Chloe squealed with surprise and delight. Annie let out a little gasp of surprise as well. Matthew spun the girls round and round. They both smiled and laughed.

  John was also smiling as he watched Matthew dancing with his little sister and Chloe. He wanted to dance too but, he didn’t have anyone to dance with. So, he stood back tapping his feet and watching. Then John saw Mhotep coming toward him.

  “John, why aren’t you dancing?” He asked.

  “I don’t have anyone to dance with.” He answered.

  Mhotep looked around the room. “I supposed most of those that are dancing are dancing in pairs. I think however, it is best to dance when you feel the desire to do so whether you have partner or not.” He said with a smile. Then he clapped a hand on John’s shoulder. “Either way I guess it is all for the better. There are many people here tonight who would like to meet you.” Mhotep guided John across the room. He began introducing John to all kinds of different people. Most of them seemed very odd to John. Many of them spoke different languages, but all of them seemed very excited to meet him.

  After a bit, the music changed. Matthew set Annie and Chloe down. He made his way over to talk with some of the other guests. It was then that Annie realized she was missing Zindle and then she saw him. He was sitting by the food table. He must be hungry she thought. She had to admit the food looked very yummy.

  “Let’s get something to eat.” Annie said to Chloe pointing out the food table. Chloe shook her head in agreement. The first thing Annie did when she reached the food table was to grab two cookies which she placed on the floor for Zindle.

  The party was very exciting. There were so many new people all in wonderful costumes but, Annie felt a little sad. It didn’t seem right to be having fun without Mommy and Daddy. Her eyes began to water and it felt like there was a hard stone inside her stomach. She turned toward the wall to hide her face. It was then that she noticed something. Something that seemed out of place. In a lower corner, surrounded by all kinds of mystical creatures, was painted a statue of a Chinese soldier. It reminded Annie of something she had seen before but, she couldn’t remember where.

  Chloe tapped Annie on the shoulder. Annie tried to keep her face down so that Chloe wouldn’t see her tears. She saw that Chloe had in her hands a small goblet filled with a thick looking dark red liquid. A little chill ran down Annie’s spine. It looked like blood. Annie did not have much time to think about Chloe’s ghoulish drink. Chloe had gotten Annie’s attention to let her know that Mhotep was standing atop the large stone slab at the front of the room. It was then Annie noticed that the room had gone silent.

  Mhotep began to speak. His voice boomed across the room. “My dear friends, it is so wonderful to see each of you once again. We celebrate tonight the wonders of the mystical world. Most importantly we remember the difficult decision our ancestors made in order to save all that is good.” As he finished Mhotep made a grand gesture toward the large stone beneath his feet. Annie craned her neck to try and get a better look at the stone.

  Across the room John was doing the same thing. He was so focused on the stone that when he did glance away for a moment he was surprised to see the members of the Coterie along with a few others standing by the stone with outstretched hands. Together they all began to chant the “vidya!” and then they all began to speak at once, each in a different language. It was odd John thought, it should have sounded like a bunch of noise but, instead it sounded like music. Each language was like a different instrument in a big band.

  Slowly all the members of the Coterie stepped back, all the lights dimmed and then it happened. It was so sudden it made John jump. Across the room Annie nearly spilled the drink Chloe had just handed her. A figure had appeared standing on the stone. It was an old man with long gray mustache that curled round and round. He was wearing a pointed hat and robes like the ones John, Chloe, and a lot of the other party guests were wearing.

  Then the man began to speak. “All those who have gathered here to serve the spirit of good, we have found a way!” His voice boomed and then from nowhere the sounds of cheering filled the room. The man held up his hands. The cheering died down and he began to speak again. “It is from the humblest of sources that we found the path of the world’s salvation.” The man announced and then reached over to his left pulling a small girl into view. No, it wasn’t a girl, not a regular girl anyway. She had large pointed ears poking out from under hair. Her clothes were odd and looked a lot like leaves.

  The man continued speaking. “We have young Silvia to thank. As she served us our meals she sang an ancient song of her people. A song that is, in fact, a long-forgotten prophecy.” As he finished Silvia began to sing. It was a beautiful song although neither Annie nor John understood it. Silvia sang in a language they had never heard before. Then John and Annie looked at each other from across the room. They had heard the song before. It was the song Alease had sung when they first met the Coterie.

  The transparent figures faded and all that was left hovering above the stone was a white mist and the smell of roses. Everyone clapped and the lights in the room brightened. The room began to buzz with chatter again. A few minutes later the music began again. The rest of the party seemed much like any other party the children had been to, with the exception of some incredibly odd party guests.

  The hours ticked by. John, Annie, and Chloe grew tired. They found some over-stuffed chairs in a corner. They each took a seat and before they knew it they had all fallen fast asleep. They next morning John was surprised to wake up in his bed at Grandma’s. Annie too was surprised to see the familiar walls of Grandma’s house when she opened her eyes that morning.

  Chapter 15

  It was nearly Thanksgiving. It seemed to Annie that Halloween had just ended. John heard from his teacher at school that eating turkey made people very tired. So, the children had decided that they would sneak into the library Thanksgiving night. The turkey would make the adults tired so they would be less likely to wake up and catch them looking for clues. It was Annie’s job to make sure Zindle came to dinner with them. Then she and John would feed their turkey to Zindle under the table. That way they wouldn’t get tired. Annie wasn’t looking forward to this. She liked turkey, but it would be worth it if they found out more about China.

  It was Thanksgiving Day. John had gotten up early. Just as Larry had suggested John had oiled all the doors in the house. He was careful to make sure Grandma didn’t see him doing it. Then he woke up Annie. They bundled up in their warmest clothes with their heavy winter coats. They were going to see the parade on Main Street.

  Grandma fussed over them making sure their coats were zipped properly. She pulled their hats down snugly around their ears. Then she put on her own coat and hat and they all headed out into the brisk morning air. Zindle followed them out the door. Grandma ga
ve him a disapproving look but said nothing. It seemed she had learned that it was pointless to protest.

  The main street of the town was packed with people waiting to see the parade. John and Annie recognized a lot kids from school. The parade began. Annie really enjoyed it. There were bands playing music and wearing brightly colored uniforms. She couldn’t wait to be old enough to play in the school band.

  John stood watching his sister. She looked so happy. It was nice to see her that way. It seemed to him that Annie had become much more serious since their parents had gone. They had to find something that would help them get their parents back.

  The parade ended and they all headed back to the library. Annie and John ran up the stairs through the front door into the library. They continued to run up the staircase to the main room where Thanksgiving dinner would be waiting. John got there first, of course. He was older and faster. Try as she might Annie could never beat him in a race. John enjoyed running. When he ran he didn’t think about his parents being gone, having to take care of his little sister, and that some unknown evil person was out to get him. When he was running it was just fun.

  John reached the landing and paused for a moment to consider waiting for his sister. Annie was right behind him. There was no point in waiting. He continued on into the room. Inside the main room John saw the usual long table over flowing with every Thanksgiving goody imaginable. The smell coming from the table was heavenly. Standing there, surveying it all, his mouth began to water and his tummy began to growl.

  Annie was close on John’s heels as she ran into the main room. Everyone was already seated around the table waiting for them. They took their seats. Soon Grandma was at the table too. She said a few words of prayer thanking the greater power for the meal set before them. Finally, they all ate. The room was filled with the sound of conversation, clanking of dishes and munching of food.

  Hours later the table had been cleared in the same mystical way as always with dishes whizzing out of the room. The table had folded in on its self until it was no bigger than a coffee table and then it too went whizzing out of the room. The chairs seemed to expand and the cushions grow until they much more resembled easy chairs than the dining chairs they had been.

  Chloe and John set right to work making the adults comfortable and offering them all lots of wine hoping the combination of turkey and wine would make them all sleepy. Annie climbed into her grandmothers’ lap and began to lightly rub her arm the way her mother used to do to get her to sleep. It wasn’t long before all their efforts paid off and the adults were snoring in their chairs. What luck! They wouldn’t have to wait until later that night. When they were making all their plans to sneak out they had never thought the adults would all just fall asleep after dinner giving them the run of the library.

  Chloe gave John and Annie each a wink and then pointed to the door. All three quickly exited the room on tip toe. Once in the hall they shared a sigh of relief. John pointed upstairs. Chloe nodded and headed up. Annie didn’t move. John pointed again. Annie shook her head no. She knew just where she wanted to look for the letters. She ran past her brother and down the stairs to the library front desk. She was sure since Celeste and Ruth were such good friends and Celeste was always at the front desk that there would be a letter there.

  John was very annoyed with his little sister for not listening to him, but he was used to it by now. So, he threw his hands up and headed upstairs himself. He hadn’t been to very many rooms on the upper floors but, he knew that was where Chloe and Matthew lived. Chloe said the some of the other Coterie stayed in rooms up there too. She had told him that all the rooms were usually locked. John met Chloe at the top of the stairs.

  Chloe pointed to a room down the hall. “This is the room Mhotep stays in and the one next to it is where Alease stays” she whispered. John and Chloe pulled on the handles of both doors. Neither would budge.

  “I have an idea.” Chloe informed John. She took a stone from her pocket that was wrapped in a small scrap of paper. “Do you think you can do a spell?” she asked John.

  John was a little shocked. He had never used any magic echoes without one of the magi telling him what to do. Well, except playing the game of course, but that was different. He was the special one though. He should be able to do it. He shook his head yes with confidence.

  “Ok I’m going to show you something. I can turn into a mist.” As she said the words Chloe turned transparent and then instead of Chloe in front of John there was a small Chloe shaped cloud. Chloe’s voice came from the cloud. “The only problem is that I can’t move when I’m like this. I’m stuck in one spot.” She sighed. “I found a spell though, that can make a breeze. If you can make it work than maybe you can sort of …blow me through the door?” She said with some hesitation.

  John stood transfixed looking at the Chloe cloud for a moment. Wow, he couldn’t believe she could do that but, then again, he was becoming used to seeing shockingly strange things. He shook himself a bit, pulled the paper from the stone, held the stone firmly. He looked at the paper. There were some strange words John didn’t know with other words written in pencil beneath them.

  A me resonare, Murmio vjetare, ora opare. ‘ora’

  I call upon the echoes, come whisper wind, stop when now is said...now

  “Do I say them all?” John asked Chloe

  “The top line is the old magi language. The bottom is the translation. I think it will work if you just say the English. Just try it and if it doesn’t work then try the other.” She said her voice now sounding very breathy.

  John gripped the stone tighter. He closed his eyes and held in his mind a wonderful memory of his family from before all this began. Then, with determination, he said “I call upon the echoes, come whisper wind, stop when now is said!” He held his breath. Then he felt it, a breeze. It had worked! He opened his eyes just in time to see the Chloe cloud being slowly blown through the crack of the door. When John could see no more mist outside the door he said the final “now”.

  Down stairs Annie had run straight to the front desk of the library. There under the desk was a drawer with a lock. Annie was sure Celeste kept things in that drawer. She knew that one of Ruth’s letters had to be in there. She pulled on the drawer. Of course, it was locked. She yanked on it and jiggled it with force. There had to be some way to open the drawer.

  She began to look around for something to help. Prefect! She thought. There was a pile of paper clips. They use paper clips to pick locks in the movies all the time. It looked easy enough. She smoothed out a paper clip and jammed it into the lock. She moved it all around but, the lock would not open. Annie grabbed another paper clip and put it in the lock as well. After what seemed like forever to Annie, she gave up. Stupid lock Annie thought. She scowled, raised her leg up high, and kicked the drawer as hard as she could. She was surprised to see the drawer pop open.

  Annie dove hungrily at the drawer. There were all kinds of papers and trinkets inside. As she sifted through them she saw what she had been looking for. It was a stamp. The stamp was from China. She pulled out the letter and opened it. It was signed with Ruth’s name. She tried to read it but, it was written in cursive. They had just started learning that in school but, she really couldn’t read it yet. Annie slammed the drawer shut and ran towards the stairs. Chloe and John would be able to read it.

  Upstairs John was tapping his foot nervously wondering what was going on behind the door. He didn’t have to wait long before Chloe, looking like her usual self again, opened the door and motioned for him to follow her inside. “Look everywhere.” she whispered. John thought she was talking to him and then realized she had been talking to her pet cockroach Hubert. He saw Chloe set him on a dresser and he ran down into the drawers.

  Yuck, John thought. Hubert always did give him the creeps. He walked over to a desk. There were two interesting looking boxes on top of it. He opened the first one. He was a bit surprised to find it filled with chocolates. Quickly he moved on to th
e second. Just as he removed the lid of the second box he heard footsteps coming up the stairs fast. John turned and looked at Chloe. Chloe looked back at him. Both held their breath as the footsteps approached the doorway of the room. Then they could see it, the figure in the door way. They breathed a unified sigh of relief. Before even seeing her face, they could tell by the height of the figure it was not one of the adults.

  Annie knew right where John and Chloe would be. She was surprised to find that they had managed to get the door to the room open. She was so excited. They hadn’t listened to her when she told them where she thought a letter would be and she was right. Plus, she was sure she had found it before they found anything at all.

  Gasping for air, Annie was entirely out of breath as she sped into the room. She handed the letter to Chloe. To Annie’s pleasure Chloe’s eyes grew wide and a smile spread across her face. Seeing Chloe’s reaction John rushed over to see what his little sister had found. It was a letter…from Ruth to Celeste. Chloe was now reading it out load.

  Celeste,

  As I had expected this is a messy business. Dirt everywhere, I can’t keep anything clean. It is still amazing to see how much work this must have taken. The tunnels go on forever. Sadly, we have not yet found what we need. We do not have enough specific information for our weak spells to locate the right moment in the past to replay. We may have to wait for our conduit to learn to control the echoes enough for a revealing spell. I won’t give up though and I have to admit I am enjoying the splendor of it all. I have always enjoyed the Chinese culture. I hope all is going well there. Please keep me posted on our student’s progress.

  With much fondness,

  Ruth

  “Where in China was she?” John sighed.

  “I think I know where.” Annie said bursting with pride. “See the picture on the stamp of the Chinese soldier statue?” Annie paused for dramatic effect but, was not really expecting Chloe or John to answer. “I saw one like that on the wall during the Halloween party. I think Ruth was where they are.” Annie finished.