As a kid, I always loved traveling through the woods. I felt safer there, more at home. That feeling had remained with me for most of my life, giving me a place to escape from all of the day to day stress of home and school. Having never really fit in with everyone else, I was mostly a lone wolf. But i never minded it. I mean, yeah, from time to time I would get lonely, watching every other kid laughing and playing together. But as soon as I got home and went into the forest, I forgot my troubles. There was something about the woods that always pulled me back without fail.
And one day, when I was 8, I found a reason. I stumbled into the ancient ruins, like a castle of some sort. And this confused me to no end. I tried to research the castle, but nothing of the sprt had ever seen recorded in LaGrange, North Carolina. I kept the place to myself asy own private get away.
That following summer, i told my dad I was going camping by myself. Knowing how much I loved the woods, he didnt have a problem with it. He just told me to be safe and not stay gone for more than a couple days. I quickly agreed and grabbed everything I needed; a fishing pole, sleeping back, box of matches and a couple lighters as well as some food and plenty of water bottles.
After everything was packed, I headed out of the house towardd the ruins. The truck was only about twenty or so minute. But I seemed to get there faster today, very eager to fully explore my favorite place.
Upon reaching the site, I played out my equipment in what seemed to have been the main entrance. It took nearly ten minutes to get everything set up the way I had wanted it before I steped back and gave a nod of satisfaction. With a soft snort of approval, I looked arpund the castle ruins, tryinh to decide the first parts I had wanted to explore more of for now. Having been in school when I found the place, I hadnt jad much time to discover much about it, leaving me immensely curious. The crumbling walls were built with a dark grey stone, very neatly stacked. There were faded tapestries laying about on the floor. I had seen them thousands of times before, but they had been so worn by the elements, I couldn't make out what was on them.
Ignoring them, I start to head towards the two thrones, or what was left of them at least. The one on my left was toppled and broken, while the one on the right was cracked into pieces and eroded. But they were not my destination, for there had been a door behind them. I grab the once elegant handle and give a push, swinging the door open on lpudly creaking hinges. Shuddering at the sound. I pull a flashlight from my pocket and head into the darker stairwell leading down below the ground.
It wasn't my first time down here, but there was a lot I had yet to explore.
Slowly I made my way down the slippery wet stairs, my light in my left hand, my right hand gripping onto the side for support. A couple minutes of this and i had reached the bottom. I let out a sneeze as the musty smell invaded my nostrils, along with dust. I cast the semi bright light over the walls of the room around me, thinking it must have been some sort of storage area. There were still remnants of barrels and crates scattered about, but pretty bare otherwise. The walls were lined with more hallways and doors, most of which were rather boring. But there were two doors and another hallway to check through.
Gripping my light tighter, I made my way carefully towards the closes of the two doors, stepping on the old planks from decayed crates.
I gave a push, grunting with a frown as it didnt budge. I then gripped it tighter and tried to pull, again with no avail. "Darned thing must be rusted shut " I growled in annoyance. Ut had been the first door that wouldnt open, and I felt like pouting a bit. But I quickly got over it and went to the next door. Pulling it open to reveal an empty room only large enough to fit one or two of the crates side by side.
"Must have been another supply closet," I mutter to myself as I turn towards the first hallway, leaving the door open as I had done with each one before to show that i had looked through them. "Maybe ill find something good down here." I state to nothing in particular as I walk through the dark stone hallway.
This one seemed longer than the other so I was a bit excited when it opened up to a larger room, a single door on the other side. But it wasnt the door that caught my attention. It was the fact that from under the door, there was a very faint, bluish green glow. My eyes widened and I extinguished my flashlight quickly as it finally occurred to me that i wasnt the only person here. But, having just turme 9, I felt a bit brave, well, that coupled with the fact that i had a machete on my hip as well. I slowly drew the blade originally only ment for the vines and thorns of the woods, and headed towards the door quietly.
I reached my hand towards the door handle, opening it excruciatingly slowly, trying my hardest to avoid the squealing of ruated hinges. It had worked, in the sense that the noise was a bit quieter. But if someone was in there, they knew I was here. So, I gave up trying to be subtle and flung it open, holding the machete high, prepared to strike.
To my astonishment, there was nothing in the room, save for a mirror that seemed to emit the dim light. I had seen. I blinked a few times in surprised and let go a sigh of relief, my heart still pounding in my chest.
After I had calmed down enough, I steped closer to the mirror, now intrigued by the swirling blue behind my reflection. "Now that. Is a bit freaky." I muttered as i placed my hand on the glass, half expecting it to go itno the misty vortex.
I chuckled to myseld and shook my head as that was not the case. "That is awesome." I whisper to the darkness, wanting to know how there was a swirling image in the mirror."
I stepped around the object, looking for something behind it that mighy give a clue, but saw nothing but a smooth flat back. "Hmph, now it's just going to bug me." I commented as I started looking at the frame itself. It stood much taller than myself and it looked like it was made of a silver material with two proud looking horses. I leaned closer, taking in the images of the animals because they had wings and a horn. "The heck?" I asked myself. "Never heard of a pegacorn before," I grinned at my own cleverness at the name.
The two figures were on the top of the frame, facing opposite directions, the larger pegacorn faced towards my left and the smaller one faced towards the right. But something seemed off about it to me. Each on had a hoof held up. I quickly looked towards the walls to seen them blank before looking back at the pegacorns.
After staring at them for a while, I lit my flashlight again and headed back to find a sturdy enough crate.
After looking around the crates and deciding that none of them would hold my weight due to rotting, ia started breaking off planks, thinking maybe I could stack them high enough.
After another twent minutes of running back and forth, stacking a small set of rotten plank stairs, I could finally reach the pegacorns. I gripped the smaller one lightly, wiggling it side to side yo see if it would turn, and to my surprise, it did. I managed to turn to to face the center then repeated the process with the larger pegacorn. As soon as their hooves touched in the center, a click cpuld be hurt from the mirror. I hastily got down from my, none too sturdy, steps and watched as the light slowly brightened and the swirling grew faster. Overwhelmed curiosity gripped my mind and I reached out again, hesitating for several moments before trying to touch the glass once more. Though. To my even greater surprise, my fingers slipped through as if it wasnt there and my hand disappeared.
I reacted instantly and walked through, not caring what was on the other side, only feeling the unquenchable urge to see it for myself.
Author's Note
Well. This will be the first chapter of the story. I hope y'all like it. It is unedited so if you find something. Let me know.
