Realm of the Unknown

   It was a bright, sunny day. Clarence peered out the window. All that could be perceived from his eyes was a blank sky reflecting the black face looking out at the vast expanse.

    His parents called from downstairs. He turned and went through the threshold. He walked down the stairs into the living room where his parents had been waiting. They were impatient and demanded him to get his bags, annoyed that he was not ready.

    The family had been planning a vacation to Stony Ridge National Park for the past three months. His parents were restless, like the giddy students leaving school at the end of the day. He was inattentive and sordid. It was as if the box containing his soul and his aspirations could not be opened because the evasive key was missing.

    Clarence had always been the outcast in life. He never went out for anything. He took the world, and his life in general, way too seriously, and his lack of humor did not help either. He was never given any credit at school from his peers, but never cared anyway. He would spend his weekend in his study, looking out into the world from his small window in the two story house. He pondered his existence but could never come up with anything definite. This bothered him, and made him displeased.

    As his parents practically shoved him into the car, he turned his head and glanced back at the house, his refuge.

    The family was on the road, approaching the interstate borderline crossing into the wilderness where his relatives lived. The vacation destination was another twelve hours away, so the family was breaking the trip up in two days.

    “Finally, it has been too long since we have been away.” Dad exclaimed. “Did you pack the scuba gear?”

    “Yes, dear.” Replied Mom.

    “Did you make sure to tell your aunt that we were coming over?”

    “Yes, dear.” Replied Mom, beginning to sound like a tape recording.

    “Hey, what are you doing back there anyway?” Dad looked back.

     “Ye…” Mom started, but realized that the question was not intended to her.

    After a strong silence, Dad continued. “What the hell have you been doing, anyway?” Another silence ensued, leaving Mom on edge.

    “So, why are we going here anyway? I don’t want to go on vacation. Can’t I just stay home?”

    “Aw, c’mon, you’ll love it. Just be open.” Mother explained. The conversation ended at that.

    As the car left the main road and approached the house, the trees became more dense, the sky darker, and the wind louder. The house could be seen far off in the distance, a shady, old residence reminiscent of the old Victorian style abundant in the past.

    The car was parked in the gravel driveway next to the old ember. The family walked up the steps onto the rickety wooden porch. The paint was peeling off the exterior and cobwebs hung from the canopy. Dad rang the bell.

    “Welcome” The old woman stepped out of the house and greeted the family. “Come in, come in.”

    Mom’s aunt lived alone in the large house after her husband passed away countless months ago. She was a quiet, subservient lady who had an active, keen imagination and a strong spirit. She greeted her visitors with homemade cookies and her special green lemonade that looked almost like a potion.

    There was a large fireplace and two expansive windows that looked out into the woods. It was around this fireplace, in the quiet, empty living room, that the family convened. Everyone except the hostess was exhausted. It was deadly quiet, until she spoke up. “How about some dinner?”

    She got up and headed into the kitchen, cackling in a strange way. Clarence turned around, turned back and looked at his parents. Dad grinned.

    Mom looked at him, then over at her son. “It will only be a night. Then we will be on our way.”

    “I need to go to the car, I think I forgot something.” Clarence said. “I will be back.”

    “I can get it.” Dad said. “What is it?”

    Clarence sighed. “Never mind.” He looked down on the ground, and noticed that the floor actually did look like ground.

    “C’mon, what’s wrong? You used to like these trips. Are you too grown up?”

    “Just forget it, ok!”

    Dad shrugged. Mom leaned over and lay on his shoulder, sighing deeply.

    The fire had just begun to warm the family when the aunt cried out, “Dinner!”

    They entered into a lavish dining room lit by a chandelier, with dark candles along the sides of the room. The table was stacked with roast chicken, split beans and lentil soup, sliced ham, asparagus, potato stew, tossed salad and corn bread. Placemats were set, and drinks were poured.

    “How have been your travels today?” asked Mom’s Aunt.

    “It took faster than normal to your house, and at this rate we should be able to get to the park at no time.” Answered Dad.

    “Off to that park, eh? You seek some relaxation?”

    The parents were quiet. Clarence fidgeted awkwardly. He looked around the room. It seemed smaller than when he last entered. He said, “There’s not much else to do on a weekend, might as well have an adventure.”

    “Oh, really? There’s always so much to do in life, so many mysteries to solve, so many things to discover.”

    “What do they lead to? Just more of the same thing. One discovery is no better than the next. They have no meaning beyond the literal and superficial.

    Aunt frowned, and then suddenly laughed. “I see.” She looked directly at Clarence. Suddenly, the pupils of her eyes shrunk. Clarence leaned back in his chair uneasily, his hair on his arm standing up.

    “Let us go to the living room for an after-dinner drink.” The company followed her into the dark living room. She cackled. Dad laughed back.

    She was busy fixing the drinks, when Dad said, “Oh! I forgot to bring the bags in.” He ran out to fetch their luggage.

    Mom’s Aunt came back with the drinks. “Here you go. Where is that obnoxious man of yours?”

    Mom answered, “He is out to get our luggage.” She looked cross.

    “Don’t take any offense, no harm meant toward my visitors.”

    The drink Clarence held in his hand was a colorless liquid. It had absolutely no smell at all. Clarence looked dissatisfied. “What kind of drink is this?”

     “It is a drink for after a meal is consumed, to soften the soul.”

    The drink did look refreshing, as he began to warm by the fire and his food settled in his stomach. He drank the fluid. There was no flavor, but the drink stung his lips. Mom was helping Dad with the baggage.

    After being shown to his room, he got ready for bed. Before going to bed, he made sure to put the latch on the door. He did not feel secure in the room. The old timber underneath his feet squeaked as he hobbled over to his bed. He quickly fell asleep…

    He awoke with a start. It was still dark outside, but there appeared to be a light in the next room. A noise must have startled him, because he heard something coming from beyond the threshold.

    Clarence leapt from the bed and walked hastily to the door. The portal opened up into a large, spacious library that was lit from above by a thousand lights appearing to come from the sky. There was no visible roof, because the lights were so bright it made it impossible to look up to see any outline.

    I must be dreaming, he thought. There’s no way this is part of the house. For the library looked bigger than the house.

    As he wandered along the labyrinth of books, he heard that voice again. The voice sounded familiar, as if he had heard it before, not too long ago. He hid under what appeared to be a wall of books.

    The voice trailed away. Relieved for no apparent reason, he went back on the path, and walked back toward the door. Suddenly, he tripped on a vine, and a large volume on top of a shelf high above his head opened and fell. He twirled and the book fell right next to him.

     He turned over and looked at the book. It was the largest volume he had ever seen. The print was large too. The letters were as large as his hands. He kneeled on top of the book. He had begun to read the first line, when something strange happened. The large book levitated off the floor.

    Clarence clenched his hands on the cover. The book flew out of the room. Clarence looked up and saw a whir of black sky with twinkling stars and then a small, thatched hut. He looked up again, and found himself inside a hut.

    He got up and walked around, not believing what his eyes told him. He saw many vials of potion, ingredients stacked high on shelves, and a pot above a fire. He did not believe in magic or any type of hocus pocus, but his eyes did not deceive him, as he touched a vial holding a red liquid. The label read “Body of Frog”. He quickly put the bottle down, shuddering deeply.

    As he backed up from where he was standing, he accidentally knocked a vial down. He quickly turned to see the vial splatter to the ground, the liquid emptying out. The acid within the liquid caused the wood it touched to rot and fall apart, leaving a small hole in the wood.

    He frantically began to search for an exit. There were no windows and the openings were to small to fit through. The dashed over to the fireplace, looking for a chimney of some kind, but none could be found. The pot reeked of a hideous odor that made his eyes water He had almost lost hope when he found a small, round door behind a clutter of leaves near a corner of the hut.

    Pushing the leaves away, he opened the door and escaped. The hut lay in a vast, dank swamp land that had a vile, green mist hanging over the dark water. A moat surrounded the hut. There was only one bridge leading onto the land. He walked around the deck surrounding the hut, and found the bridge.

    He began walking on the bridge, when he heard a sound. Something was coming towards him. He could barely make out anything in the dense fog. Then, he heard a shriek, and an outline became visible, as a small, untidy woman with a pointed nose ran towards him.

    He was trapped. The bridge was his only escape, but he had to go back and hide somewhere. He heard a woman’s voice, “Stop, thief!” As he approached the hut, he did see a few small stones that might be able to get him away. He leapt into the bog and scrambled toward them. As he climbed up onto the first stone, something hit him on the back. Scared, he leapt onto the second stone, and found the third stone was farther away that it had originally appeared. Still, he attempted to jump onto it, but fell through the marsh. The swamp fell from view as he sunk into the water.

    A large fish swam by, and he grabbed it. The fish began swimming frantically to try to loosen the grip, but to no avail. Flapping around the swamp, the fish swam down into the depths of the water. He suddenly felt a strong force pulling him away. He let go, and was suctioned out of the water, through a drain, and fell onto a cold, wet ground.

    When he came to, he found himself lying in a cold, dark place. He half expected himself to end up back in his own room, but he was beginning to realize that this was not a dream.

    He got up. The ground was cold against his feet. He walked to the wall closest to him, the only one visible. He followed the wall around to a small chamber. A drop of water the size of a bowling ball dropped on the ground a few feet away. Looking around, he could see many drops around the area. It was then that he realized that he had shrunk, that the woman must have cast a spell on him to make him one millionth of his size.

    He could see a faint light far off in the distance. He walked toward the light, and entered into a narrow corridor. He started walking down. The corridor was lit at intervals by a small gem that exuded a bright red glow.

    He was getting tired, and short of breath. He came to a light source and rested. It was here that he looked at his hand, and saw faint writing that could be seen through the light. The book’s print rubbed off on his hands.

    He trudged on. The hours seemed like days, and the days seemed to last forever. He would take breaks whenever he was tired. Since he was so small, he covered little distance. The tunnel seemed like it would never end.

    Frustrated one time, he took a break, and ripped out the gem from the earth. A small hole appeared, and the light went out. Annoyed, he took what he had in his hands and thrust it forward. It rolled and hit something. Suddenly, he realized that there must surely be an end after all. He dashed into the darkness, and in a matter of minutes, ran into a hard wall. He collapsed on the earth, laughing and rolling around on the ground.

    He walked into the room. Cobwebs hung all throughout the small cavern. There were many holes to other underground lairs; he dared not go in. Beginning to feel hopeless, he began to lose faith in himself. He stopped and thought about what he did wrong. Why was he being put through this?

    He sighed deeply, and closed his eyes. The time to think was over; the time for action was now. He opened his eyes and looked for something to point a way up. Maybe that woman-that witch- could have something for him to use.

    A creature came into view. At first the outline was faded, but as it came closer, Clarence could make out two ghastly eyes. Clarence ran, frightened. He tripped and fell into a web. The demon fell over its prey. The form could not be made out, only the fear in Clarence could be felt. He put his hand out to shield himself, and the serpent looked away, giving him time to unstrangle himself. He fled up a passageway.

    Running wildly, he suddenly realized the power of the book. He needed to find that book soon.

    He turned around and saw large rats scurrying towards him. He screamed. Frantically looking for an escape, he looked up and saw what appeared to be a trap door. He opened it and found himself in a room.

    He lay on the wood floor, relieved. Sitting up, he saw it. The book! There it was! But how? It must have fell through the small hole. Relieved he went to the book. He understood now. He put his two hands together, and a key emerged between them. He looked for the door.

    The trap door bust open, and a bunch of large, gray rats fell inside. Running for the door, he turned to see them nawing at the book, shredding it apart.

    He reached the door and turned the key in the lock. He turned around one last time, only to see the rats rushing at him. He slammed the door, and the portal closed. Turning, he found himself back in his own room. He leaned against the wall and sighed. A smile fell on his face.

    He could hear his parents calling him.”Cmon, we’re ready to go. Are you ready?”

    “I’m coming!” He called back. He looked at his hands, and the writing was gone. He dressed and opened the door. He was back in the house. He took his baggage and went to the car.

    His parents put his baggage back in the car. Mom’s aunt came out and said, “Won’t you stay a little longer?” with a wicked grin on her face, that only Clarence recognized and understood.

    “That’s okay, but thanks for the nice accommodations.” Mom called back.

    In the car, Clarence looked back and grinned, and gripped the silver key in his pocket. Looking at the road and the journey ahead to the park, he could not wait to get there.