Brookefield Towers

2

As the train rounded the corner, all the first years gasped in pleasant surprise

A magnificent castle with five towers peeked out from the pastoral foliage. 

Four towers stood high and mighty, with a magical sparkle in each one.

The first tower had sunshine and gold glitter flowing around the top. This tower emitted a kind of radiant glow that made us smile. Its yellow decorations welcomed us with a smile and a hug.

The second tower was the utter opposite of the first, for heavy, grey clouds drooped around the top, as rain splattered on the top, making a terrific sound. Grey fog and mist hung there, giving it a gloomy touch. Its melancholy decorations welcomed us with a frown and a tear.

The third tower was all green. From top to bottom, vines stretched everywhere. A greenhouse dome, made of glass, was the top of the tower, displaying many exotic plants and flowers. The kind of plants that make us feel refreshed and clean. Its natural decorations welcomed us with a flower in one hand and a plant in the other.

The fourth tower was dark but a miniature, crescent moon hung near the top. Clouds floated around it and it was sprinkled with little, glowing stars. Many telescopes were set up, ready for the students to use to observe the stars. Its night-time decorations welcomed us with a pleasant glow and cosy, warm feeling that resembles a bear-hug.

The last tower, the Choosing Tower, was plain and stood highest of all, with a beautiful dome on the top, inside of which was all the towers merged into one. In one corner there were sunshine and butterflies, the next exotic plants and pretty flowers, in the other rain and drooping clouds, and in the last a night time daydream.

The train rounded one more corner and it slid in the stop at Brookefield Towers.

Students spilled out of the train like milk from a bottle, carrying their weighty trunks. A tall man with slicked back black hair, a long nose and thin lips called out, holding a lit lantern, ''First years, on the boats! Third years and up, enter your cars!'' 

As I looked around, I saw two ways of reaching the castle. To the left of the train platform, there was a wide lake, with the castle at the end of it and little boats, that carried two, were tied to many steel poles, ready to set off at any second. To the right of the platform, a fleet of sleek, black cars were roving up their engines, waiting for the students.

I timidly followed the tall man's instructions, whose name was Mr. Kirk, and left my trunk at a little stall at each end of the long platform, to be brought by the cars up to the castle. I carefully stepped into the boat, taking care not to slip off.

When all the first year students, including me, were on the boats, Mr. Kirk yelled, ''Hold on tight and off we go!'' as we held on tight to the sides of the boat, as it magically moved.

No one was rowing and the boat had no machine, but we were slowly gliding over the lake, gaining on the castle, meter by meter.

We were pushed forward by a magical force and there were many ''ooh''s and ''aah''s of surprise at the first movement. 

The boats hit the shore on the other side of the lake, and now the castle's entrance was just a few miles in front of us, and we gasped at the outstanding sight of the humongous doors. 

A snappy old lady appeared suddenly from nowhere, then swiftly shooed us in the entrance hall. The entrance hall's ceiling was high, high up above, and many lanterns were floating otherwordly and we were amazed. 

The lady introduced herself as Miss Williams and she was head of the Choosing Tower, the home of the first years. ''I am Miss Williams and I am head of the Choosing Tower. The Choosing Tower is where you and the other first years will spend your first term at Brookefield Towers. Each Tower has two Guardians, one Medical Guardian and one General Guardian,'' 

She stopped for a breath then continued, satisfied that we were all listening raptly to her speech, ''If you or your Tower-mate is having any medical complications, report to our Medical Guardian, Miss Felice Clement. If you spot anyone who are breaking the rules or doing something unacceptable, report to our General Guardian, Miss Dionne Pierre.'' 

She nodded once then resumed, ''Each Tower also has a head girl or boy, and any one of you may be Chosen in the Starter Sorter ceremony tomorrow. You will have to do a test of patience, loyality, hard work, and leadership. If you pass all the tests, you'll be head girl or boy of the year.''

We nodded as she resumed, ''This year is all about trying to work hard, for your results this year will decide which Tower you will enter next term, your real Tower. We have rules, and it's stuck on the noticeboard in the Choosing Tower common room. Each Tower has a common room, bathrooms, and dormitories. All students from all Towers will eat, study, and compete with each other, for every sin you commit will rob you from a point for your entire Tower, and for every virtue you do, it will earn you points for you Tower. Remember, what you do affects your whole Tower, so be very wise with your decisions.'' 

She ended the speech, ''I wish you all good luck and I hope you can enter fitting Towers next year, and you have to do well this term to do so. Very well then, the feast will begin soon, so enter and sit down at your Tower table.'' She motioned to the wide doors behind her, and they opened without anyone to open it, which took us all by surprise as we scurried in hurriedly with rumbling stomachs.

Louis was beside me and as soon as the fleet of first years entered, we spotted the empty table lying at the far end of the room. There were five tables in all, one for each Tower, and the first years, including me, sat down at our places in the Choosing Tower table.

On a raised platform above our tables, there was a long table, beautifully laid with a golden tablecloth and delicious food. Many adults sat there, the teachers, I thought. Right in the middle, there was a golden chair with many gems glinting from its backboard. In that chair fit for a king, sat our highly respected Headmaster, Professor Wayce Willard. 

His long, white beard was tucked in his shirt and his eyes twinkled happily at the sight of his beloved students. He wore half-moon spectacles that glistened in the light of a thousand candles and lanterns floating.

I liked him at once, admiring the kind look in his eyes.

Once everyone was settled down, he stood up, preparing to talk, ''Welcome everyone, to a new year at Brookefield Towers!'' Everyone clapped loudly, and so me and Louis followed, as he continued,''To those old, welcome back! To those new, welcome! I won't speak a lot, and therefore delaying your meal even further, but I just want to say, the Deep Lake is forbidden this year and I advise to anyone who does not wish to die a painful death, to not approach any area near the Lake. I'm quite sorry for this inconvenient thing, but I'm sure you'll all understand. Thank you very much, and let the feast begin!''

A hundred or so waiters set plates of roasted chicken, boiled potatoes, fried eggs, stir-fried vegetables and a thousand more menus that made us sigh in satisfaction as we chewed the first bite.

After dinner, the plates were taken away and in was brought a hundred more menus of dessert, starting from ice cream of every flavour, toffees, pies, lollies, cakes, scones and many more. 

The students squealed in glee as the ice cream or toffee hit their tongue. What a wonderful night! I thought.

When the meal was done, the waiters took away the plates and Professor Willared stood up again, and he said, ''My dear students, your stomachs are pleasantly full now, so I would like to address a word or two to you all.'' The whole hall filled with hundreds of students went silent.

''Good. I want to remind the first years that this term is just a test to you and the results of your test will settle your place in one of the Towers, Sun Tower, Cloud Tower, Rain Tower, Nature Tower. Be strong and well, and I promise you your reward will satisfy you more than enough. I wish you all good luck. Now, off to bed, follow your Guardians, off you go now, chop chop!'' 

Loud scratches rang through the dining hall, as people pushed back their chairs and stand up. The great rumble of hundreds of footsteps sounded after that. 

I and Louis followed our Guardians, Miss Pierre and Miss Clement, up to our dormitories. She separated us at the door to our dormitories and we said goodbye.

I opened my night case and took out my pyjamas, then brushed my teeth and washed my face in the bathroom. I mumbled a sleepy goodnight to my dorm-mates and not of us stayed awake long.

The last thing I thought of before I fell asleep was, ''I love Brookefield Towers already.'' Then I dropped off and my soul left my body.