by MJ Ware
"Morning, Ms. Maddy," Holly said. She grinned while Madeline rolled pastry dough aggressively on the countertop with a rolling pin. Despite her rough movements, her dark blonde hair remained neatly in a tight French braid.
"I make meat pie for supper," Madeline said. "Your favorite, no?"
Holly pretended to be interested, but when it didn’t seem like her nanny was going to mention the surprise, she thought she’d bust. "Don’t tease me! Mom said you had a surprise for me. Please please please tell me what it is!"
Madeline worked the dough a few more times then said, "Why not wait until your birthday next week instead?"
Holly squealed in protest. "No, that’s an entire week away. I can’t wait that long now that I know you have it already."
"Maybe we wait." Madeline spoke without looking up. Holly giggled at the game. She loved surprises, and the fact that Maddy was teasing her meant she’d get it today for sure.
"It’s okay. Mom told me that you found the surprise in the attic. I could go there myself if you’re too busy." Holly put on her sweetest, most innocent look.
"Okay, okay. I take you to see surprise," Maddy said. She covered the dough with a kitchen towel and wiped her hands on her flour-smeared apron. "Come."
She led the way out of the kitchen with Holly trotting close behind her. They marched up two flights of marble stairs and through a corridor that was covered with rich tapestries in a variety of blues and purples. The only sound in the entire estate was the click of their footsteps. Out of the wall-length windows along the right side of the corridor, Holly noticed the sleet lighten. Maybe her chance for sledding wasn’t completely ruined, she thought.
Madeline removed a heavy skeleton key from her apron pocket as they approached a dark wooden door at the end of the corridor. Holly bounced beside her; she felt that she might burst at any moment with excitement. When the door opened and they walked up the narrow staircase leading into the attic, Holly expected to see the surprise immediately. But the attic looked the same musty brown-yellow it always did. She frowned.
"In chest near far corner. I give you clue. Green ribbons."
Holly lit up again as Maddy gently nudged her toward the chest. She flipped open the lid and rummaged carefully so not to miss anything. Behind her, Maddy eyed her carefully. After Holly had pulled out most of the contents from within the chest, she spotted the deep green ribbon. It belonged in the curly, black hair of a handmade porcelain doll that was dressed in an old-fashioned frock decorated with small green bows.
As Holly inspected the doll with a wide smile on her face, she noticed that it was missing its right shoe. She leaned into the chest to look for it. A sharp glint caught her eye from a ripped seam on the inside edge of the lid. She reached for it, pulled up the seam delicately, and with a jump, something metal dropped out onto the floor of the chest.
It was a key unlike any Holly had ever seen. She held it up toward the unprotected attic light to inspect it further. The head and most of the stem were made of a muted gray metal and the teeth of the key were three rectangular prongs ascending in height. Its handle was made of a translucent green stone that twinkled as the stark light caressed its surface.
Holly ran her fingers over the design at the end of the key and traced the Celtic triangle with its dotted emeralds. She stared curiously at it, forgetting the fancy doll under her arm.
"You find doll, yes?" Maddy said from the entrance of the attic. With an amused smile, she watched Holly fumble to hide the secret key in her pocket.
The child spun around to face her nanny. "Oh yes, she’s beautiful. Thank you." Holly didn’t want to share such a beautiful treasure.
Maddy held out her hand for her to take. "Come now. I make lunch."
After she ate, Holly went outside and walked along the slush-covered hedges with her new doll, Emily, snug in her arm. Her other hand clutched the strange emerald key hiding away in her pocket as she made her way to a tree-swing near the center of the sleeping garden. A thick layer of icy snow crunched beneath her shoes and with a trip of her foot, she fell flat on her stomach. Holly lay still for several moments embarrassed and wondered what happened before she finally got to her feet.
A small lip of wood peeked through the carpet of thick, crusty frost where Holly’s foot caught. She kicked it out of spite, which knocked the ice loose. Holly stopped abruptly at the sight of a familiar pattern on the edge of the freshly revealed wood. After a glance around to make sure no one else could see her, she dropped to her knees and scraped away at the frost as if digging for a buried treasure.
As she wiped the ground clean, a trapdoor that was crafted with the same Celtic design as the emerald key emerged before her. It had never been there before, Holly was sure of that. She spent most of spring in the garden each year and had never seen it. With that, she stooped and pressed the key into the lock.
Holly heard the lock release as she twisted the key and opened the decorated trapdoor. The prospect of an adventure made her heart flutter as she peered into the darkness below. Nothing. She couldn’t see a thing, even though the light from outside should have illuminated something. What if it was a deep hole with no way out? She swallowed hard. Leaning over the edge, Holly reached her hand into the darkness. What if there were spiders down there? Her hand recoiled at the thought. She hated spiders.
A sweep of warm, sweet-smelling air swooped around Holly from the open door. She inhaled deeply, taking in the scent. It reminded her of her mother, the smell of lavender, but also something else she couldn’t place that brought a feeling on excitement and hunger. Holly glanced at Emily, who was sitting on the edge nearby, as if she expected the doll to instruct her on what to do next. The doll stared back at her, and Holly’s eyes drifted back toward the delicious adventure waiting for her. In the end, she grabbed Emily and lowered herself into the darkness.
* * *
Holly didn’t know what happened. It felt like she had walked straight ahead, but she was also sure that was not possible since she had just dropped down from outside. She stood upright and looked up to see a stone ceiling. The hole to the outside world wasn’t there at all, so she glanced behind her. A matching trapdoor welcomed her with the same Celtic symbol as the one she had fallen through. It only took her a moment to realize there was no handle and no way out.
When Holly turned back around, she found herself facing a never-ending corridor. To find a way out, she knew she’d have to move forward. Candlelight licked the stone walls as far as Holly could see as she walked along a red carpet. The hallway had an eerie quietness to it that made adrenaline vibrate through her entire body.
A flicker of white moved ahead of her and a giggle echoed down the hall bringing the sweet smell of cotton candy and a variety of fruit. She wasn’t alone after all, and this thrilled her.
"Hey, wait up!" she called and ran to catch up with the other little girl. A dead end greeted her. She stopped and sighed before turning to go back the way she came. To Holly’s surprise, the hallway no longer existed. Before her stood a wall with a floor-length mirror.
Behind her in the mirror was a room filled with toys and treasure. A table filled with rich foods and golden cups enticed her. Amazed, Holly waved her hand in front of the mirror and smiled nervously. Her reflection, however, did not mimic her movement. Instead, it waved her forward as if inviting her to join. Holly took a step backward. She wanted to leave, but the doppelganger waved its hands begging her not to flee.
Holly frowned and did not move forward. She squeezed Emily in her arms considering what to do. On one hand, her reflection shouldn’t move on its own, but on the other hand, it reminded her of Peter Pan’s shadow. The reflection stomped her foot impatiently and waved more forcefully than before. It gestured to all of the enticing things behind it before placing one hand against the glass. It smiled freshly and motioned again for her to come. Maybe her reflection needed to be reattached to her like Peter Pan’s shadow.
With a smile, Holly agreed and pressed
her hand against the ice-cold mirror where the doppelganger’s hand rested. She felt a sudden pressure grasp her hand and pull at her. The world turned black. Holly cried out.
* * *
"Wake up, child."
Holly’s eyes opened to an amazing white light that engulfed her. She focused and realized it was actually a woman, radiant with light. She was the most beautiful woman Holly had ever seen and had a heart-shaped face with smooth, milky skin. The woman seemed to float while her hair and clothing moved as if she was under water.
"My key. You found it," the woman said. Her voice delightful and rich, which made Holly feel sleepy. Holly shook her head as though she wanted to clear her mind.
"Your key?"
"Yes, my darling child. The emerald key. You’ve got it don’t you?"
Holly reached into her pocket and grasped the key, but did not remove it.
"Who are you? Where am I?" she asked. A smile spread slowly across the woman’s face.
"I am Alora. You are in my prison."
Holly took a step backwards at this news. She stumbled over a golden helmet next to a pile of gold coins, which knocked loose a shiny metal serving plate. With all the treasure, the room shone so bright it stung her eyes.
"Y… your prison?" she asked and took a step back.
"Oh no no no, child. Don’t be frightened. When I say prison, I mean that I was trapped here by an evil, cruel witch. She made it so I would have to stay here forever. Alone."
Alora glided forward, closing the space between herself and Holly. As she approached, the coins shifted again and moved the serving plate in her direction. Holly caught a glimpse of something dark reflecting in the plate, but Alora hissed suddenly and batted it away. Holly jumped with fright at the outburst. Maybe the woman had seen it too, she thought.
Alora composed herself and moved closer. "She also put a curse on me for being so beautiful. It’s too painful to see myself anymore."
"Why would she do that?"
"She was jealous, I suppose," Alora replied with a flippant tone.
Holly took another tiny step back as she scanned the room for an exit.
"My key," Alora said. "You have it. Will you give it to me?"
"I don’t think that’s a good idea," Holly replied. She tightened her grip around the key. There was something about the way Alora looked at her with eyes that seemed to devour her.
The woman huffed. "What would you know? It’s not like you have been trapped here for hundreds of years. Now, hand it over." She held out her hand.
Holly thought for a long time. There wasn’t any way out of the room that she could see, and there was no way she would give up the key. Over Alora’s shoulder, Holly saw a wooden trap door in the ceiling. The only place she hadn’t looked before. She spotted the same Celtic design carved in its wood as the first trapdoor had.
"What is there to think about?" Alora barked.
"I um… uhh." Holly moved backwards and around the table in an attempt to make her way over to what she hoped was the way out.
"Come child. Give me my key!" Alora was almost twice her original height and seemed to grow larger the angrier she became. Holly knew she would have to be quick. Her eyes darted everywhere looking for something to help protect herself. Then she saw it. The shiny metal plate that caused Alora to retreat.
The woman must have seen her contemplate it because she pounced on Holly when she dived to retrieve it. They struggled together, Alora clawing at her legs and Holly thrashing them to kick her away.
"Give me my key!" the woman yelled. Holly grabbed for the golden helmet and smashed it into Alora’s head. Disoriented, the woman let her go long enough to reach the reflective platter. Holly rolled out of the woman’s grasp and onto the floor. As Alora recovered and whirled on her, Holly held the plate up like a shield.
Alora recoiled. She let out a ground-shaking screech and Holly used this opportunity to leap onto the table. Her boots crushed the sugary treats and she ran for the trap door. With a hop, she yanked the key from her pocket, jammed it into the lock, and twisted. It opened into blackness as it had before. Holly took one more look at Alora, who screamed and clawed at her own face, then pulled herself into the darkness.
* * *
With the emerald key in one hand and Emily in the other, Holly dropped onto her bed from the ceiling. She panted and remained on her back watching the Celtic designed trapdoor disappear until her mother entered the room.
"What is going on in here?" she asked with a smile. Holly smiled at her mother, happy to be home.
"Just playing."
"Where did you find that?" her mother said and pointed at the key. "It’s a lovely key. You should put it on a chain. Come with me and we’ll go get one."
Holly didn’t answer as her mother left. She contemplated whether or not she could return to Alora and the secret prison, then got to her feet to follow her mother out of the room. Emily sat on her bed and watched her leave.
About the Author
N.R. Wick writes fiction for young adults and children. She loves all things magical, fantastical, and supernatural, especially if it's dark. N.R. Wick has her Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and teaches adult education. She currently lives with her husband, Andrew, in the Kansas City area, where they enjoy legendary KC BBQ on a regular basis.
Discover other titles by N.R. Wick at NRWick.com
Mr. Kent’s Wall of Wonders - A Troubled Tweens Series Short Story
By D.D. Roy
Each year, Mr. Kent dreaded this day most of all.
It wasn’t really the report that was due. The forms were easy to fill in now that headquarters had sent him the ScanBot 5000, which made categorizing all his magical items quite simple.
His problem waited in Cabinet 11. He faced the wall of doors, each a different color. They varied from the largest, which held a flying bicycle (the girl who eventually wrote the movie E.T. had lived near him as a boy and caught Mr. Kent riding it one night in front of the full moon), to the smallest, barely the size of a ring box, which held a small rock from Mars.
The bell rang, and he stood near the window watching the students of Trinity hurry by. He spotted Jinnie first, jostled among the faster students, lost in thought. No doubt she was hearing or sensing a dozen colliding wishes among the middle schoolers, all ringing inside her head for attention. She’d described it as a buzzing feeling, like when you rode in a car that vibrated really hard, making your stomach quiver. She’d gotten used to it, and now it didn’t make her feel sick, but the sensation still made it hard for her to focus on anything else.
Soon he saw Maddy and her twin sister Grace. Maddy stomped down the sidewalk, shoving people out of the way. She wore her crazy striped tights as usual. No doubt some teacher would be sending her to the office at some point during the day.
Grace stepped daintily through the crowd, hugging other girls and smiling at everyone. Mr. Kent chuckled to himself. Grace glanced at the window and waved. She pointed at her wrist. He had loaned her a bright red bangle bracelet with a smiley face painted on it. She nodded and gave him a thumbs up. Good, that meant it was working.
Grace had a tendency to cry too much, and sometimes her bright smile was really hiding a deep and powerful sorrow. The enchanted bangle had the ability to cheer up anyone who wore it. You just had to tap the smiley face twice and think of one good thing that had happened to you. The happiness of that moment would then spread to your whole body, and any temporary sadness faded away.
Mr. Kent returned to his desk, shoving aside the normal school papers to reveal his report parchment. He no longer had to fill it out with a quill and ink, thank goodness, but the organization of the checkboxes had not changed in a hundred years, far before his time.
His door burst open, and Marcus flew into the room.
"Whatever’s the matter?" Mr. Kent asked.
"I fixed something that should have stayed broken!" He laid a bright yellow whistle on the table and backed away as if it might
explode.
Mr. Kent studied the plastic outer shell. It had been cracked at one point, he could see. "What’s wrong with it?" He turned the mouthpiece toward him.
"Don’t point it at your mouth!"
A horrifying shriek blasted from the whistle like the scream of a ghost. Mr. Kent cupped the whistle in his hands, trying to muffle the sound.
"See?" Marcus shouted.
"How long will it sound like this?" Mr. Kent yelled over the noise.
The piercing screech abruptly ended.
"That long," Marcus said.
Principal Bower hurtled into the room, looking every direction at once. "What was that? Who is hurt? Should we call an ambulance?"
Mr. Kent kept the whistle tight in his palm. "Whatever do you mean?"
"That agonized sound I heard coming from here. Surely something fell on someone?" She studied Marcus and Mr. Kent, then glanced behind the desk.
"We’re quite all right here," Mr. Kent said. "Perhaps it was the attendance office?"
Principal Bower backed slowly out of the room. "I’m not crazy. I heard that sound." She whirled and walked back into the hall.
Marcus sagged on the desk. "See?"
"Where did you get this?"
"Bruscilla threw it out the window of the bus after someone stepped on it. I figured it was Loki magic."
"Indeed." Mr. Kent didn’t dare open his hands again but nodded toward a blue cabinet on his wall. "Can you get that for me?"
Marcus opened the small door, and Mr. Kent thrust the whistle inside. It attempted another shrill cry, but he slammed the cabinet shut.
"I didn’t mean to fix it! I picked it up, and you know, I just did!"
Mr. Kent patted Marcus on the back. "You’ll get control of that power soon, and you’ll only fix things you intend to repair. Remember how Jinnie used to grant wishes haphazardly?"
"Boy do I." Marcus had gotten very sick after receiving ice cream he wished for as a joke.
"Now off to class. We’ll attend to that whistle at our next Troubled Tween meeting. The girls might know what Bruscilla intended to use it for."
Marcus nodded, shifting his backpack on his shoulders. "See you later."
