Read Online The Disciple and Other Stories of the Paranormal by Jemma Chase - Free Book Online
Authors: Jemma Chase
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them, and which
room each door leads to. So, the Conservatory had a lot of doors,
lucky us. However…”
“ However?”
“ There’s one called
Storage. That’s clearly where we are. So, Storage has two doors.
One that leads to the Conservatory and one that leads to…the
Stage.”
“ See? Maybe I’m right.
Let’s keep on looking. Maybe we can get to the play before it’s all
over.”
We tapped on all the walls, but none of them
sounded hollow and there were no doors. Susan looked up. “I don’t
see anything on this ceiling, but do you think we’re supposed to
knock through it?”
“ Maybe. Let’s move these
boxes first, just in case.”
We started lifting and shoving. “They’re
light, at least.” Susan shoved a set of boxes out of the way. One
fell. It remained closed, thankfully. She stamped on the ground.
“Nothing.”
“ Why is there a little rug
here?” I moved the boxes off the patch of carpet and Susan pulled
it up.
“ Jackpot!” There was a
trapdoor.
I pulled it up. It was very dark inside.
Blacker than black dark. The kind of dark that says you’re never
going to see light again. There was also a stepladder leading down.
It wouldn’t let two go side-by-side.
Susan gulped. “You first or me?”
“ Me. I’m the man, you’re
my wife. Just follow right after me, and don’t step on my
fingers.”
She gave a shaky laugh, folded the map up,
and tucked it into her bosom. I started down. Once my head was all
she could see, Susan got onto the ladder, too.
We were in total blackness. The trapdoor was
still open, but it seemed farther away than it should, like a tiny
patch of light we’d never reach again. “Matt? You still there?”
Susan whispered.
“ Yeah. Haven’t hit bottom
yet.”
We went down ninety-nine steps by my count.
I’d been expecting thirty-three, but the boss liked to have his
jokes. Next time I did this, it might be a hundred and thirty-two
or even a hundred and ninety-eight. One set of thirty-three for
each millennia.
Finally my foot hit what felt like floor. “I
think we’re there. Hang on, let me be sure.”
“ Don’t let go of the
ladder!”
“ I won’t.” With one hand
holding tight to the side of the ladder, I felt around with my
foot. There was certainly enough room for two to stand here. “Come
on down.”
I kept my hand out so I could feel her when
she reached the floor. As she stepped off the last rung of the
ladder, I pulled her to me. “I can’t tell what else is in here.” I
wrapped my arm around her again. “I think we want to move slowly
and stay close together.”
I wasn’t happy with our location. This was a
game, but it was also a test, and any one of us could fail. If I’d
have had a choice, I’d have gone back to the Conservatory rather
than down in here, but I’d have had to give Susan an explanation
and that wasn’t in the rules of the game. Besides, any explanation
I could give would only terrify her more, not less.
“ No argument from me,
Matt. At all.” Susan put her arm around my waist. She was
shivering.
Now that we were together I could let go of
the ladder and touch the wall. We inched along it to our right, and
I tested every step carefully. I’d never been in this room before,
but I’d heard the rumors. In this room, one wrong step and we’d
spend the rest of existence in this darkness, only we wouldn’t be
together.
My left foot slipped, just a little, and I
shoved us both closer to the wall. I took a deep breath and kept
moving, even more slowly. After what seemed like an eternity, I
felt an opening. There was still floor, but no more wall.
We rounded this corner in the same way –
inching our way. Happily it was a corner, not a drop off into
nothingness.
“ Do you see something?”
Susan asked. “Like a little white fluttering, way off in the
distance?”
“ Maybe.”
We got closer. Susan was right, there was
definitely something small and white fluttering in front of us,
though it was still
room each door leads to. So, the Conservatory had a lot of doors,
lucky us. However…”
“ However?”
“ There’s one called
Storage. That’s clearly where we are. So, Storage has two doors.
One that leads to the Conservatory and one that leads to…the
Stage.”
“ See? Maybe I’m right.
Let’s keep on looking. Maybe we can get to the play before it’s all
over.”
We tapped on all the walls, but none of them
sounded hollow and there were no doors. Susan looked up. “I don’t
see anything on this ceiling, but do you think we’re supposed to
knock through it?”
“ Maybe. Let’s move these
boxes first, just in case.”
We started lifting and shoving. “They’re
light, at least.” Susan shoved a set of boxes out of the way. One
fell. It remained closed, thankfully. She stamped on the ground.
“Nothing.”
“ Why is there a little rug
here?” I moved the boxes off the patch of carpet and Susan pulled
it up.
“ Jackpot!” There was a
trapdoor.
I pulled it up. It was very dark inside.
Blacker than black dark. The kind of dark that says you’re never
going to see light again. There was also a stepladder leading down.
It wouldn’t let two go side-by-side.
Susan gulped. “You first or me?”
“ Me. I’m the man, you’re
my wife. Just follow right after me, and don’t step on my
fingers.”
She gave a shaky laugh, folded the map up,
and tucked it into her bosom. I started down. Once my head was all
she could see, Susan got onto the ladder, too.
We were in total blackness. The trapdoor was
still open, but it seemed farther away than it should, like a tiny
patch of light we’d never reach again. “Matt? You still there?”
Susan whispered.
“ Yeah. Haven’t hit bottom
yet.”
We went down ninety-nine steps by my count.
I’d been expecting thirty-three, but the boss liked to have his
jokes. Next time I did this, it might be a hundred and thirty-two
or even a hundred and ninety-eight. One set of thirty-three for
each millennia.
Finally my foot hit what felt like floor. “I
think we’re there. Hang on, let me be sure.”
“ Don’t let go of the
ladder!”
“ I won’t.” With one hand
holding tight to the side of the ladder, I felt around with my
foot. There was certainly enough room for two to stand here. “Come
on down.”
I kept my hand out so I could feel her when
she reached the floor. As she stepped off the last rung of the
ladder, I pulled her to me. “I can’t tell what else is in here.” I
wrapped my arm around her again. “I think we want to move slowly
and stay close together.”
I wasn’t happy with our location. This was a
game, but it was also a test, and any one of us could fail. If I’d
have had a choice, I’d have gone back to the Conservatory rather
than down in here, but I’d have had to give Susan an explanation
and that wasn’t in the rules of the game. Besides, any explanation
I could give would only terrify her more, not less.
“ No argument from me,
Matt. At all.” Susan put her arm around my waist. She was
shivering.
Now that we were together I could let go of
the ladder and touch the wall. We inched along it to our right, and
I tested every step carefully. I’d never been in this room before,
but I’d heard the rumors. In this room, one wrong step and we’d
spend the rest of existence in this darkness, only we wouldn’t be
together.
My left foot slipped, just a little, and I
shoved us both closer to the wall. I took a deep breath and kept
moving, even more slowly. After what seemed like an eternity, I
felt an opening. There was still floor, but no more wall.
We rounded this corner in the same way –
inching our way. Happily it was a corner, not a drop off into
nothingness.
“ Do you see something?”
Susan asked. “Like a little white fluttering, way off in the
distance?”
“ Maybe.”
We got closer. Susan was right, there was
definitely something small and white fluttering in front of us,
though it was still
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