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its claws on the
Persian rug with determination. The cat spots me
looking at him and saunters over to my chair and
begins to rub his face on my pants. Purring erupts
from his oversized body and he leaps right up on the
table where the food is located.
    The marmalade cat sits on his haunches and begins to
wash his face. I watch in fascination as the animal
licks his paw and rubs it over his face. The grooming
keeps up for several minutes and no one says
anything. It’s as though it is a natural occurrence to
have a cat cleaning itself in the middle of a dining
table. When he plopped down on his back to clean
his privates I had seen enough and shooed him off the
table.
    Close at my back, a man appears with a steaming pot
of coffee, and fills my cup. It’s then that I decide that
it will have to be me that opens up the line of
communication. I had come downstairs not just for
food but also in hopes of finding out some
information. I decide to start things off with a bang
and mention what happened last night.
    The silence is awkward and I clear my throat. I figure
we had better join forces or I will never make it out of
this realm. I have seen some fantastic thing in my life
but nothing compared to last night.
    “Last night I went to the carnival in my hometown”.
Everyone stopped eating and looked at me as though
it was the most normal thing to discuss. . Tom even
nodded his head for me to go on, his grizzled beard
bobbing up and down, much like a circus clown. It
almost feels like I am on the latest reality TV show or
something. I lower my head slightly to conceal a
smile. I have the feeling I am going stark raving mad.
I am probably having a grand delusion and none of
this is real. It’s so quiet that you can hear a pin drop.
Lizzie breaks the ice and starts to talk much to my
relief.
“We were expecting you Ivy and we are aware of
why you are here”.
    I survey the people for a moment, unable to speak,
and can’t help but wonder if they have some violent
death in mind for me. It would be so easy to kill me
and no one would know. Here, in this wild land, the
norm is death. On the other hand maybe they are here
to help me. This doesn’t make sense either because I
don’t even know why I am here.
I place my hand on the locket that is around my neck.
I feel the texture of the smooth gold and roll it around
in my fingers. The tiny line in the center is under my
index finger and I consider popping the sphere open
and making a run from this place. I have a source of
great strength that I can tap into, and although I know
I must be cautious with this gift, it is mine.
    The group of people freeze, with expressions of
intense surprise on their faces as I hold the golden
sphere. There is unease in the air, and if tension
could be cut, a big slice would be sitting on my plate.
For an agonizing moment I sit here wondering what
to say next. I take a deep breath, then another. What
am I so afraid of? Am I dead and in an alternate
reality? As if she could read my thoughts, Lizzie
spoke up.
“Ivy,” she whispered.
    “
You are both body and spirit now. Nothing will be
the same for you and soon it will be time for you to
continue through the Underworld. You cannot
remain here but for a short time but while you are
here we will help prepare you for what is to come”.
    Lizzie is staring me straight in
my face. I can’t put
my finger on it, but there is something about her, that
tells me that she is holding something back. I have
always had
hidden intuition about people and places,
and when they come to me, time stands still.
Sometimes they come to me in a rush like distant
memories or things long forgotten. My life has
always been about secrets and more often than not I
am frightened by them.

Chapter 5
    Beneath the stone staircase is a small door that opens
to the outside. This place is more than a house. It’s a
sanctuary that boasts living creatures, ponds that
sparkle like crystal and