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Writer
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: London
Posts: 44
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Novice - 1st Chapter
Please ignore formatting.
BOOM! The blinding flash blasted Piph onto her brother Rufus landing them both flat on their backs onto the cobbled street. Piph, being 11 and a year younger than her brother, had long straight chestnut hair, which mostly cascaded tidily around her delicate and slender face, but was now completely covering it, looking as though she had a mop for a head and irritatingly blew its front out of her upturned brown eyes which were now turning green, as they did so on the rare occasions of her getting upset, which at this very moment, she was extremely.
Rufus sat up as quickly as he could “Excellent!” he screeched and jumping up, peered with his powder blue eyes up along the stone steps nestled between the rock cliffs from where the blinding flash had just exploded, the warm night wind blowing his strawberry blonde hair around his tanned face beaming with a great big excited smile.
“Our books! Our books!” screamed Mr and Mrs Black as they stretched over the harbour wall fumbling to save their most treasured books now floating in the dark sea, having been emptied from their suitcases as they were crashed against the harbour wall by the blast.
But Rufus didn’t take any notice of his anxious parents and had no immediate intention of helping them get back their books, the top of the stone steps taking up all of his attention. “Come on Piph, let’s go and see what made the blast.”
“But what if there’s another blast and we’re half way up the steps? We’ll get thrown to the bottom of them that’s what – just leave it. We’re late as it is.” retorted Piph being really slightly worried as to what was at the top of the stone steps.
“Don’t be silly – come on!” demanded Rufus.
Piph got up from the cobbled street, smoothing her hair back into place as she did so. Rufus then looked back at Piph who was now brushing down her dusty clothes and shook his head. “Stop fussing and come on will you – we could be missing something speculator!”
“Trouble, trouble, trouble – that’s all you ever look for Rufus Black!” mocked Piph secretly admiring her brother as he was always fancying himself to be one hero or another and who constantly found himself in mischief, where, whenever he inevitably got caught in a mischievous situation, would sullenly tell anyone who would listen, with his head held high and his hand on his heart ‘The situation in which you find me cannot be helped as I have the soul of an age old explorer who cannot be contained or restrained!’ and which would resign most people to letting him get away with most things. Piph on the other hand was quite the opposite of Rufus, being a little cautious and rather shy with a sweet nature and infectious giggle.
Rufus found running up the stone steps within the rock cliffs rather difficult as they were smooth and rounded as though they had been walked on for hundreds of years and were nearly worn out.
“Wait for me!” shouted Piph now becoming scared of the dark and gloomy stairway, the only glimmer of light shining from the moon.
Rufus waited for Piph who at last caught up with him and tightly gripped his top, not even letting go when they reached the top of the stone steps.
As Rufus and Piph stood at the top, a little way in front of them, surrounded by rolling green meadows, looking like it had no business being there standing on its own, was a old rickety shop called Justice & Gallows “Strange name for a shop, come on, let’s go in” rushed Rufus.
“I think it looks a bit scary, let’s go back” begged Epiphany.
“Go back, no way!” exclaimed Rufus “Anyway, someone may have been in there when the blast went off and might be hurt so we should at least see if they’re alright” he pleaded hoping this would appeal to his sister’s better nature, which of course it did.
As they walked up to the bright glass door, Rufus and Piph realised it couldn’t be opened as it didn’t have a handle. “Well that’s that then – we can’t get in so we’ll just have to go” declared Piph quite delighted. But Rufus wasn’t beaten yet and felt all around the glass door trying to find a way how it could be opened, but still couldn’t find anything and huffed “Blow it! I just wish I could get in there!” Creak…the glass door slowly opened. “Cool, a wishing door” joked Rufus, not realising that that’s exactly what the door was.
The door’s bright light then suddenly dimmed as they walked through it revealing a dark cluttered murky old shop. A wooden counter with a glass lid ran along the length of one of the walls filled with bits and bobs and very old things as were the wooden shelves hanging from the walls, but what caught Rufus’ attention the most was a wall covered with swords, shields, bows and arrows all from days gone by – everything he would need to take on his most excellent imaginary adventures.
But what Rufus and Piph hadn’t seen in the darkest corner of the room, in front of bookcases upon bookcases filled with thousands of thick black books sitting at a wood knotted writing desk was a young man opening a brand new thick black book to its clean first page where he began to write, or should I say pretended to write, as the pen didn’t need any help, it could write on its own, its eerie black ink flowing from the eager phantom floating in its top
“Ah, my first customers of the day”
“Ah, my first customers of the day” whispered the craggy voice of Grim.
Rufus and Piph were so startled they nearly jumped out of their skins. Getting up from a wood knotted writing desk, under a flickering flamed gas lamp jutting out from the wall stood a skinny old man turning up its brightness, the flames making him look shallow and spooky. He had short grey sleeked hair with a tiny quiff at its front and his shiny glass blue eyes bore deep within his head, his cheekbones were dark and hollowed with very pale skin as were his long thin lips.
“He looks like he could be almost dead”
“He looks like he could be almost dead” whispered Rufus, but Piph didn’t think that was funny – no not funny at all as she was now extremely scared and gripped even more tightly onto Rufus’ top.
Grim wore a grey cardigan over a crisp white shirt and a big black pin pierced within the knot in his grey tie. His trousers were also grey, as again were his ever so tatty shoes and his grey knitted fingerless gloves showed skinny knotted fingers. Piph thought she was probably not mistaken in thinking that grey was his favourite colour.
While rubbing his old bony hands, Grim walked up to the glass counter where pride of place sat a shabby frame with a certificate inside it which read:
Mr Grimaldi
Proprietor of Justice & Gallows Since ----
But dust covered the year and Epiphany being the perfectionist she was desperately wanted to wipe the dust from the frame, but thought it would be bad manners to do so and frustratingly left it.
“Is that you?” pointed Rufus at the framed certificate.
“Yes, but my friends call me Grim, not that I am mind you…” he crowed “…now, are you looking for something in particular, or just browsing?”
“Er, to be honest, we’ve just come here to see if everything’s alright” informed Rufus.
“Yes, everything is fine. Why do you ask?” wondered Grim teasingly.
“Well, there seemed to be an explosion of some sort which came from the top of the stone steps and as this is the only place at the top, we presumed it came from here”
“Ah, the flash!” chuckled Grim “Not to worry, I had a small accident with one of the gas lamps – I’m getting a little old and forgetful and turned on the gas valve earlier on and forgot to light it and when I eventually did, with all the gas that was in the air, it just blew up a little, but nothing was damaged and all is well.” lied Grim.
Piph spoke up at last “Well, if you’re sure you’re alright, we’ll be going” and tried pulling Rufus so that they could leave.
“You can’t go yet!” insisted Grim smiling peculiarly making Piph now absolutely and completely frightened “Let me give you a gift for your kind intentions – take anything you want…although…” Grim leaned towards them over the counter his spellbinding eyes sinking even deeper within his head “…chose carefully, you know what they say, whoever was the last owner of something, that sometimes, just sometimes a little of that person still lingers which can lead to all sorts of trouble!”
“I don’t want anything thank you very much and we must definitely be going now – come on Rufus…” Piph pulled at her brother and with gritted teeth strained “…we absolutely have to be going!” But Rufus wasn’t having any of it and dashed up to the wall of weaponry trying to decide which one was his favourite.
“This one!” exclaimed Rufus and reached up to take an ancient sword off the wall.
“Oh dear, you’re a little young to be going around with a sword don’t you think? May I suggest you look in this cabinet – there are a number of items here that may interest you.” offered Grim.
Rufus, being a little disappointed that he couldn’t have the sword, glumly walked over to the cabinet Grim had just opened. At once, Rufus was strangely drawn to a curious little rusted box carved in the shape of a book. What’s that?” he asked.
Grim picked up the little rusted box and opened it. On a bed of blue silk lay one half of a wishbone. “It’s said this was once owned by a boy so special he was hidden away and that in his loneliness made a wish, the last wish he was ever to wish, for that very night – he disappeared – it’s said that’s what he wished for, but others say he was took, never to be seen again. It’s also said that the wishbone still lingers its last wish and if ever the two halves of the wishbone were ever again met, the boy’s last wish would come true.”
Rufus’ imagination went wild. A special boy, never seen again, wish would come true! “That’s the one for me!”
Grim then put the rusted box back into the cabinet. “I don’t think you want something as boring as a wishbone – why don’t you come and look over here, there may be another item that takes your fancy” Grim then slowly and hesitantly walked towards the end of the counter.
“No thank you, I’ve made my mind up – the wishbone please”
“Well…if you’re quite sure…” smirked Grim who walked back to the cabinet which held the little rusted box and handed it over to Rufus.
Rufus held it open in his hand and entirely satisfied with his choice, closed its lid and pushed it deep within the pocket of his jeans “Are you sure you don’t want paying for it?” asked Rufus.
“Quite sure …” Grim insisted strangely, then whispering to himself “…not now anyway”
Piph shot a suspicious glance at Grim, not sure as to whether she heard him right. “What did you say?”
“I said I’ve got to lock up now anyway – it is getting rather late you know” and with that Grim turned off the gas lamp on the wall behind him where dark and creepy shadows came to life springing across the ceiling and climbing down the walls.
Grim then went round to the front of the counter to show the children out, but before he did so, picked up the tatty framed certificate and teasingly brushed away the cobwebs that covered it wondering whether the children would look upon it, which if they had, they would have seen that Grim had owned the shop since the beginning of time and where he smirked sneakily they didn’t even bother to notice.
Piph didn’t need telling twice to leave the horrible dingy shop, near enough running to get out of it, followed by Rufus and Grim, and became utterly upset when she couldn’t find how to open the glass door, her eyes turning bright green to prove it. Grim crept in front of Piph and craftily dragged his slowly clenching fist towards him commanding the door to open, but Piph couldn’t see him do this as his back hid her view. “Come back whenever you want – I’m sure I’ll have something of your liking” Grim said the door now wide open. Piph moved to the other side of Rufus as they both walked through the doorway together not wanting to go anywhere near Grim “We will…” replied Rufus “…and thanks again for the gift.”
“You’re welcome…very welcome indeed” sneered Grim as Rufus and Piph walked back down the worn out stone steps in between the rock cliffs, Piph now being stuck to Rufus like glue.
Once Rufus and Piph were out of sight, Grim mysteriously changed from being old back to young, standing tall and self-important, his spiky purple hair matching his high collared suit and the black pin from his old grey tie changed into the onyx cane of menace, his name - Gallows.
The shop then faded away, leaving all but a shiny gateway, Gallows leaving the phantom pen still furiously writing which would never stop until it reached the very last page of the thick black book and where it plotted to write the last lingering wish of the wishbone would fail, Gallows then winning the souls of Rufus and Piph forever imprisoning them in their very own Book of Souls.
Mysteriously, another shiny gateway suddenly appeared where from it came Justice looking exactly the same as Gallows, but wearing white and holding the silver cane of truth, but the dove figure which sat on its top soared from it vanishing as it hunted through the dim world of Gallows for the new Book of Souls the dove entered the now ghostly shop of Gallows, his shadowy helpers hidden in its corners, the bits and bobs now floating each of their secrets and the thick black books on the many bookcases wept to be set free - Gallows’ Library of Souls.
The Dove regally sat with its wings spread facing the phantom pen on a smog desk, the wood knotted writing desk gone, and closing its wings around itself, became a fair feathered friend, a white feathered quill pen where the dove could be seen fluttering within it’s bone and which would write the help Justice would give for Rufus and Piph to fulfil the wishbone’s last lingering wish, and with shimmering ink began.
“What mischief this time Gallows?”
“What mischief this time Gallows?” scorned Justice.
“The wishbone!” wrote the phantom pen.
“The wishbone!” Gallows warned blissfully.
And like a battle the phantom pen and the fair feathered friend fought to write their entries.
Justice’s face expressed a worrying frown which could be heard in his voice “After all these years, you finally tempted someone to take the wishbone.”
“Don’t say it like that! I didn’t make them come in, the boy wished it so. Anyway, I gave them more chances than the others, not only did I try to change the boy’s mind, I put your name on the front of the shop, even put a frame right in front of the kids noses with your name on it and the year we started as well – could’ve easily caught me out if they’d bothered to look at the frame and seen how long we’ve been doing this or could’ve said your name at any time, and I would’ve disappeared and the steps of temptation would never have been!”
“But they didn’t!” tempered Justice.
Gallows didn’t say a word, his mischievous grin said it all and with another burst of light they both disappeared into their gateways which would have been known to anyone from miles who believed old wives tales and was unfortunate enough to have just seen what happened to be the myth of the Gateways of Justice & Gallows.
Thanks for your time....Vanessa
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