Chapter four: The Weapon Within

Chapter four: The Weapon Within



It happened so fast that I didn’t have time to adjust, or react. A second ago I was standing in front of a doorway in the middle of a forest. The doorway, which I had assumed was the Mind’s Door, had plunged me into a state of isolation the second I walked through it. The forest was now gone and I could see nothing but white.

I was standing in a room… a room that was completely white. I turned around to see if I could get out the way I had come, but the door was gone, a blank wall in its place. The room was quite peculiar; the walls were bare, no windows or doors anywhere. Yet, I could see. There had to have been some source of light, but I could see none, the room seemed to illuminate on its own, as if the air itself was giving off light.

The room, it seemed was completely empty, except, of course, me. Then something caught my eye, something on the far end of the room, it was a desk. Hesitantly I walked over to it. It was a normal wood desk, flat shiny surface with various drawers on the side. I opened each one only to find that they were empty. I looked quizzically at it for a while and then gave up all thought about it.

I sighed, this certainly was boring, and here I am in a white room with a desk. I turned around, where I had entered there was a chair, a wooden chair. I was sure that it hadn’t been there before; I walked over to it so as to see it more closely. It was, like the desk, completely normal with no apparent significance whatsoever. Tired from all that walking I sat down. The moment I touched the chair something happened, I could hear a voice echoing through the room. I was a beautiful voice, a girl’s…It sounded both familiar and strange at the same time, and this is what it said to me:



You must find the thing,

You once thought lost.

You must seek the one,

No matter the cost.



The one who is,

Most important to you,

Will be the one,

To guide you through.



To complete this task,

You must be true and brave,

If it is the person,

You wish to save.



Close to your heart,

Hangs the light.

A light to use,

If ever you fight.



Use the light,

When all other light is out.

Use it to remind you,

What this quest is about.



And as you ascend higher,

Forgetting as you reach the peak,

There’s one thing you must remember,

And that’s the one you seek…



The voice faded away. I was confused, who was that? It had sounded so familiar. I repeated what had just been said to me, “You must find the thing you once thought lost…you must seek the one no matter the cost.” What did that mean? What had I lost? I raced quickly through my memory… the only thing I could think of was Jordan. I had indeed lost her; we had once been a couple but I had made a huge mistake. I’ve been beating myself up ever since. But what did it mean? I have to find Jordan? I repeated the second part. “The one who is most important to you…will be the one to guide you through.” Jordan was, in fact, very important to me…but how would she be able to guide me through? And through what, exactly was I supposed to go? I shook my head and said the next part. “To complete this task you must be true and brave…if it is that person you wish to save.” Task…I had to do a task? True? Brave? All these words meant absolutely nothing to me. “…if it is that person you wish to save.” What, was she in trouble? And how would I save her? “Close to your heart hangs the light…a light to use if ever you fight.” Fight? I have to fight? Close to my heart, what the heck does that mean? I placed my hand over my heart, half-expecting to feel something, but it was only it beating.

Then I did feel something, I looked down and wrapped around my finger was a necklace. It was my necklace, made of seashells; it was the one Jordan had given to me years ago. I stared at it, and the pulled, it wouldn’t move away from my heart. Thinking that it simply had gotten stuck on my shirt I pulled again. This time it did move, but not much. I looked at it more closely, both the ends were tied together as a necklace normally is, but instead of being looped around my neck, it was looped around a metal ring. It seemed to be coming right out of my shirt. I pulled again and it came out even more, the ring, it seemed was attached to some sort of handle. I was scared now and grabbed the handle. I pulled again and it slid out, as easily as a knife through butter. The handle turned out to be attached to a hilt. From that hilt came a blade. To somebody else it would have looked like I had just gotten stabbed. But when you get stabbed the blade comes out the other side, this one didn’t, it just disappeared into my heart. I pulled more, the blade continued to slide out of my chest, I didn’t hurt, in fact, I felt nothing at all. There in my hand was a sword, the handle was gold and the blade shined bright silver. In fact the blade itself seemed to emit a radiant glow all its own. It was about three feet long, give or take, from the tip of the blade to the bottom of the handle, add an extra few inches for the seashell necklace which now dangled freely from the metal ring. I was shocked. Where had this thing come from? Then I repeated the verse again, “Close to your heart hangs the light…a light to use if ever you fight” Well, that part made sense now. “Use the light, when all other light is out,” I noticed the glowing blade, “Use it to remind you what this quest is about.” That part confused me, until I looked at the sword more closely. There, on the hilt was a carved heart, in it was the letter J. “Jordan,” I said out loud. “And as you ascend higher, forgetting as you reach the peak…there’s one thing you must remember, and that’s the one you seek.” This part really confused me. Ascend higher, forgetting? What did all of that mean? But before I had time to think about it I heard another voice. But this voice was different, I could identify this one, it was mine. Indeed it was my voice that echoed around the room. I quit thinking and listened to what I had to say:

The key to my mind lies dormant,

As does the key to my heart.

They are connected...

The key and the keyhole.

The keyhole I know...

My heart and mind.

It is the key I need,

To unlock the thoughts and feelings,

That dwell within.

The key to my mind...

...the key to my heart...

Lie dormant,

Amidst the chaos that is life.

To awaken would be bliss...

To be unlocked and free...


The Key...

...is what I need...

I didn’t get it…what did all of this mean? The poem, the sword, and then hearing my voice. A key? What key? I shook my head and tried to relax. I looked up and across the room I saw something on the desk, it was a piece of paper. I got up and walked over to the desk, the sword still glowing in my hand, and there on the desk was a wrinkled piece of paper with something scribbled on it. I picked it up with my free hand and read:



In the drawer…

Through the door.

Go up the stairs,

Hurry



Without hesitating I put the paper in my pocket and opened the first drawer, the first of three. Nothing, I opened the second one, still nothing. My fingers trembled as I wrapped them around the handle of the third and final drawer. Slowly I pulled, my heart racing, it slid opened. What I saw made me gasp, and I felt as though my heart had stopped, for there, lying where there had been nothing before, was a silver key.