Book of the Past

Created for the Big Short Story Contest.
             
         I had no idea how many hours I had been lost in the labyrinth of the forest. Night was quickly falling and I had to find my way out soon. My strawberry blonde hair was turning brown and my shimmering blue eyes were being disguised by the grime.
         The darkness suddenly surrounded me and I felt like I was being smothered by a blanket. I reached out and felt my way over to a tree and slumped down.
         I was utterly exhausted and all hope of finding my way out had been extinguished with the light of day. I pulled my knees into my chest and rested my head on them.
         My parents would be questioning my whereabouts soon as I failed to report for dinner. Somehow that wasn’t too soothing. I began to sob sheepishly, and reminded myself that I was turning thirteen in two days. Thirteen year olds don’t cry! Or that is what I believed.
         That was when I noticed it- the book lying closed, alone and forlorn in the middle of the clearing. It was purple and seemed to carry a burden not yet dispensed.
         I pulled myself up so I could get a better look of the book. I cautiously walked towards the volume, never letting my eyes slip from its cover. It seemed remotely ominous, which created a sense of dread in me as I came ever closer to it.
         Suddenly, the book flew open! A light, blue light erupted from the center throwing the blanket of darkness into what seemed like daylight. I sheltered my ears from the horrendous noise. Voices seemed to be coming ubiquitously- men, woman, children.
         The light formed a cobra in the sky and whipped back is if attacking an unidentified target. Blue translucent heads soared out of the book in all directions, screaming in agony.
         I was reduced to the ground with my hands gripping my head firmly. That was when I noticed one of the heads had stopped in front of me rising up and down as if on a cloud.
         I took my hands off my ears and slowly scooted backwards, not knowing what she wanted.
         The face was of a woman in her late twenties. She had long, flowing hair and beautiful eyes. She stared at me for a moment before speaking.
         “Why?” she said, almost mournfully. I looked at the face inquisitively, pondering my next move.
         “Why, release us now?” she whispered. Her voice was soft and pleasant. It never skipped a beat.
         “Where did you come from? What kind of book is that?” I asked. All these questions ran through my mind simultaneously.
         “We are from the Land of the Dead,” she replied, “You have stumbled upon The Book of the Past.”
         “What do you plan to do?”
         “That is something I can not answer. I plan to return to my hometown and live peacefully in Norwich, but others will not be so friendly.”
         “”What do you mean?”
         “Some of these people were tortured, many murdered. Would you just stand around if you had a chance to avenge your death?
         I finally began to understand. The book was a portal, a portal into the Land of the Dead. It was where souls were collected and lived after their life on Earth, and I had just released them into our world.
         “What can I do to stop it?” I asked quickly.
         “Nothing. Absolutely nothing. The book has been locked for many centuries. The key is lost for ever.”
         Suddenly, everything went white and an opaque covering surrounded my corneas. I pulled the ancient key out my pocket and fitted it into the side of the book. The souls returned to the book eternally. The blue light instantly ceased and our world was at peace once again.
          The premonition had shown me what I had to do, and the world came back into view.
         “Can you get me to my house?”
         The face stared blankly at me.
         Suddenly, a blue archway appeared displaying my house in the distance.
         “How will I return?” I asked.
         “Snap twice and I will return you to this dark forest,” the face replied.
         I walked through the archway into my backyard and immediately took off towards my parent’s bedroom. I burst through the door leaving my parents in bewilderment at the dinner table below. I rushed upstairs to my parent’s bedroom and opened my mom’s jewelry case.
         The case was red and a mirror made up the top. It had been passed down to the women in my family for many generations. In two days, it will become mine!
         I pulled the gold, rusty key from the bottom and stared at it with awe. Had it been passed down specifically for me? Was it destiny that my family owned this key? Was it destiny that placed me in that forest at the particular time the book came to life?
         I snapped my fingers twice. Nothing happened. I snapped twice again, more quickly. Nothing happened. I began to snap wildly. It was no use. The face had betrayed me. Or had it all been a dream?
         I would never know. That night I crawled into bed and pulled the comforter up around me. I was so exhausted I fell asleep instantly. I awoke the next morning at 7:06 to sounds of people screaming, screaming in agony. I knew then it was never a dream! The book was real!