This Is Hope (Chapter Three)

Incantations-Chapter Three


The fear and regret that was trapped inside of me grew when I opened my eyes to my father looking at me with worry. All I remembered was yelling at my dad and Nancy for getting married and my memory recalls me looking down at my dad from six feet in the air and yelling, "I can't!" Everything else felt like a blurry dream.

"So, you don't remember anything else?" my father sighed. I shook my head sluggishly. My father looked at me in despair and walked across the room to a wooden shelf. I was laying down on a table that was covered with a smooth, silk cloth. It felt soft and it made me calm. I looked around and realized that we were in the attic which I have been in twice in my life. The first time I was six years old and my mother had sent me to get a box for her. She said the box contained ancient artifacts from our ancestors. I was really excited to see what was inside because back then I was a very curious child but unfortunately, we never found it. The second time was when we were prepping my grandmother's funeral six years ago. She wanted to be buried with a picture frame of one of her best friends. When I saw the picture, I was confused because there was no one else in the photo other than my grandmother holding a black top hat in her left hand. Now, after finding out the truth about myself and my family, I now understand everything clearly.

"What happened to Nancy?" I asked, cluelessly. My father turned around to face me, sighed, and continued stretching for a box on the shelf. He grunted once he realized that he could not reach it. He took a step back and started whispering a chant, " Carum duce me ad hoc perducere animos dimisit." Suddenly, the cardboard box began floating and moving towards my father until it was snug it his arms. I stood there in awe and shock. "Couldn't you just use the ladder?" I asked.

"This is easier," my father replied.

"Speaking of, what was that?" I questioned.

"I will explain in a minute. Do you remember the box that your mother sent you to retrieve ten years ago?"

"Umm... yeah but we never found it," I mentioned.

"That's because your mother forgot to tell you that it was hidden; placed under a spell called Invisibilia. If you're smart enough, you'll know that it means Invisible," my father explained, " We placed it under Invisisblia because a couple days before you were sent to get it, a group of our past enemies were after the containments inside the box."

I remained silent as my father continued to explain the importance of the so-called "De Antiquis Box" which is Latin for Box of Ancients.

"So, is that the box you are holding?" I queried. My father nodded. "Well, it doesn't look all that special to me. It looks like a regular cardboard box."

"Ah! That's where you are mistaken. It may look like a regular cardboard box but beneath it all is something extraordinary," my father excitedly announced as he swirled his hands above the box. A mysterious mist covered the box in a rotative direction. It smelt like burning smoke but it looked like a soft, silk blanket covered with pixie dust. Soon, the mist faded and it revealed something that was indeed extraordinary.

It was a leather box with three compartments. There was one at the very top and two on the front. My father opened the top compartment and I looked inside. There were so many things inside that small box and there was still extra space remaining at the bottom. I pulled out the first thing I saw; a tiny book. As I took it out, it grew bigger into a huge bible-size chronicle. I looked at it and read the title aloud, " The Ancient Book of Incantations and Procedures of Enchantment: Volume 2, by James C. Cauldron." I was so happy. I had no idea that there were multiple parts to the book. "Oh my gosh! Volume 2? How did you-"

"James Cauldron is your great, great, great uncle," my father interrupted.

"How many sections are there? Do you have them?" I squeaked in excitement.

"Five. But two were lost and the other is in a museum. I only have Volume One and Two. You should read them both. You'll learn so much," my father suggested.

"I've already read the first book two years ago. It was amazing," I told my dad. He went on explaining about the two books that were lost. One of them was stolen in Egypt and got mixed up with the wrong set of people who eventually sold it to an unknown source. It was never heard of again. The second one was on its way to Iran via the Indian Ocean but there was a deadly storm and it was lost at sea. I was very intrigued. I had no idea that my family was associated with such powerful forces. "Your mother and I should have told you about this sooner...but Harley, you were meant to do great, powerful things. I wish she was here to see you grow and harness your power," he said, deeply.

"Power?"I blandly asked.

"Close your eyes and concentrate. Repeat after me: Princeps copias intra," my father spoke. I did as he said and repeated the words. He told me to lay down and continue chanting. The room was silent and all to be heard was the incantation coming out of my mouth. Soon, a howling wind swooped into the room. "Don't stop!" my father shouted. The light that was gleaming through my eyelids disappeared and I felt the silk cloth beneath me slowly slipping as I rose. opened my eyes and stopped chanting and everything went quiet but I was still floating in mid-air. I started to freak out but my father calmed me down so I closed my eyes again. Suddenly, lightning struck my chest and the electricity went coursing through my body. I opened my eyes once more in fright and there I saw the impossible.