David Parker | A Separate State of Mind | A Blog by Elie Fares

Continued from Part 1.

“David, do you really have to go?” his girlfriend said in a rather sing-song voice. “I really want you to stay with me!”
He smiled. “Elodie, I honestly can‟t – the Magiliement has forbidden me from even trying to come see you! What would they do if they saw me here? A lot of people are dying, and no one is knowing how” he said as he caressed her hair. “I‟d rather stay with you! But they are after me! Whatever! I don‟t really care!”

“I know! By the way, I like your new necklace!”

And then a man came out of nowhere. He took David by the hand and pulled him away – the next thing David knew he was standing in a bustling downtown. Italian sentences were jumping out everywhere. David was in Rome.
He looked at the man who he knew was from the Magiliement: the magical parliament. He smiled, attempting to make things feel less tense. The man, however, did not smile back. He kept looking ahead as if his gaze was trying to conjure something – a moment later, a birch tree stood right in the center of the piazza.

“Come on!” he said as he ran to the tree. David followed suit. “Ok… this tree is a gate to Nostro Signora Del Spirito!” the man said, and David looked puzzled. “It‟s a church!” he said impatiently. “And I‟m supposed to go to a church because –?” asked David sarcastically, receiving a stern look. “Ok… ok!! I‟ll go!” and he entered the newly opened portal.

His feet left the ground … he was weightless, moving through nothingness… and then he hit firm ground. He was standing on a hill, next to a gothic looking church. He opened the door and entered. The place inside was sublime.
He ran towards the only thing he considered to be out of place: a golden table on which a scroll was found. Then, something else appeared: a rather complex looking pedestal with spots for objects, along with three dozen different artifacts: Crosses, chalices and candles. It was the first time David saw bare candles burning glowing red, blue, green and transparent lights.

Then he looked at the scroll, which seemed to be old since its edges were rather worn out. Before reading it, however, he looked around and noticed none of the other worshipers in the church could see him. Not wanting to dwell on that idea for long, he unrolled the scroll and read.

Three Dozens divided equally

In fours, you create a symbol, religiously.

Crosses, Chalices and Candles conjured magically

Will get you to the place you seek so desperately,

Begin with light and end with light… but not so lightly,

Lucidity is a color created powerfully,

Then lines combine and become divinely

A vessel follows and cradles so motherly

The next lines that embrace a soft glittering so passionately,

Next, you ought to, recognize the existence of a series, logically

Dozens divided to occupy twelve spots so perfectly,

Get the first six, right and the next six will follow smoothly

Only reversion and disorientation will fail your quest greatly

We leave you the option to decipher our Scroll intellectually

To get past our mind maze manufactured so meticulously

The power that is bestowed upon us is not to be taken carelessly

Either you get it or you’re stopped on your quest unquestionably…

This is a short story that I wrote a few years ago for an English course. It’s Harry Potter-inspired and I hope you’ll take the chance to read it and let me know what you think.

I’ll be posting it in a few parts. Presenting part 1.

As mortals bristled by to their workplaces, it seemed no one noticed as a long golden-scaled snake slithered next to their feet. Its eyes gleaming bright blue; its slit-tongue hissing, the snake took a detour into a shady alleyway right outside an antiques shop. It remained still in front of a wall before spitting three drops of poison on a small lever that was only visible to it.

The lever revolved and spun upwards as the bricks of the wall in front of it started to fade away to reveal what seemed to be another dark alley.
The snake hissed something that seemed strangely satisfactory before entering through the newly opened passage.

The lane was bordered on the right by low and strangely crafted sculptures. They showed people getting tortured.
On the left, a brick wall stood erect, on which characters of an unknown language were carved. The snake continued, hissing furiously trying to sense its way.

It stood in front of the seventh statue and slithered up to the woman‟s neck, who was shielding herself from a tall wizard. The snake, then, wrapped itself around the neck and squeezed three times. A scream emanated from the woman‟s mouth each time it did so. The statue‟s neck broke the third time, sending the woman‟s head tumbling to the ground.
As the statue‟s stones faded into nonexistence, a staircase appeared where the woman‟s feet had once been.
The snake slithered down into what seemed to be an underground church.

The Cross-shaped ceiling was all that remained to indicate the true nature of the place. Everything else was dismantled.
An empty chair stood on the altar.
The snake moved to the chair and as it neared the altar, it transformed into a man.

He flicked his fingers around and a bluish glow illuminated the place. Then, one by one, people started to appear, surrounded by heavy dark smoke.

“So…” he breathed eerily. “Will we be able to get the boy before he gets to the orb?”
A man who appeared to be one of his followers approached him fearfully, shaking.
He breathed. “David Parker is nowhere to be found – the Magiliement has sealed him well!” “SILENCE!” the snake man roared. He pointed his wand at the man who breathed furiously, shallowly in front of him – a jet of yellow light emanated out of the tip of his wand and the man fell to the floor, lifeless – dead. “This is what you get when you disappoint me!” he said calmly, his mouth twisting into a smile.

He drew out his long, pointed yellow nail and drew a sphere in the air. He looked at bright blue eyes that shone at him, as David Parker sat with his girlfriend on the lawn of his university, his hand bristling through her hair.