The Enchanted Map
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The magical, country town of Berlin holds a secret.
Mike Rabbit has the perfect life working as a hairdresser in the city and running with his courageous girlfriend, Susan Fish.
However, when he finds an enchanted map in his cellar, he begins to realize that things are not quite as they seem in the Rabbit family. A secret is hidden beneath the surface… and it involves the two most powerful creatures on Earth: The Moon and the Sun.
And now Mike has to run for his life if he’s ever going to get home.
⁂
He was sure this was all some kind of sick joke. He tried again but once more nothing happened except the creaking of ancient timbers. It wasn’t until he put a little bit of pressure against the door frame, that something gave way underneath him and the sound from below finally echoed through the room.
‘I’m coming,’ said Chris nervously, ‘It won’t take me long.’ But just before Chris could make any further moves or turn around the door swung open wide enough so that he could see what lay beyond it. There stood a man holding out a lantern; behind him stood another man who carried a large sword at his side – both of whom seemed to be staring directly into Chris’ eyes.
Chris swallowed hard, taking in their intimidating looks. Then he straightened up and stepped forward. As soon as he did so he found himself being hauled up onto the trapdoor, which closed shut after it had been sealed by the other pair of hands.
Once they were there alone with only the light from above them, the first one turned round to face him. His long beard looked as though it had never seen a razor, while his facial hair was greying and every strand seemed to stand out like a bristly spike ready to stab you in the eye.
His voice sounded gruff, yet deep and resonant.
“Well…looks like we have ourselves a newcomer,” he said simply. “What do you want? I can promise you, that if you’re here for mischief then you’ll find yourself on your own…”
Chris hesitated. Why would anyone want to come all this way down here to tell him off? If they wanted to do anything unpleasant then surely the best thing would be for them to go ahead and try anyway.
All right, his last day had been horrible, especially since Julie didn’t even care that she’d broken her leg. In fact, she hadn’t spoken to him at all between waking up at the hospital and leaving. What should he say to these men, assuming they weren’t in some way dangerous?
They must have been tough judging by how strong they were. However, there was something about them that made him think twice about acting rashly. After all, they might just let him live!
With each passing second, he became more and more certain that something wasn’t quite right. He also began to wonder why he had been locked inside, and whether maybe he shouldn’t reconsider his actions.
The light cast shadows over the corridor as he looked up at the strangers before him, studying them intently. Looking left and right they both stood patiently waiting for his next move. Well, it couldn’t hurt to ask them a few questions. Perhaps they would reveal some useful information and tell him everything that he wanted to know.
“If you’re here to tell me that I should give my money back,” he started, “then you can stuff your silly little coin because I’ve already told you I don’t intend to pay.”
Both men smiled at the statement, although it wasn’t entirely clear who was smiling at who. At least, not to his satisfaction. He knew very well that he would be unlikely to have any choice in the matter, regardless of whether he liked it or not.
Before long, the bearded one took a step forwards. This time his beard looked to be fairly short and neatly trimmed rather than the massive unkempt hank that Chris had initially thought.
“No need to worry young man. We aren’t here to force you to hand over your coins. We’re just wondering where you plan to spend them. You do know, after all, that our world doesn’t exist without the magic that flows throughout it…”
Chris listened carefully to what the old man had to say. Although there was no doubting the fact that he was speaking the truth, Chris found himself growing increasingly nervous as he realized that neither of the men looked happy to have him standing right outside their trapdoor.
The bearded one continued.
“I am telling you this because we have something similar that needs to be released too. For generations, people have used our power and knowledge to make themselves feel safe and secure. Unfortunately, though, such practices cannot continue forever – at least not without causing harm to those around us…”
He paused for a moment, giving Chris a chance to speak.
“So what exactly are you doing here?” asked Chris. “Is this some kind of government thing? Are you trying to stop me from escaping or something?”
Again both men’s smiles grew wider. It was as though they knew full well that he wouldn’t risk saying anything unless he was given a reason to do so. Finally, the bearded one spoke again.
“You don’t understand, do you? Of course, you don’t. No one really does… Not yet, anyway.”
The bearded one then turned to face the other man, who still held the lantern in one hand and his sword in another. Chris didn’t need to look closely to tell that this fellow appeared to be slightly older than the other, but perhaps he was merely less experienced.
Regardless of how skilled he may actually be, Chris doubted that the two of them could do much against the two guards guarding him. Could they even see him through the darkness? That didn’t seem likely.
“This is nothing more than an illusion that we’re casting upon you,” said the man in front of him as he took hold of something invisible beside him.
Instantly the lantern came into view and floated above his head in the same way that clouds might float over a blue sky. His breath caught in his throat as he stared at it, trying desperately to think of a way out of his predicament.
Surely someone would come looking for him soon enough! How else did they expect him to get back home otherwise? Who knows, maybe this was all part of the plan. Maybe they would kill him slowly once they reached their destination.
As he watched with bated breath, the bearded man adjusted the position of the lantern and pointed it towards Chris.
“Get ready,” he whispered coldly as the glow expanded to envelop him completely.
He gasped loudly when he saw that the whole room, including himself, had become filled with glowing white light. Had he fallen asleep?! Or had he simply entered another place altogether? He tried to take in the scene before him, trying to get his bearings in order to work out where he was.
Beside him, he could hear the sound of footsteps approaching in the distance. Immediately he felt fear grip his heart at the very real possibility that someone was coming to check on the boy. What if they weren’t friendly? They might decide to lock him inside and let the bastards go after all!
***
“Have you got the coin?” yelled the guard beside the door as he ran his fingers along the metal chain holding it closed. “Hurry up!”
Chris remained frozen in shock at the sight of the chamber. He had seen his fair share of odd things during his travels, but never anything like this! If it hadn’t been for the faint glow that shined off the walls, he doubted that anyone would ever have believed him if he’d explained what he was seeing right now.
There must be at least twenty different rooms, each seemingly identical to the last. All were made from stone, lined with intricate paintings which seemed to change constantly. Some of the pictures showed scenes of what he assumed were everyday life in this strange land and others portrayed creatures whose appearance seemed to defy logic and reason.
Yet despite the strangeness of the surroundings and the reality of his situation, he couldn’t help but stare at the images being displayed before his eyes. The murals depicted animals and people that should have only existed in fairy stories.
They were beautiful, magical, and terrifying all at the same time. Some of them he knew he could easily identify, while others he couldn’t even begin to guess at.
A few moments later he heard the creak of the door opening behind him. He quickly spun around to find that the bearded man had returned and was now wearing a pair of thin gloves. Without any warning or preparation, the man took hold of the lantern and threw its contents down onto the floor.
Instantly, the thick layer of fog covering the room dispersed in a rush, revealing everything within to Chris’ horrified gaze.
“Well?” said the bearded man as he stepped forward. “What do you make of my little gift to your world? A place I call here? Here you can discover secrets beyond our wildest imaginations…”
For a moment the words failed to reach Chris’ ears as he focused instead on the sheer number of exhibits that stood before him. It looked like there were thousands of them, each floating in mid-air amidst a sea of clouds that billowed endlessly across the ceiling.
There were so many that it was impossible to count them all and certainly difficult to comprehend how they formed a single coherent image. Even if he could somehow manage to grasp the numbers presented to him, he doubted he would ever be able to put their meaning together properly in his mind.
So great was the size of the hall that he doubted he could spot the exit no matter how hard he strained his vision. But where was this place? He suddenly realized that he might have known this answer if he were somewhere other than the middle of a swamp!
Suddenly the walls began to shimmer into motion with ripples of light that spread outwards in waves. In turn, these rippling movements became further intensified by the distant sounds of thunder booming through the air around him.
Gradually the darkness subsided, allowing him to see a new scene that appeared before his shocked eyes. This time he saw himself standing amongst dozens of children who were all pointing and staring at him in amazement and curiosity.
The strange thing about what he was witnessing wasn’t just that the kids were identical replicas of themselves, but that none of them were facing away from him. Rather than turning in one direction or another, they were all looking directly at him, perhaps waiting patiently for him to acknowledge their presence.
He immediately knew why this was happening. All the children were present because they were hoping to receive some sort of reward for doing something good – probably making their beds without being told. And the fact that they were all gazing at him in unison meant that they thought he was the kind of guy who rewarded obedient behavior.
Before he could think otherwise the bearded man picked up the lantern again and held it over the nearest child’s head. The child turned quickly towards him, mouth wide open with surprise. His eyes then widened even further when he saw the light shining upon his face.
He reached out one hand to grab hold of the beam of illumination that shone down on him, as though willing it to move upwards towards his own face. Almost immediately the young boy’s body shook violently as if he were having an epileptic fit and then suddenly he slumped lifelessly forwards onto the ground.
As Chris watched in horror, the scene faded to black and everything reappeared once more. Only now there was a faint sound that echoed throughout the room. A sound that sounded both frightening and agonizing at the same time…
Slowly and almost deliberately Chris turned to look at the bearded man as he spoke softly to himself, still lost in concentration.
“Yes,” whispered the man, sounding pleased with himself. “This is very good indeed. Very impressive. What you’re doing will truly challenge the minds of those who enter here. Even your friends back home in Britain wouldn’t understand, although they may get a taste of my truth eventually.
The End