It's Good To See You Again...

I feel a breeze and cool, moist air. It’s the freshest air I have ever breathed. As I take a step forward I hear the mechanical sound of a lock turning closed behind me. I turn around and can feel a wall, but as I run my hand across the surface I find no handle. There is very little light here and I cannot make out what has happened to the door I just walked through. I try to calm the thoughts going through my mind. How will I return?

Where am I? What is that sound creeping in? It is dark here, but the moon casts enough light so that I can see that I’m standing on a sandy, dirt path. Since I cannot go back I decide to follow the path. As I walk the sound gets louder. It is a familiar sound, but one that I have only heard from recordings. Peaceful and powerful. As I pass a huge outcropping of rocks I can see the moonlight glittering on a huge mass of water. It is turbulent and is rushing towards me, just as I take a step back it recedes. I hear the voices from the tunnels. Stella and her companion. I realize they have seen me and by their tone are discussing my presence.

Stella walks over to me. She looks at me carefully and then says, with a sigh “you shouldn’t be here…you can’t go back now.” She asks, “did you follow us?” I tell her, “no, not really I was on a journey of my own but then saw you in the tunnels.” “ok,” she says. I can see her visibly relax. I won’t tell her of my possessions. She says, “come and wait with us, there is no where else to go and we can’t leave you here.” I think about everything she has said to me and now realize that I am worried. I can’t go back and I can’t stay here…what exactly does that mean? Where are we going?

As I follow Stella I catch a glimpse of a shadowy figure in the rocks to my left. The shadowy figure reaches out to me and I feel a finger touch my cheek. I gasp and Stella stops and asks me what is wrong. I tell her and her face shows panic. She takes my hand and pulls me along quickly. We finally reach the person that I saw her with in the tunnels. Once again I do not recognize him, but he says to me…”hello Sarah, it’s good to see you again.”

Key Triangulation
He Whispered-Chapter One
We Must Be On Time-Chapter Two

We Must Be On Time

The gaslights flicker and create a shadow that allows me to recede from view. I step back and feel the cold, damp walls and shiver. Someone is drawing closer and I realize that it was only the echoing in the tunnels that made it sound like whispers. I can make out vague words, “…further…lock…12th…mad hatter…” They are close to where I stand and I’m hoping they will continue past and not turn in this direction. They stop and I hear the woman’s voice, “wait.” Seconds pass as I once again hold my breath. “There’s someone here,” she says. Her voice is familiar. The librarian. Her companion says, “Stella, not now, we must be on time.” I do not recognize the gentleman’s voice.

They continue on and the sounds of their steps recede. I emerge from my place in the shadows. I will follow, but I look down and see something lying on the ground. As I reach to pick the item up I hear a loud creaking, then something heavy being lifted and slammed. I stand quietly for a moment. I now hold in my hands a tiny, leather journal. The edges are worn. It’s no bigger then the palm of my hand. The lighting is poor, but I can feel lettering or perhaps an imprint. I open it carefully and see writing and other notations. Is that a date? I will examine this more closely later. I place this with the rest of my discoveries.

I step tentatively. I feel nervous; anticipation is building, for I do not know what is ahead. Something has always stopped me from venturing this far into the tunnels. Fear and rumors. As I walk along I examine the walls for any trace of clues. I see an illustration of three gears. As I take the next step my foot hits something hard. I step up and I hear a latch lift, a creaking sound and what sounds like a door opening. Standing there for a moment, listening, I feel something brush past me and faintly I hear, “hurry, we must be on time.”

Key Triangulation Part I

He whispered, the tunnel. I heard his whisper echoing around me as I made my way through this catacomb of tunnels. I shivered. Pulling my wool jacket collar closely against my neck and placing my hand in my pocket to make sure it still contained the envelope. I couldn’t remember the last time I was here. In daylight it was a beautiful place to some. The gears, the sound, the smell. Mechanical genius built this city. Now I’m on the hunt for the answer. I pray that the contents of the envelope will somehow lead me to that end.

I found the envelope yesterday, quite by accident, among his books, sketches and writings. A tattered envelope that appeared to have casually fallen from the book., or had it? I lifted the envelope; it had a weight that seemed peculiar. The contents shifted and I found the key. It was forged as a tiny thing. It was not the only item contained within, but the only one that I can speak of right now. The key is small with round symmetrical holes in a special triangulation. Gears. I’ve seen this design before but my memory does not serve me well at the moment. I am distracted by a sound and I hold my breath.