Chapter 12: Down The Rabbit Hole

Bridgeside Excursion: Journal Entry 1

At around lunchtime today I arrived at Bridgeside. As it was indeed lunchtime and I was growing hungry, I proceeded to the local tavern whereupon I purchased a meat pie and some fried potatoes. The lunch was adequate and over-priced. I approached the landlord and decided to ask some questions with regards to the incident, keeping my distaste of the price quiet. 

You know, I can’t do this. Morab asked me to account for all the details of the trip, but I feel such a nonce for doing this. It must read like the most forced thing ever. I’m not a writer. That’s all Sam. I’m the librarian, the accountant, the cook, the cleaner all rolled into one. Tergen the Odds and Ends Man. This is my first solo mission in the field, and I have to write down all the details and the thing is, I take the minutes. I can’t describe the adventure apart from in a really dull, methodical manner. I apologise for the person many years into the future who has to struggle through this. 

The landlord didn’t tell me much, but his wife was most useful in the provision of information regarding the Crowning incident. Of course, Jen had told me a great deal about the town, but it was interesting to hear the story from another point of view. The landlord’s wife directed me to the armoury where I might find the blacksmith’s apprentice, Majesty. The boy was heavily involved with the situation, trying to help Jen escape and having found the dead boy Angus is the cave. 

Upon arriving at the armoury, the blacksmith summoned Majesty, although he was called upon by the abbreviated Maj, from the back. Maj was a young man, semi-attractive but strong. His manner captured the very essence of brokenness. I greeted him, he nodded in return. I asked whether he would walk with me. He nodded, and so we walked. 

It was difficult for me, a social hermit, to make conversation with this figure of stony silence. I find it hard enough as it is without the other person not making an effort either. The conversation went along the lines of this:

Me: I’ve come about Jen.

Maj: You know her?

Me: She is staying with me and the rest of my family.

Maj: Is she alright?

Me: She’s doing fine.

Silence.

Me: I’ve come to ask about the Crown.

Silence.

Me: I believe you found it in the first place.

Silence.

Me: What happened down in that cave, Majesty?

Awkward Silence.

Me: Could you take me there?

He nodded and he led me out of the town into the neighbouring countryside. On the way, he asked me about my motives and the reasons for my enquiries into the incident. I explained fully about the Keepers of the Crowns and the Crowners of the Light, generally putting what had happened into context for him. He listened keenly and did not interrupt. We arrived at the waterfall. It was a beautiful natural feature and I stood in awe. Maj stood beside me, yet I believe his mind to be preoccupied with the sequence of events that happened the last time he was here. Finding a dead child and seeing a living corpse melt into dust is bound to have had some effect on his psychology. 

____________

This man, Tergen, he was odd. Very matter-of-fact and specific. I could imagine in his house, everything would have its place, everything would be overly-organised. He spoke as though in bullet points. He wanted to know more about what had happened. I was a little reluctant at first, but once he had explained his motives my trust in him was justified and I delivered him to the waterfall. Before departing, I had grabbed a rope ladder and a lantern so that we would have little problem getting down the hole.

Unsurprisingly, the cave had not changed since I had last been down there. Just as dark, wet and cold as last time. The whispers of horror and death still resonated around, and I shrunk back behind Tergen who cautiously stepped down the passageway. He said about how the cave could not have been naturally formed and that either a very accomplished group of miners or a very powerful magician could have created such a cavern. 

We rounded the corner and there was the stone throne bathed in blue light. There were the old, rich robes, covered in the dust of their wearer. I stopped and watched Tergen as he approached the throne. He knelt down and examined it thoroughly. He took out some paper and started sketching and doing rubbings of the patterns and runes on the throne. He picked up the robes and flapped them. The dust of the old woman rose into the air, hiding Tergen from sight. I screamed and ran back to the rope ladder, cowering.

I heard Tergen calling my name and apologies. He hadn’t meant to frighten me. He asked whether there had been anything else down here. “No,” I replied. “Just Angus and her.” Tergen seemed a little disappointed. He signaled to me to start climbing the ladder. “There was the book!” I remembered, spouting it out rather loudly and startling Tergen. 

___________

The venture is turning out to be very profitable. I have gathered the robes, rubbings and notes of runes from the throne and now there’s a book involved. It’s all getting rather exciting. My jealousy of Sam’s job is rising - he does this kind of thing all the time, whilst I’m stuck in the Grove with Morab. I have decided that I am going to make this quest worthwhile. I will follow up every lead, however tenuous the link may be! I have earned this adventure!

Maj told me not to get my hopes up about the book, but I could not still the rising excitement and anticipation within me. We returned to Bridgeside, and Maj took me to Jen’s house. He advised me to stay outside whilst he spoke to Jen’s parents. I did so and waited about five minutes before Maj returned carrying a large, heavy book. It was certainly a magnificent volume with an impressive hard-cover binding and gilded pages. I made an exclamation with regards to its beauty and how much data it must contain. Then Maj opened the book. My heart sank as I saw the cut-out shape of a hip flask, and therefore the removal of a lot of the data and words from the book. “Damn,” I remember saying, quite distinctly.

Maj took me to the Bridgeside tavern and I bought him and myself a drink. I leafed through the book. There were some pages towards the back that were unscathed, but I couldn’t bring myself to read them. They would be all out of context. I’m going take it back for Morab and Sam to look over. I commented on the tragedy of the situation by simply announcing: It’s tragic.

Maj: The state of the book?

Me: Everything. The book, Jen’s immortality and imminent death, her sister’s death, Angus’ death. This town has suffered so much. And all because a child fell down a hole whilst playing. (A thought struck me.) Do children often play down there?

Maj: No. They’re usually encouraged to play in the meadow on the other side of town. The river can be dangerous.

Me: Then why was he there? Did anyone know there was a cavern behind the waterfall?

Maj: No. This was the first anyone knew of it.

Me: Then what possessed him to go there? (Silence, but Maj’s eyes spoke volumes to me. He knew something.) What are you not telling me, Maj?

Maj: He had a map.

Me: Why didn’t you say so before?

Maj: Because I was scared. Angus was dead and then I saw that ghost of a woman die and everything escalated and it just seemed… frightening. I didn’t want to accept the fact that someone had given a map to Angus and encouraged him to go investigate. Someone sent Angus to his death and that thought terrified me because I knew that it had to be someone in the town. It’s only a small town, I know everyone and to think that one of them did this…

His face was quivering with what was either distress or anger… or both. Or maybe neither... I’m not so good when it comes to identifying and describing emotions and facial expressions.

I allowed Maj to breathe and sort himself out before pushing the conversation forward again. I asked whether there was anyone who could help me out (I thought it was important not to necessarily include him with my plans). He muttered something about not wanting a can of worms to be opened. This phrase confused me. I reassured him that there would be no worms involved wherever this situation may lead us, and certainly none in a can. I pressed him further and he gave me the name Joan. Joan is Angus’ younger sister.

I requested that Maj go and fetch her for me so that I might speak with her. Maj nodded and left the tavern. 

Whilst he was gone, I felt a great sense of guilt. I was overcome by the sense that I was manipulating Maj and that he only did as I asked out of duty and fear. He was a young man with an unstable mind and I was, to a large extent, using him to means that were little of his concern. They would certainly not help his mental situation. This thought carried me forward until Maj returned with a young girl in tow. 

Maj introduced me to Joan and we sat down to talk.

__________

Joan was quite happy to speak to Tergen. She was a very confident girl for her age, and especially considering her older brother, with whom she had been close to, had died only a few weeks ago. I made her sit next to me and held her hand, for my own comfort and for her protection. “I’m here to talk to you about your brother, Angus,” Tergen said. “I don’t want to upset you,” he added, as though Joan might burst into tears at any instant. “Can you remember going to the waterfall?” Joan nodded. “Can you remember why you were going?”

Joan straightened her back. “Angus had a treasure map and he wanted to go and find the treasure. And the map said that there was a cave, and the cave was behind the waterfall. And then Angus fell down the rabbit hole and he’s in the Other World now.”

Tergen looked at me. He was obviously unfamiliar with the tales that children are told about death and sickness. I stared back, unsure of what to convey. I probably came across quite angrily. My face naturally falls into a scowl. “Where did Angus get the treasure map from?” 

Joan shrugged.

“Haven’t you got any idea? When did he start planning the treasure hunt?”

“I don’t know. It was like when the fair was here.”

“Tell me about that. What did you do at the fair?”

“I played lots of games, bought sweets and food. And I listened to the storyteller.”

“And what did Angus do at the fair?”

“He was at the storyteller’s loads.”

“What stories did the storyteller tell?”

“There was actually one about the waterfall and a girl got lost behind there and the nymphs heard her crying and turned her into a weeping statue. And that she is still behind the waterfall and you can hear her crying if you listen carefully.” Tergen and I looked at each other, eyes agog and mouths open wide. If Angus had spent a lot of time with the storyteller, and if he had told a story that almost certainly directly refers to the Bridgeside waterfall, then maybe this storyteller was the person responsible. The storyteller is the trigger in all this.

__________

Joan was remarkably useful, and I am now making preparations to pursue this travelling fairground. After we sent Joan on her way, Maj was making noises about coming with me. I don’t know if this is a good idea. He’s clearly still recovering mentally, and I don’t know whether a ‘quest’ will help him or hinder him. 

Just spoke to Maj and told him that he couldn’t come with me. He got very angry and so we leave Bridgeside tomorrow at noon.

Chapter 1: I Hugged Death

“Wait, Angus! Wait for me!” the little girl’s voice whined.

“No! You have to run faster if you want to be on this treasure hunt!”

“Yeah, Joan!”

“Shut up, Courage!”

The three children were running across the familiar, verdant countryside of their home in the Kingdom Faithful. Angus was the eldest at eleven, his younger sister Joan was barely five. And Courage was the Mayor’s son, a tag-along if ever there was one. They were from the town of Bridgeside, named for the bridge that crossed the River Full at that place. It was the only bridge for miles either way along the river.

“We’re nearly at the waterfall!” Angus shouted back to his devotees. He rounded the curved corner of the adjacent forest and there was the waterfall, the great gushing of water tumbling over the grey-white rocks. Angus had seen this waterfall many times over and no longer appreciated its unique beauty. He stopped before it and looked at the scrap of paper in his hands. “There’s a cave near here apparently,” he murmured. 

“What?” Courage hyperventilated.

“A cave. Near here.”

“Do you think it’s behind the waterfall?”

“Like in the fairy tales!” Joan piped up. “The storyteller from the fair told one about the girl who got lost in the land behind the waterfall and then the nymphs bullied her and she cried. And the nymphs turned her into a statue but you can still hear her crying and her tears and stuff.”

“Whatever,” Angus said dismissively.

“They’re just stories, Joan,” Courage sneered.

“I know!” Joan protested. “But I liked it, and it’s about stuff behind waterfalls! I was right, wasn’t I, Angus?” But Angus was walking forward now, towards the waterfall and the cliff. He pressed himself against the cliff and looked behind the wall of water. “What are you doing?” Joan asked.

“There’s something back there.”

“But you’ll get wet!”

“Some things are worth getting wet for, Joan.”

Courage sniggered.

“Grow up, Courage,” Angus ordered.

“Yeah, Courage!” Joan repeated.

Courage sulked. 

Angus started to move along the cliff towards the waterfall and then started to sidle along a small ledge. Joan started to follow. “No, Joan. You stay here. It’s too dangerous for you. And Courage, you’re too large really.” Courage sulked even further. “I won’t be long.” And Angus disappeared behind the cascading water. 

_________

I had run down with everyone else as soon as the news had hit the town, and half an hour later, there was a great commotion rippling through Bridgeside. It seemed as though half the town had turned up to see what had happened at the waterfall. Angus’ mother, Madeline, was in tears and being supported by her husband, Angus and Joan’s step-father, Agrinn. The Mayor was there trying to keep everything in some kind of order. The baker’s wife and the baker’s apprentice were there providing hot buns and pies for everyone. The blacksmith, Nigel, my master, had gone behind the waterfall to see what he could find. Everyone was on edge waiting for the verdict. 

Finally Nigel returned through the water with his lantern. “There’s a small cavern back there. It’s tiny and very dark without a light. There’s a hole in the ground. It’s quite narrow. I wouldn’t fit down. I suspect that Angus fell down or climbed down and got stuck. I couldn’t see him or really hear anything, but the noise of the waterfall would drown out any sound down there so there’s no reason to start worrying.”

“Right, so we need someone to go down,” Mayor Naize announced. “Someone of a slight build, and old enough to know what to do.” 

“Might I suggest my apprentice, Maj?” Nigel said. 

My heart fell. Much as I wanted to know what had happened to poor Angus and to be able to contribute, I wasn’t particularly prepared for what I might find. My family was close to his, and I had watched him grow up since I was six and he was born. Eleven years I had known Angus and I dreaded to think. I had an image in my mind: blood and water and black hair soaked in the stuff and contorted angles and white eyes. The thought was sickening. But I was old enough to be responsible and slender enough, it seemed, to fit down this hole.

Somebody slapped me on the back, encouraging my good sportsmanship, and I stumbled forward into the gap that had emerged around me. “Good on you, Majesty,” the Mayor said. And I was officially elected without even volunteering as a candidate. Good old democracy.

Five minutes later I found myself edging along the stone ledge and under the cascading water, clutching a lantern and with a rope around my shoulder. Nigel was right behind me. 

The cavern was indeed very small. It was damp underfoot, and I could feel cold drips of water falling from the ceiling, but the waterfall had soaked me enough already so I didn’t much care. There in the middle of the cavern was the hole. In the lamp-light it appeared as a black void. It was like the entrance to the afterlife. I admit, I was scared. “Maj! Tie the rope round your waist!” Nigel shouted to me over the roar of the waterfall. When I was safely harnessed up, I started to clamber down the hole with the blacksmith holding the other end of the rope, keeping me safe and alive.

The chute was narrow, just like Nigel the blacksmith had said, but large enough for Angus to have fallen. I descended about ten feet until my feet hit the ground. “I’m at the bottom!” I called up. “Send a lantern down!” In the darkness, I surveyed the area. It was quieter down here, the roar from the waterfall was now a muffled gush. There were more waterdrops and echoes of waterdrops dripping musically from the ceiling onto the floor. A minute or so later, a lantern was lowered down the hole. I took it and held it up to illuminate the cavern I was standing in now. It appeared to be a long, cavernous tunnel that disappeared to the the right around a corner thirty feet away from where I was standing. I stepped forward and inadvertently kicked something. I looked down and found Angus’s corpse at my feet. 

I knelt down beside the body. The image I had imagined earlier was so much messier and noisier (for some reason there was noise in my mind - not any specific noise, just generic noise) than this. There was a pool of blood around his head, glistening coolly and evilly in the light from the lantern. The boy had cracked his skull open. “Oh Angus. You silly boy,” I remember muttering. Angus’ eyes stared gauntly at the wall, not white but full of the same colour, the same sky blue, from when he was alive. I swallowed and closed his  eyes gently and respectfully. “May you be protected in the afterlife.” 

I stood back up and called, choking, up the tunnel the news. And then slowly I tied the rope around the corpse and watched it ascend the cruel shaft that had ended the boy’s life. As I waited for the rope to fall back down, my eye caught a piece of paper that had been lying close to where Angus had fallen. I picked it up and held it close to the lantern. It appeared to be a map with instructions. A treasure map. “Maj?” Nigel called down. “Here’s the rope.”

“Tie it off to something up there. I’m going to explore this cave.” I ignored his protests and commands and started to tread down the tunnel. It occurred to me as I walked that beyond the noise of the dripping water, there was another sound. Quiet. But definitely there. A breathing, soft breathing. A whimper. “Hello?” I called out. My voice echoed horribly, reverberating off the cold walls.

I turned the corner and sitting in a simple, stone throne before me, in a bath of blue light falling from a pinpoint hole in the ceiling, was a person. It didn’t move or say anything. Indeed, it seemed to be dead, and that would have made perfect sense, having been stuck down here for eternity. It was a woman, I figured, with very dark eyes. She was wearing a simple golden crown, rich red gowns and gold shoes. I approached slowly, very aware of where I placed my feet. The closer to her I got, the more I noticed about her. Her body was skeletal, appearing as though someone had crudely stretched a sheet of skin over a bag of bones. Her once-jet black hair was thin, faded and old. And then I noticed that the eyes were not dark but non-existent. Just two empty sockets. And it was the water falling from the ceiling onto her face that created the effect that she was crying. 

But as I moved even closer, I realised that there was no water dripping from the ceiling here. She was actually crying. “Hello?” I repeated, in a gasp this time. “Are you alright?” Of course, the answer to that was obvious. “What are you doing here?” The woman didn’t reply. “A boy just died back there. Didn’t you hear him? Who are you?”

The woman’s head lolled forward and the eye sockets stared blankly at me. I stepped back, my stomach hugging my heart, so it felt. “Death.” Her voice was deep and moaning, cracked and full of despair. I shivered. The hairs on my arms stood on end and I came out in goosebumps. I didn’t dare reply. She continued eventually: “I have spent an eternity with death. I have hugged death. And so I am death and I hate death and I want death.” I was frozen, petrified with fear. “It’s been so long.” Her skin stretched thinly to accommodate her speech. She seemed to be near translucent. “Who are you?”

“My name is Maj.”

“Maj… How majestic.” There was the possibility that she smiled at that point, although I didn’t quite get her joke. So she added a suffix to my name. It wasn’t like anyone else had done that all the way through my life.

I stood in terror and in awe at this feat of nature. It was ridiculous. She could not be this old. She should have died hundreds of years ago. “A name like that deserves a royal title. Take the Crown,” she ordered me. “But do not wear it for you shall suffer great pain in the end.” She attempted to lift her arms to remove the garment, but she was either too weak or too old or both to do so. She gave up. “Take it.” I slowly approached with great caution, reached out and took the crown from the woman’s head. She sighed a glorious and pitiful sigh and her body disintegrated into dust, leaving a small skeleton in red robes bathed in blue light. 

I found myself two feet back from where I had been standing. I had jumped at spontaneous disintegration. The anonymous woman had finally been granted death at the removal of the crown. With no longer the life and will, the arms fell to the skeleton’s side and a heavy object fell from the folds of the robes. It hit the ground with a heavy thud that echoed through the cavern. I moved forward, still aware of the skeleton in case it should move again, and discovered the heavy object to be a book, the pages were gilded and crumpled, the hard cover, fraying. I picked it up and backed away from the body hastily, and as soon as I was around the corner, I ran to the rope and escaped the cave of death.