Morgana's Key

Chapter 2 - Curious things.

As Jamie walked back through the forest, clutching the mysterious object in his pocket, the air seemed to hum with an otherworldly energy. The voice that had guided him faded away, leaving only the rustling of leaves and the distant sounds of the town's busy roads.

As he stepped out of the woods, Jamie felt a strange warmth emanating from the pendant in his pocket. As if it glowed more intensely as he approached the outskirts of Arcadia Oaks. The outskirts of the town he felt so unfamiliar with and so familiar with at the same time.

The town, bathed in the soft glow of the setting sun, appeared different, as if he was seeing it through a new lens, though no longer what he would describe as a warm or welcoming one, moreso a cold, foreboding one.

Jamie decided to go back to Mystic Tomes again before returning home, hoping the old man could shed light on the strange events that had unfolded only minutes ago. When he entered the shop, the bell jingled, but the old man was nowhere to be seen, nowhere to greet or shopkeep.

Instead, a note on the counter read, "Follow the whispers, young seeker." The mysterious message left Jamie both intrigued and apprehensive. The town, with its peculiar charm, left Jamie with a feeling of confliction, but also filled him with a curiosity he couldn't ignore, despite how much he wished to.

Jamie walked home at a slow pace, the sun far gone and the air cold as he made it onto his porch and into his house without a word, the warmth of the house and the smell of fresh food infested his senses like a warm hug, something he always enjoyed coming home too.

"Hey, Jamie. How was school?" His mother asked as she peered through the arch of the kitchen doorway, Sophie already at the table and ready for dinner.

"It was okay, I went to the library and met this strange old man, he was weird." Jamie replied simply, not wanting to mention his find as he was already headed upstairs to his room.

"Sounds like a fun day... Not hungry?" His mother asked with concern, giving him a caring look as she set down a dinner plate. She was always concerned for him.

"Not right now, sorry." Jamie shook his head shortly, already halfway up the staircase to his room. His mother gave him one more glance before Jamie was gone. Jamie set his bag down next to his bed, flopping on the soft mattress with a sigh. He dug his hands through his pockets and pulled out the gold, green glowing pendant, staring at it as if to figure out what it was.

"Had a good day, Jamie?" A sudden voice asked, it was Jack, the guardian who hadn't aged a bit as long as Jamie could remember him. Jack stood casually, staff in hand as he putted around Jamie's bedroom. Abby, the old greyhound, eventually joined the two, laying in the dog bed just beside Jamie's own bed.

"It was... something. Found this, kept saying my name." Jamie sighed softly, tossing the amulet to Jack, which he caught with ease. Jack just hummed shortly, looking over the thing, once... twice... seemed interesting.

"Spiky" Jack commented, looking over the thing, it had strange text on the rim and two dials facing opposite ways, almost like the hands of a clock as it let off a near silent hum. Jamie rolled over on his bed until his face was stuffed into his pillow.

"And it glows." Jamie added, flipping back over restlessly, now up at the ceiling. Jack hummed, looking out the window, the wind rattling against the window under the moon's watchful gaze.

"I could get it to the gnomes, let them take it apart and figure it out, maybe North will take a look?" Jack suggested simply as he looked over at Jamie, Jamie only shook his head, picking up the pendant and offering it to Abby who sniffed the pendant and whined, running off back downstairs.

"Well, I'll leave you to your... amulet? Pendant?" Jack spoke, before patting his shoulder lightly and heading for the window, but before he left, Jack paused, looking back at Jamie with slight concern. Giving him one more glance before heading off with a strong cold breeze.

Jamie kept the Amulet with him for the better part of the month, it wasn't like he could get rid of it, that he had learned when he tried to go for a walk just a day after having the amulet. Jamie had decided to stay behind for some history help, the Teacher seemed like a good guy, to Jamie at least. Despite the fact his teacher, Mr. Strickler, would stare at him from the otherside of the classroom, Jamie found that Mr. Strickler was actually really helpful when Jamie was trying to understand certain parts of his schoolwork.

Once Jamie had actually left, it was getting dark already. Jamie walked with haste, passing under the streetlights like lit up the streets of Arcadia while the air crackled with the smell of wet leaves on the autumn ground. The plant's around him dead and the tree's bare to the cold breeze.

But quietly, Jamie could hear the soft ped of footsteps behind Jamie, Jamie tried his best to shake it off, why would anyone chase him? The footsteps grew, now it sounded like several people were following him, no, no, he was just paranoid.

In a sudden act of stupidity, Jamie started sprinting. The footsteps that were now definitely after him, followed. Jamie glanced back at who, or what, was chasing him, and saw what looked to be... gremlins? Goblins? Jamie didn't care, they were green and creepy and small and that scared Jamie.

Jamie saw whatever these little green things were coming up in front of him and Jamie had to make a sudden detour, running into the forest with the goblins not far behind...