Burning Tale (concluded draft)

Chapter Three: Fate Calls Them

Tom does so slowly, shushing Jack gently with his finger, messing with him and walks off further into the darker portions of this ambient cave. Jack shakes his head, trying to catch up after him.

"Right we had our fun, now let's get outta here." says Jack, trying to gesture to Tom to come with. But Tom was so eager to reach further into the cave, Jack was convinced Tom was only doing this just to annoy him. Tom had a taste of his fear and now Jack had to do the same. "Tom," he says, a little loudly, "I hate the dark. You know this. I've seen the movies."

"Nerd." says Tom, chuckling to himself.

"No!" says Jack, getting defensive, "Seriously I hate this! Let's turn back!"

"The dark isn't what's scary Jack. It's what in it." says Tom, pulling off a fancy voice for his oh so inspiring motivational quote of the year that would go down in history, at the back of his mind.

"We'll I'm not willing to find out what's in this... deep hellhole of a cave, so I'm turning back." states Jack, trying to make it look obvious that he was leaving. He marches backwards loudly so Tom could hear, but the oblivious red boy just kept going. Jack's face turns sour, as he reaches a hand out into the darkness.

"Dammit, hold my hand." he says, as Tom takes it with a grin on his face, as they both went in together. The darkness surrounds them, with Jack keeping his eyes shut, and Tom squinting to find their way to something.

"I think closing your eyes makes it worse Jack" says Tom.

"Oh shush," says Jack, "Stepping on your tip toes over a high ledge doesn't help either."

As the two brothers battle it out, a little shade of light was nearing them with the turn of a corner. A series of steps greets them as they descend down further into the light that calls out to them. What was revealed to them was nothing they expected.

A large, grand hall stands tall and mighty above them, with hundreds upon hundreds of bookshelves standing either wall, it might as well have been wallpaper. Flaming torches which gave out a dim purple light, sit and dance by the corners of the room and walls. There weren't many so that it lit up everything, but it was just about enough. The purple beams wrap around their clothes, and bring a glistening shade in their eyes, as they dart around to look at all the books that would last a lifetime to read. It was the equivalent of a librarians dream. All this, deep underground, and yet... the torches were still lit. Someone has been here recently.

At the top centre of the grand hall, surrounded by torches, stood an alter, carved in this black stone with symbols on it. On the alter lay a enigmatic book, which looked like the design of it was starting to fade from age. Half a portion of it looked to be a gorillas face, dark and brutally detailed with what looked like a ring piercing and fangs, growing out from the mouth. The brothers, thunderstruck by the sheer scale of this new found library, split up from either side to have a look themselves at all the books that were tucked into the shelves.

"What... in the... world...?" says Tom to himself, voice never sounding more quieter before. He shovels out a big dark red book which again, had those cryptic symbols on them. The book couldn't have had any longer than five-hundred pages. Right? What was this place? Who wrote these books? Was it a collective effort or some sick challenge by an author to write the most books? Tom looks up from the books he carried, as he looks back at Jack.

"Jack?" says Tom, "I think we just discovered something we shouldn't have." Jack wasn't listening, still fixated on the menacing scale of everything. They really felt like ants in this room. "Jack?" ask Tom again.

"I don't think we're supposed to be here." says Jack, sounding a little on edge. The symbols and cryptic book covers of all kinds of dark aged themes threatened him. He began to reach for the exit, backing up slowly, until he sees Tom head for the alter to examine it. Jack stumbles on his words, thoughts rushing through his head like a stormy sea, as he treads over to Tom quickly to snap him out of his adventurous state.