Underworld (Dark Passage) (8 page)

The silence is awkward and I clear my throat. I figure
we had better join forces or I will never make it out of
this realm. I have seen some fantastic thing in my life
but nothing compared to last night.

“Last night I went to the carnival in my hometown”.
Everyone stopped eating and looked at me as though
it was the most normal thing to discuss. . Tom even
nodded his head for me to go on, his grizzled beard
bobbing up and down, much like a circus clown. It
almost feels like I am on the latest reality TV show or
something. I lower my head slightly to conceal a
smile. I have the feeling I am going stark raving mad.
I am probably having a grand delusion and none of
this is real. It’s so quiet that you can hear a pin drop.
Lizzie breaks the ice and starts to talk much to my
relief.

“We were expecting you Ivy and we are aware of
why you are here”.

I survey the people for a moment, unable to speak,
and can’t help but wonder if they have some violent
death in mind for me. It would be so easy to kill me
and no one would know. Here, in this wild land, the
norm is death. On the other hand maybe they are here
to help me. This doesn’t make sense either because I
don’t even know why I am here.
I place my hand on the locket that is around my neck.
I feel the texture of the smooth gold and roll it around
in my fingers. The tiny line in the center is under my
index finger and I consider popping the sphere open
and making a run from this place. I have a source of
great strength that I can tap into, and although I know
I must be cautious with this gift, it is mine.

The group of people freeze, with expressions of
intense surprise on their faces as I hold the golden
sphere. There is unease in the air, and if tension
could be cut, a big slice would be sitting on my plate.
For an agonizing moment I sit here wondering what
to say next. I take a deep breath, then another. What
am I so afraid of? Am I dead and in an alternate
reality? As if she could read my thoughts, Lizzie
spoke up.

“Ivy,” she whispered.

“
You are both body and spirit now. Nothing will be
the same for you and soon it will be time for you to
continue through the Underworld. You cannot
remain here but for a short time but while you are
here we will help prepare you for what is to come”.

Lizzie is staring me straight in
my face. I can’t put
my finger on it, but there is something about her, that
tells me that she is holding something back. I have
always had
hidden intuition about people and places,
and when they come to me, time stands still.
Sometimes they come to me in a rush like distant
memories or things long forgotten. My life has
always been about secrets and more often than not I
am frightened by them.

Chapter 5

Beneath the stone staircase is a small door that opens
to the outside. This place is more than a house. It’s a
sanctuary that boasts living creatures, ponds that
sparkle like crystal and trees that rustle magically as
though blown by an unseen breeze. The scents are
what amaze me most. The fragrance of lavender
blooming by the sea, pine trees in the Spring, and
even the essence of citrus ripening in the sun give the
place an ethereal feel about it.

Of all the places I have ever seen this place is by far
the most interesting. I walk quietly around wondering
how this oasis even exists here. Then a voice broke
through my thoughts.

“You’re probably wondering how all this could exist
in the dark world?”

 

“Well- yesI suppose you could say that,” I said with
a smile and lookingin the direction of Tom’s voice.

Standing a ways off is Tom. The dog, Jeff, is sitting
off a few paces to his side. Tom looks so out of place
in the spectacular gardens. Rather like an old troll in
a china shop. He is scratching his beard thoughtfully
as I have seen him do so many times.

Tom straightened with a laugh. “I’ll tell you about all
that later. First I want to show you something.”

Tom began walking in the direction of the buildings
behind the house. Each of his steps was two to mine
and I had to run to keep up with him.

“There.” Tom pointed to the field and a white horse
looked up from his grazing. Before I could say
anything the animal was halfway down the field. He
gave a couple bucks as he made his way to us and
stopped a few strides short of where I was standing.
He half reared in the air and snorted a greeting.

“How in the world did you get here?” He didn’t
answer of course but tossed his head and pushed me
with his nose. I rested my palms on his withers and
scratched him under his mane. Tom stood next to me
with his hands in his pockets. He rocked back on his
heels and scratched his beard thoughtfully.

“The white horses belong to the third realm. When
we saw him in the field this morning Emma said he
was yours. How did you ever get your hands on one?
He will prove right useful to you here.”

I take a handful of thick mane in my hand and swung
up on the horse. I squeeze my legs and directed him
over to where Tom is standing. It’s not difficult to
see that Tom has a way with animals. The horse rubs
his head on Tom’s chest and seems completely at
ease with him.

Tom patted the horse on the neck affectionately. Well
Jast you picked a good one,” said Tom smiling up at
me warmly. There is something in the way he is
looking at me. It almost looks like pride but why
should he feel proud?
“How do you know his name?” I said with a puzzled
look on my face.

Tom smiled at me and shook his head as he patted
Jast once more. He obviously was not going to tell
me how he knew the animal’s name.

“We have a saddle that should fit him just right,” said
Tom as he headed back in the direction of the house.

When we reached the path that led up to the door
beneath the stone staircase Tom stopped and
motioned me to follow. I slid off Jast and gave him
an affectionate rub between his eyes before following
Tom inside the house. We made our way upstairs
into and followed the long hall to a set of double
doors. Tom held one of the doors open for me and
once I was inside he closed it behind me.

We were in a library with rows and rows of books.
The smell of the old volumes of books mixed with
cedar burning in the fireplace filled the room.
It was morning on the fourth day since I arrived. An
intense longing to be with Jen and the others had
settled on me. It had been my saving grace to find
this place but I was ready to move on find Lisa and
David. The problem is that I have no idea where to
look or what I will find when I finally do catch up to
them. How could Lisa survive one night here let
alone a week? When I do find them, what then?
Lizzie had said I was now part spirit and life could
never be the same for me. What does that mean?

Tears fall hot on my cheek and I brush them quickly
away with the back of my hand. I feel somewhat
depressed and glance away so I can compose myself
but not before Tom noticed. He hands me a linen
handkerchief. I hate being out of control of my
emotions and dab at my eyes.

We sit in silence for a few minutes and Tom got up to
put a log on the fire. He stirred the embers with a
poker and stood watching me. He turned toward me
after a while. His eyebrows arched and he gave me a
slow smile, his eyes twinkling. “I wouldn’t worry
Ivy. It seems to me that you have a lot more going
for you than you know”.

I clear my throat and look away embarrassed by my
tears. “I suppose I’m not really cut out for this sort of
thing”.

Tom was sitting on a chair scratching his beard
thoughtfully. It seemed to be the thing he did when
deep in thought. There was a long pause that lasted
several seconds before he spoke. The corners of his
mouth turned up in a smile.

“You’re not doing anything that you haven’t been
equipped for. You would never have been chosen if
you couldn’t do what you were sent here to do.”

“How can I be equipped when I don’t even know
what I’m supposed to do?”
I feel a sudden surge of
panic rising up in me as the words tumble out. I don’t
understand what I have done to deserve this and the
thought of what I will have to face is terrifying.

“The way you are to go will come to you. You will
be led by an inner feeling and when the time is right
you will know what to do. The light will find you
and show you other dimensions and doorways which
you may pass through”.

I search
Tom’s face in anticipation that he will tell me
more. What he is saying doesn’t make any sense but
I can sense truth in his eyes.

“Don’t worry for your life Ivy
. You are protected and
your death must come from the source that is leading
you,” said Tom. He looked into my face with
kindness that reached far into my mind.

I want to ask Tom why he was here, but I feared that
if he told me, then this beautiful place would
disappear and I would be back in my nightmare. The
weight on my chest is immediate and I have a sense
of dread. I have seen glimpses of this place in my
dreams and I know there are things I am to see before
leaving.

There’
s a sinking feeling in my stomach and I know
that my time here is short. I reach out with all my
senses in an effort to understand why I am here. I
suddenly feel tired and sit down on the sofa. My eyes
close for a moment and then my mind opens like a
door.

I see myself walking in the trees from the field
beyond the iron fence. When I reach the forest I hide
under a dense bush to rest. As soon as I fall asleep I
see a beautiful light surrounding me. I get up from
where I am sleeping and walk into the light and find
myself in a void. I have the sensation of being
hugged and protected in the light.

The most powerful feeling of peace and love
envelopes me as I walk through the light. I hadn’t
noticed when I initially came into the forest but I had
walked into another dimension. I am so distracted by
the beauty of the light that I hadn’t noticed the others
at first.

There are a multitude of people all around me that I
can sense but not see. I intuitively know that they are
there to help me navigate to the dimension I need to
go. I can feel their energy pushing me forward.

There is an intersection of various dimensions and I
am walking on a path. It seems to be made up of
white rock that crunches as I walk. The path takes
me by a series of doors. The doors are transparent
and I can see into them as I walk past.

Some doors lead into forests or beaches while others
open up into cities both from the past and the future.
I pass many doors that I would love to explore but
then there are some dark dimensions. I can feel fear,
chaos and evil in these portals. My heart starts to beat
faster at the sight of a lava red fire burning from one
dimension. I stop to look inside wondering what this
doorway leads into.
There is a mountain at the start of the portal with red
lava dripping down the outside. A dirt trail leads into
the mountain and I step closer to the portal to see
what is there. The trail winds back and forth down
the mountain. At the bottom of the mountain is an
expanse of barren land. I see plants dotting the
landscape unlike any I have ever seen. I take a step
closer and strain my eyes to see what they are. They
are not plants at all but bodies. Bodies and limbs of
people are strewn all over. As I try and make sense
out of what I am seeing the sky darkens. There is a
man walking up the trail. As he gets closer it is
apparent to me that this is not a human.

I am paralyzed by what I see from that dimension. It
seems to be pulling me toward the trail. I am fighting
the magnetic pull of the portal and trying to loosen
the hold on me. The creature is almost to the top of
the mountain and is dragging something behind it. I
can’t see what it is but the form is not moving.

Tom’s v
oice probes gentlyinto my mind. “Turn
away from what you see. Look at the light Ivy. It
will lead you back here”. I drag my eyes away from
the horror of the dark dimension and attempt to reach
for the light. My body is paralyzed and movement is
impossible.

My mind closes the door to this dimension and I am
in total darkness. I try and move forward but feel as
though I am behind something large. It is blocking
my path and the weight of it keeps me from moving.
I push with my mind and inch by inch the weight
holding me captive lifts. I can hear the barking of a
dog and move in that direction. There is a wall in
front of me and I feel along it trying to find a way out.

I walk to the left feeling up and down the wall as I
move. My legs are aching as I move up and down
frantically feeling for a way out. I can hear the sound
of something being dragged across a floor behind me.

My mind is racing and the back of my neck is ice cold
with sweat. There are eyes in the darkness coming
toward me. I turn to face it and back into the wall. I
can see fire in the eyes and the blackness is drawing
me deeper. I keep moving and then I feel the
coolness of metal. There is a doorknob and I pull
open the door and close it quickly behind me. I see a
flashlight far in the distance and make my way in that
direction. The barking is growing more intense and
then I hear the door behind me open. The dragging
sound starts again and I don’t dare look back into the
eyes I know are there. The shuffling behind me
grows louder and I began to run. My body feels like
it weighs a thousand pounds and running is almost
impossible. Determination keeps me moving and the
flashlight is growing larger.

I try and pick up speed and nearly fall down. I am
bent half over and using my arms to help propel me
forward. Then there is a beam of light and it grows in
intensity. There is an open door before me and light
on the other side. The heaviness of my body is lifting
and now I am able to run through the darkness. The
light seems to be pulling me through the void and
then I am at a threshold.