The Lily on the Table - 5

Locked in the university library on a Tuesday night.  Like most college students, Sam, Hayden and I learned to entertain ourselves in the most economically friendly and unique ways possible and to make the most of an uncomfortable situation.  Tonight, it was being locked in the university library with no hope of escape without setting off an alarm and getting busted big time.  Sam and I ran towards the front doors laughing in disbelief of having been locked into the building.  We looked down the walkway that lead down towards some benches and then made a sharp left leading towards the main campus.  It was bordered with bushes of pretty flowers that looked picturesque under the suns during the day.  The place was deserted, so there was no hope of anyone seeing that we were trapped inside the building until morning.  Sam and I panicked a little bit, but were still laughing and gasping in disbelief.  Hayden still hadn't caught on to what had happened and just got lost with some big sci-fi book in the fiction section.  After about fifteen minutes of our giggling and running a bit rampant through the library, Hayden raised his head and came over to see what we were doing.

     “What are you guys doing?” he whispered.  “We're gonna get kicked outta here if you keep up like this!”  Now his whisper was becoming a quiet scolding whisper.  Sam
and I looked at him with amazement and then at each other and started laughing.

     “We're locked in, idiot,” Sam laughed quietly.

     “No more whispering, Hayden!” I called out loudly with my hands around my mouth and then jumped up laughing loudly.  For the first time, I broke completely out of my shyness.  I felt completely free.  I stripped off my cotton jacket and threw it over my books as I ran around the library laughing in a childish, silly way.  Sam stopped laughing and both she and Hayden looked at me in utter surprise.  Then I ran and jumped behind them putting my arms around them both. 

     “Girl!”  Hayden acknowledged me as he pulled his head back.  
     “What 're we gonna do all night?” Sam asked in a laugh.  I looked from side to side with my dirty-blond hair swinging back and forth with me.  I think we should look for a way outta here.  Don't you?” 

     “There is no way outta here.  This place is supposed to be the most secure place on campus aside from the administration buildings,” explained Hayden.  He had the heads up about this place from some his older brother who graduated a couple years ago.  Sam's brother filled her in mildly, but that was nothing to the plethera of knowledge Hayden had.  He seemed to know this place inside out. 

     "Well, we may as well make the most of our time and study," said practical Hayden as he gently took my hand down from his shoulder, swung his mohawk out of his face and walked peacefully back to his books.  Sam and I giggled and skipped full of energy to where we were sitting before we began our escapade and joined him.  The night grew on and we soon resumed to goofing off when we were supposed to be working.  Sam started throwing little beaded up wads of paper at Hayden and I who were deep into our studying. 

     “Geez, Sam.”  Hayden stumbled on his words and started batting away the objects she was chucking his way.  “I'm getting hungry,” he said looking to the both of us.  It was late and the only food we had in our bags were the few pieces of fruit that Sam and I stole out of the dining hall during lunch.  
     “I have an apple and a banana,” I said as I put them out on the table in front of us.  
     “I have these,” Sam said as she began to dig through her bag exuming three pieces of fruit and a couple of candy bars.  Here before us was our dinner; the healthy, delectible meal of a college student who missed meal hours or was too lazy to go to the dining hall at all.  Hayden grabbed an apple and began munching.  Sam and I followed and then we split the candy bars evenly so we each felt fed for the evening. 

     “This place should open in a few hours,” I announced after eating my meal.  
     “It's only 1am,” announced Sam with her sparkley pin-dot brown eyes fixed on the clock about the check-out desk.  
     “I don't care.  Let's check this place out some more,” Hayden said with energy.  It was that time of night again.  The time of night when we were starting to get the late night silly behavior like we did in the Beechal field, and we started roaming the library.  I decided to dash up the stairs into a small section lit by emergency lights, which seemed to have a light carpet that glowed from the floor under the nest of couches and bookshelves.  There was table next to one of the shelves with a book sitting all by itself.  The title read "The Lily on the Table" over the light cover, and it had a picture of purple flowers underneath.  It was a thick, hard cover book with big writing which was probably easy to read in the light.  I walked over to pick it up and flicked my wavy, dirty-blonde hair out of my face as I picked it up.

     "Hey!  Check this out," I said in a whisper.  Hayden felt the cover with his strong, long fingers.  His tall, lanky body leaned against mine with Sam looking curiously over his shoulder holding onto his arm as she veered.  The three of us looked in amazement as
I turned the book over to read the back.  There was not much of a summary, but instead what seemed to be a list of instructions to the reader.

 

          Beware of the door that opens, do not be fooled,

          as you step in the space around which is pooled,

          Do not be afraid, your first step is out of bound,

          Your direction, if acheived, will surley be found,

          If the direction you do not find, or are wrong with the mast,

          The direction you will never find, and you'll get lost in the vast,

          Step one, step two, step three to the near,

          And again you will be found, this time next year.

          Turn back the clocks of time, my friend,

          You will never ever be able to find the end.

 

     “What?” Hayden whispered in and elongated twang.

     “What is this book about?” and before we knew what was happening, Sam had grabbed the book and flipped it over in my hands. “There.  Now open it up,” she
demanded in her light, demanding tone. 

     “Ok,” I said, still daunted, and did so slowly.  Before we knew it, a bright light was shining from the bookshelf, and we were sucked into what seemed like a huge portal.  We stood motionless as we were sucked into the wide vortex, which looked like a big, real version of a black hole I was once shown by my friend James in our sixth grade science class that we shared.  The three of us were terrified as the huge image appeared before us, but not for long.  Soon, we appeared in a corner of what seemed to be a nightclub. 

     "Wow," Sam took a few steps forward.  We couldn't see anyone's face very well, and there was a lot of smoke in the room we were in.

     "Where are we?" asked Hayden stepping in a small circle and cocking his head slightly to one side.  "Holy-moly!"  He looked at the bar in disbelief, but drew no attention to us what so ever.  Sam turned her slight body around and then gasped with the same sense of shock that was in Hayden's voice.  I was looking down at the book ready to open the cover when I swung around and looked to the bar.

     "How colorful," I stated with no surprise left in my tone.

     "Where did that portal take us?"  asked Sam in her naturally curious and enthusiastic voice. 

     "I don't know!" I gasped. 

     "This is...."  Hayden stared at the bartenders in disbelief as he spoke.  "...colorful."  My small fingers were reaching to turn over the front cover of the book as to search for a clue.  I buried my head in the introduction but had no hope of reading when distracted by my friends who dragged me towards the bar to examine the multitude of colorful bartenders juggling bottles and pouring drinks for patrons.  We obviously weren't on Kelbridd anymore, and we certainly weren't in New Jaspern or anywhere near school.  The people at the bar were friendly and were looking up at us waving at the new patrons.  None the less, we were scared to be out of our element.  Hayden took my hand and then I took Sam's, and we were no more than three steps forward before we were propelled back to where we came from.  Only one year later.   

 

 

Author's Note

If you read this, please leave a review and tell me your experience. Constructive cristicism is always welcome. Thank you to anyone who reads my work and those who leave feedback. Please give as honest feedback as possible so that I may grow as a writer.

Reviews

[StarNinja]

I don't think I can add much more on what's already been said by other reviewers. Work on flow, work on odd sounding sentences and that sort of thing and you'll be golden. So I take it being sucked into glowing portals is pretty common in this world. Otherwise the three characters would have been like, "Holy S**t we just got sucked into a portal! That kind of thing isn't supposed to happen!" or something like that. I guess portals aren't that big a deal if they are uncommon.

[Ravyne Hawke]

Interesting.. it is now taking a fantasy turn.. I still want to know more about the "seed" from a couple of chapters ago.. I love how the characters react to being locked in the library. Shows their distinct styles and emotions about things. Great job so far :) Could you send me an email when you have more written? I will be keeping RRs turned off until I get through the near 100 RRs I have to review. Thanks again for thinking about me and asking me to read and review this story of yours.. it really is quite good :)

[Jessi Berlasty]

"library on a( )Tuesday night." " Tonight(,) it was being locked in the university" "place was deserted(,) so there was no hope" "and then at each( )other and started" "No more whispering(,) Hayden!" "For the first time(,) I broke completely out of my shyness." " in the Beechal field(,) and we started roaming the library." "section lit by emergency lights(,) which seemed to have a light" "over the light cover(,) and it had a picture of purple flowers underneath." "will surly(surely) be found," "direction you wil(l) never find" " Turn back the clocks of time(,) my friend" "shining from the bookshelf(,) and we were sucked into what" " Soon(,) we appeared in a corner" "face very well(,) and there was a lot" "on Kelbridd anymore(,) and we certainly were(omit that) weren't" "I took Sam's(,) and we were no more than three steps forward"

Definitely an interesting concept. I would work on your flow better. There's a lot of "which is"s. And careful with your commas. With "and" or any other conjunction, you need a comma if there are two independent clauses. Other than that (and a little more description), you did a very good job with this! Send me an RR when you have more written.

[Thomas Fitzgerald]

Tense and almost magical to the point of excuse, well done, great suspense.

[Dragon]

This is amazing! I really like how you keep in thought with the characters in your story. You give them a lot of thought and keep them moving. Great job! :)