Royal Trespassing

Chapter 3

I hold my breath while entering so I'm not bombarded by a wave of dust and stale air. After a few seconds, I unwillingly take a deep breath. It is cool and fresh, very unusual for a castle that has been locked up for hundreds of years. The great hall lies before us, complete with red frayed rugs on floor, red tinted tapestries on the walls, an iron chandler, and splintering tables and cares. Beautiful carved furniture that rises above the the others stands at the end of the hall including an almost indistinguishable throne that had its upholstery ripped off.

"Which way should we go, right or left?" Mia inquired, motioning to the rooms set on the side of the hall.

"How about we let the universe decide?"

I took out a coin, held it with my fist closed, then said, "heads right, tails left. "

I threw the coin in the air and swiftly caught it. I placed it on the back of my hand which revealed that the universe chose tails.

The left room contained a staircase but also the path that led to the kitchen. To our surprise on the counter in the middle of the kitchen sat bags of potatoes, onions, carrots, lettuce, and other vegetables.

"Why is all this food here? Someone must have been here recently or it would have gone sour."

"Something's not right Mia. Maybe someone decided to take a little vacation here," I said.

"But who would want to vacation in this castle? It's crumbling, it has no pluming or air conditioning, and the furniture is falling apart. Maybe a homeless person snuck in," she offered.

"Maybe but Mr. Wilson has pretty tight security. Oh well I guess we'll find out later. Let's keep exploring.

Spoiler, the well-stocked kitchen led to a dining hall. The dining hall was actually in nice condition. It looked similar to the main hall but all of the furniture was unbroken and in its rightful spot. A single plate was set out with a fork and knife on each side.

"EEEEEEEKKKKKKK," Mia screamed.

"What's wrong?"

Mia composed herself like she realized her overreaction.

" I saw a rat. Let's just go to the next room."

And so we did. We walked into a library. I picked up a book off one of the many shelves. I open the book, trying to find a date but none was present.

"Rose come look at this."

What other strange things can possibly be occurring in the castle? I went to Mia who was in the back corner of the library facing a packed shelve. She pulled several books off of it including Old Yeller, The Lord Of The Rings, The Great Gatsby, and The Hunger Games.

"These books span decades and there's many of them. Whoever is living here has been here a while," I said.

Mia grabbed my arm.

"We should leave. The crazy person living here might shoot us. Let's go."

"You may leave if you want but I'm staying. Besides it's turning dark, you won't make it very far."

I don't understand why Mia goes on these adventures when she's so timid.

"How about I just wait in one of the outer buildings until..."

"SOILDER BOY UP IN THAT HO, WATCH ME CRANK IT WATCH ME ROLL."

"What the hell was that?!"

"I told you we're going to die Rose!"

The song blurted out of nowhere. It switched mid-song to a similar song neither of us recognized. Mia looks like she's about to cry.

"Come one let's find the source," I said.

Our hearts are pounding and our hands are shaking as we methodically open the door into the great hall, the place we thought the music was coming from. The only sounds are the creeks of the door, our heaving breathing, and that God awful music. We enter the room but no one is there. Mia looks at me and shrugs her shoulders. The music gets louder as I walk down the room. I know! There's probably a secret passage way under the throne, a pretty common place to put one but who am I to judge?

The throne is torn apart. The right arm is broken almost in half, the beautiful fabric that once covered it is ripped off in most places, and its foot is broken and jutting out. I rip out the bottom of the throne, injuring my hand slightly.

" What are you doing?" Asked Mia.

I didn't answer. It will be better just to show her so I stuck my hand in the hole under the throne. It only takes a few seconds for my hand to find the lever. One quick pull and a loud noise ensues. Stairs lower themselves on the left side if the throne. I look over at Mia. She seems a little frightened and ready to go home but the show must go on! I grab her arm and we walk down the steps and through a tunnel.

Dying light bulbs emit a faint light illuminating the tunnel. It's cold and wet down here. Pools of water lay scattered about. The silver spiderwebs don't help the mood either. We come to a carved wooden door decorated with the red glass gem like the exterior of the palace. I grab a knife from my belt to be safe.

"Mia get back. If I tell you to run please do so."

She seem like she want to object but she could only manage a nod and a few steps back. I prepared myself, gripping my knife in one hand and the door nob in the other. My chest began to hurt from my over beating heart. It's now or never. I quickly opened the door.

"Hello," a man's voice rang out.