Alvirah's Blunder

This story was written for WaterfallMist (because he was complaining that i didn't write "happy" stuff) but mostly it was written in 1999 for the Christ College intercollegiate writing competition held in honour of their new library. It always amuses me to see how my style of writing has changed over the years.

In a distant land far away , the only building that stood in my way was an old library. As I entered, I tripped over something and fell flat on my face. I gingerly picked myself up and sought the culprit of my fall. It was a book! Of course! What else would you expect to find in a library?

I picked up the book and read its title. “Witches and Warlocks,” it said. I looked around the tiny foyer. It was deserted. I carried the book through the foyer and into the main library…and stopped, shocked.

The whole library was in a complete state of disarray. None of the books were on the shelves. They were all lying on the floor or falling off the tables and chairs that lined the bare walls. Books were scattered everywhere. There were actually piles of books that reached up to the ceiling! The place was a total mess!

Suddenly, I heard a noise. No, it was more like a sob. I surveyed the whole room but could not find the source of the noise. Then I heard it again. It seemed to be coming from behind a pile of books on the far corner.

I waded through the numerous books that blocked my passage. On the way, I read a few more titles – “Curses and Spells” read one, “Cults and Groups” read another, “Salem” read yet another title. I realized that all these books had something to do with the supernatural!

I heard the sob again and made my way to the corner. There, I saw a real sight for sore eyes. For, there in the corner, surrounded by a pile of books, was a pretty, young girl of maybe sixteen or seventeen. She had long, golden tresses and wore a long flowing gown. She looked like she’d just stepped out of the Elizabethan Age. Her head was buried in a book and her whole body was racked with sobs.

“What’s the matter?” I asked, stepping up to her.

She immediately jumped out of her chair and whimpered down in the corner like a frightened kitten. “Oh! I-i th-thought it w-was h-her,” she stammered, relief obvious on her pixie face.

“Who?” I asked.

“Y-you know…..her.”

“No, I don’t know. But you’re obviously frightened of her, whoever she is. I mean no harm.”

“Y-yes. She might k-kill me or throw me into the Bottomless Pit or the Hell of No Return if I don’t finish reading all these books by tonight,” she said, gesturing to the whole library.

“You have to read all these books by tonight?” I expostulated. “How many have you finished?”

“Oh, about three,” she replied. And then she burst into tears again.

“Maybe I can help you. Do you mind telling me why you have to read all these books by tonight?”

She sniffed and dabbed at her face with the hem of her petticoat. “Well, it’s like this. See, tonight is the Night of a Thousand Moons.” She looked at me expectantly. When she saw my blank expression, she continued. “One night in a thousand full moons is set aside by us witches and warlocks to wreak havoc upon the world. Tonight is that night and I have to find a spell to stop it or else…or else….” She broke down in sobs again.

“Okay…” I said, hesitantly, if a little dubious.

“You don’t believe me?” she shreaked hysterically. “Your whole future depends on tonight and you don’t believe me?”

“Okay, calm down.” I said in a soothing voice. “I’ll help you. Just tell me what to look for.’

“Shhh…she’s coming!” she said, eyes round with fear.

“Who? Who’s coming?” I asked, starting to panic. I could actually feel her, whoever she was. The hairs on my neck were standing on end.

“M-my Aunt Al-alvirah,” she stuttered. If she finds me here, she’ll definitely kill me or…or…worse….she’ll throw me into the World of Dry Oceans and Wet Air.”

Before I could make sense of this last piece of information, I heard a crack of thunder and the pile of books nearest to me began to smolder.

“Sssooo…” a voice, nastier than rat’s feet on dry paper thundered. “My little niece defiesss me, eh?”

I didn’t want to turn around. Couldn’t. The girl was cowering in the corner like a petrified rat. I didn’t want to turn around, but was compelled to.

There she stood, between a pile of books, a manic look in her eyes. Hair flying in the whirlwind that circled her. Bolts of lightening flashing around her head. Or were those just the evil sparks in her eyes? Her teeth were bared like a hungry wolf about to feast on its prey.

“You certainly should be punished for thissss, ssssilly girl,” she hissed, as the whirlwind around her swirled even faster. “Hmm…let’s see…I think the Hell of Burning Water would do just fine. Assss for you,” she said, turning to me, “You will also be punished for helping this….thisss…..wench.”

The whirlwind around her began to swirl in larger circles until it engulfed both the girl and me. Suddenly, the back wall of the library disappeared into nothingness. Books began to be sucked into the gaping hole. I grabbed the nearest bookshelf that seemed to be attached to the wall.

“Hold onto something!” I cried as I felt myself being lifted off the ground and being pulled inexonerably towards the vortex. I twisted around but could not see the girl.

Suddenly, the shelf I was clinging to, heaved – and then disappeared. I was flung feet first into the vortex, still trying to grab onto something solid.

Then I blacked out.

I woke up yelling. In my own room. In my own bed. I looked around at my room and smiled. “Just a dream,” I thought, lying down again. Phew! It had been such a vivid dream that I could still see the lightening cracking as I was sucked through the vortex.

Something wasn’t right though. I looked around my room again. Funny, I thought. I had just thrown away this blanket. And hadn’t I changed the wallpaper a few months ago?

Just then, the doorbell rang. I noticed slight changes in my living room as I walked through it to answer the door. I was sure that I had changed those curtains and didn’t I pull down that wall to make the living room larger?

My jaw dropped when I opened the door. The girl. In my dream. Was standing on my front porch. Holding a pile of newspapers. She smiled, handed me one, and rode away on her bicycle.

If I was shocked to see her, I was even more flabbergasted to see the headlines in the paper. “Kuwait Oil Rigs Bombed.” was the main headline. The sub-head was what caught my eye. “Thousands of Sea Animals Die As Water Ignites.”

Water ignites? I thought. Burning water? Of course! The oil rigs were at sea! I checked the date of the newspaper. 1996? Boy, things were really beginning to fall into place now. My house, for one. 1996 is three years ago. Well, from today, that is. No wonder things in my house were different. I’d recently renovated it. Well, recently as in 1999.

I glanced at the headlines and burst out laughing. Aunt Alvirah, the witch had mistaken Earth for the Hell of Burning Water and had sent us back, without even knowing it. “Well,” I thought with some remorse, “this is as close to hell as we’ll ever get in this lifetime.”

Taking a deep breath, I went back inside my house. Sure, I’d have to live the three years all over again but then, these three years were a gift and I was going to enjoy it every darn minute possible. Besides, I’d have three years to help the girl find the right spell. Thank you, Alvirah!