Charlie, Ted, Sheila, and Rocky all arrived at what appeared to be a somewhat cylinder-shaped stone with weird symbols on it in the center of a circular stone platform. The stone platform also had symbols, engraved around the edge of it.
The top of the cylinder-shaped stone was bowl-shaped, crafted inwards, and there was a glimmering black substance filling it.
“This is it,” said Ted. “The portal to the Black Cave.”
Charlie, Rocky and Sheila stared at the mysterious object.
“Alright, I’m sorry Charlie, but like I said, the portal only allows two per travel,” said Ted. “You will travel there by flight with Sheila. Rocky and I will take the portal.”
“Okay,” replied Charlie, looking over at Sheila, who was smiling.
“You aren’t afraid of heights, are ya?” Sheila teased. “Not at all,” replied Charlie.
Ted then raised his hand with the Blue Ring above the basin-shaped top of the stone cylinder, and the black substance began to swirl lightly, making a funnel in the center, and at the center of the funnel was a dark opening in the stone. He then pulled his sword from his sheath, raised it up over the swirling substance and stabbed it straight down into the opening at the center of the funnel.
The bowl then began to release the substance around it. It streamed out onto the circular stone platform Ted and Rocky were standing on.
Ted then grabbed onto Rocky’s wrist with the hand with the Blue Ring. Momentarily the substance rose up around them, spinning in a circular motion around the platform, then after a few seconds, the substance dropped, and Ted and Rocky were gone.
Charlie couldn’t believe what he just saw.
Now it was off to the Black Cave by flight with Sheila.
Up above the trees and lakes of the Underground through the night Charlie flew, accompanied by Sheila’s strong grip. Her body was cursed not only with wings, but with a strong and powerful strength. She had transformed herself into some sort of winged animal, the full form of the creature she was cursed to be.
She held Charlie against her tightly. Her arms had turned to a gray color, her veins were showing, and her eyes were beady, pitch-black pupils the size of gumballs.
Charlie could feel her stomach muscles tightening, a powerful body underneath her black shirt.
This is awesome, thought Charlie, ignoring the miserable fact that he was being carried by some half- dangerous monster of a woman, and admiring the view of the Underground from this height.
He could see everything...giants in the hills, huge bat-like creatures in the trees, a lake surrounded by fog, huge mountains...
“So what do you think?” Sheila asked Charlie.
“This is incredible. Were those giants back there?”
“Yeah, they live out in the open.”
Sheila then began to near the mountains. “Alright, we’re almost there, the Black Cave is right over that mountain there.” She glided between a couple of hills, then made a swift turn around the mountain on their left to see Rocky and Ted climbing a wooden stairway alongside of it that led to the entrance of the Black Cave.
They eventually stopped at the top of the flight of steps which Rocky and Ted were almost at, soon meeting them where a dark entrance with candle lights burning from the inside stood.
“Well, we’re all here now, aren’t we?” announced Ted.
Inside the cave, Charlie, Ted, Sheila, and Rocky all walked down a narrow tunnel for at least a minute in the dark. They were surrounded by dark whispers and candles lighting the way to where a man was slowly walking towards them.
“Stop right there,” said the man in a creepy voice.
Ted stopped first, putting his arms up to signal Charlie, Sheila, and Rocky not to move.
The man began to walk slowly towards them, and eventually his face could be made out. He carried a staff very similar to Muri’s staff. He had an ugly old face of a skeleton under a hood. His face was rotted and his eyes were missing from their sockets. It was the creepiest thing Charlie had seen so far.
“Welcome to the Black Cave,” said the creepy figure. “I am the cave keeper.”
As the cave keeper spoke, his creepy voice projected and the red sphere at the end of his staff grew brighter.
“Greetings, it is I, Ted Grey,” greeted Ted. “Do you remember?”
“Ted Grey, you’ve returned. And you’ve brought others?”
“I have. This is Charlie James, he’s come to take the challenge.”
“Has he?”
Charlie stared into the face of the cave keeper, staring into his eyeless sockets.
“Charlie, you say?”
“Yes, sir,” replied Charlie.
“Well Charlie, how old are you?”
“Seventeen.”
“And you’ve come for the challenge?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And you have others with you as well?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Are they here for the challenge?”
Charlie turned to his friends.
“No,” answered Ted for him. “This is my sister Sheila here and our friend Rocky.”
“I see,” acknowledged the cave keeper. “Well then, Charlie, you can take up to one friend with you...or you can go alone.”
“I’m going with him,” said Ted. “Of course you will, Ted Grey,” said the cave keeper.
Thank god, thought Charlie to himself, knowing he won’t be alone on this dangerous mission.
“Both of you, this way,” ordered the cave keeper. “All others, please, leave the cave.”
Charlie and Ted quickly turned around to say goodbye to Rocky and Sheila.
“Goodbye, sister, we’ll hurry and make it out of here as soon as we can,” said Ted.
“Bye, brother,” replied Sheila, in mild tears. “I believe you’ll get through this again.”
He then turned to Rocky. “Later, big guy.”
Rocky waved. “Goodbye.”
Charlie was a bit in shock. It was a bit emotional for him to risk a dangerous task as it would be... and to leave Rocky behind after he saved his life from Dultona’s Room of Torture, and then the gremlins in the forest.
“Goodbye, Rocky, I’ll hope I make it out, I need you by my side,” said Charlie.
“Goodbye, Charlie,” he said.
Charlie almost began to tear up after hearing Rocky’s goodbye. He then turned to Sheila. “Bye, Sheila.”
“Later punk,” she said.
Rocky and Sheila then exited down the tunnel towards the entrance of the cave. Charlie and Ted watched them until they were out. And now it was time to begin the three dangerous tasks of the Black Cave.
“Step forth, young man,” ordered the creepy figure of the cave keeper, and Charlie obeyed.
Nervously, Charlie stepped up to what appeared to be a small wooden table. Ted stood back a few steps.
The cave keeper then pulled out of his cloak what appeared to be a jewel bag, a dark gray color. He placed the bag on the table.
Charlie anxiously wondered what he was going to have to do.
“Young man, you must be very brave to enter my cave,” spoke the cave keeper.
“I’ve been told,” replied Charlie, glancing over at Ted for a second then back at the cave keeper. Please, no more talk, I just want to get this over and done with, he thought.
“Do you have any second thoughts before you begin such a dangerous mission?”
He thought about this question for a moment.
“No.”
“Then let’s continue.”
“Please.”
“In this jewel bag are the eyes of the watchers, including my own,” the cave keeper spoke.
Watchers? “What do
you mean, watchers?”
“Those who have previously lost their sight to become a watcher of the Black Cave. We were once humans just like you, died in the Underground, or were taken to after death, and were brought to the Lake of Souls.
“After the fall of a watcher, a new one is chosen at random to become the next, granted a physical body but to sacrifice their sight. That is how I became Watcher of the Cave.”
“Interesting,” commented Charlie. “Now can we get this show on the road?”
The cave keeper cackled. “You have a lot of nerve, young man.”
“I’m still adjusting to this place.”
“Ah...well, Charlie, if you dare, reach into my bag and choose three numbers. They will be needed later.”
And with that being said Charlie carefully picked up the dark-gray jewel bag and reached in. What felt like slimy sphere-shaped objects touched his skin... eyeballs.
Charlie pulled one of the eyeballs out of the bag and set it out on the table. On the opposite side of the pupil in a small print was a number. The number 7.
“Seven,” said Charlie aloud.
“Remember that number,” said Ted, a few feet away.
Charlie had almost forgotten Ted was there.
“Not a bad number for your first time in the cave, seven is quite a lucky number, like they say,” told the cave keeper. “Okay, boy, reach in and choose your second number.”
Charlie reached into the bag again to choose another, this time not as disgusted by the fact that he was feeling the actual eyes of long-lost human beings, eyes somehow still feeling as if they were just recently taken from the sockets of their skulls.
He pulled out his second number. It was marked with a 3. He set it out on the table.
“Three,” he read in unison with the cave keeper. “It’s not the worst number but it has a price to pay.”
“A price to pay?” questioned Charlie. “So it’s an unlucky number?”
He slightly began to feel uneasy about the number, wondering if his next and final number would make up for it.
“No more questions, boy,” said the cave keeper. “Go ahead and choose your final number.”
Charlie looked back at Ted, who was just standing there, a face that showed confidence in him. “You’ll be alright, Charlie,” said Ted.
Alright... here I go, thought Charlie. He reached into the jewel bag his third and final time, this time digging his hand around a bit, hoping maybe he could feel something different in the texture of the last eyeball. Maybe it would help... or maybe it would bring the worst of luck.
But every eye in the bag had the same similar feel to it. So he picked his last one at random.
He set his final pick out on the table next to the other two, all three evenly spaced apart.
Charlie closed his own eyes for a brief second in hopes that his last pick wasn’t an unlucky number, then opened them to see the small two-digit number printed on the eyeball. The number 11.
After a brief pause and a moment of silence, the cave keeper spoke again. “Eleven.”
“Is it bad? Good?”
“Eleven is usually the number of hope,” spoke the cave keeper. “But here in the cave it could be either good or bad.”
Well at least it’s an alright number, thought Charlie. Sounds like a fair shot.
“Now, boy, you have chosen three numbers... three, seven, and eleven. Keep those numbers in mind, they will be very useful while in the cave.” And then the cave keeper said what would be his last words before Charlie began the dangerous mission of what was the Black Cave. “Are you ready to enter the cave?”
“Yes.”
“Then, young brave man, come around to my side and enter through these doors.”
As soon as he mentioned there were doors, the wall behind him then appeared to move, a large entrance that led to a narrow hallway. The entrance to the first task.
The tall doors continued to slowly shift forward, revealing the hall leading to the first task. Charlie turned around to take one last glance at Ted, who winked at him. Then turning back to the hall entrance Charlie entered. The doors closed behind him.
Ahead of him were another set of doors. Who knew what lie on the other side.
Charlie began to slowly walk down the hall. Small candles from chandeliers above lit the way, providing only a dim light.
Eventually he reached the second pair of doors, slightly different in shape. This pair of doors had somewhat of a semi-circle crafted out of one side, and the other door was without the semi-circle.
The doors to the first task began to open slowly.
Charlie took a deep breath.
After the doors were completely open, he stepped into what appeared to be a room of complete darkness. There was not a single light in sight when the doors behind him closed. And there was no going back.
Chapter 16