Wes Dees - Chapter 1

Author Note: For the first chapter of this novel, I wanted to place Noah in two contrasting worlds: the boring every day world and the fantastical world that he travels to by sleeping. However, I felt myself more invested in the weird, ethereal fantasy world than the regular one. I felt like the regular world was not just boring, but really boring compared to the other world. As for dialogue, I didn't put that much in the chapter because Noah just doesn't feel like a talker. This first chapter was primarily set up as a "set up" chapter and I feel like it works with that. I want people's opinions on Noah's scant thoughts, if they actually sound what a fifteen, sixteen year old would really think (or speak in certain cases). I would also like feedback on Noah's father and older brother. Should I include more dialogue with them in the opening chapter or wait? Another thing I want feedback on is the backstory of the book. Should it be included in the beginning or explained later?

1

            Summer vacation was coming up and Noah knew that he would finally have time to what kids want to do: whatever they want without teachers dictating them. However, it was a tradeoff. He had to deal with family members, but at least he knew that he was not forced to pay attention to them. He would spend the entire summer doing the two things he enjoyed most: reading and sleeping. The latter he would do once he got home, but he was stocking up so he could do the former. Noah had his allowance taken away from him due to grades, so he was dependent on the library in his town to supply his need.

            Though he had been in there many times, each time felt like a different experience. Each time he went down the aisles, it was like seeing a hazy image materializing in front of you, realizing its true form. Noah would pass by thousands of books, but each time he would notice new books, whether it was finally noticing a title or seeing a new set of books he bypassed. It was like exploring a world that he was familiar with yet still finding new places he had never seen before

            Walking down the aisle, Noah noticed a thick brown book. He had seen it many times before, but this time he noticed something a little bit different about it. The book adjacent to it’s right was a bit farther way from it, despite every book on the shelf having no air between them. Noah took the book from the shelf, causing all the others to fall down on top of each other. There was nothing spectacular about the book; just an old, beat up thing with no title, picture, or description on the cover.  There was one thing that segregated this book from all the others that Noah had ever seen in the library: it had a lock on its side.

            “Maybe it’s an old diary.” Noah thought. It was the only thing that made sense to him, since those were the only books that he knew locks were on. A million thoughts began to rush through his head about the potential diary’s origin before he disproved them with the logic that he was in the part of the library where all sorts of fiction were. But then a new rush of thoughts broke through. “Why would a book need a lock?” Noah thought. Entertaining thoughts answered his lingering questions. Maybe it was stolen so much that they needed to put a lock on it. Maybe it was a joke on the library, making this mysterious book be nothing more than some rambling someone wrote down on paper. Noah wanted to find out for himself. He put the book in his backpack and walked to the bottom floor where the checkout counter was. Noah placed the book on the counter, but the librarian was facing away from him, as if he were ignoring Noah.

            “Hey!” Noah shouted, ringing the call bell, “There’s something I want to check out!”

            The librarian turned around and slowly walked up to the counter. The librarian was an ancient man, his crown balding and his white hair retreating to side of his head. He wore an old vest and a red tie. His glasses covered his old eyes and completely obscured them when the light hit the lenses the correct way. He looked at the book Noah placed on the counter and picked it up with a single hand, bringing it close to his face.

            “An interesting choice,” the librarian said.

            “Have you read it?” Noah asked.

            “No I haven’t, but I have heard interesting rumors about it.”

            “Rumors?”

            “Yes. The last person who checked this book out died shortly after he returned it.” This statement caused Noah to fix his eyes on the book. But the librarian let out a sneering chuckle, “But he was having problems with his heart beforehand.” While Noah was relieved, he couldn’t help but feel a little bit disappointed. He thought that maybe it could have been a remnant of something chronicling the Old Ones that caused a man to snap. The librarian handed Noah a key and returned the book to him.

            “Is this the key for the book?” Noah asked.

            “Would I have given it to you if it weren’t?” the librarian retorted.

            “You don’t need to be smart with me.” Noah paused for a few seconds, “So do you even know what’s in the book?”

            “I do not know. I am not someone you can ask that question to. I’ve been working at this library for nearly twenty-five years and I’ve only seen a few people check out that book. For each person it’s been a different experience, a different story.”

            Noah rolled his eyes. Of course it’s different for every person. He felt like the librarian was trying to patronize him, so he placed the book in his backpack, took the key, and began to leave.

            “Be careful,” the librarian said as Noah was about to walk out the door.

            “Summer’s here. It’s still daylight. I’ll be fine.” Noah said as he walked out.

            “We’ll see.” Noah turned his head back towards the librarian. The light was reflecting off of his glasses, and he couldn’t read the expression on the librarian’s face. He walked out of the library and let the door slam shut behind him. The cool summer breeze refreshed him after his stay in the warm library. The sun was hiding behind the horizon, but its light still painted the sky in an orange hue. The roaring sound of cars sung to Noah as he slowly walked home. He knew that it wouldn’t be long until he was free from school, at least for a period of time.

            Noah soon arrived at the cul-de-sac where he lived. Many kids were outside playing, experiencing their summer as early as possible. Some around his age were outside playing games, trying to start off early but neglecting their final exams that were coming up. Noah himself was about to do the same once he got back home. He took the book out of his backpack and examined it as he continued walking. Despite the “rumors” and descriptions that the librarian told him, he still hoped that it would be something worthwhile in this book. Even if it wasn’t something fascinating, Noah’s mind still itched at the answer to the question.

            Walking up to his porch, a fat calico cat rushed up to him, nearly tripping him over. Intent on marking its territory, the cat continued to rub up against Noah as he was unlocking the door. He had to kick the cat away so it wouldn’t rush in and get mauled by an over-friendly, salivating German shepherd. The light from outside mainly illuminated the inside of the house. The only exception was a lamp on the desk in the corner of the room. Noah tried to walk quietly past the man sitting at the desk, trying to not to get his attention, but the slurping, excited noises of the dog alerted him among other things.

            “How was class today?” the man at the desk asked, his tone of voice cold and monotonous.

            “Same old same old.” Noah said, “nothing special.”

            “Finals are coming up. Have you started to study?”

            “Yeah I have Dad. Besides, shouldn’t you be bugging Kyle about as well? I haven’t heard you say anything to him.”

            “Even though he’s living at home, he is in college. He needs to learn how to be responsible on his own, and…” Noah’s father turned around and looked Noah straight in the eyes; “… don’t take that tone with me.” Noah let out a frustrating grunt and walked up the stairs to his room. “Your school isn’t paying for itself. Remember that.” Noah ignored his comment and slammed the door. He threw his backpack onto the bed and lay down, staring up at the ceiling. Through the walls he heard the blasting music from his brother’s stereo. Screeching guitar notes were heard trying to mimic the melody of the radio, and his brother’s frustrated curses provided rhythm to the dissonance.

            Eventually, the noises died down along with the sunlight outside. Now, finally having some peace, quite, and solitude, Noah the book out of his backpack and the key out of his pocket. His heart raced as he placed the key into the lock. What could be in it? His heart beat even faster as he turned the key and he felt the book unlock. In a split second, he opened the book. In the same speed as he opened the book, he felt disappointment damper his spirits.

            The book was blank, every single page. He flipped through the pages frantically, hoping that maybe there would be something, anything, written on the pages, even if it wasn’t noticeable at first. He flipped through them again and again only to have his disappointment reinforced. He closed the book and put it down on the floor. He rolled back on his bed. His big plan for the evening now completely taken away from him. To add to the frustration, the melody of broken notes and screams from across the hall resumed. Noah took his pillow and wrapped it around his head, trying to drown out the noise and the latent frustration. When that didn’t work, he put the pillow back under his head and reached for a book next to his bed. “Guess I’ll continue to read this one,” he thought and opened it up.

            The book was called “Yggdrasil’s Vengeance.” He found it interesting so far, since he had already read half the 500-page book in the span of two days. The story was interesting, but kind of dumb. A giant tree was getting revenge and trying to destroy humanity but there was a boy with the power to talk and communicate with the tree. After about an hour of reading, Noah put the book down on his chest, contemplating the silliness of a green apocalypse. He rolled over on his side and looked down at once locked book he left on the floor. It’s blank pages staring at him, like words were about to form on the page for mocking him for falling for an old librarian’s stupid prank. “I don’t ask for much. I just wanted a good book and this is what I get?” Noah thought. He got out of bed and prepared to go to sleep. “At least when I’m asleep I can dream about something better,” he thought. When Noah was done brushing his teeth, he walked out of the bathroom and saw his brother. He didn’t say anything to Noah, walking past him and into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him. Noah was thankful that he was finished with the bathroom, since his brother always either stayed in there for a long time or would leave the place a mess. Noah went into his room, shut the door, and lay down in bed. The fan was on full blast, a whirring melody luring Noah to sleep. He took one last look at the empty book at the side of his bed. He closed it and put Yggdrasil’s Revenge, on top of it, his intent to take both of them to school with him tomorrow.

            The disappointment from the book he checked out still lingered with him. He knew that a book that big and that special should have taken him to someplace grand, but it failed on its promise spectacularly. “But, then again, maybe that’s the whole point. Setting expectations too high with no proof,” Noah thought, trying to explain away what he felt. “It’s just like with life.” Noah thought. His weariness quickly won out in the battle against his thoughts, and he soon fell asleep.

-

            The last thing Noah remembered before falling asleep was the cool air of the fan blowing down on him. However, he began to notice a change in the air. It slowly became warmer and more humid. Noah felt like he was sinking. Despite this, he remained in a drowsy, euphoric, state. The darkness slowly enveloped him, like a mother cradling her infant child. Then, in an instant, he jolted up, hitting a cold bottom. He thought he fell out of bed and looked up. Once the initial shock wore off, Noah noticed something was off. Way off.

            He was no longer in his room. In fact, he didn’t know where he was. It was completely dark all around him, save for giant stained-glass windows in the distant. He looked below, seeing that he was standing on a brick surface, floating in the middle of a black void. There was a staircase leading up that Noah could not see the end. Since there was nowhere he could go, he decided to proceed up the stairs. Noah walked at a very slow pace, taking in everything that he could around him. He couldn’t figure out where he was, but there was something alluring about this place. He walked for what felt like hours until he reached the very top.

            Surrounding him were multiple detailed stain-glassed windows. Unlike the ones Noah saw at the bottom of the stairs, these depicted scenes and people in them. He saw one of what looked like a sword, stuck in the pedestal of a deep forest. He gazed around, seeing many of them depicting heroes fighting against powerful monsters. But as he was about to come full circle, the final stained glass design caused his body to quake in fear. It was an image of a man cloaked totally in black. His face was obscured by the darkness. However, two red eyes pierced through the shadows. Noah took a step back, feeling as if the eyes were staring straight at him. Not wanting to see it anymore, he turned around and found a new sight in front of him.

            Standing before him was a large, wooden door. Noah saw what looked like a blue mist emanating from the bottom of it. Since he could not go anywhere, Noah placed his hand on the large, black handle, ready to see what was behind the door.

            “Are you ready?” a voice asked.

            Noah jumped back when he heard the voice. He looked all around to see where it was coming from, but could see no one or nothing. With hesitance, he placed his hand on the door’s handle again.

            “Are you ready?” he heard the voice say again.

            “Are you talking to me?” Noah asked.

            “I am. Are you ready?”

            “Is that all you can say? Ready for what?”

            “Ready for what lies beyond. Once you step through this door, there is no turning back. Are you ready?”

            “I guess, since there is nowhere else I can go right now.”

            “Then enter.”

            Noah was about the pull the handle, but he felt the door opening itself. Behind the door was another black void pressed against the vibrancy of the windows. The blue mist was the only thing that formed a path through the door. Noah took a deep breath and stepped in. After only a few steps in, the door slammed shut behind him. Noah could feel a floor below him, even though it appeared as if he were floating in the air. He could see his hands, despite that the thick darkness around him. He turned back to see if the door was still there. When he did, he began to sink through the floor. The warm feeling he felt soon began to fade. The darkness still surrounded him, but a cool breeze replaced the feeling of warmth. The breeze invigorated him and he started to notice the appearance of color again. His vision started off as a swarm of dark, foggy paint before it started to build itself together. While once again in an unfamiliar place, Noah felt much more at ease where he was now.

            Noah was in the middle of a forest. The thick canopy only allowed strands of golden light to shine through its leaves. With every step he took, he could hear the crunch of fallen leaves under his feet. There didn’t appear to be a sign of a living being in sight. He heard no birds chirping, just the gentle howling of the wind. He continued to walk, but found nothing. He began to feel like he was in the void from before. Just because the scenery was much more pleasant didn’t mean that he did not feel unsettled. After what felt like hours, he finally saw something in the distance.

            It was an altar. Moss had covered it and scattered leaves and stick were deposited on its eroded surface. At the center of the altar was a sword in a pedestal. Its hilt was golden and shone brightly when the small sliver of light touched it. Noah recognized it as the image he saw on one of the stained glass windows. He walked up to the altar and stood in front of the pedestal. He placed both his hands around the hilt and began to pull. At first, he felt a strong resistance, but the longer he pulled, the more the resistance faded. He blade slowly out of the pedestal and Noah held it above him. He swung it around, pretending like he was parrying someone in combat. He let out a few chuckles and then lowered it to the ground. He expected something more to happen, but what was there to expect? He stepped down from the altar.

            When he stepped back onto the forest floor, he heard a distant sound. It sounded like something was running towards him. He turned around and saw a black figure running towards him. He turned back around to see what looked like a horse running towards him. Its feet flickered away beneath it as it ran. Its blood red eyes pierced Noah’s soul, rendering him unable to move. Soon a symphony of chilling sounds surrounded him. There was nowhere to run. The horse-like apparitions surrounded him, trapping him in their circle. Noah held the sword close to him as they continued to watch him, like a predator ready to pounce.

            When one of them lunged at Noah, he stuck the sword in front of him. The monster began to scream and writhe in pain. An intensely bright light shone through the sword, piercing through the dark matter of the creature. As it faded away, the other creatures began to back away. As they moved away, Noah noticed someone standing behind them. It was a something wearing a black hood. Noah held the sword close to him and began to shake, recognizing him.

            The figure let out a small chuckle. Noah didn’t know how to take it. In a flash, the figure disappeared. Before Noah could figure out what had happened, he felt an intense pain radiate throughout his neck and his head. He fell to the ground, dropping the sword. His eyes started to become heavy. He could hear the creatures swarming around him again. As he closed his eyes, he could hear more footsteps coming. But with them were the sounds of what sounded like men. As his sight faded to darkness, Noah could hear the sounds of battle cries, both from the monsters and from the coming men.

-

            The morning sun shone directly on Noah’s face, urging him to get out of bed. He sat up and began to rub his cranium. He couldn’t figure out why, but his head was pounding. He got out of bed, went to the bathroom, and took some medicine. He went back into his room and sat back down, hoping that the pain would go away before he had to go to school. He decided to skip breakfast that day, since he knew he wouldn’t enjoy it because of his head. Since he had about an hour and a half before he had to leave, Noah decided to see if he could finish Yggdrasil’s Revenge before he left.

            He couldn’t bring himself to even read it, the pain in his head hindering him. He put the book in his backpack to take with him to school. It was only review sessions from now on until the end of the year, and he had done well in his courses, so he knew he didn’t have to pay any attention. He picked up the big, brown book he had checked out the day before. Not paying attention and keeping a poor grip on it, the book fell out of his hands and laid face down on the floor. Noah picked up the book and flipped it over. He nearly dropped it again after what he saw.

            There were now words written on the once blank pages. His heart beating with the same excitement as the evening before picked up the book and began to read.

            “Lost in a darkness, a young boy was trying to find his way out. In the thick darkness, the only thing he could find was a flight of stairs. He walked up them until he could walk no more. When he reached the top, many beautiful and terrifying images surrounded him, like those immortalized in a holy sanctuary. Then behind him, a door appeared…” Noah continued to read, “As soon as he pulled the sword out of the stone, he was surrounded by dark creatures from another realm. A bright light shone from the sword, and one was vanquished. The young boy then came face to face with him…”

            It then hit Noah. He began to remember everything from the night before: the strange void, the door, the forest, the monster, the light, …him. “This is crazy,” Noah thought, “Something must be going on. Did the librarian know something about this?” He would have to wait until after school to find out. Noah gazed at the book, wondering what it was he stumbled across in the corner on that shelf in that dusty library.