Lunacy -The Conveance Cloak

 Aaron Bilek

Immediately, I tried the bolt, but to no avail. After examining the bolt, I concluded that it must have rusted shut. I reasoned that if the trapdoor was old enough to have a rusted bolt, it must have rotting boards as well. I searched my pack for a hammer I had brought with me and extracted it for my pending act of vandalism. Bringing the hammer up for the full-on assault at my goal, I noticed some strange symbology on my intended target. Paying it no mind, I smashed my hammer into the theoretically decaying wood. A crash could be heard throughout the orchard and flocks of birds were sent flying away. Before the impact I had closed my eyes. Now, upon opening them I could see no damage whatsoever on the trapdoor. My hammer, however, featured a broken head. I was too desperate and so close to give up on my life’s goal completely. Pacing back and forth, reconsidering my approach, my eyes fell again on the strange symbology I had noticed earlier. With a much calmer mind, I set about examining these runes. Pulling out my map, a comparison could be noticed. In fact, the markings on the trapdoor matched the symbols on the map exactly. I read aloud my interpretation of these markings, and was granted instant gratification. With a long, loud squeak, the trapdoor opened, revealing a pitch black hole with a ladder propped up on one side. I threw a stone inside to determine the depth of such a seemingly endless hole, but unfortunately, I could not hear any collision from below. Turns out the thing WAS endless. At that point, I had half a mind to ditch this project and get away from this dark anomaly. In fact, I started doing just that. But then I noticed night had begun to fall, and in the countryside, I could easily see the beginnings of a beautifully starry canvas. If I had left at any other time of day, my adventure would be over, and I might have had a normal life. But I didn’t, and my sense of determination returned to me, bringing bravery and courage along with it. I strapped me bag over my back and with flashlight in mouth,  began the descent. Periodically, the inside of the shaft was searched by my flashlight, never finding anything of importance. I continued down, never losing my resolve, never once thinking about returning. However, minutes of climbing turned into hours and my muscles became fatigued. Hours passed by until finally I reached the point where I physically could not go any further. Hooking an arm around the ladder for assistance, I took the dying flashlight out of my sore jaw and looked around one last time. Nothing new, my ladder extending infinitely above and below me, surrounded by bare, grey walls. I was about to return the flashlight to my mouth, but exhaustion reached me first. My last thoughts were of the beautiful night sky I had seen countless times. Then, I fell.

***

I landed with a hard thump. After taking a second to regain my breath, I realized that I was on a moving platform. With a shudder and groan, it slowly transported me to a doorway which blended into the surrounding walls. The door recessed and revealed an Egyptian-esque entrance to a tomb. My residing platform tipped forward and I stumbled into the awaiting hallway. My escape from falling until I died astounded me, but I had more pressing matters on my mind. I took a step forward, exploring the passage, when suddenly, with a resounding thud, the recessed door closed again. Turning back around, I noticed my path was illuminated by sandstone basins containing fire, but there was no obvious signs of fuel or smoke. Although this intrigued me deeply, I ventured down the path instead to expose more of this secret site. My journey seemed to be longer than it actually was,due to my tiredness. However, I made it. I entered a room similar to appearance as the hallway leading to it, just larger and containing a black coffin at the center. After my excitement faded, I explored the chamber. Without finding anything noteworthy, I turned my attention to the box in the center. I felt the smooth surface of the box and could not find any means of opening it. Before giving up, I remembered the words I had spoken to gain entrance to the endless hole. Once the words were said, the tomb yielded its secrets to me as quickly as the trapdoor and I eagerly pushed the lid aside. Inside was the most beautiful garment I have ever seen. It was a cloak, possessing an alluring and captivating presence that only the night sky has been able to replicate. It came to my mind that this cloak was indeed the night sky, but I pushed the silly idea out of my head. The cloak came out of its resting place and ended up upon my shoulders. The tomb rumbled and my thoughts raced to escape. Suddenly, the cloak engulfed me in its dark essence. There was a slight movement under my feet, but my panic engulfed any other observations. Just as quickly as it covered me, however, the cloak unfurled itself to reveal that I now stood atop the entrance trapdoor. I passed out for the final time, looking at the starry skies. I woke up around midday and tried to replicate the abilities that had allowed me safe passage from the tomb. No such luck. Planning on exploring more in depth later, I set out on my way home. If only I knew that that day was the first of many, with more challenges and prizes than I could ever imagine.