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The Story:
“You’re too scared to go in there.”
“I am not!”
“Yeah, you are! You’re afraid of your Uncle Gandan and that mad ogre face of his.”
“I’m not a coward, Jelile! We aren’t allowed to go down there!”
It was true. The gated tunnel below the castle’s West wing was off limits, especially to noble children. They would be awarded with a fine enough beating simply for standing next to it, if anyone were to discover them.
“Okay, then. How about ten gold pieces just for going down there?”
“You don’t have ten gold pieces.”
Jelile pulled a leather pouch from his pocket and showed his cousin the ten gold pieces inside it.
“Took it from my father this morning. Safe journey, Dyrin.”
Jelile tossed him the pouch.
Dyrin held the bag in his hand, thinking about the horse he had seen at the stables the other day. His mind made up, he clenched the bag and shoved it into his pocket. The iron gate to the tunnel creaked and scraped on its hinges, as he opened it.
“Dyrin!”
Dyrin turned to look back at his cousin.
“Uh… Nothing. Just think quick, okay?”
“What was that supposed to mean?” Dyrin thought to himself.
The tunnel was long and dark with several turns. He kept walking until he reached a cavernous room, dimly lit by a few lanterns and a large cauldron in the center. The cauldron was being heated from underneath, and the boiling liquid in it was glowing green.
Something touched his shoulder from behind him. He spun around and saw a hunched over woman with stringy grey hair. She had what looked like some sort of medallion embedded into her left cheek.
“Oh, I startled you! I’m sorry… Well, not really,” she cackled.
“Who… Who are you?”
“No no no. First, do you have the pieces?”
She invaded his pocket and removed the pouch of gold faster than he could jump away.
“Ah, yes, very nice. Now, I can get that alligator’s tail. Except you’re not what I was hoping for. He said you were scrawny, but you’re all bones!”
“Ma’am, please, who are you talking about?”
“Your cousin, boy! I was going to boil him, but he insisted you were better. Now, hop in,” she said, patting the cauldron’s edge.
Think this story should become a book or a short film? Let me know in the comments below!