"Why'd you think I could help with that?"
"You've got a strength in you, Catty. A resilience that reminds me of... well, me. Together, we can set things right."
Her mouth twitched, "You really think I'm the one for this? That I've got what it takes?"
"I do," Eldric nodded, "I think you know it, too. Deep down. You've been looking for a reason to get out of here, something worth fighting for. Maybe this is it."
The girl let out a slow breath, her shoulders relaxing a bit. "Fine. Let's say I take your offer. Let's say I do this. For the kids. What happens then?"
"Then you start your own story, Catty. One where you call the shots."
There was a long pause, a silence that filled the room like a thick fog. Catty felt her chest tighten. She looked at Eldric, then at the shadowy corners of the basement. Her mind was spinning, but something in his words hit home.
The girl nodded, a spark of determination in her eyes. "Alright. But let's get one thing straight—I'm doing this my way."
Eldric chuckled softly, "Deal."
His form momentarily shimmered with soft, unearthly light, signaling his joy. The ghost soared to the ceiling, casting light into the dark corners as he spun around the basement. A light breeze touched the girl as Eldric returned and hovered before her.
"Alright, kid. I'm about to lay down the game plan. We're talking covert ops, the kind that would make Superman blush. You, my dear, are about to embark on a mission of redemption, justice, and a little breaking and entering."
"First things first," Eldric continued, "you get back your bracelet. That's your ticket. The director's got it tucked away somewhere tight—maybe in his quarters or that vault he thinks nobody knows about. You'll need to be quick, quiet, and sneaky."
"And how am I supposed to get past the locks?" Catty asked. "Magic my way through?"
"You'd be surprised at what a little ingenuity and a paperclip can do," Eldric chuckled. "But yes, a touch of magic wouldn't hurt. I'll guide you through it. The real trick is finding what's hidden in plain sight."
"Great, so I’m like a ninja now! And after I grab the bracelet?"
"Alright, phase two. The artifacts."
"I bet you've got some grand treasure map up your sleeve?"
"Something like that. I've got the locations locked up here," Eldric pointed to his head. "You'll be Indiana Jones-ing through the orphanage. They are hidden in the last place anyone would look. I'll take you there, but you'll need to be quick. The director's goons are not the friendly chat-over-tea type."
"I know! I grab the artifacts, dodge the goons, and then what? Hide them under my bed?" the girl smirked.
"Under your bed? Not gonna cut it, kid. You're taking the artifacts with you."
"You want me to walk around with a bullseye on my back? You sure that's smart?"
"Smart? Maybe not. Bold? Absolutely. You've got speed, guts, and a knack for trouble. Besides, you've got me to guide you through the chaos."
"And the orphanage? What will happen to it?" Catty asked.
"As for the director, well, let's just say her days of tyranny will be numbered. Once we have the artifacts, she loses her leverage. "
"Sounds simple. What's the catch?"
"The catch? The usual—dodge, outsmart, don't get caught. It's a gamble, but when did you last play it safe?"
"Wow... that’s a lot. Are you sure I’m up for this?" Catty hesitated.
"Absolutely. You've got a spark, Catty. Something I haven't seen in a long time. With my guidance, we'll set things right. You'll see, kid. I'll be with you every step of the way."
"Uh..."
"Now, let's get moving. We've got a director to dethrone and an orphanage to save. And Catty, welcome to day one of your adventure!"
And morning had come when Catty looked around the cluttered basement.
"You're telling me there's a secret passage in here? All I see is a bunch of trash and dust."
Eldric floated near the wardrobe.
"Ah, but that's where you're mistaken, kiddo. This place it's got more secrets than a mystery novel. See this wardrobe? It's not just for mothballs and forgotten linens. It's our gateway."
"A wardrobe? What is this, Narnia? How do we open it with a magic word or something?"
"No, nothing so pedestrian," the ghost chuckled. "It requires a bit of finesse, a touch of the old knowledge. There's a puzzle here, see? Symbols representing our world's core values. Order them correctly, and voilà."
The girl examined the symbols carved into the wardrobe door, then looked back at Eldric.
"And let me guess, you're not just gonna tell me the order, are you?"
"Exactly! Where's the fun in just handing over the answers? Besides, it's a test of sorts. Prove your savvy, show you've got what it takes to tread this path."
Catty's fingers traced over the symbols: a Book, an Eye, a Heart, a Shield, and a Key. They looked like ancient coins blackened by time. But when the girl touched the symbols, they flared up and vibrated like alive, and she could move them easily in different directions. She felt their energy, and each symbol had a unique power.
"So, kid, you think you can crack the code of ages with just your wits?" Eldric smirked.
"This one's for protection, right?" The girl pointed at the Shield symbol. "Gotta have your defenses up."
"Ain't wrong, but where's it stand?"
Catty moved the Shield to the first position.
"It's the groundwork but not the soul of it. Without wisdom..." she tapped the Book, sliding it to the second spot, "... you're just swinging in the dark."
"Got a point. Keep going."
Her gaze shifted to the Key.
"Unlocking secrets, opening doors—that's big. But it's what you do with what you find..." She placed the Key third.
"And?"
Catty hesitated before the Eye and Heart.
"Seeing through the bullshit, that's a sure thing. Insight." The Eye went fourth. "But at the end of the day, if your heart's not in the right place, what's the point?" She finally placed the Heart at the top.
"Heart over head, huh?"
"Always. Why bother if we're not doing this for the right reasons?"
Eldric laughed: "Kid, you might just have what it takes. Let's see if the old wardrobe agrees."
The wardrobe clicked and slowly swung open, revealing a dark passage.
"You betcha!" the girl yelled.
Eldric hung over the dusty shelves, a ghostly figure illuminated by the feeble light filtering through the basement windows.
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"Remember," he said. "You don't need to crack puzzles. Crack yourself open and find what's really inside."
"And what if I don't like what I find?" Catty entered the passage and turned around.
Eldric was left behind in the basement. "I'm staying here, you have to go all the way yourself, Catty. In every story worth telling, the heart of the journey matters, not just the destination. Because there's no anyway."
"What do you mean?" the girl asked, but Eldric didn't answer. He slowly disappeared, dissolving in the rays of the morning sun. First, his body lost limbs, then his stomach, chest, and lastly, his head was covered with ripples as if Eldric was still trying to say something.
"Goodbye, my friend," Catty said.
The wardrobe door slammed behind Catty, and she turned out to be in the flaming space. Walls of fire encased her. Flames danced a macabre jig, licking at the air she breathed. Heat slammed into her like an invisible fist, stealing her breath and turning her insides to warm soup. Above, timbers groaned, threatening to bring the ceiling down upon the girl.
"Really? A room on fire? Just perfect!"
Panic, clammy and cold despite the blaze, clawed its way up her throat. Her vision blurred, and the intense heat threatened to turn her eyeballs into scrambled eggs.
For a moment, the girl was lost in the inferno. The hot air crackled, flames kissing her with hungry tongues. She saw the door ahead, an exit of escape, it teased her with its shiny handle. Catty lunged for it, but the searing pain of the red-hot metal forced her back. "Damn," she hissed, waving her burnt hand.
As the ceiling creaked ominously, her thoughts were racing. "This is it. I'm going to be toast," her usual bravado faltered. The fire reflected in her eyes, a wild whirl of fear.
"Eldric said something about this... What was it?" Catty muttered, dodging a falling ember.
Suddenly, a voice, like a forgotten song lyric, flickered in the recesses of her mind. Eldric's words cut through the smoke and echoed in Catty's head amidst the roar and crackle.
"Let your courage be the flame that lights the path but never the fire that consumes you," she recalled.
Catty squeezed her eyes shut, trying to find that calm hidden beneath the suffocating dread. She inhaled the hot air sharply. The smell of smoke and burnt wood filled her nostrils. And something metallic. Blood, most likely.
The girl focused on her breathing, each inhale a draught of courage, each exhale a release of fear. Catty slowed her thoughts, her mind grasping at Eldric's words.
"...never the fire that consumes you," she repeated, thinking of her bracelet. It was her mother's symbol of faith. With each inhale, Catty imagined drawing strength from the bracelet, its spirit fueling her resolve. As she exhaled, she pictured the fear burning away, replaced by a power that rose in her gut like the sun.
When the girl gained stillness, the chaos around her began to fade. The room seemed to grow quieter, the heat less sizzling.
Catty opened her eyes. The fire still raged, yet something had changed. Now calm in her soul, the girl stepped forward, and the flames yielded her. It had once threatened to burn her and now went away.
She strode towards the burning doorway again, this time laying her hand on the handle without fear. The metal was cool under her touch. The girl pushed it, the door opened easily, and Catty stepped through the threshold, leaving the blaze behind.
The next shock was more biting than a plot twist in a soap opera.
"Oh, fantastic—drowning practice, I was missing that!" the girl found herself deep underwater, her sarcasm sinking alongside her.
It was a sudden plunge, and the cold water bound Catty, enveloping her in its icy grip. Panic surged again, a clawing thing when she floundered into the depth. Her body was suspended in the water, and the world was a blur of shadows and muffled sounds. Catty flailed, her movements erratic, a desperation dance in the engulfing mute.
There were no boundaries, only the suffocating pressure of endless blue.
It seemed like her life could snuff it any damn second. Her lungs screamed for air, a painful, burning demand. They were like leaden balloons. A whimper escaped her lips, a childish sound lost in the vast indifference of the deep. This is it, huh?
"Air, I need air. I'm not ending up as fish food!"
The girl blew out the last bubbles, and they floated upward like Eldric's words. They were her lifebuoy, a lifeline thrown into turbulent waters.
"In the flow of life, be like water," he said, "ride the waves, but never let 'em wash away who you are."
"Ride the waves? I'm not even sure I can ride a bike properly," Catty countered. Still, the absurdity of her situation and the sudden mental image of herself on a bicycle underwater brought a smirk to her face.
The girl stilled her frantic movements with a newfound resolve, focusing on Eldric's words. The water around her seemed to sense her shift, the oppressive weight lessening.
"So, this is what surfing in the mind looks like. Eldric would be proud or think I've lost my marbles."
Be like water. Do not fight it. Become it.
Her struggle slowed, a moment of clarity in the murky depths. "Alright, fear, let's dance." It was a standoff, not with the water, but with herself.
"I'll swim with the damn currents." Catty froze, letting the fight leave her limbs. It was counterintuitive, surrendering to the very element that sought to claim her, but in that surrender, there was strategy.
The pressure eased, the water parting like a reluctant curtain. A gasp ripped from her throat, a desperate surge for air that left her head spinning. Light pierced the blue deep. The girl coughed, salt water on her tongue, but the taste of life sweet on her lips.
And then, as if in response to her acceptance, the water began to retreat. It drew back slowly, leaving Catty sitting on the damp floor, the remnants of the flood swirling at her feet. She was drenched, and the dress clung to her body. The girl was gasping for air but alive.
Catty laughed, half in disbelief, half in triumph. "Well, that was one way to learn to swim." She stood up, dusting herself off—an unnecessary but instinctive gesture.
The pieces were falling into place. This watery nightmare must be part of the whole gateway gig. Did she pass the test? Or is this just another pit stop on this crazy rollercoaster ride?
Catty moved on and became weightless.
It was akin to stepping into a void when gravity left a note saying it quit. The ground beneath her feet disappeared, and Catty shot up as a champagne cork. Her stomach did a triple lutz in her chest, and she was flailing like a fish out of water—well, almost.
"Awesome, sky ballet! Too bad I never took lessons!"
The room spun a carousel. The girl was twirling in the air like a leaf caught in a whirlwind, each movement sending her spiraling uncontrollably. She reached out, hoping to catch hold of anything, but grasped only emptiness.
With every move, Catty flounced through space—a doll in the grip of an unseen force. Ceiling, wall, floor—each one greeted her with a resounding "wham!" that made her see stars. Ow, maybe not so satisfying.
A strange thing happened in the thick of the vortex—a glint of something more than the chaos around her. Letters, glowing like the neon signs of some back alley joint, began to materialize out of thin air. Tossed by flow, they swirled around the girl, forming words in a crazy dance. It was as though the air turned informant, whispering secrets only she had to know.
"The winds of change? They're yours to ride, not to get knocked over by..." Catty had a hard time reading. She twirled three times before finishing—it was a wild ride.
"..let them lift you, not sweep you away..."
The girl took a deep breath and tried to stop fighting the crazy air currents. She let them carry her around like a feather in a hurricane.
"The winds of change? They're yours to ride, not to get knocked over by. Let them lift you, not sweep you away," she repeated. "Easy for a dead guy to say this!"
The girl ceased flailing and stretched out her arms, surrendering to the whims of the wind. She embraced the flow that sought to unseat her. Catty imagined herself as a leaf on the breeze, light and unburdened.
"Let's ride these winds," she whispered.
Catty moved with the air currents, not against them. It seemed like trying to tame a bucking mustang, but instead of a horse, it was the freaking wind.
Once she surrendered to the airflow, a weird kind of freedom took hold. And that's when it hit the girl–a strange exhilaration in her chest. Who knew being tossed around like a cosmic pinball could be so… well, fun?
Gradually, the wild spinning ceased, replaced by a gentle floating. Catty started to feel a connection with the air currents, like learning how birds fly.
It was the enigma of her fears and doubts. The realization dawned on Catty: a slow sunrise after a long night. Control was an illusion, a fleeting shadow in the vast expanse of the unknown. True mastery lay not in dominion over the elements but in harmony with them. It was a surrender, not to defeat, but to understand the life flow.
And with her realization, the storm quieted, and the air around the girl stilled. The wind had not defeated her; it had liberated her and taught her the true meaning of control.
Slowly, the descent began. Not a plummet, but a gentle float downwards, like a feather settling after a long journey aloft.
The girl landed softly, feet touching the earth. As her feet finally stood the ground, Catty couldn't help but let out a laugh, the tension dissolving into relief. She was not the winner but the grateful student, ready for the next lesson the universe had to offer.
Standing in the calm, the girl looked ahead.
The tunnel loomed before her, an opening that swallowed light and hope. It was like a living, breathing entity, its walls pulsing with the earth's heartbeat.
Catty's breath was steady, her steps measured as she navigated the tunnel. As she ventured deeper, the oppressive closeness of the tunnel began to make itself known.
Without warning, the solid ground beneath her shook, and walls began to move.
They were wet and slick with the sweat of the earth and seemed to shift with deliberate intent, stirring slowly, almost imperceptibly, tightening around her like a constrictor around its prey. The air was thick and heavy with a dread that pressed down on her, a force that intended to crush her will to proceed.
The further she ventured, the more the tunnel responded to her presence. The walls moved not chaotically but with a rhythm like the earth was testing her, challenging her resolve.
She sprinted.
"Not how I planned my day."
Catty was running down the dank tunnel. This wasn't exactly a luxury spa getaway, but at least it wasn't on fire. Where the hell did this tunnel even lead?
The more she attempted to race through the ever-changing tunnel, the more it seemed to constrict, like the world's most unwelcome hug.
"Really? Now we're playing tag with walls?"
Then, a dead stop. The tunnel turned into a vice. Catty dropped to her knees, the earth pressing in. Fear spiked—this was it, the endgame.
"Trapped like a rat. Eldric, your timing sucks," she muttered.
The girl squeezed her eyes shut, picturing the walls closing in, turning the tunnel into a suffocating tomb.
A whimper escaped her lips, a pathetic sound in the echoing darkness. Was she going to be squished flat like a bug on a windshield?
"Come on, you gotta be kidding me," her voice was tight with a rising tide of terror. The tunnel was shrinking, the space compressing like a garbage compactor set to "pulverize."
Panic, that old, familiar fiend, began to rise within her, a tide of despair threatening to engulf her. Trapped in this earthen cocoon, the weight of the world above felt unbearable, a burden that sought to flatten her very essence into the dust from which she had come.
Catty gritted her teeth, channeling her fear into a stubborn defiance. She wouldn't be some helpless bug.
The pressure intensified, the darkness threatening to swallow her whole.