Story Arc #1: The Castle of Shadows
Inside the Mysterious Bedchamber
A chapter of a choose your own adventure story
Click here to return to the previous chapter. Here is the beginning of the adventure written by JF Danskin. Writers, want to join us in writing collaborative choose your own adventure stories? Learn more here!
You wake up groggy yet well rested. You even had sweet dreams, something about the moon and the snow.
It takes a moment for you to remember where you are.
You’re lying in a king-sized bed with an elegant canopy, and the door to the marble hallway is still open.
Just as you’re trying to persuade yourself to leave the warm bed, you notice breathing nearby.
You almost scream when you see a green figure stretched out beside you.
It’s an alien girl, her dark brown hair running down her — oh gosh, naked — body. Some of her hair spills onto your shoulders.
Despite her ethereal beauty and delicate features, you are unnerved. Why is she lying next to you like you’re a couple? What does she want?
Before you have any time to escape, the alien girl’s eyes slip open. You freeze in fright. But she smiles and she looks benign, which is odd since you usually distrust strangers.
She murmurs, in a voice like sea pearls, “Rise and shine, sweetheart.” She even kisses you on the lips and you resist the urge to recoil. You don’t want to anger her in case she’s not as sweet as she appears.
But you’re breathless as you ask, “Um, where am I? And who are you? I don’t mean to be rude, but — ”
She gives you a mournful look. “Babe, we’ve been married for years. I know things haven’t been the best between us lately, but you don’t have to pretend to not know me. It was bad enough that you had to take a break from our relationship and leave for a while. I was delighted when I found you back in our bed last night, but I should have known better than to believe that you were happy with me again.”
You fold your arms over your chest, and then you realize that your skin is sky blue! You fear the worst and ask, “Can you give me a mirror?”
The alien girl looks reproachful, as if annoyed that you’re interrupting her. But she hands you a mirror with a sparkling surface.
A gorgeous woman with blue skin stares back at you in the glass. Your hair tumbles down like a shiny black waterfall.
“What happened to me?” you cry out. “I’m just an explorer. I traveled up the mountain, slept in a cave, saw a hatch in the water, and followed it to your hideout here. Some spell must have changed my physical appearance. I’m not your wife.”
The alien girl pats your arm. “You must have gotten amnesia during your time away from me. Don’t worry. I’ll remind you of everything. I’m Daniela, you’re Fiona. We’ve been married for ten years but we recently got into an argument.”
Her lips press together into a thin line as though she doesn’t want to elaborate. You’re bewildered as well at her matter-of-fact attitude towards amnesia.
What Do You Do?
- Pretend to really be her wife. Who knows? Maybe she’ll lead you to the Sword of Light!
- Insist that you’re not Fiona and that you need to find out how you were transformed and why.
- Ask Daniela what your argument was about. Learn more information about the wives’ relationship before deciding your next move.
If you enjoyed this story, you might also like the other Choose Your Own Adventure stories I’m writing with other authors: