STORY ARC #1: THE CASTLE OF SHADOWS
The Hall of Atonement
A chapter of a ‘Choose your own Adventure’ story.
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You pick the green doorway.
Black is often associated with danger, death, and curses, right? You spend half a second trying to think what thoughts green might inspire within you when you realize that your subconscious mind has already led you through!
You slip past what you can only describe as the door’s event horizon and emerge in a hallway of near-total darkness. You freeze to give your eyes a moment to adjust, thanking whatever god who might have spared you an infinite death by spaghettification!
You sense that your eyes have adjusted to the darkness, but unfortunately it’s too dark to make out any well-defined references. You can establish that you are indeed in a green hallway — narrow and clammy, you realize as you reach outwards with your hands.
And sharp — Ouch!
You recoil your hand as it is pierced by needle-like protrusions on the wall. What kind of a monster puts needles sticking out of a wall?!
As you feel around more cautiously you collide with more needles on the opposite wall, the ceiling, and, as you step forward, the floor. Every surface seems to hold hundreds of sharp protrusions — some long like a sewing needle, others much shorter but razor sharp.
Already you can feel blood running down your face and arms from your brief interactions with these heinous barbs.
You rack your brain. How would one logically navigate a room full of stabby things without dying?
Part of you — and not an insignificant one at that — is telling you to turn back, that returning to be captured or killed by those villagers might be a more merciful option.
But you press on, your stubborn resolve once again proving why you are such a good explorer and researcher — you hate giving up!
Your shoes keep getting caught on the tiny barbs as you trudge on blindly, and your shirt is torn to shreds. Your trousers are no more than a loincloth at this point, and you resolve to grab the first pair of clothes you find when you get out of here.
After what feels like days of walking — which was probably an overexaggerated two minutes — you bump into a wall.
“Ouch!” you reflexively cry out as your face and chest receive dozens of love bites from the wall needles. But you detect light to your right and pull yourself off of the wall, drawn to the promise of an exit like a moth to a flame.
Step by agonizing step, you pull your shoes off of the floor’s tiny spikes, moving towards what you can now confirm to be another portal of sorts — this one a calming cerulean blue.
Hoping for an end to this needlessly needly nightmare, you practically jump through the portal this time.
You emerge in a large, well-lit room that kind of reminds you of an old Japanese bathhouse, only with a futuristic or post-modern influence. All around the walls are painted with a stunning beach motif that could almost be real.
Glancing into the pools, the water in each of the several baths is a different color, ranging from sky blue to sunflower yellow to a deep magenta.
“Sirrah, you are bleeding all over the floor.”
You look up to see what you can only describe as a deer-man, tall, nearly reaching two meters, with small budding antlers protruding from his chestnut locks. He is formally dressed in a servant’s uniform, with a sprig of holly dangling above where a nametag might be.
Were you teleported into an alternate version of Buck-ingham Palace where deer-men ruled? Whoever spoke even sported the accent you remember from watching the Queen’s Address one early hung-over morning.
You would have jumped out of your skin were you not delirious from blood loss. Those needles did a number on you, you realize as you look down into your own shredded clothing and a puddle of dark red blood pooling at your feet.
“Sirrah, if you would step into the Sunflower Pool, we might see to your wounds,” the deer-man motions to one of the baths with an arm, a white hand towel draped over it at the elbow.
You nod and follow the creature to the yellow pool and carefully step in.
Immediately you feel a surge in energy as the magical pool recharges your vitality. You glance at your arms and stare in wonder as your puncture wounds heal before your eyes! Even your clothing seems to be regenerating!
“Where am I, Mister… uh…Holly?” you ask as the deer-man politely points at the holly on his jacket.
“You have traversed the Hall of Atonement, and reached this place of rest,” he answers cordially. “Once rested you may continue your journey through either of those doors.” he gestures vaguely to two doors behind him as if this was the ten thousandth time reciting this script.
The doors are simple wooden bathhouse doors, which you imagine probably contain more black hole portals. One is marked with a |1| and the other |0|.
“Atonement?” you ask, confused.
Mr. Holly nods his antlered head. “You have been cleansed of your past that you may journey to your future,” he says vaguely. This guy must sure love his scripts!
You have so many questions. But as you stand up out of the pool, at least one is answered immediately — your clothes and body are completely renewed and dry!
You step out of the pool. “Thanks, uh… Mr. Holly,” you nod somewhat nervously to the deer-man.
“Of course, I am here to serve for all time,” Mr. Holly responds, bowing slightly.
All time? You wonder. You have no idea where you were teleported to, but hopefully, greater adventures await just beyond the next door!
Where to next?
- Enter through the doorway marked |1| (click here).
- Enter instead through the doorway marked |0| (click here).
Remember to check out the whole collection of Choose Your Own Adventure stories here, including my very own contribution, The Hero of Pendown here. Don’t forget to subscribe to my email list to stay updated on my fantasy stories coming out!
