The Blue Journal (Fantasmagoria Book 1) Read online

  He came out of the edge of the forest and found himself in a flowery meadow. The first thing he saw was a cottage. He was exhausted. He slowed down and took a look behind him. The wolf had stopped by the edge of the forest and was following him with his eyes. He ran towards the house he’d spotted to ask for shelter.

  The door of the cottage opened to reveal the outline of a white bearded man who beckoned him to come forward.

  A human being! I’m safe, was the first thought that came into his head.

  He stopped in front of the cottage, frightened and tired. Only now had he the courage to look behind him again, relieved to see that the wolf was no longer there. Perhaps it had got tired or maybe it had given up.

  Robert looked at the old man in front of him. He had a tender look in his eyes, eyes which were the colour of the sea, and his beard and hair were white. He was dressed modestly but neatly. Feeling a bit more settled now, he started looking about him curiously. The old man’s abode had whitewashed walls and a roof as black as tar, and seemed to match this lone man in its simplicity.

  “Good afternoon, my boy! Are you lost?”

  Robert liked that deep voice and its protective undertones. Although he’d never met Grandpa Thomas, Grandma Abigail’s husband, he would often listen to the old lady reminiscing about him and he fancied that he would have probably looked like the old man in front of him, had he still been alive.

  “Good afternoon, Sir… no, I’m not lost… I mean yes, I got lost. I’ m terribly sorry, I’m still a bit shaken up.” he answered bewilderedly.

  “Shaken up?” the old man wondered. “By what, if you don’t mind me asking?” he questioned with a smile.

  Robert wasn’t sure whether to tell the old man about his mishap or not. Maybe he would laugh at him, thinking he was making it up, since wolves had not been sighted around these woods for quite some time. Or maybe his mind was simply playing up because of the heat and he had started seeing things which weren’t there.

  “I’ve been chased by a wolf.” he blurted out finally, feeling ashamed to lie to the gentle eyed old man.

  The old man started chuckling.

  “Weeelll, you’re lucky then, boy. Few have managed to escape unharmed from an encounter with a wolf! Are you sure though that you’re talking about just one wolf?”

  “Yes, Sir, pretty certain. It followed me right up to the edge of the forest. I have no idea where it came from… it was white, like a ghost, and I thought that that was the end of me when it started chasing after me.”

  “Strange, very strange… usually, wolves go around in packs, never on their own. Are you sure it wasn’t a different animal?”

  Robert pondered for a while: what if indeed, because of the heat he had imagined he had seen a wolf? What if the Lake Fairies had decided to play a prank on him, upset that he’d disturbed their quiet waters with his game?

  “Don’t worry about it now.” said the old man. “You’d better come inside in the cool shade and have a drink of water. You do look as though you might need one, young man.”

  They both stepped over the threshold and into the cottage. The interior was sparsely furnished: a wooden table, a few chairs, two cupboards, a rocking chair and another small, low table. A pipe and two big books with thick covers bound in leather stood on the table. The house wasn’t very big, but there seemed to be just enough room for the old man.

  “Come then, sit down. My name is Radius.” he said.

  “I’m Robert… Robert Anderson.”

  “Well, Robert Anderson, I’m glad to meet you.” the old man replied smiling.

  He went over to the cooking area – or at least that’s what it looked like since it had a stove – and fetched a flask of water and a glass. He filled the glass with water and came over to Robert.

  “There you are, my boy.”

  Robert’s mouth felt dry after all that running earlier on, so he drank the glass of water in one breathless go.

  “Another one?” asked the old man.

  Robert nodded without answering. Radius filled up the glass again and Robert drank it once more without stopping.

  “You know something?” said the old man filling up his glass again. “You remind me of someone. A young man I met a very long time ago and who looked just like you. His name was Aidan. And, if I remember correctly, I think his surname was Anderson… yes, that’s right… Anderson. Do you know him by any chance?”

  Robert’s eyes widened. It seemed that this man had met the father about whom he knew so little, apart from what he’d learned from Grandma’s stories. He wanted to ask him so many things but the words couldn’t find their way out through his lips.

  “He was… my father.” he managed to mumble in the end.

  “Was? I’m sorry to hear that, boy. I was very fond of him. He was a good sort.”

  For a while there was silence. Robert carried on drinking his water, trying to resume the thread of the conversation. At last, there was his chance to find out more about his father, but his thoughts and his questions were all muddling up in his head.

  He would have liked to ask everything at once, without stopping, to clear up all the murky images he had in his head of his father.

  After a while he spoke.

  “You were saying… you’ve met my father.” he started hesitantly.

  “Oh yes, my boy, as I was saying, he was a proper young lad. Yes… Aidan was a wonderful person.”

  Robert’s heart filled with joy. He’d always imagined his father as an extraordinary person and old Radius’s words made him feel warm inside.

  “I met him many years ago” the old man continued, “when your father was around twenty five years old. He was a dreamer. The first thing he told me when I met him was about his desire to explore new places that haven’t been seen before. He fancied that there were such things as hidden universes, full of mystery and magic. We often had long talks right here in this room. He used to always sit on that chair, the one you’re sitting on right now.” Radius said with a smile.

  Robert felt shivers going down his spine. Years ago, his father had sat right there in that very place. He felt overcome with an insatiable desire to go on an adventure, just like his father. He asked the old man again:

  “Do you know whether he ever discovered anything? Did he find that magic land?”

  The old man gave him a mysterious smile.

  “Well, my boy… I wouldn’t know if he’d made any discoveries, but knowing him, as wild and determined as he was, it could well be possible that he might have. I know that he came back to the village ten years ago. Shortly after though, I had to go on a long journey and I didn’t get the chance to talk to him about the places he’d been to. There’s only one thing that I’m sure of: if he had discovered anything at all, he would certainly have brought back some evidence because he always used to say that he’d do that, just to prove to the world that he wasn’t crazy. I remember him talking about a world ‘different’ to ours. He was trying to find the gateway to that place… and it’s possible that he might have.” finished Radius in a mysterious tone.

  Robert drank in thirstily the old man’s words. He wondered if his father had discovered the gate to that fairy tale world. He also thought about whether his father might have brought something back with him, anything that could indicate the means of getting to that world. He would definitely have to ask Grandma about that. Oh, how he wished he had met his father and had gone travelling with him when he was old enough.

  Suddenly he remembered he had to get to Aunt Martha’s but somehow he couldn’t bring himself to leave old Radius. He felt that he was leaving without finding out everything he possibly could about his father. However, the old man seemed like a man of few words and Robert was under the impression that Radius knew more than he would let on, retaining a hint of mystery whenever he talked about his father’s character. That’s when Radius’s eyes would fill up with admiration for Aidan, his father.

  It was getting late and the sun
had moved across the sky, gliding over towards sundown. Robert got up from the chair with a heavy heart.

  “I think I’d better go. It’s getting late.” he excused himself.

  The old man nodded approvingly.

  “We shall see each other again. I’m certain of that.” he said to him. “If you want to find out more about your father, you ought to look for the things he brought back from his travels. Maybe that way you will find out if Aidan found the place he was looking for.”

  Radius walked Robert to the door.

  “Safe journey, my boy, and keep your eyes open. Remember, the world hides many secrets. Some you’ve never known, some you’ve seen, but never noticed.” he concluded enigmatically.

  Robert didn’t quite understand the meaning of the words uttered by the old man. Soon he was going to find out, as the old man had said, that some things were not what they seemed.

  ***

  He arrived back home shortly before sundown and had supper with his Grandma. He then kissed her good night and went to bed.

  Later on, as he was lying down on the bed in his chamber, he thought over that day’s events. The moon was lighting up the room, stroking his hair and eyelashes with its beams. Outside, the wind was rustling through the leaves, whispering something to the night’s creatures. His thoughts turned involuntarily to the white wolf. He had lived through the biggest scare of his life when it had appeared in front of his eyes, but now, when analysing the events more clearly, without fear clouding his judgement, he saw things in a different light.

  Did the wolf really intend to attack him, or had he been simply lucky? It seemed to Robert that all that time the wolf was intent on making him go off his course. Maybe it was a guardian angel disguised as a wolf. Or maybe, at that moment, when it forced him to stray from the path that led to Aunt Martha’s, it had only meant to keep him away from danger. Robert smiled: he liked the idea of a guardian angel in the guise of a wolf.

  He remembered the old man, his blue gaze and the white beard. He was glad now that the wolf came upon him because that way he had been able to meet Radius, his father’s friend.

  On his return home he had planned initially to ask Grandma Abigail about the day when his father had come back from his long journey. He was keen to find out whether he had brought back some unusual object or any other proof, however small, from the places he’d explored.

  He knew that all the old junk and any other stuff that Grandma didn’t want to part with was in the attic and Robert was determined to have a rummage through the old things in the loft the next day. He had to be extremely careful though because Grandma never allowed him to venture up there. She didn’t want anyone disrupting the manner in which she’d stored all the things in the attic or to interfere with all the souvenirs she’d been worshiping like holy relics.

  He desperately hoped that Grandma hadn’t thrown away his father’s stuff, upset as she was during those troubled times. Robert didn’t even want to consider such an outcome. That would have meant missing out on his last chance to find out what had happened to his father during those two years.

  “It can’t be… there must be something there… a clue, doesn’t matter how small…” he comforted himself.

  And then? What would he do if he actually found some evidence of his father’s travels? Would he venture into rediscovering those places no one’s ever seen before? Was he really strong and brave enough to forgo the chance of going on such an adventure? Robert was certain that he will have to cross many countries and many more seas to get to such fairy-tale realms.

  He didn’t know then how much further from the truth he was.

  ***

  Early next morning Robert woke up from a long dream full of mystical lands inhabited by dragons, fairies, knights and princesses. And his father of course. He ate his breakfast quietly and slowly, so as not to raise his Grandma’s suspicions.

  He went out to play with his friends from the village, waiting for the afternoon when he could go through the loft undisturbed. Usually Grandma had a nap after lunch and that would be a good time for him to sneak up to the attic without being seen.

  He had to move silently though, like a cat, so that the old lady wouldn’t hear him. If there was anything in the attic and Grandma decided not to let him know about it up to now, she probably meant it to stay up there, hidden out of sight.

  He spent the whole morning playing with his friends Tom and Erin, and he said good bye just before lunch time when he headed back home.

  “I’m back, Grandma!” he cried, coming in through the back door which led straight into the kitchen.

  Grandma watched him, smiling.

  “Go and wash your hands Robert, if you want to sit down and eat.”

  Grandma was very strict about certain things and hand washing before eating and teeth brushing before bedtime were some of them.

  When he got back from the bathroom Robert sat down at the table.

  “Tomorrow I shall need you to help me in the garden.” his Grandma told him. “We have to pick some of the vegetables and see to the plants in the back yard. There’s a lot of weeds come out.”

  “Sure, Grandma.”

  “And then” she continued, “we shall go to Mr. Monahan’s store and do some shopping.”

  “OK, Grandma” he approved cheerfully.

  He liked to go to Mr. Monahan’s shop. That’s where he could find all sorts of colourful confectionery and sweetbreads with which he was free to stuff himself, since Mr. Monahan loved him as his own son.

  They finished eating while talking about what they had done during the course of the day. Robert told Grandma how he and his friends had played with a red ball and she told him about Mrs. O’Reilly’s visit.

  After lunch, Robert put on a brave face through the performance of the whole ritual of dish washing, waiting impatiently for Grandma to have her rest so he could go up to the attic.

  When he eventually finished, the old lady turned and faced him:

  “I think I’ll go up to my bedroom for a wee while, I’m very tired. I’ll make some blueberry pie for you later on. I know how much you love it.”

  Blueberry pie was his favourite. Any other day Robert would have been ecstatic at the prospect of his Grandma’s pie, but today his mind was preoccupied with the hidden secrets of the attic, so he answered absent-mindedly:

  “Thanks, Grandma.”

  Abigail regarded him in surprise. He’s grown up, she thought. Before, he would jump up and down with joy if I even mentioned the blueberry pie.

  Robert didn’t notice his Grandma’s eyes, looking surprised at first then brimming with tenderness.

  He watched her climb up the stairs to the bedroom and feigned a yawn:

  “Aaahh… I think I shall go up to my room as well. I reckon all that running around this morning has tired me out completely.” he said, following behind his Grandma.

  “Sleep tight!” Grandma wished him before shutting her door.

  “You too!” he replied.

  Once in his chamber Robert threw himself on the bed, waiting for Grandma to fall asleep. All this time, his imagination was running wild while he was thinking about all the things he might find in the attic.

  Some time went by and Robert wondered if Grandma was asleep. He climbed off his bed, opened the door and tiptoed along the hall to her room and peeped through the keyhole. Grandma had fallen asleep with her spectacles perched on her nose while reading a book which had slipped down onto her chest.

  He took a few tiny steps up the attic ladder, careful of his movements at all times. He opened the attic latch and climbed slowly up the last steps of the ladder, closing the door silently behind him.

  The sunlight threw a subtle glow across the items in the attic through a large round window facing the front of the house. Although the attic was quite a generously spaced one, the place was completely filled with various trunks and boxes. Huge cobwebs gathered in corners which had probably never seen daylight. There were loads of
things to search through and Robert looked at everything in dismay. His only hope was that he would find enough time to go through everything.

  He took a deep breath and opened the first trunk. It was full of all sorts of letters and ancient objects. In another one he found Grandma’s wedding dress. One by one he opened the boxes and trunks in the attic, uncovering all sorts of things which had belonged to his grandparents or his father, but he couldn’t find any trace of any objects that might guide him towards the places his father had discovered.

  Robert felt disappointed. He had gone through almost all the boxes in the loft. The dust rose up all over the place, disturbed by his movements and could be seen now moving around erratically in the sunlight.

  Grandma was going to wake up any minute now and Robert realised that there wasn’t enough time to explore all the objects stored in the attic. Maybe there wasn’t any proof of his father’s journey after all. Old Radius wasn’t sure that it had even taken place. It was more likely that his father had travelled as far as the nearest town and had found work there.

  It was already late and Robert decided to climb back down before Grandma Abigail woke up. He would have to continue searching some other, luckier day. He headed back to the attic door, intending to climb down the ladder and go back to his room.

  He took a few steps forward and stopped. Behind the door, on the wall, was a shelf. Ever since he’d climbed into the attic, Robert had stood with his back to that lone shelf which he’d only just spotted. A dusty case, not very large, was resting on that particular rack. He stepped forward, stood on his toes and grabbed the little case, which he then proceeded to wipe off carefully with an old cloth he’d found up there, trying not to spread any more dust around.

  He tried to open it but, unlike all the other boxes in the attic, this one was fastened. This made him become even more intrigued. Surely that box must contain something important or else it wouldn’t be locked?

  He decided in a flash to take it back to his room and to find a way of opening it in order to unveil its secrets. He placed the case under his arm and started towards his room, moving as calmly as he did when he went up there in the first place.