chapter 4

the next day she spent a long time searching for any details about the fort. she tried google to get pictures of forts but too many results showed up, none matching her fort.as the night drew near, she knew nothing more about her dream and for once she feverishly wished that the same dream should follow and make some things clear; maybe because she saw Derek in it , but she believed, quite superstitiously as she herself knew, that this dream had an impact on her life.

night came and she slept fitfully. at around midnight she stirred. the dream had begun. this time she was at the central pool, the dark stagnant abyss with the golden key somehow contrived to float in its midst. she wanted to get at the key but she couldnt risk stepping into the water as she knew that years of trickling water had taken the pool to formidable depths. a thread hung at the end of the pool , with its other end bound to the key. she pulled at it and noted happily that the key came along . just as she took the key in her hand, a grip as strong as steel took over her hand. she turned to see the priest, or Derek, with his covered eyes..giving a creepy feeling that he saw things beyond normal range. as she made futile attempts to let go from the iron grip , her mind was going over various ways of escape. as if she had known all along , the answer showed itself. light was her way of escape. the darkened room, the mirrors reflecting light, the stricken panicky retreat that the crowd beat on seeing the bright spark.....it all pointed to one thing. they were afraid of light. they couldnt bear to face light directly. she conjured up a fire somehow, maybe her will to escape gave her the power, but it worked. as the priest writhed in agony at the sudden exposure to light, she wrenched herself free and ran to safety. the water running over the high walls surrounding the pool had stopped flowing .... that indicated that the tide was low ....the safe shore was in her reach. she scrambled out of the exit and with what remained of her might, she closed the door to the fort with all its wickedness intact and ran to the shore. she threw the key to the waves and asked them to take it into the depths and never to bring it back. she jumped awake and remained seated on her bed for sometime. somehow she knew the dream wouldnt recur, with the fort she had closed from her world all the stories its interiors held. she feelt a calm wave of relief wash over her and noticed how strung she had been for days. she slept soundly , making a note to meet Derek the next day.