The Underwood

Lukas Hartmann

"We are lost in another world! How can we get back?" She screamed

There was nothing more thrilling than cousin Cobb and Elsa visiting us during the summer holidays. I was an only child (with my dog, Cakes) and I wouldn't mind saying I lived a lonely life. Uncle had called a few days ago at their planned arrival and I spent time ordering the servants around my royal bedroom into a cozy, lively room for the three most naughty children in the whole world.

I had also planned all the games we would play- puzzle, picazzo, Scrabble, chess, checkers, Monopoly, and lots more. There were usually no plans for toys because my cousins were never a fan of them. Cobb and Elsa were also very mischievous, defying their royal status in the country.

I sat anxiously on the balcony of my room while I waited for their arrival. Not even the beautiful view- the statue of Verona, the Cascade flowing water, and the ever-flourishing garden of Memphis had cooled down the anxiousness growing in me. I sighted the convoy of black cars with the royal logo on its bonnet.

"They are here!" I screamed excitedly even before the waiting man amongst the royal herald had said: "The Duke and Duchess of Mitposia."

Soon I was out of my room, running down the stairs with the fleece of my gown hanging in my hands to prevent me from falling or stumbling. My dog, Cakes was trailing behind me, excited too to see my cousins.

They were all outside the Big Gate- Uncle Gerald and his wife, Aunty Gigi. Their appearance was majestically magnificent.. their white dress with gold embroidery and ornaments made them look like angels from heaven. Unfortunately, they weren't the ones I was looking for.

"Jessica!" My cousins squealed, jumping out from nowhere and dragging me into one of our usual bear hugs. "We missed you so much!"

My parents, the King and Queen of South Hamey had welcomed the family well and had invited them to the long-awaited banquet. I used this opportunity to tell Cobb and Elsa the plans I've made for us during the holidays and to my dismay, they didn't look intriguing.

"We are bored of our usual holiday tradition." Cobb had snorted his usual annoying way. This meant he had something extraordinary going on in his head. He was about to speak when seven-year-old Elsa decided to ruin his surprise.

"We found the map of the castle of South Hamey." She smiled widely, revealing her pink gum. Cobb rolled his big eyes at her.

Yes. The Castle of South Hamey was my father's palace, one of the biggest in the whole world. It was a mystery how it was built with its ten thousand and one and hundred big chambers for different occasions. My father was the only one who had a map and I was advised to keep to my room and every other place opened to use in order not to get lost…

Cobb brought out a brown scroll so wide as the length of my hand. I sucked at understanding maps or anything related. He quickly put on his glasses which made him look like a nerd. I and Elsa crowded him behind as we waited quietly for him to explain.

"Right there. Wallah." He said dramatically as his eyes grew rounder. "The secret world of Cosmo."

I chuckled at his last statement. "The Underworld of Cosmo is nothing but a myth, more of fiction though."

It was one of the numerous myths circling the mysteries of the castle. My father, the king, had told me himself that there was nothing like that. Cobb wasn't convinced by my reply.

"What if it exists? Then we would have to prove everyone wrong."

Cobb studied the map and led the way, while we followed behind. We followed the gigantic hall and followed the great passage which had framed pictures of all the rulers in history…then we crawled inside the gold cabinets in the kitchen to prevent being seen. We finally ended up at my father's study room…the space that had nothing, not even a trace.

"This is ridiculous." I burst out into laughter. "And probably a hoax." I was doubting Thomas and my cousins were used to my attitude. I have been in my father's library a thousand million times and trust me there was nothing close to an underworld.

Then Cobb's attention was drawn to a particular color of a floorboard. It was pink amidst the black crystal tiles and seemed too odd. "There's our clue." He said, sounding like a genius. He quietly pushed the floorboard to the side and lo and behold, there was a hidden tunnel.

Our mouths rounded into an O before Elsa brought us back to reality.

"We are not going in. Are we?"

"Why won't we?" I said enthusiastically. "We've gone this far to back off." I was proud of myself for the very first time.

Cobb had gone in first, followed by me then fearful Elsa who believed it was a dangerous mission. We had all gone in when we heard a loud thud and everywhere became dark.

Elsa was screaming already that we should take her out of there. With my hands, I tried to trace out a door handle or just something that will take us out of there immediately. Cobb was silent to my surprise. He was the only one with the bones and liver to not fear this kind of situation.

"We need to keep moving forward since there's no way here."

"What if we get lost." Elsa had already broken into tears. We all crawled in the dark tunnel praying that it would lead us back home- to my father's castle. Almost immediately the darkness ended and what we saw threw us out of our wildest imaginations.

It was another world entirely. Not the castle, not South Hamey or anywhere I was not peculiar with.

"We are lost in another world! How can we get back?" She screamed. I had to hold her tightly to assure her even if I was very stupid to do so. Cobb froze in his shock and this meant that we were all doomed. Everyone- in this world was staring at us maniacally like they were going to eat us raw.

"Well… well… well." A strange woman clad in black clapped hysterically. "If these aren't the descendants of Hamey… the royal children." She smiled wickedly as her eyes bore into me where I stood.

"Who the hell is she?" I whispered in my fear as she slowly advanced toward us.

"She is Black Gazelle. Queen of the Underworld." Cobb rapped. "I said it wasn't fiction and now I can prove to the world that it is real."

"That's before she serves our meat as breakfast." Elsa jokes painfully.

I noticed something unusual. She wasn't staring at my cousins but at me. Like she wanted something from me. Like she wanted to hurt me.

"I'm scared." I finally said

"You should be," Cobb replied. "You are the heir of the king, her sworn enemy."

My head nearly exploded. The normal world and Underworld have sworn enemies in the myth but now I realize it's real.

"Where is your amulet?"

"What amulet?" I screamed in panic.

"The one around your neck, given to you by the king. Pull it off now!"

Without thinking twice, I did and that was it.

We all found ourselves in my father's library, gasping and thanking God for saving our lives. I managed to catch my breath when I asked.

"How did you know that my amulet could save us?"

Cobb scratched his head boyishly. "Uhmm."

"You knew all along what was going to happen?"

"Kinda."

He didn't finish his statement before he broke into a run and I chased him around the castle. He found it funny.

But we nearly died! DIED!!!