Finding Answers: Chapter Four
Beneath The Archives
"Deep calls unto deep"
The platform on which they stood sank lower and lower into the darkness. It was all dark and deathly quiet, except for the low tumbling sound of the descending platform and the beating of their hearts. None of them dared say a word.
But their misery soon came to an end. From the dark shaft, they emerged into a room, descending through its ceiling. The platform continued until it fitted seamlessly into the ground, like it belonged there. Now the kids could see it clearly: the platform was a full circle, not just a wooden band that surrounded the table above.
The room was identical in shape to the one above, but instead of shelves filled with scrolls, these walls were lined with relics, artifacts, and strange gemstones resting on several little wooden platforms protruding from floor to ceiling. The trio stood there, bent and transfixed, as if they had seen a ghost.
"I didn't know this place existed," Andrew said, placing the horn over his shoulder and looking around.
Ruth, the least scared of them, stood straight and suddenly declared in triumph, "I told you, you probably hadn't searched everywhere." She wasn't scared—at least not yet, because she didn't fully grasp the gravity of stumbling into a chamber that had been sealed away. After all, it wasn't her home.
Deborah, still catching her breath, snapped, "That's all you can say in this situation?"
"I don't understand," Ruth winced.
"Do you not realize we just descended several feet into who-knows-where, and the doorway we came in through is now a slab of stone?" Deborah concluded pointing up to the ceiling or entrance, whatever it was. She couldn't even believe she had to explain that they might be trapped here for all eternity and all Ruth cared about was winning an argument.
"But you wanted to find the scrolls. The ones that contain evidence of how our world came to be," Ruth replied. "What you're looking for could be here."
Deborah went quiet. Ruth had a point. Whatever she had been searching for could very well be hiding in this hidden place, so intricately secluded and never mentioned by any of the Archivers. Except for that old rumor...that the building went deep into the ground. She had always thought it referred to the Historical Archives, because that part of the Archives was underground. But now... now she realized that, The Archives went deeper than she could have imagined.
"Alright," Deborah said finally, slightly defeated, "but first—"
Deborah had barely finished talking before Ruth turned to the door and darted out of the room. To Ruth, this was just another one big adventure, like the ones she always went on.
Deborah, who was stunned, muttered in disbelief, "She acts like she has spare lives," and also made for the door.
"What are you doing?" Andrew asked, stopping her short.
"We went through a lot before discovering this place. We might as well find out what treasures it holds," she replied before disappearing through the door. She popped her head back in and added, "And we can't leave this dumb blonde out here by herself."
Andrew exhaled. "The things I do for this girl..." he muttered, and followed after them.
The doorway led to a flight of stairs. The gem lights along the walls lit up the moment Ruth stepped on them. The gang walked slowly through the cold, fuzzy room which was surprisingly dust free for a place hidden for so long.
Ruth, who was ahead, reached a wooden door marked with beautiful floral engravings. She shoved it open, and they poured into a corridor, only to gasp in shock.
Before them, was a replica of the archives above... except it went down instead of up, like a bottomless pit of history.
Countless floors stretched beneath where they stood, each of their walls lined with rows and rows of ancient-looking scrolls held in scroll racks. Spiral staircases along the edges, connecting one floor to another.
One by one, they descended into the mysterious lair, staying close together.
Deborah was the first to break the silence, cautiously picking up a scroll. "All those years of searching... I never would've imagined," she whispered.
Ruth and Andrew huddled behind her as she slowly unraveled it.
"It's about our city," Deborah said. "But from an older time."
"Who knows what we could find here," Andrew added. "One thing's for sure, we're not the only ones who've been here."
As they stared into the seemingly endless chasm, the trio continued, floor by floor, sampling scrolls and trying to unearth secrets.
The deeper they went, the further back in time they seemed to travel. They found scrolls that recorded how each clan was founded, why they were given their lands, genealogies, maps, answers to questions they hadn't even thought to ask. Yet they couldn't stop. Something about this place drew them in, urging them to know more and more.
They had no idea how long they'd been there when Ruth suddenly declared,
"I feel kind of lightheaded."
"Me too," Deborah said, clinging to a shelf.
Andrew, swaying slightly, replied, "It's normal. We're in an unfamiliar environment."
Deborah shook her head. "Something tells me what we're looking for is further away than we imagined."
"We need to leave," Andrew said firmly.
"But how do we get back in again?" Ruth asked, her voice laced with worry.
"That's exactly my point. We don't even know how to get out of this place," Andrew snapped. Surprised at how reckless all this had all become.
Deborah stepped forward, facing the others. "We just need to retrace how we got here. I was looking at the town's map at the heart of the archives and I tapped the spot where the Archive is marked."
Andrew lifted the horn. "And this horn blew. Somehow," he said, examining it.
"If we can recreate the exact same conditions, we might be able to leave," Deborah reasoned.
"Is it going to work?" Ruth asked.
"And where do we find another map?" Andrew asked his twin.
Deborah looked up. "There's only one way to find out."
They headed upstairs, Andrew supporting Ruth; who had been the first to leap into the unknown, but now was so shaken she questioned why she ever got excited in the first place.
As they climbed, the gemstones lit up before them and faded behind them.
But a shock awaited them.
As they swung the door open to the first room, they didn't find it empty.
Elder Ezekiel; the old storyteller from the Hall of Learning, stood there at the edge of the platform that aided their descent, his eyes wide with horror. He didn't look so frail anymore.
He turned to face them, his voice low and heavy.
"You never should have come here."
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