Chapter Four Part 1

First part of fourth chapter

Chapter Four: Andrew James Charlotte Morse

A few days had passed since Alyssa had come to Elderwoods to study archaeology. Classes had begun completely by now. And, hardly ever, the students got any break.
It was not easy to keep up with the speedy procession of the curriculum that the professors were burdening the students with. Still Alyssa was trying her best to mug up the drudgery of facts of their textbooks as by heart as she could.
Often, she spent an entire afternoon in the castle grounds. The place was noiseless, temperate and cozy. Seating on a campus bench in the grounds on a silent afternoon meant that she would be studying attentively, away from the hot debate that was going on inside their common room at that time.
It was one such afternoon when Alyssa was seating on a wooden bench in the grounds. Three girls were clamoring at a distance. But, that bothered her least; she was quite far away.
The place was filled with an unnatural silence. Alyssa opened the heavy textbook of Defense against Curses on her lap and began to read it. She had been halfway through the page as a shrill voice cleared her throat behind her.
"How far?" The voice asked.
"Emerdung’s procedure of curing an Anephralus." Alyssa replied.
The voice, which was no one but Jefferina now exclaimed in shock, "Damn! You are a lot ahead. I..."
"Where are you?"
"Five pages behind."
"Five pages?” Botlink's procedure of...."
"No, no, no. I am sorry. Before that. Ah...Morris..."
"Morrison's procedure?" Alyssa rolled her eyes to Jeff.
"Yeah, yeah, right. Just there. I mean, just before that...."
Jeff strolled nearer and sat beside Alyssa.
"But that is eight pages behind, not five." Alyssa said.
"Is it? Oh no! I am surely gonna fail tomorrow's test!" Jeff spoke in a piteous manner.
"Any way to survive tomorrow's lesson, Alyssa?" she pleaded.
"Two ways. First one, bring your books and start studying."
"And the other?"
"Find yourself a seat beside Elena." Alyssa laughed as she spoke. She stopped as she realised that she had made Jeff grow even more pale and miserable.
"Ok, I will help you."
"I know you'll. Thanks, anyway." Jeff said in a grateful tone.
Time passed as they chatted. The sky grew a darker shade of purple and light was scarce. Alyssa, despite of loving Jeff's company, felt that she could have better utilised the afternoon without Jeff.
Jeff got up from the bench when it was about 5:30. The sky was almost dark. There was hardly any light left for Alyssa to read. So she shut the book with a snap and decided to return to the common room with Jeff.
They had taken a few steps towards the castle as they stopped hearing a clamor. The sound was coming from inside the castle.
The clamor upgraded to clear words as two figures showed up at the oak front doors of the castle. One of them Alyssa knew as a third year, Midnight Brown. She was being followed by her brother, the blonde-haired boy, Samuel Brown.
“You’ll love it. I bet you’ll really love it.” Midnight told her brother as they went past Alyssa and Jeff. Jeff looked at Alyssa and shrugged.
“How can you be so sure? I may not for I don’t know what you’re talking about. And….” Samuel’s voice faded away as he followed Midnight up the stone stairs near the wall of the castle.
Alyssa and Jeff followed them in curiosity. They trampled up the stone stairs onto the narrow passage above the wall. They heard Midnight’s voice as they walked towards the west tower. None of them could clearly hear what she was saying. But, just then, they heard Samuel roaring, “You brought me up here for seeing the SUNSET.” Midnight must have said something in reply, for her voice was heard.
Soon they were at the west tower that appeared even squeakier than the castle. A staircase obscured under layers of rust stood before Alyssa and Jeff. And, the first thing that came to both of theirs simultaneously was the fear that the spindly stairs might collapse at any moment. Like thieves, Alyssa and Jeff ascended the stairs. Every time they would step on a landing, it would creak with an omen of collapse. Fear would grip their hearts and they would brace themselves until the stairs stopped quaking, and then they would continue their climbing.
It felt like an hour later when they finally saw the door that stood agape at the top. They had to bend down to go through the blemish door. And, they were there, at the top of the highest tower of Elderwoods castle.
Midnight and Samuel wheeled round at the sound of footsteps. Certainly, they did not expect someone to follow them.
“Er, hello.” Alyssa spoke first. Her face was full of perspiration and she was panting.
“We were a bit too curious about the…” Jeff interrupted her, “and enthusiastic to climb this tower.”
“Hi,” Midnight stretched her right hand towards her, “I am Midnight Brown and he is my brother, Samuel.”
Jeff smirked at her and shaked hands. “I am Jefferina Starck, pleased to meet you.”
“And you should be…” Midnight scowled at Alyssa.
“Alyssa Stewart.” She said with a grin.
It was nearly dusk. And all four of them gaped at the farthest west for a long time, until the disc of golden aurora disappeared behind the towering mountains.
Sound of camera shutter was heard a number of times.
“PERFECT!” Midnight cried. Alyssa bent down over her camera to have a look. She could not help admitting that Midnight was a brilliant photographer.
The yellowish glow of the sky vanished, it was being tinged with blue, blotched with hues of rose pink her and there. They were going down to the castle again. Alyssa followed Midnight, and she herself was followed by Jeff and Samuel. Midnight had brought a powerful flashlight with her, or it would have been worse. There was no light inside the tower at all. Midnight struggled to focus the torch beam at the creaking stairs. She told them that the west tower was once the sunset point of the castle.
“Why did they forsake it then?” Alyssa asked her.
“Professor Morse told us last year that thirty years ago a girl of fifth year jumped down from the tower top and committed suicide.”
Professor Morse was the Teacher of Artifact Studies at Elderwoods University. Alyssa had not met him yet, since any classes of Artifact studies had not been held yet.
“Did he tell you why?” Jeff probed.
“No, he couldn’t recall.” Midnight shrugged and Alyssa heaved a sigh.
The lamplights on either side of the grassy aisle at the grounds were sparkling into life one by one. All four were back at the castle when the large analogue clock at the entrance hall struck seven.
****
Alyssa and Jefferina slowly pushed apart the wooden door and entered into the classroom of Defense against Curses. Professor Skyrie was seen on her wooden chair behind the desk as usual. She was sipping coffee from a coffee mug and the smoke coming from it told that it was still hot. And most vividly noticeable of all were the answer scripts that were stacked on the desk. They had been a little late, and that’s why there was no bench empty for them. Except one, the very first bench�"absolutely empty. “It couldn’t have been worse.” Jeff muttered into Alyssa’s ear.
The bell rang. Alyssa heard Jeff murmuring, “Death Knell”. Professor Skyrie distributed the answer scripts and question papers one by one.
Alyssa became bumfuzzled as she went through the questions. All the questions had been twisted and turned, and intentionally turned into something complicated. Alyssa felt that Skyrie was the most malicious person she had ever met. She stole a glance at Elena who appeared satisfied with the difficulty of the questions. No sign of being in trouble (Alyssa had heartily hoped so!) showed up on her face. Alyssa imagined her muttering, “It’s too easy.” She could not muster enough courage to look at Jeff. She might have died of heart failure.
Alyssa tried to concentrate back at her own paper. The very first question read: “If an Anephralus curse makes a victim hallucinate that he is being torn into shreds, what kind of change do you suggest to Blotwink’s procedure of curing the curse?” Alyssa imagined once that she was the victim and being torn into shreds! Writing linear answers wouldn’t have been so tough. How could beginners in this subject like herself deal with such tricky questions. Skyrie was frowning right at them. Then she suddenly realised that the backbenchers had open up a Discussion Campaign.
Off she went to the back benches. As she strolled away, Alyssa felt a sharp prick on her arm. Of course, it was Jeff. She was pricking on her arm with a pen.
“Help me.” She uttered in a low voice. “Number fifty-four.” Alyssa looked at her paper to go through the question. And just then, her blood froze as she heard Skyrie shouting in her shrill voice. She turned around her neck gingerly. Skyrie was yelling at a boy, who must have been leaning on other’s paper. Once again Alyssa’s blood froze. She forgot about question number fifty four and jumped onto fifty seven.
MERCILESS!
The bell rang again. Skyrie bellowed, “Time up. Put your pens down.” Alyssa’s hand began to race against her palpitating heart. But in vain, the sharp nosed lady appeared before her and said, “Enough! Now submit your paper.” Alyssa handed over answer script without a word.
“How much will you score?” Maria White held them up as Alyssa and Jeff made their way to Study of Artifacts.
“Not more than fifty, I suppose.” Alyssa grumbled.
“Half of that.” Jeff said with grief.
“How much will you, Maria?” Alyssa asked.
“Above ninety, I guess.” She giggled at the sight of terror on Alyssa’s bewildered face and hopped away.
“Of course she will. She sat beside the “Know-it-all” Vorshevky.” Jeff uttered furiously.
None of them were pleased with the exam. They did not speak to each other anymore all the way to the sixth-floor.
****

Reviews

[Suhd]

A very nice story. Keep it alive by adding interesting dialogue.

[Wajiha Nayeem]

gd work...keep it up.........