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Printed from https://www.writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/1698514-The-midnight-castle-Ch1-P1
Rated: 13+ · Fiction · Fantasy · #1698514
Fantasy, Horror, Romance, Humour. Based on a dream i once had.
                   The library was swamped in darkness; the light from the windows had given way to the inevitable darkness of the long winter evenings in the castle. The dim light of the candles had been put out by the bookkeeper's hours ago and the door tightly locked. That did not stop Sami from getting in for some un-guided research into the arcane secrets of magic and mystery.  A dim light emanated from him. The only spell he knew. A low-level, self-illuminating spell. Enough light to see his way through the darkness and strain his eyes over the books full of illegible scribbles of secrets long forgotten. He took little interest in the arcane arts but he wanted, no, he needed a spell to aid his secret missions into the darkness of the midnight castle in search of extra food and amusement. He had been there for what seemed to be hours when he finally discovered something interesting, unique and within his capabilities as a low-level trickster in the arcane arts. The idea exited him. He would not get much sleep tonight, he thought as he practiced the spell cross-legged on the floor of the library. His short fuzzy hair began to noticeably reverse in growth, his face began to distort as the light emitting from him began to brighten, revealing the vast amount of books lying unused on the floor around where he sat. With a spark and a bang, the light went out and the library was sunk into complete darkness again.
         

         It was early in the morning and Sophie was woken from her slumber by an odd sound from her bedroom door, a scratch and a purr echoed from under it. Sophie sat up; her chocolate brown medium length hair ruffled by her the deep sleep. She began to worry, Sophie looked after the cat's cradle in the castle and she was sure she locked the door when she went to bed. Rubbing her face, she sat up and listened for a minute.
"Was I hearing things?" She thought aloud. She was just about to crawl back in to bed when she heard it again. A faint purr and a scratch on the door. She got up and rushed to the door.
"I don't believe it; I must have left that door un-locked." She pulled the door open and looked down at a fluffy black kitten with white paws. She had never seen this one before. It did not have a collar so it must be a stray. How did it get in to the castle. Nothing survives in the land around it. Sophie took a second to think on this and sighed in relief as the kitten began rubbing itself along her legs. It was clearly familiar with her so it must be from the castle.
"Thank god for that." She picked the kitten up and looked it over in her hands. There was something familiar about it but she could swear she had never seen it before. The kitten purred and a let out what looked like a smile across its face. It must have been a coincidence... cats do not smile. She looked in to its eyes. They where crystal blue, just like Sami's. The kitten gazed back at her. Its gaze seemed to pierce into her emerald eyes with what felt like warmth and fondness. She took the kitten into her room and put it on her bed. The kitten rolled on its back and let out a quiet purr. That smile seemed to return as it rolled about with its eyes closed.
"Why do you remind me of Sami?" She blushed at the thought of the boy she has always adored. She could feel her cheeks glow red. The kitten stopped and looked up at her. Its head tilted to the left. It let out a meow before jumping on to her. Digging its nails into her nightgown and climbing up her chest and on to her shoulder. Sophie was more than surprised, she was shocked. This kitten seemed to be smarter than the average. It licked her face before it slid itself in-between her breasts.
"Get out of there you cheeky little thing!" She realized it was squeezing her and quickly pulled it out by the ruff of its neck. She held it at eye level, staring into its deep blue eyes. Sophie began to glare. "I think I'm going to call you Sami, you're just like him." She put the kitten back on the bed. and turned to her dresser. She began to undress when she noticed that kitten was starring at her. She stared back at Sami the kitten who slinked down onto the floor, took one look at her half-naked body and with a shot, disappeared out the door Sophie had carelessly left open.
"Hey wait! Sami!" It was too late, the kitten was gone. She sighed as she closed the door, unwilling to chase the kitten into the castle dressed as she was.
         

         The Kitten sauntered confidently through the dim lit cobblestone halls, sniffing and listening to anything and everything humans could not detect as if it had just discovered its own natural ability's. It could hear the clinks and clanks of two guards own patrol from deep within the castle. The kitten knew where not to go before it even got there. Unfortunately the guards where down near the kitchen where it could smell fresh food being prepared for the morning breakfast. Another two where fast approaching from down the hall. The kitten could see the door of the room it wanted to be in but did not have enough time to get there. Panic started to set in as it searching frantically for a place to hide, eventually climbing up the back of one of the many tapestry’s hanging from the walls of the corridor. As it climbed, it could feel the rough cotton between its nails making the kitten shiver. The guards where drawing near, getting closer and closer. The kitten could hear every footstep. The sound of metal hitting and scraping of the cobblestone floors made the kittens skin crawl. As the guards got closer, the kittens grip began to loosen. It was not all to good with its claws yet and this was beginning to show at the worst of times. Claw by individual claw was coming loose in the woolen tapestry, putting pressure on the others and hastening there inevitable failure. Just as the guards passed, the kitten fell, landing on the hard cobblestone floor. Its fur muffled the impact somewhat so that the noise did not meet that of the guards footsteps in volume. As the guards left, the kitten growled to its self and slunk off into the door it was so desperate to reach. Inside was a small room with a luxurious bed and dresser. The kitten peered around cautiously before curling up in the middle of the floor when it decide it was safe. The kitten began to glow and change shape; it grew bigger and shed its fur. Bones cracked as its shape contorted and expanded. The shape began to resemble a human. The glowing soon ended and with it, the dim candle light that lit the room was blown out. There was a fizz and a dim glow as Sami struck a match and lit the candle by his bed  his short scruffy hair and unkempt facial hair. He stroked his face with his hand to make sure the transformation went as it should. Sami soon discovered that all was well except one thing. Before his transformation, he was clean shaved. Something he would have to deal with in the morning. Sami took a minute as he sat down on his bed and thought about his experiences through the night. He blushed as he thought of Sophie and he began to smile. Sami was more than fond of the girl. They had been friends since before ether could remember. Nether of them realized just how strongly the other cared for the other. Sami thought deeply about his encounter with Sophie that night and the many possible practical applications of his new ability With that thought, he sat down at his desk on the other side of the room from the door and reached into the  ebony drawer of his desk. From the drawer, he pulled out a thick book covered in chains and padlocks. 
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