Elements of Nature

Underneath the Stars were a small group of teenagers that had just graduated. The walk home cut through a park surrounded by tall trees & pampas grass. The moon was full overhead, when suddenly a strange shape appeared that resembled a large eye. A tear fell from the duct all too fast. The tear substance covered the graduates as the eye had them trapped. They floated up as they screamed for help where no one could hear. They landed upon the surface of a murky planet as the bubble of a tear popped as they stood now upon the lash. Fog surrounded the scene as loud echo sounds reverberated. The temperature was colder as ghost shaped shadows swam all around. A beam of a beacon shon from above that they agreed to walk towards. Through the foggy vapors of clouds they came to a castle door that opened as they pushed the grey stone. The room had hundreds of candles & torches were upon the walls. Dancers of ballet preformed at a ballet bar, both men & women. A teacher stood before them as an old gramophone played songs never heard before. She clapped her hands to the steps of the dancers. The foot patterns under the above candles looked as dreamy as Edgar Degas’s Danseuses. The students were also dancers who performed as a troupe called Todas. Modern dance replaced the soft rhythms that created a new romance. Yet, the old ways would never fade. These dancers were as transparent as ghosts as they were only holograms. You could place your hand through them. They walked through the castle to another room, where they found a theatre. Velvet seats held dust fragments of past performances of brocade costumes and opera masks. Todas sat together as the opera sang on stage to the words to Madam Butterfly. Gold opera glasses were upon each seat. How elegant to watch the play even though the actors were too, holograms. They wondered how long the play would last as they longed to go home. The troupe Walked to more rooms as they found classes of art & sculpture where easels & canvases smelled as fresh as brush strokes of cobalt & deep ochre. Another room had brass horns, flutes drums & cymbals. A young male of blond curls stood frozen & played a xylophone. He too seemed as a hologram, yet above his head floated a halo. The group of four talked of how they would go back as they felt trapped among the holograms. They headed to another room that was clearly, a sculpture room. Shelves of clay & marble sculptures were stacked to dry where clear latex tarp draped over the shelves. Clay powder covered the floor. Sculpture tools were scattered throughout the classroom. One tall statue of a Eagle stood on a table perched on a glass chest. The students gathered around to get a closer look. Look! There’s a scroll! How are we to remove such an object? The oldest boy found a hammer and smashed the glass. The glass shattered where he reached for the scroll, carefully. The words were more of a code of rune symbols, each symbol related to elements of nature. The oldest looked deeply at the eyes of the sculpture . The stone blue eyes seemed to say to look for four Dragons that held four elements needed to leave the castle. Four Dragons! How are we to know where to look? All of a sudden the scroll conformed the shape of paper where now the paper became a hat! Wow! Put me on yer head! The boy took the paper hat, where it rested. Then, a copper compass emerged on the hat that resembled a face. Now walk with me to where the arrow shows! The arrow moved to the left so the boy stepped down the hall to the east. The group followed & kept watch of when the arrow moved. The eldest walked as a robot as the compass controlled.. They stood now at the ballroom where the ballet had ended. The arrow moved! The three students who watched squealed! He’s headed North! The boy turned to the north that faced the front doors. He opened the latch & went out to a garden. There! Among the fog they saw four dragons they hadn’t seen before. Each dragon held a stone cup that rested on the talons. Talbert, who was usually shy, stepped up to the stone creature. The cups had more symbols etched upon the stones that were symbols of each element. The blue dragon had a water symbol. He needs water! Yes! That’s correct! The paper hat was pleased. Talbert took out a water bottle & poured. As the water poured, the cup produced a blue key that was one of four keys needed to unlock a gate. The next dragon was red where the symbol was a flame. One of the females had the solution. Her purse had a box of matches that she struck and placed the flame upon the red dragons cup. His Ruby eyes produced smoke where the cup held a red key. We would never have guessed you smoked! Her class mates gasped! They were for the Fourth of July! Ohhh Ok. Everyone laughed. The green dragon had a symbol of a plant that was of a clover. Where will we get that? The stone garden hasn’t much grass or a place to look? The other female thought of an answer. Around her neck was a pendent of a shamrock she removed. The plant was real and well preserved held as a locket. She placed the locket upon the green dragon’s talons. The creatures emerald eyes made a green smoke that looked as the Loc Ness. A green key was produced from the cup. The paper hat spun the compass arrows around. Well done! Now for the last dragon, the yellow dragon. The symbol held a feather. Where should we gather a feather? The arrow upon the hat moved to the south. Follow me! The hat and the boy walked to the south where they found a pond decorated with flowers and swans. How do we pluck a feather? Talbert, who loved owls moved through the water, slowly not to startle the swan. He talked softy, as he had power over feathered creatures. The words spoken put a spell onto the swan as he was able to pluck one feather. Well done! Talbert took the feather back to the yellow dragon. As he placed the feather upon the cup, a gold beam produced a gold key. They now had all four keys and asked where the gate was. The compass arrow moved to the west through a now parted fog as a orb of a lavender sun shone down a rock crystal path. Once at the gate the hat told that each keyhole was colored to match the colors of the keys. Once placed, the gate opened where the tear appeared as an elevator. Well, we have to say our goodbyes.. Understood. The hat flew off & transformed back to an eagle. Please come back! There are many other statues that have elements you’ve never seen! What does it do for you when we solve the puzzles of the statues? Our world becomes more real, as the Castle of holograms upon the great eye goes on forever.. We shall return they shouted as they stepped on the ramp of the tear that lead them down. They landed upon the grassy park where they were overwhelmed to be back home.