Your story, before you've written it

It’s darker than the midnight sky, colder than an Antarctic iceberg on a winter's night. I can feel the wind rushing past my face as I leap through the forest, step by step my feet facing each other. I am running for my life. Attempting to be as elusive as possible, I find a ditch. My heart beating so fast it’s almost as if I’ve come into an obscure amount of palpitations… I need to get out of here painting as softly as I can. Why did this happen? How did I get into this situation… I think to myself. I hear the growling of animals moving swiftly through the forest. It sounds like they’re closing in. Slowly attempting to surprise me their prey unannounced but I see them.. every single one. They leap at me ferociously, am I going to die here?

I see the brightest light, am I going crazy? Is this my life flashing before my eyes? Suddenly I’m back home.

A normal Saturday morning in the Pendoragon household. Birds chirping outside, Mother making breakfast downstairs while dancing around the kitchen, I guess it makes her feel nostalgic of the times when she was young. I remember those days of being young, won’t ever get them back. I wish I could get them back. But as long as I’m here let me take it all in ah the sweet smell of pancakes and bacon is all that's running through my mind.

The lingering scent of bacon reaches to my nostrils, lifting me from bed, down the stairs and into the kitchen. As I reach for my plate my mother slaps my hand. ‘No not yet, go check the mail first sweety.” I sigh but I turn quickly to run out for the mail considering I might as well get it over with quickly since I’m hungry.

Our house telephone is ringing as loud as ever, I can hear it from the outside near the mailbox. Shuffling through the mail I hear a whisper “Arthur” I look up at a figure standing across the street from me. I couldn't make out what it was. In confusion I attempt to get a closer look but the mailman drives past and the figure disappears. I must’ve had one crazy dream to be seeing things.

I walked back inside the house wishing that my plate would be made for me however I walked into the kitchen and the look on my mothers face was by far the worse. Who died? I jokingly ask a clear terrible attempt to lighten the mood. However I never in a million years expected those exact words to leave my mothers lips “Your grandfather has passed”.

That’s all it took and my heart shattered.

A couple days after grandads funeral my younger sister Amelia, my mom, and I had gone to his home to gather his belongings. I drove to give my mother a break and I understood her pain. It’s hard losing the one person who was a father figure to me but I cannot let that stop me from becoming a great person like he was. The mansion on rose lane, I still have no idea what he did for work. His workers are packing everything left for us but mom told them it's okay that their job was done. Granddad was such a good man, everyone wanted to help him to the bitter end. We walk inside and in front of us lie three boxes with labels for each of our names.

In a box of things grandfather left me was a little black notebook titled “Tales of the believers'' the nostalgia flooded my memory. He would read to me the family favorite stories of heroes who prevailed in great trials whether it was fiction or not, he always said these stories exist somewhere in the universe. I opened the front page and a note fell out. Surprised that this even happened I was very curious what this was.

It read

“Dear Grandson, here is a tradition passed down to every other generation in our family. It seems you have been selected. I know you want to go to school so I’ve set up a game for you and if you pass you’ll be guaranteed a prize. However please be safe and remember this, you are able to manifest anything you wish, this is inevitable. With absolute love, Granddad”

This is how it all began. I assume it’s safe to say.

Flipping back and forth between pages, all I see is pages on pages of the names of these ancient heroes. Next to them are names of regular people however for some reasons it was marked as if there were two first names and some had checks next to them. How odd I thought to myself. A golden cashmere tab with a lion symbol embedded fell out. “Rules to Follow” is read at the top of the tabbed page. “1. Be truthful in everything you say, 2. Never forget your identity and lastly 3. Remember the purity of the art you create because everything is art”.

Okay, now this is boring, I can tell he just wants me to follow my dreams to be a creative writer but why should I follow these rules then write my name down and pass this on? I wonder what’s so important about this book. Then I noticed it, in big words “Grand Prize 20,000 dollars”. Now in the art this is a big deal, you may invest in yourself and see what may come of it. Mom always tells me of our family's own success through stories and writing, I decided to carry out that legacy a couple years ago and that's when grand dad gave me my very own moleskine notebook. Within that book lies enough characters to double Earth's population three times over

“If you had the ability to create one power to save yourself or others what would it be and why? Think long and hard and keep the notebook with you at all times. Easy, I know my answer. I place my hand on the notebook I recite “Art is pure in it's every inevitable form, so I believe in there’s a meaning of peace in a lion's roar” I opened my eyes and nothing happened, I waited a couple seconds, damn it was a dud. But I feel like something is happening. I yawn really long, wow all this has made me tired, guess I’ll go take a nap. I slowly gaze off thinking to myself as I stare at the night light stare stickers in the guest room, my eyes close softly.

I wake up in a town near a forest very confused. A lady approaches and asks “Sir can you help me?”. Yeah I reply, just a little confused, where am I? Oh you're in a forest of great enhancement but we have to go come on”. The confusion on my face due to the fact that I couldn’t tell whether I’m dreaming or not but I ran off with her.

Walking through an old village from ancient times it seems, I see all types of creatures. Looking up to her I ask how can I help you? “I’m on the run from the wild”, she says. I look at her with perplexed eyes. A goal is in her mind but what is it?

What's your name miss, I ask. “It’s Mia but we don’t have time for introductions Arthur. I’m on the run from the knights of the kingdom controlled by the darkest witch there is. Before she could finish I noticed a figure approaching, it seemed to be the same figure I noticed near the mailbox. I’ve no idea how but I immediately screamed WATCH OUT! Before I knew it I raised my hand and a sword appeared out of thin air. Dueling with knights and keeping Mia safe was all I could do. But they all ran away screaming “Wizard” over and over again.

All of a sudden a fog like cloud appeared over our heads. “Halt! I see that we have a wizard amongst us. Retreat for now, but I will have his head. I’m the only magic that shall live on this land” The fog disappears into the sky and I’m left in confusion. We get going, as Mia’s safety is all I’m concerned about.

7 days later we arrived at Mia’s home. A nice open field with animals running around. You are safe from the Queen now my duty is fulfilled. She couldn't help but stare at me in a sense of nostalgia. “Whatever I would have done without you, human of the other world” she says. How’d you know I wasn’t from here? Mia looks at me, gives me a hug then whispers, “The book sent you to help me” and turns away disappearing into the cornfield.

Making my way through the forest, all those talks with Mia left me very confused. I wonder what is my purpose in this dream? How did she know I’m from another world.

Making my way back to my destination I noticed I’m being followed, I have a keen sense of smell and by the way it smells it's a hound of some sort. I look around and nobodys there. I start to run and that's when they come out from hiding. A three headed wolf and their pack followed me the entire time. Racing against the night to get away from their tracks. I can’t outrun them fully. And here we are.. In the ditch attempting to hide. But it leaps at me, cutting my leg, AHHH I scream in agony.

Suddenly everything froze for a second. Is this death, is what the afterlife is like?

My eyes open it’s morning. Lifting up my leg, I feel pain and look over there’s a scar from my dream. So it was real? I’m in the guest bedroom at my grandfather's next to layed the box of things he left for me. Inside the box I noticed a second note. There was no way that went unnoticed before. I got up and decided to see what the note was about “If you’re reading this you’ve survived and I’m guessing you most likely are wondering what happened and how was it possible that you survived. Well my dear grandson, our ancestors in Japan came from a long civilization of people in England who were more powerful than any story protagonist you’ve ever read. Or maybe they were those protagonists you read about. You were always safe in that world, everyone's power goes to this world to prepare each other for the next. Every single creature or being you encountered was an ancestor from a past life. Your safety was inevitable. Also look underneath the things in this box.”

Reaching underneath and I find a lump sum of money. My mind fixated on the fact that all this is being done but by whom? Granddad is dead. I’m completely spaced out of confusion. What is this note even about? I can’t believe this.. I have to keep reading.

“Congratulations you’ve won son. You are a wizard, the most powerful one to ever exist. Your story is yet to unfold, however this is how it will all begin. Pick up a pen and write your name in the book, yet to be checked of course. Everything will reveal itself until then I leave this to you to pass onto the next generation my dear Artur Pendoragon.”