The room harbors a secret
The wax models of what surely must have been men who once lived, appear even more vivid in the steady beam of the flashlight, than the dancing light of a candle. That being said, the flicker of candlelight holds a spiritual quality that seemingly vacates away in the steady brilliance of this handheld spotlight. Lanker actually feels more secure, strangely enough, while standing in the light of a flickering candle, than in this daytime-like brilliance emitted from the handheld spotlight.
"Ghosts are in here," he whispers to Whammy all of a sudden.
"Ghosts? Where is a ghost at, boy?" she says to Lanker, as he crawls along behind her on his casts. "Do you see a ghost in here? Do you think those wax men are ghosts, or something?"
As the two children make their way past the first form, who appears to hold the most power among all of these wax men, the manlike figure slowly turns his head in their direction as they walk, freezing his face to meet any one of them with an emotionless expression, who might dare to glance backward. In jolting astonishment Lanker catches sight of this unnerving movement, when it is not supposed to occur.
"Look! Did you see that?" shudders Lanker, causing the two to pause.
"See what? Please don't tell me you are actually seeing ghosts now, since we were speaking of them earlier," Whammy chuckles, while shaking her head from side to side as she turns toward Lanker. "Oh heaven, please help this little boy," she sighs as she drops her head, shaking it from side to side.
"The wax man's head turned, look!" Lanker announces, as he points toward the effigy believed by the two to hold the authority among this rather motley group of wax figures.
"Oh, come now, boy, please don't joke with me about such matters. Wrong time for all of that, wrong place!," Whammy spouts, with harsh feminine authority in her voice.
"I'm not joking. Look at him there! His head was turned the other way when we passed!" Lanker replies with excitement to Whammy.
"Are you sure? I can't even remember which way he was turned, myself," she says with a snicker in disbelief.
"I can!" spouts Lanker with a snivel. "This place doesn't make me feel good anymore, Whammy," the crawling boy child whimpers.
"I'm not going to worry about what you are talking about," Whammy informs Lanker. "I'm looking for that crystal ball," she announces, as the two move toward what appears to be the extremely dusty remains of an ancient wooden writing desk. She briskly opens all of the drawers on the desk. A large, rather deep one remains closed on the very bottom of the wooden structure. When she pulls the drawer open, there sits a nine-inch diameter crystal ball, with one flattened end so the ball will sit up, rather than roll. Whammy reaches down, struggling to lift the rather large crystal orb.
"Help me lift it, Lanker, if you can." She grunts as she struggles.
Lanker pushes from the bottom, as Whammy heaves to lift the heavy ball upward. Soon, in a time span feeling like eternity, this dust covered crystal ball is sitting proudly on the surface of the ancient desk, appearing as though it might collapse at any time.
"Look how dirty this thing is," says Whammy, as she knocks off the dust with an old cloth lying nearby on the surface of the desk. A powerful invisible sensation suddenly emanates from the ball, pushing them both backward, causing the usually brave intrepid, Whammy, to scream suddenly. The two children hug one another closely as a swirling sapphire cloud form before the two. Soon this tumbling cloud begins spreading out, as though it is designing to transform its shape.
"What in the shifting sand is that?" Whammy gasps and points, as she hugs Lanker ever closely in great fear.
"I don't know, but I told you this place had ghosts in it," replies Lanker. "I could feel their presence in the air."
Soon the tumbling blue mist assumes a humanoid form. Gradually the form of a man dressed in a colonial styled suit and tie, eerily materializes before them both. The two children hug each other for dear life, as they continually shudder with a fear unlike any ever experienced in the past.
"Why do you awaken me?" the materializing figure asks them in a voice seeming to echo throughout the entire estate. "What is so urgent that you should disturb my eternal slumber?"
"We didn't mean to disturb your sleep," Whammy snaps as she trembles. "We were only dusting a dirty old crystal ball."
"Dirty? is that what you dare to call my crystal passageway into unseen worlds? Is this the best description you can think of to give, young lady? Where is your imagination, in your shoe heel? Is it in your underwear? Oh, please snap my guarder straps! Please tell me great big blue dogs still dig deeply into soft black dirt, for gracious sake!" the spectrum laughs as his words ride on the very air.
"My description is a fine one because that is just what that thing over there is, a dirty old crystal ball; but not so dirty anymore, since I cleaned it off. You should tell me thank you, you rude ole ghost! "Whammy growls as she hugs Lanker closely.
"Me, tell you, thank you? Ha! Who do you think I am, young lady?" asks the spectrum, "the Fairy God Mother, or something?"
"We don't know who you are," says Whammy.
"I am Abramelin, granter of magnificent powers. If you should please me, young lady, then I have the ability to grant you great accomplishments," informs the spectrum.
"Like what?" asks Whammy, as Lanker hugs closely upon her, trembling. "What kinds of things will you allow us to do?'' Whammy asks inquisitively, while attempting to feign bravery.
"You might become invisible, for example, or zip through keyholes, through a water hose, or even turn into fire or water, create gold from lead, change people's thoughts or words, among other interesting things," casually replies the spectrum with a sinister smile. "Maybe you had rather pass through inner-dimensional portals, into the distant past, alternative present age stations, or some place in a distant future era? Who knows what a mortal could do with such wonderful talents, you see?"
Whammy and Lanker gaze into the other's face, wide eyed with astonishment.
"Wow!" they both gasp in unison.
"You mean we, the both of us, can now do all of these things?" asks Whammy.
"Now, let's be wise with our choices in words, as we should always be in our general speech. I did not say that you could now accomplish all of these things. What would you like to do?" asks the spectrum.
"Uh., we don't know what we want to do," replies Whammy.
"I will tell you what," says the spectrum. "Let's see if you can handle special powers. Why don't I allow you two to don my magic cape, then you can fly around the block a few times. I may even allow you to cross over into different living zones. We will judge you both on how well it is that you act and react to situations and things placed before you. If you pass our test, then we might see if we could expand your abilities, eh?"
"Uh., well., o.k. I suppose. Give us the capes and let's see what happens," replies Whammy.
In an instant both Lanker and Whammy are wearing perfectly fitting purple riding capes. Whammy raises both hands on a sudden whim, then lifts off the floor, to her astonishment. Lanker follows her.
"You may both pass through solid objects, you know," informs the spectrum.
"You mean, like the wall there?" asks Lanker, as he points.
"Please do, try it and see, by all means!" announces the spectrum.
Lanker rises up to the top of the room, then places both arms through. He glances back down toward Whammy.
"Come on up here, Whammy, follow me!" he says as he passes through the ceiling into the outside sky, yelling, "wee!", as he floats along at varying speeds.
Soon Whammy appears on the outside. In the sky above the house, she notices Lanker pausing as he waits for her.
"Look Whammy, look at me! This is so much fun. Watch this!" he says, as he does somersaults in midair. He flies down toward the ground fast as a lightning strike, pausing only a yard above the green grass; then flies up to the clouds above, sitting comfortably on one, yelling back down to Whammy.
"Hey Whammy, look at me! Come up here where I am."
"I am on my way, Lanker boy, now. Hang on to yer head, Lanker, or die!" the girl yells, as she zips up beside him. "I can't believe the two of us are up here doing this, can you?"
"No, but it sure is fun!" Lanker yells back to Whammy.
"Say, Lanker boy, do you remember Abramelin saying something about us being able to travel into other lost worlds?"
"Yep, I sure do," Lanker replies with a smile and a nod. "Wonder what he was talking about when he said that?"
"I don't know, but let's find out," announces Whammy with cheer in her voice.
"I'll bet he was talking about more ghosts, and stuff," continues Lanker.
"I don't know," replies Whammy.
She glances down and around upon the cape.
"Take us to lost worlds!" she says aloud all of a sudden.
Suddenly she and Lanker passed through a nearby cloud. When they both exit out, one glance down upon the ground beneath them informs of the fact where they both certainly are not in Richmond anymore. The entire landscape appears as some sort of huge, tropical wilderness, with ferns ninety feet tall.
Beside them buzzes a dragonfly with a six-foot wingspan. The dragonfly then turns his head, exposing a very evil appearing charcoal colored face, with rows of extremely sharp dagger-like teeth. He seems to be licking his lips, before flying away from them in an instant.
As they pass overhead, huge rose-colored tulips sit among great herds of large bunny rabbits. Every now and then a rabbit leaps into one of these blossoms, which suddenly closes, as if it were eating him.
Ants crawling about upon the earth below appear to be large as cats. These ants suddenly rise up where the rabbits scamper all about, abruptly attacking one when he passes through the shadows. In what seems like an instant the rabbit is down on the ground, shredded into pieces.
The skies all above are filled with lizards harboring wings of both skin and multicolored feathers. These lizards vary in size from shallow camellia sized creatures, to those larger than crocodiles. All of these creatures eye the children eagerly, as the two only pass them by in flight. Maybe these kids were perceived by the bizarre creatures as being potentially dangerous. The children are terrified by these teeth filled scowls cast in their direction by these strange, winged beasts.
"I am not sure I like this place, Whammy."
"Neither am I," Whammy replies back to Lanker.
Whammy glances down and around upon the cape she was wearing.
"We want to go home," she speaks aloud.
Suddenly the sun radiates a great, swelling brilliance. When this glow fades, they both are once again sitting inside the hidden room of the home. The flashlight still illuminates the room, remaining in perfect place on the desk where the crystal ball sits.