Young Writers Society

Allysa's childhood days had passed at the Stewert Manor at Bristol. She and her mother, alone, were the only dwellers of the manor, save for the butler, Uncle Castle. 

As because, Dr. Stewert remained busy carrying out expeditions, nearly all through the year. When he found leisure, he spent time reading, writing and researching about numerous unsolved mysteries across the world. 

He afforded very less time for his family. Henrieto greatest pleasure of all was to spend his leisure time with Allysa, her only daughter. 

Henrieto used to bring back ancient relics from the places he explored. Consequently, he developed a marvel of vast collection of ancient artifacts in his manor. 

He used to share the stories of his adventures, either a success or a failure with Allysa. 

As Allysa grew up, she began reading her father's writings about his adventures. Knowing more about Henrieto's expeditions and discoveries, she grew more and more interested in archaeology overtime. 

Allysa started dreaming of being an archaeologist like her father, Henrieto. Her dream was to " WALK IN HER FATHER'S SHOES." 

All was well and fine, until three years before Allysa gets afmitted to the University of Elderwoods. Now things started changing. Henrieto was gradually becoming more and more insane. He started becoming isolated from his family, even from his beloved daughter. He spent hours after hours in his study. Sometimes, he even insisted on having meal there. He gradually built up a long streak of spending sleep less nights. 

Allysa often found her father putting his head down on his study table, or leaning back against his armchair, closing his eyes. 

Allysa could feel her father's stress, that was slowly killing him mentally. 

Allysa believed that some kind of thought or some incident, is torturing his father from within. Torturing---- it was no less than torture, surpassing all sorts of non-lethal physical pains. 

Henrieto was slowly being killed internally by something, something Allysa never thought of, something that might not be earthly. Her father was gradually being killed. She had got nothing to do. 

Time passed, Henrieto's pains went on increasing. Allysa's belief became more firm, that Henrieto was being mentally killed by something supernatural, something unearthly. 

Henrieto began planning for what he started calling his Last Voyage. His rendezvous was the Tomb of Yamatsu situated in an island near the Japanese mainland. Before the voyage, strange things started to happen. 

********* 

It was a nice, sunny morning. Sun was shining warmly over the Bristol suburb. Henrieto had been a little stress free recently. He was having a cup of tea, seating on an armchair on the third floor balcony of his manor. 

Allysa stood by her father. She kept her palm on her father's shoulder. 

"When will you return from your next voyage, dad?" 

Henrieto avoided replying directly. Instead he answered, "This is my Last Voyage. " He faced the ground, and said, "I may not ever return." 

Henrieto then leaned towards his cup for having tea. He had one sip and again leaned back against the armchair. No sooner he leant, than the cup shattered into pieces. The tea spilt over the table and even on his trousers. 

Henrieto took one second before he realised what happened. He instantly stood up, grasped Allysa's arm and shouted, "Get inside." 

Henrieto almost dragged Allysa into the house and shut the balcony door. 

All these happened, before Allysa could understand anything. She took her time, but finally figured out what happened. 

The sniper must have misfired the bullet, when leant his head back against the armchair! 

********* 

A day after this incident took place, Henrieto began making arrangements for his self-protection. 

Henrieto hooked a large-sized mirror against the wall in his bedroom, which lied opposite to the balcony. 

Henrieto used to sleep on the third-floor, alone. He kept a loaded shotgun by his side for his security. 

One such night, 

Allysa was waken up at the dead of the night, by a loud roar of gunfire. She found that her mom was awake too. 

"Dad!" she exclaimed anxiously. She darted upstairs and knocked the locked door of Henrieto's bedroom. 

"Dad, dad, are you all right?" 

Answer came," Yeah, I am fine. I am just fine." 

Henrieto opened the door. He had the shotgun in his hand.

His wife Nancy followed Allysa upstairs. "What's happening?" she asked in a trembling voice. 

"It's all right. Nothing to worry about." Henrieto gave an assuring reply, " I was practising shooting." 

"At the dead of the night!" Allysa was bewildered. 

Allysa looked straight into her father's eyes, "You are lying, aren't you? Someone attacked you, no?" 

Henrieto stood silently. The silence clarified his reply! 

********* 

Henrieto's youth friend and partisan, Dr. Norman Butler came to see him, some days later. Butler had assisted Henrieto in many of his previous expeditions. 

Butler and Henrieto were discussing about their upcoming expedition, the one which Henrieo used to call His Last Voyage. 

Allysa stood silently outside Henrieto's study, with the motive of eavesdropping on the conversation between Butler and his father. 

"This is our last chance, Norman. If we fail, it's all over. And, if by luck, we succeed, then also, it will all be over." 

It was Henrieto's voice, it was graver than ever. Allysa took her years closer to the door. 

"We'll succeed, Henrieto, won't we?" 

Henrieto did not reply. 

Time passed like a river in its upper course. 

Soon, Allysa and Nancy Stewert were alone in the manor. There was no other man, except Uncle Castle. 

And, Henrieo was engaged exploring the Tomb of Yamatsu. They were miles apart. 

One day, the news reached them. Henrieto had been missing, in the midst of the expedition. 

Rescue operatives scoured the island. They did not find him, nor they found his cold, lifeless body.They only found a cube, plated with bronze, bearing a symbol----- a crescent in a polygon. They concluded that it belonged to Henrieto. Norman Butler was also never found. 

The operatives gave up after a month or two. 

Soon after, Henrieto Stewert was declared as dead, unofficially. 

******* 

When Allysa woke up, she found herself palpitating. Her face was covered with perspiration. She sat up on the bed, trying to figure out what she saw in her dream. 

This was the nightmare, that repeated itself in Allysa's dream over and over after her father died. 

It was like a bruise in her mind. A nasty bruise that perceived over a long time following Henrieto's death. 

A purplish flash of light, illuminated the dormitory, followed by a rumble of thunder. Allysa saw her father putting his head down upon the table, spending days in the study, the attempts to kill him and most pathetic of all--- Henrieto's word----"My Last Voyage". 

The nightmare had ceased to repeat itself with time. It had returned, with the return of archaeology in Allysa's life. 

Thunderstorms continued. The resumption of archaeology had brought with it the bruise---- the nightmare.