Young Writers Society

Winter Raven: The Whispers

Part 1: The Graveyard

I lost the slip that gives me permission to go to the grave-yard.

How could I have been so careless?

It could be lying alone, solitary, by itself, anywhere. 

If I don't hand the slip in today, I won't be allowed to go to the graveyard. 

Then I will never find out who Olivia is. There's only one thing to do. I'll have to go at night, when the elders are asleep.

That night I slipped out of the dormitory at 12pm. I knew if I was caught, it could mean death for me. 

I held my breath as I passed the elders' room. But, just my luck, they were sleeping like sloths. 

I tiptoed down the stairs and cringed as a loud creak sounded. But now one heard. I breathed a silent sigh of relief. I walked out the back door, and ran into the night. I was free.

I ran to the graveyard, and hurriedly found the key that I had hidden last month. I bent down next to the first grave. 

I dug my finger under the dirt and found the key-hole. Nope, the key didn't fit. I tried the next grave and the next, but they were both unsuccessful. I tried graves all night, but only when a crack of fiery sunlight peeped over the hills when I found the grave I was looking for.

I dug my finger under the dirt and slipped the key through the key-hole. The grave slipped open with a creak, revealing a shadowy staircase leading into darkness.

As I walked down the stairs, I could not help shivering. There were strange whispery sounds echoing on all the walls. After what seemed like ages, I entered a room dimly lit by blue-fire candles. 

I saw the grave I was looking for in the middle of the room. I ran to it, and there on the grave where written the words 'Olivia Raven. Born on the 12th of November, 2002. Died on the 24th of December, 2015.'

I had found what I had been looking for. But for some reason I was still questioning myself. Why was I looking for this grave in particular? What would I do with my life now? 

The thing is, all my life I have had a strange whispery voice in my head saying the same thing over and over again, "Olivia Raven, Olivia Raven, Olivia Raven...." So I have been trying to find out who Olivia Raven was. And now I have found her grave.

What next?

Suddenly, a strange whispery voice spoke behind me.

"It's the end, Winter."

And I remembered nothing more.

I woke up somewhere cold and hard. I could see nothing. I picked myself up. I felt cramped all over. I put my hands out before me, and walked ten steps forward. I bumped against a ruff wall, and fell to the ground with a crash.

"Ow...." I whimpered.

"Did they get you too?" said a quiet sympathetic voice. 

A chill ran up my back.

"Who are you?" I said in a scared whisper.

"Olivia, Olivia Raven."

I fainted.

The next time I came to my senses, I was lying on the floor. It was freezing. 

"Sorry I scared you." said Olivia. 

I slowly sat up, shivering. "Where are we?" 

"The Underworld." answered Olivia.

"Am I dead?" I asked. 

"No." 

"Are you dead?"

"No."

"Oh." There was nothing else to say. "Am I mad?" I asked. "I don't think so." answered Olivia. I hadn't expected an answer.

We were both sitting with our backs against the cold stone wall. 

"I'm so sick of being here." I said. 

Olivia silently nodded. I stood up determinly.

"I'm going to find a way out of here."  There was no way I could live in this place forever.

"Winter, you can't!" exclaimed Olivia. 

 I scowled. "Why not?"

"I've tried, over and over again, and every time I failed." said Olivia. She harshly brushed a tear off her face. 

I grabbed Olivia's hand and held it firmly. "We can do it. I promise. Let's just try one more time." 

Olivia swallowed and managed a small "Okay." 

I hoped I wouldn't break my promise.

I started feeling along all the walls, trying to find a crack or a notch. Olivia stayed where she was, crouching against the wall. After a few hours, I was extremely frustrated. "Move, you stupid wall!"   I banged it harshly with my fist. The wall sank into the ground, revealing stairs leading up.

Part: 2 The other graveyard

I ran up the stairs with Olivia behind me, almost laughing for the joy of not being trapped inside four walls. We ran and they ran for what seemed like ages, until we both sunk to the ground in exhaustion. 

I laughed. "This is worst than being trapped in four walls.....endless excercise!"                                Yep, that's me. The wonderful comedian.

Olivia laughed at the true statement, but soon stopped laughing. "What?" I said, looking at her horror-stricken face. Then I turned around, and saw a withered grey hand appeared behind the wall. 

"Run!" shrieked Olivia, and we ran faster than we had ran ever before.

The whispers got farther and farther away, until they disappeared altogether. 

We kept running. For for days and days, only stopping to rest once in a while. I guess our want for freedom kept us running, until we ran around a corner a banged against a wall. It was a dead end.

"We ran for ages just to get to this!" I shrieked, and before Olivia could stop me, I punched the horrible, stupid wall ferociously with my fist. The wall sank into the ground, revealing sunlight.

We crept out of the grave and sat next to it, and I dug a small hole with my finger near the grave, took out the key from my pocket, and locked the grave. The grave closed with a snap, revealing the words 'Winter Raven. Born on the 12th of November, 2002. Died on the 24th of December, 2015.'

"I'm not dead." I muttered, unsurely. I checked the place where my heart was. It was still beating.

Then I looked up, and what do you think I saw?  Myself. I'm not joking. There I was, looking exactly like myself. Except I had waist-length white hair, not brown hair. 

"I know you're not dead."  'Me number two' said, firmly.

It was Olivia.

"Well....hello Olivia. You look a bit like me this morning." I said. I quickly added, "Exception the white hair...that's new."

"You have white hair too!" persisted Olivia. As ii that was an excuse for stealing my face.

But, just to check, I looked down, and  saw that my hair was as white as snow.

"Good grief!" I said, shakily. "We look like eighty-year-old twins!" 

Suddenly, I remembered the grave I had seen. Olivia's grave. She had been born on the exact same day as me.

"Oh, we are twins." I said

Then we both burst into tears and gave each other a bone-crushing hug. 

Right there, in the middle of the graveyard. Now that's something you don't see everyday people.

"Are you sure we're not dead?" I asked, just to make sure.

Olivia laughed. "Yes!"

"Then how come we have graves already?" I said.

"I don't have a grave, only you do!" said Olivia, confused. I had stumped her, for sure.

"I saw your grave when I came into the Underworld for the first time." I explained, speaking the way a kindergarten teacher explains maths to young kids.

"Oh." Olivia blinked. Now she had no proof that were alive.

Okay, back to the landscape. To make it short, we were not in the same graveyard I had first been in. This graveyard was not like any other graveyards I had seen. All the headstones were covered in beautiful exotic gems, and the script was written in a different language, which, for some reason the twins could read. Around the graveyard were trees that looked like average oak trees, but with soft purple leaves. Behind the oak trees was a wall covered in ancient, mythic murals. 

The sky was a lovely snowy-white with fleecy blue clouds. Olivia was walking around like she perfectly at home, while I was gaping up at the paper-white sky and the blue clouds like I was looking at the ghost of Christmas past. At least, until Olivia broke my phase by poking me in the back. Just one of the affectionate parts of sisterhood.

"Ow!" I shrieked.

"This is where I used to live......before I went into the Underworld!" said Olivia in excitement.

"Oh, joy," I thought.

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaat?" I said, in mock amazement.

Olivia grabbed my hand and ran towards a wooden door in the mural-wall. "I have to find father!"

Olivia grasped hold of the handle on the door and swung it open. She pulled me through a forest filled with purple-oak trees (which were actually oak trees with purple leaves), and then tugged me around a small medieval-looking village. What century was I in, anyway?

The villagers stared at the us two girls with white hair running around the village. Both of us running around was probably the most exciting thing they had seen in 13 years. Olivia finally stopped running and let go of Winter's hand. 

They were standing in front of a beautiful castle, with tall towers growing all over with ivy, and well-crafted ivory gryphons sitting on either side of the stairs leading into the castle. Both of us had tears in their eyes. I could not understand why I was crying. It was just that, as soon as I had first laid my eyes on the castle, I felt like it was a important part of me, and I didn't know why.

We slowly but surely walked up the stairs hand in hand. 

Olivia didn't bother to knock, opened the door without hesitation, and ran into the castle. All I could do was follow her. We ran through a long hall, the floor covered in a rich dark purple carpet. The walls had doors on them everywhere, and each door was a different shape and colour, with a sign nailed above each door telling what sort of room it was in the same strange language written on the headstones in the graveyard. There was also beautiful tapestries on the walls, of mythical things like silver dragons and dryads, mermaids, pixies and fairies. Suddenly, I knew which century I was in! The fairytale century! I had never thought I'd get into Narnia through, not a wardrobe, but a grave. Well, what do you know!

Anyway, at the end of the hall was a door, much larger and more ornate than the other doors. The sign above it read 'Throne Room'. Olivia pushed open the doors. 

"Oy! What are youse doing here, missys?!" said a guard. 

"I could say the same to you!" I thought.

Olivia pushed past him, pulling me behind her. By now, I was getting used to the pulling.

"Oy!" protested the guard, but it was too late, we were already near the throne. 

Some guard they had there.

Sitting on the ivory throne covered in gems sat a man with brown hair in a dark purple robe with gold lining. He was reading an old book, and a few tears had stained the pages.

"Father." said Olivia softly.

The man looked up. I saw he had a kind face, with deep sea-blue eyes that looked sad. His mouth opened in shock when he saw the two white-haired girls standing side by side in front of his throne. I started crying. I had seen him before, somewhere, but every thing was blurry in my memory. 

The man got of his throne and walked towards me.

"Don't cry-"he began, until I lifted my head from my hands. 

"Erwyn!" he muttered under his breath. 

He put his arms around me and stroked my hair. 

"Don't cry," he said, "father's here."

Part 3: Their father

Soon the Winter, me and our father were sitting down to a hearty dinner. We told him our story from start to finish, how we had both fallen down graves into the underworld, met each other, and escaped together. It sounded very believable.

Dad was amazed. He told us what had happened while we were gone, but it wasn't half as interesting as our story. Talking with my dad was the best thing ever. When I had lived with the elders, I was forbidden to speak. It was very depressing.

"Winter..." said Olivia

"And then I saw this castle and I-"    Couldn't she see I was in a very important conversation?

"Winter!" she shouted.

"What?" I said. 

"Did you know your mother before you went into the grave?" Gee, that sounded depressing.

I sadly stared at my plate, determined I would not cry when I had just found her dad. 

"No. When I was very young, my mother went to the graveyard to put flowers on my grandma's grave. That night, my mother didn't come back. There were search parties looking all over for her for weeks and weeks. My grandpa had no use for me. He gave me to the elders." 

Dad looked sad. I guess he missed Mum. At least he knew her longer than I did.

                                                           * * * * * *

Jane sat on the cold, stone floor. She didn't know if she was dead or alive. And she didn't care. Suddenly, whispers filled the room. A part of the stone wall opened, and a withered grey hand with nails like a bird of prey's talons grasped the side of the wall.

"Jane...no...no!" shouted Stephen in terror. 

He woke up. He was in a graveyard.

"How did I get here?" wondered Stephen. 

As he eyed the graveyards, a trickle of gold light peeked under two-thirds of the graves. The light rose into the air in streamers of gold, and they swam about the air around Stephen, who was looking in wonder. The light, after swimming around Stephen three times and then flew down to one of the graves that had not been surrounded by gold light.

Stephen, half asleep, followed the light like a child dawdling after its mother, and bent down towards the grave. A key was found beside the grave. He picked it up, and dug a hole with his finger. He poked the key in the hole, and the grave opened with a creak. Stephen stepped down into the darkness, and a slither of gold light followed him.

                                                * * * * * * *

Olivia and I were talking on our beds. 

Olivia had told me it was her room before she had gone into the Underworld. We sat facing each other on Olivia’s bed. 

“I think father is the nicest man I’ve ever met.” I said, looking dreamy. 

“I agree-Oh!” Olivia looked shocked.

“What?” I said.

“It’s 8:30, we’d better say good night to father before we go to bed.” 

"I thought that you were going to say the house was on fire or something." I thought.

We both walked to their father’s study. 

“He’s not there!” said Olivia. 

"Oh no, what a tragedy!" I thought.

I looked out the window. And gasped. 

“What is it?” asked Olivia.

“It’s a streak of gold light just floating in the air!” 

The gold light twirled and shone like a piece of the sun.

“Let me see!” said Olivia. She ran to the window.

“Good grief.” she stuttered. 

The light swam towards the window and then swam back. After repeating these moves over and over again, We could see that it wanted them to follow it.

We were soon running out the back door of the castle after the gold light. We chased it through the sleeping village, and through the forest of purple-oak trees, until we found themselves in the graveyard, surrounded by so much gold light it was nearly as light as day. 

The single gold light we had followed before glimmered for a second, then it lead Olivia and I to the same grave we had climbed out of today. Olivia shivered. The grave still had her name on it.

“I’m not going down there again.” I said, stubbornly. 

Olivia glared viciously at me.

“Father’s down there.” she said, “and you don’t care?!”

“I do care...it’s just…..okay.” I didn't know she was so influencing.

We both slowly climbed into the grave, and walked down the stairs at a brisk pace, as the grave slowly closed behind us

                                                  * * * * * * * *.

Stephen had walked for ages, and was now breathless. 

He sat down on the floor to rest. He could not stop thinking about his dream. The gold light swam around him as if it was protecting him. A single whisper echoed across the walls. 

“Who is there?” Stephen said.

A withered grey hand reached out behind the wall. 

“Who are you?” Stephen nearly shouted.

The shadowy figure stepped out from behind the wall. 

Stephen screamed.

He knew no more.

Part 4: The Whispers

The gold light swirled around the room, looking for Stephen, but he wasn’t there. It made a small bubbly sound that sounded slightly like a sigh, and floated back the way it had came.

                                              * * * * * * *

Olivia and I had walked for ages.

We were both tired, and wanted to turn back and go back to the castle. We had nearly given up hope, when we saw a streak of gold light floating towards us. The gold light flitted back and forth, showing us that it wanted them to follow it. 

We ran after it.

And soon came to a stop.

I was in the same room I had went into before I had met Olivia. The blue-fire candles were still lighted. In the middle of the room sat Olivia’s grave. Olivia opened her mouth wide. She was obviously not used to the idea of her having a grave already. 

Knowing what to do, I took the key out of my pocket.

                                                * * * * * * *

Stephen woke up somewhere cold and hard.

“Did they get you too?” said a voice.

“Who are you?” said Stephen, slightly scared.

“My name is Jane.” said the voice. 

Stephen jumped up.

“Where are you?” he asked.

“Right in front of you, I think.”

Stephen bent down onto his knees. He reached out blindly, searching for the thing he desperately wanted. And he found it. 

His hand on her cheek, he moved closer.

“Jane, where have you been?”

“Here.” said Jane, softly.

He moved closer, and kissed where he knew she was. 

“Stephen!” sobbed Jane.

They put there arms around each other, not caring about the darkness.

Or the whispers.

                                        * * * * * *

Olivia and I had opened the grave, and we were walking down the shadowy steps. 

The gold light did not follow us. It went the other direction. We finally came to the dark room where I had met Olivia. Whispers filled the room. They were everywhere. 

“You have nowhere to run.” whispered a voice.

“Nowhere to hide.” 

“You’re trapped.”

A bony hand scraped my shoulder. 

“Time to go where you belong.” it whispered in my ear.

“A grave.”

Suddenly, a part of the wall sunk away, and the room was full of light.Too many gold lights to count flew into the room, and formed small groups.

Then each small group formed a different transparent body of what seemed to be a human. They shined and shimmered, and seemed to be made of gold light. 

The whispers screeched in terror.

Each gold spirit floated to a whisper and touched them. The whispers screeched one last time before the gold spirits entered into the place they had touched the whisper. 

The whispers skin fell off and sunk into the floor, leaving a human being instead.

I pushed through the crowd, until I came up to Dad. Olivia ran up behind.

“Hello girls.” he said, with tears in his eyes.

“ I’d like you to meet your mother.” 

A woman with beautiful green eyes and long white hair stepped out behind Dad and held out her arms. And the Olivia and I did what we had been held back from doing for 13 years.

                                                     * * * * * * *

Above the ground, the graveyard was quiet. No one knew how much joy there was hidden under the graves. Except one person. And he did not like it.

Not at all.

The End.