Read Sign of the cold cottage :: Chapter 01 • page 06 • CHAPTER END

Once asleep, I entered a dark room, with dark purple walls and no windows. The room had no roof, which revealed a pitch-black sky with no moon or sun. In this room, there was only a small dog, that looked the shape of a dachshund, though it was too dark to see the colors or to even confirm it was a dog. I took a few steps forward, my eyes slowly adjusting to the light levels. Although, before I could get far a voice boomed from all around me, putting me in a shocked state, unable to move,

“Barley, Barley, Barley, I see you are back already, how inconsiderate of you.”

“Back? What are you blabbering about,” I screeched outwards, unable to hear myself think.

“You see, I predicted you would forget most of what we talked about, but not so much as to forget me,” the voice was still ringing in my ears, coming at me from all sides, “How could someone forget an old soul such as myself.”

“Have we met?”

“Well, yes just last night in fact, or well that has not yet happened for you, oh never mind. Moving on, I assume you are back because of that drawing of the library. Well, it seems your timelines are mashing together, which is not something I predicted or planned for.”

“Timelines? Am I an alien!?”

“What- no. Quiet now, I have to figure this out,” both the voice and the ringing in my ears suddenly stopped, and I fell onto the floor in relief. When I finally was able to lift my head again, my eyes darted around the room, and where there was a dog shape, there was now a desk. I approached the desk, caressing the top with my hand. The desk was identical to my own, even the small indents from being scraped against walls and brick as we forced it up the stairs into the house, down the halls, and into my room.

“Odd,” I breathed out, the air dry on my mouth.

“SILENCE,” the voice boomed once more, and I retreated, covering my ears to block the ringing out. Lesson learned, I released my ears, and went back to messing with the desk, I pulled out one of the top drawers. In the drawer, I was met with a collection of stickers and erasers, no surprise there as that what was currently in my drawer. I turned, leaving the desk and walking to one of the corners of the room where a wooden mannequin appeared. The mannequin looked that of the one I had back in elementary school, but with more distinct human features. I slowly reached out to touch the mannequin’s wooden arm but was quickly interrupted. “LEAVE THAT BE,” the voice screeched, shattering the walls around me as I became conscious once again, leaving me back in my room dazed with wonder.