A VOICE FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE"

"

One cold, icy night, Billy sneaked into St. Anthony's Cemetery to find the grave of "Blind Paul." It was freezing, and Billy was wearing only a windbreaker. He searched everywhere, but the tombstone was nowhere to be found. Suddenly, he heard a growl. He turned around and saw a one-eyed figure with a knife in its hand. He was frightened. He turned around and began running. At one point, he tripped and fell into an empty grave. Suddenly, the grave closed, leaving Billy inside. He screamed loudly, but no one heard him.

******************************

Nanny stopped reading "Extraordinary Stories" to little Ali. Putting the book aside, she turned out the light and quietly left the room.

Ala was a graceful eight-year-old with blond hair, blue eyes, and a great sense of humor. She had no friends because she was too mean to everyone. She loved playing pranks on people, which only she laughed at. Her parents were at a loss for what to do with her. Only her nanny managed to cope. Ala had only one ally among the children. He was Tomek, a short, dark-haired boy who loved playing with Ala. He absolutely adored her. You'd think Tomek was in love with Ala. And so he was.

He loved her. He only realized this recently.

Morning came. Ala was slowly waking up. It was summer vacation, so she could sleep in as much as she wanted. However, she wanted to get up early to play a prank on Mrs. Borowikowa. This elderly woman lived next door to Ala Rodney.

She adored children. She didn't even get angry when Ala played various silly pranks on her. She just didn't understand why Ala was so mean to other people.

Besides her anger towards others, the girl had another innate flaw: selfishness. Whenever someone challenged her to a duel or something similar, Ala couldn't refuse. She often got into very serious trouble.

By breakfast, Alicja had finished making the "trap for the nice lady." Immediately after breakfast, she and Tomek ran to the "Bodies" hill. A large group of children were already waiting for them there. Seeing them approaching, a red-haired boy named Arek came running out to greet them. His nickname was "Rudy." "

What were you kids doing so stubbornly? We thought you might have chickened out. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!" Rudy greeted them.

"I never throw words to the wind. You should know that," Ala replied calmly.

"You, 'Ice Cream'! Or maybe you just didn't want to endanger your beloved Tomaszek! Admit it!" Grzesiek shouted.

"Shut up, Grzesiek! And stop calling me 'Ice Cream'! Do you understand?! Tomek and I will do what we had to do. And will you keep your end of the bargain?!" Alka shouted.

"Don't worry about it," Rudy replied. "Well, it's just like we agreed. You go to the cemetery at midnight, walk up to old Bill's grave, dig it up, and then you go in. Then we'll cover you up. If you stay there five minutes, we'll dig it up, give you twenty-five bucks each, and we'll get out of here, leaving the grave unearthed. Well, unless you bury it yourself, but that's your problem. Just remember! If we hear even the slightest moan from inside the grave, we're out of money. We'll dig you up and we're out. Agreed?"

"That's right. That's how it was supposed to be. Just don't cheat!" the girl called out suspiciously.

"See you at midnight then. Right in front of the cemetery. Bye, brats!" Rudy howled.

-Hi brats!!!- the other children parroted to Ala and Tomek.

"We'll definitely be there! You rascals!" Alka shouted after them. Right after the group left, Tomek began to wonder about the point of this trip to the cemetery. He wasn't particularly happy about it, as he had heard all sorts of things about the place. Apparently, a certain Billy had gone there at midnight and never returned. In ancient times, the cemetery was the burial place of many political and social criminals of global importance. He had also heard rumors about the ghost of a deceased person prowling there. Right after returning home, he shared his thoughts with Alice:

"You know, Alu, I'm not at all happy about going to that cemetery, especially at midnight," the boy said. Seeing the dissatisfaction with his statement on his friend's face, he quickly added: "Well, you understand. You know what rumors are going around about that place. That's why I'm afraid and I don't want... I don't want... you know... I don't want... er... well... to go there," he stammered. Tom barely. The boy jumped back when he saw Ali's face, which had been pink until then, slowly turning purple with anger. He started to explain:

"Don't be so angry with me. You didn't even ask me if I wanted to go there. It's not my fault. Understand me. I don't want to meet a ghost. I don't know how I would react. Please do n't go there," he said a little uncertainly, not knowing how the eight-year-old would react to what she heard. And she began her speech:

"And you're not going?! We were supposed to go there together! It's true! I didn't ask

you if you were going because I thought I didn't have to ask! I thought you'd definitely agree and go to reassure your friend in good faith! You boor!" And I trusted you! I told you my deepest secrets! There was no point in being friends with you! You believed some stupid human gossip that wasn't even worth repeating! I didn't think you were so naive! – immediately afterward she burst into tears. No one understood her. Everyone said she was rude and unkind to everyone. Yes, she was like that, but it was only because no one liked her. Everyone made fun of her, and no one wanted to play with her. That's why she was alone; no one wanted her. Now even her only friend was abandoning her in danger. What was she supposed to do? She had to live with it all somehow.

Tomek, seeing the tears on his friend's face, "hide in his pocket" his pride and fear of the cemetery ghosts and said,

"Don't worry, Ala. Everything will be alright."

"Nothing will be alright. I can't handle it alone," the girl sobbed through her tears. "

And you don't have to. I'll go there with you. We'll go together," the boy replied firmly. It was already decided.

**********************************************

About five minutes before midnight, Ala and Tomek left the girl's house unnoticed. If the parents of either of them found out about their "nightly strolls," they would be grounded for the rest of the summer. When the children reached the cemetery, most of the "people" were already there. Rudy, as usual, began his moralizing. He greeted them:

"Well, kids! I see your mommies didn't reproach you for that nighttime outing! That's great!"

"That's not funny, Rudy! That's not why we came here!" Alice replied.

"Right!" Grzesiek pointed out.

Soon after, Ala and Tomek entered the cemetery. It was cold and dark all around. After a short search, they finally found Billy's grave. Approaching the grave, Ala read the inscription on the stone: "

Here lies William Collony, died November 18, 1876. Death caused by mysterious circumstances. May his soul rest in peace.

" "If this soul can find peace," the girl recited. "

Oooh! Brrrr! You gave me chills reading that! Let's do what we have to do and get out of here as quickly as possible," her companion said.

"Easy, you coward! Let's go in!" the little girl exclaimed eagerly. After saying this, she grabbed a shovel and began digging up the grave. Tom joined her. After an hour, the grave was completely dug up, and the others arrived. Two friends went inside, while the rest began to cover the grave. When the entire crack was finally covered with earth, Ala and Tomek heard strange noises, as if coming from very close by. As the noises grew louder, the boy screamed in terror.

"Quiet, you idiot!" his friend called him to order. "Do you want us to lose the bet because of you? Shut up!

" "I can't help being scared! Let's get out of here! I'd rather lose the bet than have my head chopped off!" the young man shouted in terror. "

Come on! There's nothing to be afraid of! There's no one here but us! Stop panicking!"

"Uh... Alka?

" "What?"

"If there's no one else here, then who's behind me, pulling my hair?" Tomek asked, his voice weak with fear.

Ala briefly turned her thoughts away from the money she would receive in return for this challenge. She looked behind her friend, only to have her face turn white as a sheet. With her mouth wide open, she began screaming at the top of her lungs:

"Duuuchhhhhhhhh!!!"

Immediately after these words, as if on cue, a trapdoor opened, throwing the terrified children inside with a bang. Then it slammed shut loudly.

******************************************************************************************

Meanwhile, the time Rudy had allotted for them in the hole had just passed. Having dug up the grave, Rudy shouted,

"Well, brats! You've won! We didn't hear a single scream, so the money's yours! And by the way, congratulations on your nerves for not running away!"

But no one answered him. Dead silence. Everyone, seeing that no one was in the hole, began to be truly afraid of what could have happened to those children. Baśka howled,

"What's going on?! What happened to them?! They didn't disappear! What are we going to do now?!" she said hysterically.

"Easy, Bacha! They've probably outsmarted us and are already home!" Rudy began, a little apprehensively. "

Come on, Rudy! We all know there's no way out of here! Don't make us look like idiots! That ghost kidnapped them! You know it!" Grzesiek shouted.

"Oh my God! What are we going to do now?!" Baśka roared, her mood shared by everyone. "

Easy! They're fine! The police will definitely be looking for them in a few days," Łukasz, the oldest of them, replied calmly. "

Police?! That's it! What was I even doing here?! I could have stayed home in peace!" Basia yelled. Everyone agreed:

"Yes!!!"

"Don't worry! If you do what I tell you, nothing will happen! Listen! You have to go home and pretend nothing happened. If the police come to you, you know nothing about this! And remember! It has to be convincing!"

"In other words, do you want us to lie to everyone?" someone asked.

"What's left?! We have no choice! Do you understand?! So what? Agreed?" Łukasz asked.

Everyone lowered their heads, and a moment later, a little uncertainly, they shouted,

"Agreed!!!"

******************************************

Meanwhile, Ala and Tomek were already far away from all the commotion. During their not-so-pleasant journey, they fainted. When they woke up, they were no longer in the old, dark cemetery, but in a magnificent meadow full of all kinds of flowers. They were speechless with amazement.

"What is this?! Where are we?!" Alice screamed, truly terrified for the first time. "One thing's for sure. This definitely isn't Krasiczyn!"

"What are you talking about! As if I didn't know!" Tomek replied sarcastically.

Suddenly, something moved behind the nearby bushes. The children froze in terror and slowly turned their heads. Something began to emerge from the greenery. First one hand appeared, then the other. A head peeked out. It was the emaciated and disfigured face of a child. Immediately after, it emerged, or rather, floated away, torso and all. The terrified eight-year-olds didn't know what to do. On the one hand, they wanted to run, on the other, they couldn't move. Suddenly, the apparition flew up to them and looked at them closely. After a long examination, it asked in a ghostly, childish voice,

"Who are you? How did you come here?" Seeing that the children were clearly afraid of it, it quickly added, "Don't be afraid! I won't hurt you! But tell me, are you alive?" the ghost asked curiously.

"Y...yes!" Ala replied, terrified, but after a moment she said a little more boldly, "Where are we?! Is this some other world?" "

In a sense. This is the spirit zone. We're in the good one right now, and the bad one is over there." Having said this, the apparition pointed with a cadaverous hand at the red streaks of light flickering in the distance. "The power of good spirits, like me and my companions, doesn't reach there. The demons of darkness live there. Wait a minute! And what are you doing here and how did you get here?! Tell me!

" "Well..." Tomek began in a somewhat uncertain voice. "We were at the old cemetery. We were sitting in one of the graves and suddenly the ground opened up and we fell in here," the boy said.

"Aha," the ghost replied thoughtfully. "And why did you go to this cemetery?"

"Well, because Alice made a bet with the others that she and I would go into old Bill's grave and sit there very quietly for five minutes. The prize was supposed to be money," Tom replied contritely.

The children watched anxiously as the ghost's transparent form suddenly changed and turned deathly white with anger.

"Don't you know you shouldn't desecrate other people's graves?!!!" the ghost exploded. "Don't you know that the dead need peace?! That a cemetery isn't a suitable place for little children to play?! I'd laugh if you became ghosts yourself while you were here!" the enraged apparition shouted.

"But... But no one's angry with us for that," Alice replied, terrified. "That man's body hasn't been there for a long time! Besides, ghosts don't exist! You're probably some kind of mannequin!" the girl blurted out without conviction.

"So you went into the grave. And how do you know that Bill wouldn't do anything to you? You don't know him."

"Frankly, we don't know anything. It's just intuition," Tomek said. "

Aha. Mhm. And by the way, where did the nickname Old Bill come from? How do you know he was old?"

"Everyone says he was, because no child would go into a midnight cemetery alone. He must have been stupid. Why was he there?"

"To look for something. Or more precisely, someone. A grave.

" "Yes, interesting," Alka thought ironically.

At that moment, Tom remembered something. There used to be an old newspaper at his house. There was a picture of Billy in it. At that moment, the boy looked at the ghost's face. He knew. It was terrifying! It was him. The same man, or rather, what was left of him.

"And how do you know so much about this boy? Were you following him when he was alive or something?" Ala asked suspiciously.

The ghost gave her a half-smile and didn't answer. Instead, Tomek began the conversation in a terrified voice:

"He didn't have to follow him, Alek. He was there the whole time."

"What the hell are you talking about?! Speak more clearly!" the eight-year-old screamed. "

He didn't even have to lift a finger because he's Bill!" Tomek shouted.

"What?! What are you talking about, you idiot?!!!" the girl screamed. She looked at the apparition now, trying to get it to deny the nonsense her friend had been telling her. Nothing happened. Quite the opposite. The ghost smiled at her. Ali's always rosy face suddenly turned white as a sheet. Immediately afterward, the girl fainted to the ground. When she woke up, Tomek, Billy, and several other ghosts were standing over her. The child, screaming, got up and abruptly backed away from the ghosts towards her friend. She screamed,

"Tomek, who is that?! Ghosts?! How did I get here?! Go away! Now!!!"

"Calm down, dear child. We won't hurt you. We want to help you, not kill you." An old, gray-haired ghost stepped forward, smiling pleasantly at Ali and having a melodic voice. "How did you get here?!"

"Easy, little one. Nothing will happen to you. But we need to find out where you came from and how to get you out," another ghost, very much like John Hasselhof, replied calmly. He was, after all. "

What is this?! Is this some kind of reunion of figures from the past? You're dead!" said Ala, now a little calmer. "

As you've already noticed, it's true. We're dead. But we all died in the cemetery. The same cemetery," one of the ghosts said calmly. Suddenly, however, he remembered something: "Oh, sorry! I forgot to introduce myself! I'm such a klutz! Forgive me! I'm Ben Chamberlain. And who are you?" he asked.

"I'm Ala, and this is my best friend, Tomek," the girl introduced. "

Nice to meet you. Introduce yourselves, kids!" Ben shouted at the others.

Everyone started to stand up and introduce themselves. Well, almost everyone. Everyone, except for the two figures in the shadows. Ala and Tomek couldn't see their faces, but they were almost certain they were men. After the introductions, Ben said,

"I hope we made a good impression on you."

"Stop talking, Chamberlain!!! Get to the point!!!" one of the men roared from behind.

Ala was surprised to discover she recognized that voice from somewhere. However, she couldn't remember where she had heard it before. The man suddenly stepped into the center of the room. Alice screamed in surprise and jumped back. The man, with a stupid grin, said,

"Hello, Alusia! It's nice to see you again! It's good to see a familiar face."

Everyone looked at the girl in surprise, everyone except Tomek and some stranger sitting in the corner. Tomek, however, knew who they were. Alka knew too. She tried not to show it, though.

Ben, seeing Alusia's terrified face, thought the girl and her friend didn't know who the two strangers were, so he introduced himself:

"Oh! Alu, Tomek, this is Witold Down, and the one in the corner is Maciej Lind."

"Don't try, Chamberlain! We know each other better than you think!" Witek roared.

Ben looked in surprise from the children to Witek and Maciek. No one knew what to say. Finally, after a long moment of silence, John spoke up:

"And how do you know each other? By sight?" "No. Tell

them, little one," Witek insisted. Seeing that the girl wasn't sure what to do , he added , " Plea ... "As you probably already know, we all died in the cemetery. " "Rikoch. " "Yes. But these weren't ordinary deaths. Someone did this to us. " "Are you saying you were murdered? How? " "Yes. Each of us wanted to find some horrible grave in the cemetery. " "Why?" Tom asked. "What?! Why did you want to find those particular graves?" "Because they were the most interesting. " "What was it like?" "Okay, fine. I'll tell you my story." "Wait a minute!" Ala interrupted. "Yes? " "Were you all murdered the same way?" "Yeah... identically. And what does that have to do with anything if you don't even know how it happened?" "If you were all killed the same way, you don't have to tell us this story. " "Why? " "Because we already know one. " "Do you know it? Where?" "We know her because she was featured in 'Extraordinary Stories,' which I happen to have." "Who do you mean?" Tom asked. "You know who. " "Aha! I know who! " "Who?" Ben probed. " Of course, the most popular person among children and teenagers!" Ala said. "What do you mean?" "Well, Billy, 

"Aha. If so, then good. I'll continue. We were killed. However, we know it wasn't by accident. Someone did it because they were afraid that if we survived, we'd tell everyone what we saw there."

"And what did you see there?

" "Treasure. Actually, they were chests. They contained treasure, but also files on all the criminals who had killed people and stolen all the gold over the past few years. It said who had killed whom.

" "Is that all?

" "No. We also know that all these people work for Albert Cliwvalker. He wants to buy up the entire cemetery land, just to make sure no one finds out what's hidden there.

" "Well, good. And what does that have to do with us?"

"A lot. You have to stop Cliwvalker. We are only ghosts on Earth. You are our only hope."

"Great! But unfortunately, we won't succeed for two reasons."

"Yes? And what kind?"

"First of all, we won't get out of here.

" "You will. There's a fairy among us who can help you get out of here.

" "And how can you be sure we won't trick you?"

"We didn't have one before, but the situation has changed.

" "What?" Ala asked suspiciously, though she already knew the answer.

"You have to do it.

" "What do you mean by that?"

"A lot of things."

Ben began to slowly move toward Witild and Maciej. Ala decided to say what she thought, especially since the fog hanging over them was slowly thinning and the space around them was beginning to appear. However, it wasn't a beautiful expanse, but rather scorched, black hills with a multitude of geysers and huge protrusions. Tomek asked,

"Alka, what does he mean by that? Will he give us something in return?"

Ala looked from Tom to the ominous-looking Ben.

"No, Tom. They won't give us anything for this. We'll be lucky to get out of this alive and unscathed."

"What are you talking about, Alka?! What do these ghosts have to do with death?"

"Tomek. Tell me, what other word do you know for ghosts? Not the good ones, but the bad ones.

" "Demons?" the boy asked uncertainly, looking at the faces of the apparitions. Something was off. Tom already knew what it was. "Demons?! You're demons?"

"Yes, little one," replied the Demon calmly, who at that moment revealed his true form. The others did too. They were practically shapeless creatures, resembling mounds of fog.

"As I said, you have no choice. You have to help us. Otherwise, you'll say goodbye to them and they'll be gone." With that, the Demon approached Billy, his younger sister Minnie, Witold, and Maciej. At that moment, at least a dozen Demons grabbed them and dragged them to a closet near the front door. Ala knew, along with Tomek, that this was no joke, so she asked,

"What should we do?" Well, certainly not to disturb Cliwwalker.

"Don't you dare call our lord and creator by name! You are to go to the world of living beings and find the cornerstone. Then take it to the spirit cave at De la Crosse Cemetery. In Spain.

" "Do you perhaps know where we should look for this stone?"

"Yes. In Nottingham Castle. In Bresland.

" "And where is Bresland?"

"In the world of magic, of course. Do you know where it is?"

"No, we don't know. And do you perhaps know?"

"No, but maybe you'll be lucky. Maybe you'll find it!"

"Okay, then let's go to that witch as soon as possible."

"Agreed. But remember, if you don't do it within the next three days, you'll never see them again." With that, the Demon approached the four prisoners and pushed them into a dark cell. "Well, let's go as quickly as possible!"

"Yes!!!" they shouted enthusiastically.

****************************************************

After arriving at the old witch's, the two friends were sent back to their world. At that moment, they could have ignored what would happen to their ghost friends and gone home peacefully as if nothing had happened, but they didn't. It wasn't their style. Besides, they were terribly worried about those imprisoned by demons. After returning home, they decided to learn something about these worlds from Grandma Filadelfia - Ala's grandmother, and Grandma Marcelina - Tomek's grandmother. They both knew everything very well and never reproached the children. Tomek and Ala decided to learn something about these worlds from them. However, they didn't know how much had changed on Earth since then and how much had passed......

******************************************************

Meanwhile, on Earth, only two months had passed since the mysterious disappearance of Ala and Tomek. The police searched every nook and cranny, but found nothing. Only after visiting the neighborhood kids did they learn what had happened. Actually, it was only one person: Basia. At first, she didn't want to say anything, but later, she was tormented by guilt and confessed, against the will of her friends.

When the police knocked on Basia's door, she already knew what they were after. They started asking her questions.

"Tell me, little one, when did you last see your friends, Ala and Tomek?" asked the gray-haired man with a beard. "

On Friday, exactly at two o'clock in the afternoon," the girl lied. "

And they didn't say where they were going?"

"No, not a word."

She was about to say she knew nothing about it when she heard loud sobbing. A moment later, Basia's mother entered the living room with the parents of both children – Ala and Tomek. At the sight of their tears, the little girl was speechless. Grief and sadness overwhelmed her. Remorse tormented her. She began to cry. Seeing her tears, her mother thought the girl missed her friends very much, so she said:

"Officer, please go now!" She's in shock. "

Okay. I can come back here. Goodbye."

Basia decided there was no point in lying anymore. She wanted to confess and unburden herself. "Now or never!" she thought. She sobbed: "

Policeman! Please wait! Not at two o'clock, but at midnight!"

The policeman turned away from the door and, along with everyone else, stared at Basia.

"Excuse me?" he finally stammered.

"Daughter, what are you saying?" Basia's mother asked.

"I'm telling you I lied.

" "What?!" the policeman asked in disbelief. "

I didn't see them last at two o'clock, but that same day at midnight!"

"Really? Where?! "

At Forest Will. At the Rikoch Cemetery.

" "And what were you doing there?!

It's a long story."

"Tell me!"

"Rudy and the others...all of us, we bet them twenty-five dollars apiece that they could enter the cemetery, dig up the grave, go in, and we'd bury them. They were supposed to sit there for five minutes without a whimper!" sobbed Baśka.

"What?! So now we know who dug up Old Bill's grave.

" "Yes. It was us.

" "And what happened next?" "

After...after...five minutes, we dug up the grave, eager to congratulate them on their win, when...when...well, you know...when

- When what?!

- When...when...

-Did you cut yourself?!!!

- When...When they were gone!" the girl exclaimed hysterically.

"Disappeared?

" "Yes, despite standing around the grave!"

"Just like that without a trace? You know that much about it?! Are you sure?!

- Yes..." the child sobbed.

"It better be that way. Tell me again, why didn't your friends mention it?"

"Because Łukasz said that if the police were looking for them and found out from us, we'd go to jail! "

"Did he tell you to lie?"

"Yes.

" "So why did you tell me?

" "Because I can't stand it anymore! It makes me want to cry!"

"I'll check it out. Goodbye, ma'am!" The policeman said goodbye and quickly left.

From then on, everyone considered Basia a snitch. She wasn't too concerned about it. Her family, however, didn't distance themselves from her. Quite the opposite. They were proud of her because she told them everything! From then on, however, Grandma Marcelina and Grandma Filadelfia became sad. They withdrew into themselves. They were the only ones who knew what really happened to the children, but they didn't tell anyone. They prayed silently that their grandchildren would one day return home alive.

******************************************************************

Ala and Tomek returned safely to the Rikoch Cemetery. Immediately upon arrival, they decided to go first to the grandmothers' house to get some answers to their questions. Everyone called the house "The Cottage" because it was so cozy and everyone felt comfortable there.

It was surrounded by a huge garden in front, a beautiful mountain landscape glowed in the back, and two forests—Donnion and Spollin—were on either side. Upon arriving at the house's door, the children knocked. The building quickly opened, and Grandma Philadelphia peeked out. Seeing Ala and Tomek, she cried with joy and hugged them tightly. After leading the children into the living room, she went to call Grandma Marcelina. As soon as she saw them, she hugged them tightly. Ala, not knowing what had happened, like her friend, asked,

"Dear grandmothers, tell us why you're so happy to see us?"

"So you were in the world of demons and spirits after all?! "

As far as I'm concerned, I was in the world of demons," Tomek replied calmly.

Suddenly, a terrible thought occurred to Ali. She asked, "

How long have we been gone?"

"Exactly two months." Grandma Marcelina sighed. A thought occurred to her: "Why have you come, children? What do you want to know?"

"How do you know we want something?"

"Because you wouldn't have come here right away?" "

You're right. We want to find out if there's such a thing as a world of magic?"

"And why do you want to know that?" Grandma Fila (abbreviated) asked, terrified. "Why?

" "Well, because... we want to find out?"

"But why? What happened, children? Why do you want to go there?"

"To find the cornerstone."

"Good heavens!!! And what do you need it for?!!!! What are these demons blackmailing you with?" Grandma Marcela screamed.

"Nothing, bbgrandma." "

Exactly!!!

" "So, how?

" "Yes, there is a world of magic. The stone is in Bresland, but...

" "But?

" "But no one has ever captured it. Legend has it that only the one with the greatest power in the entire universe will possess this stone. No one has ever touched this stone, and whoever has already done so has perished. If this stone is moved to the spirit cave, all demons will be free and will be able to travel at will throughout all the worlds and wreak destruction."

"Great!

" "Is that what these demons want from you? To put the stone in the spirit cave? "

"Yes. They said that if we don't do this, then...

" "Then what?

" "They'll do something bad to them!"

"To whom?"

"They kidnapped Uncle Witold and Uncle Maciej from the spirit world! And they also have Billy and his sister, Minnie, hostage!"

"That's very bad. Oh! Very bad."

-Yeah, right. So how do we get into the world of magic?

-We can't tell you.

-Why?

-Because we'd go under the knife.

-What?! Nobody will ever know!

"You're wrong. We come from this world. Our every move is closely watched.

" "Why?

" "It's the price for leaving the wizarding world. In case we tell anyone.

" "Who?

" "No. Not wizards.

" "And what can they do to you? Do they have some special radar or something?

" "No. Almost no one can detect us.

" "Well, why don't you tell us?"

"Marcela said almost no one," Grandma Fila interrupted abruptly. "That means someone can detect us.

" "And who?"

"The Lady of the Worlds. The Lady of Magic.

" "Who?"

"Mistress Rodney.

" "She has such power?"

"She has enormous power. You can't even imagine what it is. It's good to meet her when you have government troubles, but the worst is to meet Dan.

" "Who?"

"Dan Rodney. Her husband.

" "It doesn't matter now. How do you get into the wizarding world?"

"We can't..."

"Demons will run rampant across the entire planet if something isn't done!

" "Not just the planet. The entire world.

" "So?"

"In this situation, there's nothing left to do but inform the Lady.

" "You'll go there?"

"We can't. We chose life on Earth. You have to do it.

" "We? How? We don't even know what the Lady looks like! We don't know how to get to the world of magic!

" "We'll tell you how.

" "We have no defense against these wizards! And what if they attack us?"

"That's a good question," Marcel's grandmother confirmed. "How do you plan to solve this problem, Fila?

" "It's simple. With a searching spell," Fila's grandmother replied.

"What?! Are you crazy?! What if someone finds out?!

"No one but the Lady will find out. And she won't kill the children."

"I guess you're right. But that will involve a fight with Dan. We have to grab their wands."

"We don't have to.

" "How so?"

"We could use a bezkower spell.

" "Okay. Where are the wands?" "

I'll go get them."

Grandma Phil left the room for a moment. Meanwhile, Alice took a closer look at the room they were in. The light-colored walls were covered with wallpaper with huge wizards holding wands painted on them. Neither Alice nor Tomek had noticed the interior of the two grandmothers' house before. They did so only now, and were surprised by the things inside. The entire house was lit by sunlight, although there were only two windows: one in the attic, the other in the living room. Various strangely shaped objects lay on the shelves and cabinets. On the table stood a small glass ball on a golden stand. Inside the ball, a little dancer danced and smiled at those who entered the living room. Suddenly, the strange figure waved its hand at Alice and flew through the ball's lid. Alice and Tom opened their eyes wide with surprise and jumped back. The flying dancer laughed and flew towards They were wearing a delicate dress made of what looked like spider silk. She had a lovely face and platinum blonde hair.

"Hi! I'm Lotos, and you?" the dancer greeted.

"I... er... I'm Alice." The eight-year-old regained consciousness.

"And I'm Tomek," the boy said. "

I've seen you here often. What are you doing here ? " "

We're visiting our grandmothers. Tomek's grandmother and mine live here.

" "Aha." And now, what are you doing? " "Nothing." "Do you want to go to Bresland? " "Well... yes." "You have to be very careful. " "Why? " "Because if you meet Dan, you might not have a chance to see the Lady again, let alone return to Earth." "What..." "Don't scare them, Lotus!" Grandma Marcela shouted as she entered the room. Grandma Fila followed her. Both women held pieces of wood in their hands. Alice guessed they were wands. "We can begin," said Fila. " But what did she mean..." began Ala. " Never mind. You have to hurry." Grandma Fila and Grandma Marcela stood in the middle of the room, facing the children. They aimed their wands directly at Alice and Tomek's hearts, and then simultaneously shouted: "Seeklilacwont!" Streams of energy shot from the tips of their wands. Streaks of colored light flew in a straight line and struck the eight-year-olds. Ala first felt a sharp pain piercing through her, and then she began to float. She closed her eyes. She felt bliss. Suddenly, an overwhelming urge to open her pupils overwhelmed her. She did so. She was surprised. She was no longer in the living room of the "Cottage." Around her was a vast black space. Suddenly, something appeared right before the girl's eyes. A pale, deathly head of a woman emerged from the darkness. She had a pretty, but chalky face. Her red hair was waving, and her lips smiled at Alice. "Help me...help me...Alu..." the head spoke in a trembling voice. "How?" Ala asked.

"Help me get out of this hole....hug me....it's the only way....hug my head....warm me...I'm so cold...

" "Good."

Ala was about to take the transparent head in her hands when something touched it. She spun around. She recoiled in terror. She was now standing before a head identical to the pale one, only somehow darker. Sunken black eyes glared at her ominously, teeth clenched so tightly that they distorted her entire face, and her lips were completely black. Terrifying. Immediately, next to one head, another, this pale one, appeared. Balda was crying.

"Help me, Alice! I know you're good and will choose me! Help!" she sobbed.

"Don't help her! She'll ruin you!" the dark one shouted defiantly.

Ala didn't know what to do. Whom should she believe? The Dark One or the tearful one? At that moment, she heard something. She interrupted her thoughts and began to listen to the air. After a moment, as if from nowhere, a voice spoke: "

You must choose now, the one who tells the truth,

to live or die in the terrible abyss.

One is worse than the other

, but you must be careful, because if you choose wrongly,

you could perish in the hellish abyss.

The Balda symbolizes life and pleasure, too,

and the Dark One can destroy you.

But neither is good,

because happiness, though beautiful, quickly fades

, and a dark dream begins.

"A dark dream begins because of this"? What could that mean? What did this whole poem mean? A clue, but what kind? Ala was at a dead end. She didn't know which to choose. The dark one or the pale one? How did the poem go? If she didn't choose correctly, she would die! Balda symbolizes life, so she must be chosen.... Dark one is death. And the last line, "A dark dream begins." What does that mean? But if Dark one symbolizes death, and Pale one a dark dream, then... That neither is true! Neither should be chosen.

"You have to choose," a voice boomed from nowhere.

"Fine. I choose... I choose neither.

" "What?!

Yes, because neither is true. Balda will help you start a dream, meaning you fall asleep because of her, and Dark one kills. Neither brings happiness. One brings eternal sleep, the other death. I choose neither.

"I don't know how you're so smart, but you are. No one before you has solved this riddle. This is the darkest riddle in the universe, because if you choose the Pale, you'll return to your world, but you'll fall asleep forever, meaning you'll die in a sense. You won't feel anything, only dream; you won't die, but you won't participate in life anyway. The Dark symbolizes death. You return to your world, but you die sooner or later," replied a delighted and admiring voice.

"So what now? Can I return to my world?

" "Yes. Only...

" "What?

" "...your power. You have to have it. Wait... I'll think..." "Yeah." Dan's power suits you best.

" "Who? What?"

"Dan Rodney. Lord of the Worlds. You're of a similar character..." I'd bet it was identical.

"Would you go? Who are you?"

"The Black Abyss."

"Okay. So, what am I like?"

"You're kind to those you trust, and you trust few. You don't like many people. When you like or love someone, you like it wholeheartedly. You'd give your life for someone you trust and love, right?

" "Yes. Exactly. How do you know that?

" "Because Dan is the same."

"Aha. So? What power will you give me?"

"The strongest. Domineering, but difficult to tame. I trust you'll be up to the task and defeat her. " "

I'll try. " "

I hope so. Shall we begin? "

"Yes. Let's begin?"

"Agreed."

Alice stood still and waited for what would happen. She closed her eyes so she couldn't see anything and gritted her teeth so she couldn't hear anything. She didn't know if it hurt. She'd never had any power, after all. After a moment, she felt herself being lifted. She opened her eyes slightly. She spun in the air. A delicate mist surrounded her body. It was getting thicker and thicker. The glow around Alice was now blood-red. Suddenly, everything stopped, and then... pain pierced the eight-year-old's heart. Alice groaned. After a moment...

"Let yourself be killed! Let yourself be killed! Surrender! Surrender!..." said a voice deep within her. She understood. It was the sound of her power, or rather, the power the abyss had given her. "Let yourself be killed! Surrender!" the voice screamed. "Oh yes! Kill yourself! Let yourself be killed! Maybe then this pain will end!" the girl thought, moaning loudly in pain. "But... What about Uncle Maciek and Uncle Witold? And Minnie and Bill? What will happen to them if I don't help them? They'll die! But this power... This pain... After all... this power is just another encounter with Rudy's gang... and this pain? This is just another outburst of rage and screaming for them. Yes. I've had worse. I won't give up. I can't..." Ala strained all her strength and forced her body to submit to her will. She couldn't lose now. Grandma Fila Marcel and Grandma had broken wizarding law, and she was supposed to give in? Never! The girl tried again to free herself from the energy's control. This time she felt a moment of pain, and then relief. There was no more pain. The eight-year-old, however, was so tired that she couldn't stay on her feet. The last thing she thought about before fainting was the wizarding world. After that, she couldn't remember anything.

******************************************************************************************************

**************************

Meanwhile, Fila and Marcela arrived at Alicia's house to inform everyone of Alice and Tomek's return. They entered the living room. Tomek's parents were also sitting there. It wasn't surprising, as the two families had been friends for a long time.

"Kehem... Kehem..." Fila cleared her throat.

Everyone looked in their direction.

"What are you doing here?" snapped Cynthia (Tomek's second grandmother).

"So we're not even allowed to visit you anymore?" Marcela asked, surprised.

"No. What do you want?

" "What if we tell you we know where Tomek and Ala are?"

"What?! Where?!

They were here. "

"Why would they be?"

"To ask about the Cornerstone."

"What do they need it for?" Gerti (Marcela's daughter, Ala's mother) widened her eyes. "You didn't tell them how to find it, did you?!" "

Wait a minute! What is this Cornerstone?" Cynthia asked, curious.

"We didn't have to tell them. They already knew. They just came to ask how to get there.

" "You didn't tell them, did you?!" Carmen (Fili's daughter, Tomek's mother) shouted.

"What if?"

"So where are they now?! Surely not...

" "Yes.

" "WHAT?!" Gerti and Carmen exclaimed simultaneously. "YOU COULDN'T! THEY COULDN'T GO THERE! NO ONE WILL HELP THEM THERE! ON THE CONTRARY! THEY'LL KILL THEM! THEY CAN'T DO ANYTHING! "

"They couldn't. Now they can.

" "WHAT?! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?! YOU GAVE THEM...

" "Yes."

"WHAT?! IMPOSSIBLE! SO NOW THEY ARE IN..."

"Yes."

"HOW COULD YOU?! THEY'LL KILL THEM THERE!"

No one had time to respond, because at that very moment they heard the front door slam. A moment later, Nick Rodney (Ali's father, Gerti's husband) entered the living room.

"Oh! Hello! What's this crowd?" he asked, surprised.

Fila and Marcela stared at him as if he were a ghost. You should know that neither of them had ever seen Nick. Neither of them came to Gerti and Nick's wedding because they were on a trip around the world. Later, it just so happened that they didn't have the opportunity to meet him. They should have. They had never met Nick's family, and no one had. The fact that his last name was Rodney was pure coincidence. But now, when they both saw what he looked like, they were terrified. Suffice it to say, he bore an astonishing resemblance to Dan Rodney, the lord of the worlds.

"What happened?" Nick repeated his question. "

We were in the middle of a conversation about Alice and Tom when they came in," Cynthia snapped.

"And?"

"They said Alice and Tom were in the wizarding world!" Gerti shouted, outraged.

"Where?!" Cynthia's eyes widened. "

For what?" Nick asked calmly.

"For the Cornerstone."

"But what do they need it for?"

"To release demons and free the spirits they imprisoned," Marcela finally stammered.

"Demons?! Well... well...."

Nick started toward the front door.

"Where are you going?" Gerti asked, surprised.

"To the wizarding world.

" "What?!

Nick said nothing. He crossed the room and stood in the middle of the hallway. He made a gesture with his hand, and after a moment, a dimensional passage opened.

"Wait!" Marcela said. "We're coming with you."

She and Fila moved from their seats. Meanwhile, everyone stared at them.

"But...but..." Gerti stammered.

"What?" Lotos asked, exhausted. (She had arrived at the house with Marcela and Fila.)

"How..."

"So you don't know anything

?" "What am I supposed to know?

" "Your husband's last name is 'Rodney,' and you don't know anything?

" "No." "

Don't you see that...and besides, your husband has that last name because he's the son of Dan and Mrs. Rodney."

"What?!?

" "Yes. Now they're going to the world of magic.

" "I'm going too," Carmen and Gerti decided simultaneously.

"That's great."

Nick walked through the doorway. Marcela, Fila, Gerti, Carmen, Kiki (Carmen's sister), and Adam (Gerti's brother) followed. The rest stared, speechless, at the spot where they had disappeared long after the doorway had closed.

************************************************************************************************

********

Ala woke up with a terrible headache.

-Who are they?

-Where did they come from?

-How did they get here?

-Do you know them?

She heard many curious voices above her. She gently opened her eyes and looked up. At least a dozen strangers stood above her.

"Excuse me..." she said quietly.

Everyone suddenly fell silent and looked at her.

"Who are you?" said the woman with gray hair standing closest to Ali's face.

"And who are you?" said Ala.

"Still uncultured!" an older blond man snapped.

"Come on, Alf! Can't you see she's scared?" the gray-haired woman scolded the man.

"She's so scared! She's some kind of spy! I'm telling you, Samantha!" Alf growled.

"Who are you?" Ala asked. "Where am I?

" "You really don't know where you are?" Samantha asked, surprised.

"I don't know. "

"You're in the wizarding world."

"Really?! How did I get here?!

"You tell us," Alf replied dryly.

"We found you unconscious in the clearing. You and him," Samantha said, pointing to the bed next to her.

Alice looked in that direction. Tomek was lying there. He was pale, but conscious. The girl averted her friend's gaze.

"Are you wizards?" Ala asked.

"Yes. How did you get here?

" Ala hesitated. If they're in the wizarding world, she can't tell anyone about Marcela and Fili's help. If any wizard found out they helped Alia and Tomek get into the wizarding world, then Fili and Marcela would be in huge trouble.

"We're just here. It's a long story," she finally replied.

"But how did you get here? It's impossible for an ordinary person. Nobodies can't come here.

" "And how do you know we're nobodies?" Tom asked, getting angry.

"Nobodies? So who are you?"

"It doesn't matter.

" "But..."

"Samantha, I'll talk to them," a commanding voice said.

Everyone turned around.

"Yes. As you wish, Dan," Samantha said.

Everyone began to leave. Ala looked at the man standing in the middle of the room. He was tall, had raven hair, a sharp expression, and blue eyes. He

looked at the eight-year-old with unconcealed hatred. "Where did you come from?" the man gritted through his teeth. "

Never mind.

" "And who are you ?" "

That doesn't matter either. " "

What do you want?" "

To meet with the Lady.

" "And not with me?"

"No." "

Why?! "

Because with her, from what I've heard, we have a better chance. You're very allergic to the Law.

" "YES?! YOU THINK SO?! YOU LITTLE... YOU..."

"What? Who am I?

" "...BRAT!!!!! A INCONSiderable Brat!!!"

"So what? Come on, Tom," she turned to her friend.

She stood up. Tom did the same. Dan stared open-mouthed as the two children first got out of bed and then slowly left the room. Ala and Tom left the building without any major incident. "

You upset him!" Tom said.

"So what?" Ala shrugged.

"You know what he can do? He can kill us!

" "What power do you have, Tom?

" "What? Some kind of Mormon power.

" "Then don't say anything.

" "But his power will kill us!"

"No. I won't let that happen.

" "What?!

I have the same power as him. Red. " "

How on earth?!

That's a long story. We have to find that lady.

" "Well...yes."

They were now walking through the city.