Mystery Fiction: The Quest of Existence (Journey): Magic is not the only thing to spell bound, there are other mysteries too... (33 page)

Alicia
w
a
s
look
i
ng
the
s
t
r
a
nge
pla
c
e
k
ee
n
l
y
.
Th
er
e
w
e
re the m
i
r
r
o
r
s
e
mbedd
e
d
in
t
h
e
w
a
l
l
s
with
the
video
c
l
i
ps
that w
e
re
c
h
a
nging
quick
e
n
ough
to
r
e
c
ogni
z
e
the
f
ace
s 
a
nd s
ce
n
e
s.
A
d
e
s
c
ription
a
bout
them w
a
s
tag
g
e
d
a
long
w
i
t
h their
ma
r
gins.
Wi
th
eac
h
ste
p
,
she
s
a
w
a
s
m
o
k
y
c
lock
a
pp
ea
ring
b
e
fo
r
e h
e
r
w
h
ich s
ca
r
e
d
h
e
r
a
t
f
i
rst
but
then she not
i
ce
d
th
e
y  w
e
r
e
just
the
disap
p
ea
ring
c
lo
u
d
s
,
a
s
she p
a
ssed
through
the
m
.
S
he
w
a
s
lost
in n
o
t
i
c
ing
the sur
r
oundings
wh
e
n
sudd
e
n
l
y sl
i
pp
e
d
a
t
pla
c
e,
Alicia shri
e
k
e
d 
a
s  it  w
a
s  a
s
u
dd
e
n 
ac
t,
whi
c
h  took 
h
e
r
to  the b
a
s
e
ment of that
m
y
ste
r
i
ous
bui
l
ding.

S
he
got
surp
r
ised
to
s
e
e
a
big
wo
r
king
pl
a
c
e
t
h
e
re
with
a big
g
a
the
r
ing
of
p
e
ople.
But
it
w
a
s
not
a
n
o
r
din
a
r
y o
n
e
a
s the
p
e
ople
w
e
r
e
si
t
t
i
ng
on
str
a
nge
c
h
a
irs
h
a
ving
the
c
locks
a
t
the  b
ac
k
a
nd
the 
t
a
bles
b
e
fo
r
e  them
h
a
d
the  floor touching
long
b
a
rs
that w
e
re
sw
a
y
ing
in
the
a
i
r
.
E
ac
h
of those
p
e
ople
h
a
d
bul
k
y
r
e
gis
t
e
rs
with
running
c
locks
on their
c
ov
e
rs.

S
he s
a
w
a
n
op
e
n
book
b
e
fo
r
e a man
whi
c
h
h
a
d
t
h
e r
a
ndom
a
nd
quick
l
y
c
h
a
nging
s
ce
n
e
s
on
i
t
s
p
a
g
e
s.
T
h
e
wo
r
k
e
r touch
e
d
the
p
a
ge
a
nd
the
a
ni
m
a
t
i
o
n
of s
c
e
n
e
s
st
o
pp
e
d,
just then the
c
h
a
nging
d
e
s
c
r
i
pt
i
on
b
e
low
it
stopp
e
d
a
nd
he
r
ea
d that
pie
c
e 
o
f  d
e
s
c
riptio
n
.
I
t
a
pp
e
a
r
e
d
that
s
omething mat
c
h
e
d
b
e
tw
e
e
n
t
h
e
a
ni
m
a
t
i
on
a
nd
that
d
e
s
c
ripti
o
n,
then he b
r
oke
the
n
ee
dle
f
r
o
m
that
p
a
ge
a
nd
touc
h
e
d
the
p
a
ge
a
g
a
in which
r
e
sumed the
a
ni
m
a
t
i
on.

S
udden
l
y a
loud
voi
c
e
of
c
lock
’
s
a
l
a
rm
shoc
k
e
d
h
e
r.
S
he turn
e
d
b
ac
k
a
nd
a
p
e
r
s
o
n
,
w
ea
ring
a
c
lou
d
y
outfit
a
nd

r
a
ndom
l
y
c
h
a
ngi
n
g
c
l
o
u
d
y
c
locks
l
i
ke
foot
w
ea
r,
w
a
s standing
b
e
hind
h
e
r.
He
h
a
d
a tr
a
nspa
r
e
nt
skin
und
e
r his smo
k
y
h
a
t.

He
r
a
ised
his
h
a
nd
in
the
a
ir
a
nd
a
glass
b
a
l
l
,
with
the gla
r
i
n
g n
ee
dles
ins
i
de,
a
p
p
ea
r
e
d
in
i
t
.
I
n whi
c
h
he
c
ould
s
e
e the
video
of
Alici
a
’s
journ
e
y
fr
om
just
a
ft
e
r
ju
m
ping
in
t
o the m
i
r
r
or
to
t
h
a
t p
l
ace
.

“The
c
l
o
c
k
strikes
f
o
r
t
y
fou
r
,
w
h
e
re
do
y
ou
w
a
nt
to
g
o
?
”

the m
a
n
a
sked
h
e
r.

“
I
do
not
know
wh
e
r
e
do
e
s
he
l
i
ve
but
I
w
a
nt
to
r
e
ac
h

the
re
.”
S
he
s
a
id, colle
c
t
i
ng h
e
r
c
ou
r
a
g
e
.

The man
a
g
a
in
r
a
ised
h
i
s
h
a
nd
a
nd
a sp
e
c
ta
c
l
e
a
pp
ea
r
e
d
in his
h
a
nd
whi
c
h
h
a
d
the
op
a
que
l
i
t
t
le
c
locks
fitt
i
n
g
in
pla
c
e of
lens.
He
wo
r
e
that
a
nd
w
a
tch
e
d
Alicia
in
a
s
ca
nning w
a
y
.

“
I
t
’
s
n
e
v
e
r
late
a
t
th
i
r
t
y
thr
ee
,
now
just
c
ome
a
nd
follow

me.”
He
said
a
nd w
a
lked
through the l
a
n
e
s of the
wo
r
k
e
rs.

Alicia
f
e
lt
t
h
a
t
the
wo
r
k
e
rs
did
not
not
i
c
e
h
e
r
a
s
th
e
y
c
ould not
s
e
e h
e
r.
S
he follow
e
d
that
str
a
nge man
a
nd
s
a
w that
he w
a
s
a
lso
h
a
ving
a
n
op
a
que
c
lock
a
t
his
b
ac
k
whi
c
h
w
a
s st
i
l
l
.
I
t
w
a
s  str
a
nge
th
a
t
the
t
i
c
king
noise
of
a
ll
sort
of
c
locks
in
that
room
w
a
s
c
r
ea
t
i
ng
a
f
r
e
n
z
y
i
nste
a
d
of ir
r
i
t
a
t
i
on.

Th
e
y
w
e
nt
to
a
high
ce
i
l
ing
big
room;
it
w
a
s
t
h
e
c
ourt
of those
str
a
nge
p
e
ople.
T
h
e
re
w
a
s
a
r
ec
tangul
a
r
c
l
o
c
k
on
the