Mystery Fiction: The Quest of Existence (Journey): Magic is not the only thing to spell bound, there are other mysteries too... (34 page)

s
ea
t
of
the
judge
a
nd
t
w
o
lengt
h
y
c
locks
w
e
re
standing
on
eac
h side
o
f it.

“
I
n
m
i
d
of
mornings
we
ca
n
’
t
si
t
,
h
e
re is
a
ca
se
Lo
r
d
ple
a
se solve
i
t
.”
The  man
w
e
nt
c
los
e
r
to
the
ju
d
ge
c
lock
a
nd
a
sked, bind
i
ng his h
a
n
d
s in r
e
spe
c
t
.

The n
ee
dles
of
the
judge
c
lock
sta
r
ted
rot
a
t
i
ng
a
nd
ca
tching spe
e
d
g
ra
d
u
a
l
l
y
,
whi
l
e the man w
a
s
standing
st
i
ll
wi
t
h
his b
e
nt
h
ea
d.
As
the
rot
a
t
i
on
ca
ught
i
t
s
p
ea
k,
the
r
e
a
rouse
a noise
of t
i
c
king
of the
c
locks
whi
c
h
a
pp
ea
r
e
d
f
r
om some
w
h
e
re
a
nd
st
a
rt
e
d
c
ir
c
l
i
ng
the judge
c
lock.
B
eca
use
of the
rot
a
t
i
on
of the
small
c
locks
the
r
e
a
pp
e
a
red
a
l
i
t
t
l
e torn
a
do
in
the room
f
o
r a
f
e
w mo
m
e
nts,
the
man w
a
s standing
st
i
ll
but
Alicia
f
ound
it
h
a
rd
to
hold
h
e
r
s
e
lf
on
the g
r
ound.
F
inal
l
y
a
Big
fa
c
e
a
pp
e
a
r
e
d
with
the
b
od
y
h
a
lf
o
f i
t
s
si
z
e,
a
t
th
i
s
mo
m
e
nt
t
he
c
ir
c
l
i
ng
c
locks
w
e
nt
t
o
the w
a
ll
a
nd
a
r
r
a
ng
e
d th
e
re
with
t
huds
a
s th
e
y
w
e
r
e
b
e
f
o
r
e
.

The
a
pp
e
a
r
e
d
c
re
a
ture
h
a
d
big
e
y
e
s
with
t
he
t
r
a
nspa
r
e
nt lens
a
nd
some
c
lock n
ee
dles
w
e
r
e rot
a
t
i
ng
on
it.
The
c
olors of i
t
s
c
h
ee
ks
w
e
r
e
c
h
a
n
ging
r
a
ndom
l
y
,
a
nd
the
nose w
a
s h
a
ving
a
n
e
nding
l
i
ke
the p
ea
k
of the
c
lock
tow
e
r
in Man
c
h
e
ster,
it
w
a
s
bl
i
n
k
i
ng.
On
s
ee
ing
t
h
e man
h
e
p
a
ssed
a sm
i
le
a
nd
his te
e
th
w
e
re
the
l
i
t
t
le
c
olor
e
d
c
locks.
All
th
i
s w
a
s
so
w
e
ird
a
nd
f
r
igh
t
e
ning
for
Alici
a
.
But
h
e
r
z
ea
l
to me
e
t K
e
vin kept h
e
r str
o
ng
e
nough to endu
r
e
a
ll
that.

“
About
the
t
i
me
w
e
’ve
to
ca
r
e
,
the
c
r
ea
tu
r
e w
a
n
t
s
to
g
o some
w
h
e
r
e
.
” The man
p
re
s
e
nted
the
ca
s
e in
f
r
ont
of
the judge.

The judge
s
a
w
the witn
e
ss
box
a
nd
it
made
a
c
l
o
c
k
a
l
a
rm sound.

“
The
t
i
me
is
s
c
a
t
t
e
r
e
d
b
u
t
g
a
ve
a
g
r
a
nt,
st
a
y in
s
p
ea
k
e
r
a
nd th
i
nk
wh
a
t
y
ou
w
a
nt.”
H
e
dir
ec
ted
Alici
a
.

S
he w
a
s
a
djus
t
ing
h
e
rs
e
lf to
f
a
c
e that
a
wk
w
a
rd
t
h
ing
on
the s
ea
t of the
judge
a
nd w
e
n
t
t
o the
w
i
t
n
e
ss box.

I
t
took
less
than
a
m
i
nute
that
the
judge
poin
te
d
a
c
lock f
r
om
the
w
a
ll
whi
c
h
f
l
e
w
tow
a
rds
him
a
nd
he
t
ook
out
a n
ee
dle
f
rom
it
a
nd
r
e
c
o
d
e
d
the
r
e
sul
t
s.
Alicia s
a
w
the
n
a
i
l
s of
that
c
r
e
a
tu
r
e
w
e
re the
ov
a
l
shap
e
d
l
i
t
t
le
c
locks.
J
u
st
a
ft
e
r r
e
c
o
r
ding
the d
e
c
is
i
on
the
c
locks
f
r
om
the w
a
ll
fl
e
w vigorous
l
y to
the
judge
a
nd
c
ir
c
led
a
round
hi
m
.
Ag
a
in
a small torn
a
do
a
p
p
e
a
r
e
d
a
nd the judge
b
e
ca
me
that
big clo
c
k
a
nd
t
he man w
e
nt
to
t
h
e podium
a
nd
p
re
ssed
a
l
i
t
t
le r
e
d bl
i
nking
c
lock,
shap
e
d
,
b
ut
t
on.
The floor
o
f the
w
i
tness
b
o
x w
a
s
a
lso
a
r
ec
tangul
a
r
c
lock,
on
whi
c
h
she
w
a
s
standing. As
soon
a
s
the man p
re
s
s
e
d
the l
i
t
t
le
c
lock
bu
t
ton, the floor
c
lock
in
the
witness
box, fl
a
shed
a
nd
Alicia f
e
ll
through
i
t
. The man
w
r
ote
something
on
a
p
a
p
e
r
a
nd
d
r
op
p
e
d
it
to
the
ca
vi
t
y
t
h
a
t app
e
a
r
e
d in
t
h
e
f
loor
of
the
witness box.

Alicia w
a
s
s
h
ri
e
king
a
nd
w
a
s
f
a
l
l
ing
through
a hol
l
ow torn
a
do.
S
he w
a
s
h
e
a
r
i
ng
dif
fe
r
e
nt
voi
c
e
s
w
h
ich
w
e
re ir
r
i
t
a
t
i
ng
h
e
r.
S
he
got
f
r
i
ghten
e
d
but
sudd
e
n
l
y a
v
oice
made the other noises
blur,
it
w
a
s
the voi
c
e of t
h
e s
a
me str
a
nge man
w
ho guided h
e
r in
t
h
a
t s
t
r
a
nge
pl
a
ce
.