The Serpent's Ring (Relics of Mysticus) (2 page)

While kicking at some small rocks, Evan followed the rest of his group through the main gates. He smiled as pebbles and sand scratched under his sneakers and tumbled along the sidewalk.

“Over there is the old Firestone Farm; we’ll see it later. For now, I have arranged a surprise for you,” said Dad, pointing in the direction of a small, gray building. “Our chariot awaits.”

A sign reading “Happy Honking” hung down over the wooden deck. Evan practically jumped out of his skin when he heard an obnoxious honk-honk! A friendly enough looking man, wearing a goofy hat and red bowtie, drove a black Model T car in their direction.

“You folks ready for the tour?” asked the man with a large smile.

“You bet we are,” Dad exclaimed. “That’s right the Jones family is going to see Greenfield Village in style.”

Evan’s parents slid onto the back seat, and Claire jumped in between them. Evan quickly realized that he was left with the front seat, next to the newly dubbed Mr. Big Smile.

“Well, at least it’s a convertible,” mumbled Evan, slouching onto the old leather.

Welcome to Main Street. Is this your first time here?” Mr. Big Smile asked.

“We old folks have been here many times, but this is a first for our kids,” said Mom over the engine.

“So, leave nothing out. We want to see and hear it all,” said Dad, and with that, their lives would never be the same again.

Chapter Two

HIDDEN TREASURE FOUND

THE GROUP PASSED BY MANY historical buildings, and Evan planted his chin on top of his balled-up hand. As far as tours went, it wasn’t as boring as he had assumed. The tour guide sure did know his stuff.

The Model T rolled along, eventually slowing in front of a building marked “Closed for Renovation.” Evan noticed something scamper below the roof’s eaves. He could have sworn whatever he saw had a monkey’s tail, but that would be impossible unless there was a petting zoo nearby. No matter what that thing was, it looked really weird.

“Did you see that?” Evan asked.

“You mean the house? Why, that was Dr. Irving’s residence. It sat empty for more than eighty years before Greenfield Village purchased it. There were so many items to categorize that it took the team longer than normal to transport the house and its contents here. The house came all the way from England. But, I’m afraid it won’t be open to the public for a few more weeks,” said Mr. Big Smile, and he continued to drive idly down the single-lane road.

“Funny story with that house: I’ve heard the professor went missing while out doing research. You see, he was a botanist, and from what I understand, he was brilliant. An amazing lab was hidden away inside the front study. It was only found when our team began preparing the house for the move.”

Something shifted; there it was again! It stared right at Evan, a strange, little creature with bulging eyes.

“What is that?” Evan asked. But nobody paid any attention, and the creature disappeared. Now, Evan was eager for the tour to end. If Mr. Big Smile didn’t hurry up, by the time Evan returned to Dr. Irving’s house, the creature would be gone. Evan shifted in his seat and shuffled his feet, but the tour continued to drag.

“In another thirty minutes the clock will chime,” said the driver as he parked the Model T. “You don’t want to miss it. Something pretty unique happens at noon, and you kids will be in for a real surprise.”

“We’ll do that, thanks,” Dad announced, leading the family down a pathway. “Your mother and I will reserve a spot on one of those park benches and wait for the clock. Would you two like to ride on the old-time carousel while we wait?”

“Actually, Dad, do you mind if I wander around for a little bit? I promise to come back in thirty minutes,” Evan asked.

“Alrighty, but make it twenty-five. I’m telling you, the clock tower puts on a unique show. And afterward, we’ll eat some ice cream,” said Dad.

As Evan set off for Dr. Irving’s home, he was still trying to make sense of that little thing he had seen. Evan walked past large trees and over lush grass. He kicked up dandelion seeds and breathed in the crisp summer air. And as he approached Dr. Irving’s house, he felt like he had entered another time. It wasn’t difficult to imagine what the house had looked like a hundred years ago.

Evan scanned along and under the roof’s eaves—no sign of the creature. He wandered around to the back of the house—still nothing. He even crawled around to see underneath the house—just a bunch of dirt and cobwebs. He was about to leave when he saw three steps leading to the back porch. He sat down on the top step and sighed.

Just then, Evan was startled by the sounds of something like long toenails scurrying across a hard surface. He looked down the long porch in both directions, but nothing was there, nothing but an old rickety deck.

All of a sudden, that same sound came from inside the house. Evan jumped up and tried to peek through the dirt-covered windows. He stretched his shirt bottom and rubbed an area clean.

Inside, he could just about make out an old fashioned kitchen. He went to the door and tried the handle, certain it would be locked. But, to his amazement, it opened. Although it was against his better judgment, he went inside.

Floorboards squeaked and cobwebs were clustered in corners. Evan knew he should leave, but his curiosity got the better of him. He just couldn’t stop his feet from traveling down the dark hallway. He wandered into the front study. A brick fireplace still held the odor of burnt logs. Wooden shelves lined every wall and were loaded with books.

Evan ran his finger across old leather spines. He laughed a little at how silly some of the names were:
Paint Your Roses Red, Edelweiss and Me, World of Mushrooms and Fungi, The Toadstool Diaries, Daffodils Unseen,
and
Exotic Plants Unleashed
, to name but a few. Evan spied a book on sea serpents and, intrigued, reached for its weathered binding. Inside, colorful illustrations depicted serpents in every possible size, shape, and color. A passage, hand-written in ink, stretched across a page:

Beware of the serpent, big and foul.

If unleashed, he’ll loudly howl.

To his evil delight, water will surge,

And man will be washed away.

“That doesn’t even rhyme,” Evan mocked. “Dr. Irving may have been smart, but he wasn’t much of a poet.”

Evan didn’t pay attention to how the minutes ticked away as he looked through each page. Finally, after glancing at his watch, he realized he was going to be late. He pushed the book back into the empty space, but it got stuck. Reaching his hand into the recess, his cuff caught on a little lever. He tugged at his sleeve—there was a sharp click and the entire bookshelf slid back and rolled sideways.

What had just happened?

Edging closer, Evan peered into the small room. As soon as he stepped inside, he was overwhelmed by a cloud of dust.

“Whew!” He let out a breath of air, trying to dislodge gunk from his lungs.

Evan entered the arid space and searched for a light. Tattered fabric hung over a stained-glass window. He scooted around objects and then pulled down the musty fabric. Sunlight streamed in, and Evan had to adjust his eyes.

The room looked like a science lab, but not the sort you’d see in today’s classrooms. There were old-time objects everywhere: a gas lantern, wooden globes, bronze sculptures, a quill with parchment, and dried flowers. In fact, there were flowers and plants everywhere: inside glass vials, pinned to corkboards, and strewn across every available surface. A chalkboard, covered by white text and diagrams, sat next to a wooden desk.

Evan stared at the powdery letters and drawings of plant life and marveled. “That must have been the last thing Dr. Irving worked on.”

He tried to make sense of some of the rough sketches and ran his finger around a drawing of a serpent biting its own tail. This particular image stuck out like a sore thumb. What was it doing on a chalkboard covered with plants? Evan narrowed his eyes and tilted his head. The image directed his attention toward a collection of framed illustrations, hanging on the opposite wall. His curiosity led him to wander over in that direction.

Each frame contained an illustration that must have been torn out of a book. One of the pictures hung a little crooked, and as Evan tried to see better, he stretched up to his toes and bounced higher. He climbed onto a table and leaned in, further studying the details of the drawing.

The table wobbled, and he lost his balance. Just before hitting the floor, he managed to grab the picture and take it down. After missing a ceramic vase, he got back to his feet, all while still cradling the picture to his chest.

“That’s strange,” whispered Evan, running his hand over splinters along the back of the wooden frame.

He turned it over and stared. Attached to the back was a flat box. Evan slid it out of the shallow niche. Gold sparkled in the darkness. It was a ring in the shape of a serpent chewing on its own tail. He ran his finger over the tiny engravings along its skin and the two gems placed in its eyes. One was sapphire blue while the other was ruby red.

“What is this?” he wondered aloud.

“What are you doing in here?” shrilled a female voice from the doorway. Evan nearly jumped out of his skin. “You are going to be in sooo much trouble when Mom and Dad find out! You aren’t supposed to be in here. Didn’t you read the sign that said ‘Restricted Area’?”

Evan turned to face his sister and glared. She had scared him half to death, and he needed a moment to muster something clever to say.

“Let’s go,” instructed Claire. “Now!” Her arms crossed sternly over her chest and her foot made an annoying tapping sound.

“Wait a minute. Have you ever seen anything so cool in your life? Just look at this,” he said, sliding his hand through the ring. It was too large to be a bracelet and too small to be worn as a necklace; so, he placed the band around his forearm.

“Claire, the jewels on this ring are starting to glow. Way cool!”

“Come on, let’s get out of here,” said Claire, stalking over to Evan. But as she grabbed him, an electric bolt surged and passed between them. The entire room gave off a blinding white light. Its current threw Claire against a bookshelf and she fell to the floor, bombarded by tumbling objects. Evan rushed to her aid and, by pushing aside scattered fragments, managed to reach her.

“Claire, are you all right?”

“Help me up,” she said, reaching for him.

Evan extended his hand, but as he looked down toward his sister, he realized the golden serpent was still wrapped around his arm. He leaned back, missing Claire completely.

“Hello, I’m right here!” she exclaimed.

“I know, sorry,” said Evan, staring at the brilliant light coming from inside the serpent’s bejeweled eyes.

“What is that?” she asked before grabbing it. “Do you think this is real gold?” She slid the circular object over her wrist and up her arm, admiring it from every angle.

“I thought you said we needed to leave. You should probably give that to me,” said Evan, snatching it back.

“I know. It’s just … have you ever seen anything so beautiful?” she said dreamily.

All of a sudden, a loud scratching noise came from outside the secret room. It was followed by the slamming of a door.

“It must be a security guard,” Claire whispered tensely. “We’re not supposed to be in here.”

“Hurry up! We need to make tracks!”

The two rushed out of the house, but as soon as they stepped onto the front porch, they froze. Something was wrong, terribly wrong. Nothing was as it should have been. The sky was orange, the ground was covered with a pale-blue mist, and there were long, colorful tubes weaving around pink clouds.

“Evan, what’s going on here?” Claire asked, staring wide-eyed at the glasslike cluster of trees.

“I have no idea. Maybe, we should go back inside the house.”

“No, we need to find Dad and Mom. They have to be here somewhere,” said Claire, grabbing Evan’s arm.

“Look, over there.” He pointed to a purple bench. “Is it glass?”

“It looks like it,” said Claire. She then turned and stared at Evan.

“What?” he finally asked.

“The bracelet, it’s still on your arm.”

“Oh man. That’s just great! Now we’re going to get in trouble for stealing!”

“Evan, I think that’s the least of our problems. How are we supposed to find Mom and Dad?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Why did you have to go into that house in the first place?” Claire yelled, pacing back and forth.

“I thought there was a monkey under the roof. I had to go back to see if I was imagining things.”

“Well, of course you were imagining things. You usually are.”

“You have to admit, all that stuff was pretty cool. Can you believe the secret room?”

“Evan, what I can’t believe is what’s circling up there!”