Castle
Kyle had been hiking all day when he chanced upon something entirely unexpected – a castle, and
one of no small proportions. Yet that was not the least of it, indeed, Kyle may have been able to
understand chancing upon a decadent and forgotten castle as unlikely as that might have been, but
this castle seemed to be rather modern and well-kept, and that seemed simply impossible. True, he
had never ventured into this part of the forest before, but he knew very well that there should be no
such castle as this sitting in the middle of the woods.
Somehow, the drawbridge, which was lowered, seemed to beckon him. Fear and reason told Kyle to
turn back and end his hike, but curiosity beckoned him to enter the castle, and after a few minutes
the young hiker mustered up enough courage to enter the stone structure.
The moment that Kyle stepped within; the heavy oak drawbridge closed behind him, and he was
immediately filled with terror; indeed, the idea that he had been caught in some kind of trap sprang
furiously into his mind. However, the moments passed, and nothing happened so Kyle gradually
began to calm down and pay more attention to his surroundings.
The castle did not appear to be a normal castle at all. Even though the castle appeared massive on
the outside, Kyle found himself in a tiny cubical cell, and there did not seem to be any windows or
doors leading to other passages. However, in the very center of the stone floor, a staircase seemed
to descend beneath the castle. Kyle hesitated a moment, then began to walk down the smooth gray
steps.
After what seemed to be a long time, Kyle began to grow nervous and decided to go back up into
the cell; this staircase seemed far too long, and he was frightened by the dark silence that seemed
to envelope his world. He turned to climb back up the stairs but saw to his horror that they were no
longer there; where the stairs once had been, there was now nothing but an empty black void. Well,
that didn't leave many options – Kyle stared at the dreary stones stretching into the darkness
below. He was beginning to regret his adventure, but now that he had started, there was no choice
but to continue.
Kyle took another step when suddenly the staircase disappeared entirely, and he was falling. Farther
and faster he fell until he lost all hope and decided that he was destined to be dashed upon whatever
awaited him below. However, to his amazement, he found himself lying on the ground without any
pain at all. He stood up, and his jaw dropped open.
Before him was a wooden chest wrapped in thick iron. The top of the chest was open, and Kyle
could that the massive box was full of beautiful gems – diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and there were
thousands of them. Yet what made him even happier than the wealth surrounding him were his other
surroundings; Kyle had no idea what had happened, but he was outside the castle once again; the
darkness surrounding his life had lifted, and white clouds flitted across the blue skies above.
