Chimera's Palace
The Palace
I couldn’t understand how my parents were so willing to leave the city. Wouldn’t they miss anything? A nice change of scenery they said. We got into our car and followed the moving van to our new home. I stared back at the place I had come to know, already missing it. I felt like I was leaving half my life behind.
Over two hours later we reached a Victorian house, miles from the city. It was the most beautiful house I ever laid my eyes on. My room was where the attic should be and I thought I might as well have a look at it.
My first thought when I saw it was that it was big! Finally, I had a spacious room for all my things. Then I noticed some strange sort of painting protruding from the wall. It was quite horrific. The painting showed an animal with a dragon’s head, a goat’s body and a basilisk’s tail. What type of person would paint such a thing? I tried to prise it off, but to no avail. Great, I thought. Some idiot’s gone and glued it to the wall. I then tried pressing it closer to the wall, hoping that it would crack the glue. Surprise coursed through me when the painting actually slid into the wall with a click. I turned around to go back downstairs when I saw that a panel of wall had slid back to reveal a passage.
A thousand questions resounded through my head, not one of them making sense. Curiosity was beginning to overcome me even though I knew it was dangerous to go down the passage. I had my phone though, that way I could call anyone if I got into trouble. I began to walk down the passage.
It was strange in here. I was reminded of the Pyramids at Giza and was scared in case I got trapped when I stumbled into a large, candle-lit cavern. A large, stone slab rested in the centre of the floor with stains on it. At a closer glance I realized the stains were dried blood. I began to feel nauseous. My memories flitted back to a TV show about cults. Whatever had gone on here reminded me a lot of that show.
My eyes came to rest on a cage in the corner. My instincts were screaming at me to run but I wanted a closer look. Once closer, a creature lunged at the bars. I screamed in terror. It was the same creature from the painting and I remembered from a mythology class that it was called a chimera. Growling and ravenous, it was the most fearsome creature I ever saw. I turned around and ran to my room. Collapsing on the floor, I got splinters in my hands as my body racked with sobs.
Even now I remember that day as clearly as it happened. Even now I hear the chimera growling, calling for me.
Over two hours later we reached a Victorian house, miles from the city. It was the most beautiful house I ever laid my eyes on. My room was where the attic should be and I thought I might as well have a look at it.
My first thought when I saw it was that it was big! Finally, I had a spacious room for all my things. Then I noticed some strange sort of painting protruding from the wall. It was quite horrific. The painting showed an animal with a dragon’s head, a goat’s body and a basilisk’s tail. What type of person would paint such a thing? I tried to prise it off, but to no avail. Great, I thought. Some idiot’s gone and glued it to the wall. I then tried pressing it closer to the wall, hoping that it would crack the glue. Surprise coursed through me when the painting actually slid into the wall with a click. I turned around to go back downstairs when I saw that a panel of wall had slid back to reveal a passage.
A thousand questions resounded through my head, not one of them making sense. Curiosity was beginning to overcome me even though I knew it was dangerous to go down the passage. I had my phone though, that way I could call anyone if I got into trouble. I began to walk down the passage.
It was strange in here. I was reminded of the Pyramids at Giza and was scared in case I got trapped when I stumbled into a large, candle-lit cavern. A large, stone slab rested in the centre of the floor with stains on it. At a closer glance I realized the stains were dried blood. I began to feel nauseous. My memories flitted back to a TV show about cults. Whatever had gone on here reminded me a lot of that show.
My eyes came to rest on a cage in the corner. My instincts were screaming at me to run but I wanted a closer look. Once closer, a creature lunged at the bars. I screamed in terror. It was the same creature from the painting and I remembered from a mythology class that it was called a chimera. Growling and ravenous, it was the most fearsome creature I ever saw. I turned around and ran to my room. Collapsing on the floor, I got splinters in my hands as my body racked with sobs.
Even now I remember that day as clearly as it happened. Even now I hear the chimera growling, calling for me.