Library story ... by Lia

It’s was spring and time to move again. I hate moving, I don’t know why dad likes to move, it’s stupid. He showed me these pictures of our new house, but I’m happy here. The moving day came along way too quickly; I packed my stuff and said my goodbyes to the house even though it couldn’t hear me. I waited to hear the sound of the moving van's engine but it had long gone.  Leaving was becoming way to close to reality.

We spent the next few hours in silence.  Then we came to a house. I nearly fainted. “Is this it” I asked, my voice cracking. Dad nodded, he stared at the house.  It was two stories high, with graffiti and smashed windows, the garden was an overgrown jungle.  Dad’s voice had that steely tone he only gets when he’s really angry, “Alex I have to go and argue, we can’t live here”. “But” I stammered “w, what about the photos”.  “They were old” sighed dad “order some pizza” and he handed me his phone.

We drove for what felt like days, before we reached any bit of the dusty road that showed some sign of life.  Even seeing the small outback town was a load off my shoulders. I thought we were going to stay in the town as we pulled into an old shabby car park, but no, Dad had other ideas. We kept on going along the track after drinking some stale ginger beer which made my throat tickle. I tried to ask Dad where we were going but he replied with a grim “we're almost there.”

I walked along the path, trying not to trip on the overgrown weeds and bushes.  I clasped my hand around the doorknob and pushed open the creaky door. The inside was better but still reminded me of a haunted house. I sat down, on the white plush sofa that didn’t fit with the peeling paint, cobwebs or freaky portraits of ladies in stiff pinafores with lacy edging.

I saw a flicker of light coming from the walls. The lady in the portrait lit a candle. She glanced at me, “are you Alex?” I nodded, my body had frozen in fright. “Good, let’s get down to business, you are now officially a member of the Timekeepers, a spy agency where your missions are in the past, future and present. Please come into HQ.” Her portrait swung open, I climbed through. Quite suddenly I whizzed down some sort of tube and into a room with two couches and a lady.

The lady smiled,  the type of smile that makes everyone in the room feel good. I sat down. ”I am the manager of Timekeepers, my name is Siena,  your first mission is in the present  but you may have to return to the past for answers to find the key of time." She clicked her fingers and I was somewhere unfamiliar and new.

My first thought was a cave, but when a ghost popped out it became clear it was the Underworld (you know, where Hades lives in Greek mythology). The ghost handed me a map and said “it will guide you through the Underworld." He disappeared. I glanced at the map - walk forward till you come to a river, it directed me. I thought I might as well follow the useless thing and walked till I came to a river.

As the river approached me the map shot out more words - this is the River Lethe, one drop will wipe all your memory and thoughts. A man was sitting by the river silently sobbing into his straggly beard. I patted him on the shoulder and he glanced at me. “Who are you” he asked me. “I’m Alex" I replied. “Well I’m Hades and someone stole the key of time and now all the Olympians hate me” he cried. “Well at the moment I’m trying to find out who stole it.” “Oh, I know who stole it all right, it was that dreaded Alecto."

I looked and I was whizzed away. In my head I knew the teacher was Alecto, she was by the Lethe but further down, cackling as she held a golden key.

I came back to my senses and told Hades what I’d seen. Together we ran up the Lethe, following the map's instructions. We finally saw her, and she saw us too, only too late. Hades bound her with ropes and I picked up the key and gave it to Hades and suddenly i was sitting with the same couch I had disappeared from so many hours ago.

The Siena asked for the key and when I told her it had been safely returned to Olympus she bubbled with anger. I realised too late she was one of the Furies. But then, to my luck a skeleton rose from the ground and saved me. I landed back in the house that was once a disaster, now shiny and new.