The Hidden heart

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Something was amiss. 

Rosalie Green couldn’t quite describe the feeling, but it had been bothering her since she had woken up that morning. She likened the feeling to the sense of dread characters often felt in books before something ominous was about to happen. But her life was as ordinary as life could get and as far as she was aware, she was not a character in a novel, though she had dreamed of adventure for as long as she could remember. She had gone about her day as any other, but as morning passed through to noon the feeling remained. If anything, it had intensified. 

Rosalie shifted from foot to foot peering attentively at the vast expanse of ocean before her. The waves rolled serenely onto the shore while a gentle patter of rain swept down from the dreary storm clouds. It was a humid day, but the near-stifling heat was cut down considerably by a chilly wind. Rosalie was glad for it; she was not a fan of hot weather. Winter was her season. 

Rosalie turned her gaze from the water and pushed away from the weathered railing she had been leaning on. She strode down the path at a leisurely pace, and it was not long before her thoughts had shifted focus from the ordinary to a faraway place where adventures were to be had and dragons were to be befriended. She lost track of the time as she walked, lost in her imagination. The sheer beauty of the beach and the surrounding trees and parkland were a constant source of inspiration. Eventually, however, threads of dread began to weave their way into her pleasant daydreams until she could no longer focus. 

Rosalie sighed disgruntledly. She had nothing to be worried about, she certainly was not in any danger. Why then did it feel like something big was about to happen? 

Rosalie shook her head as if to shake the feeling out of her mind and tried to return to her daydreaming. After several minutes without success, she stopped in the middle of the path and padded over to a sheltered picnic table. She plopped down onto the bench with a frown and pulled out her phone from her pocket. She was in the process of typing a quick message to her mum when it happened. 

A loud bang rent the air. Rosalie jumped up from her seat in fright, staring frantically in all directions. She was aware of her rapid heartbeat, it pounded in her chest. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The few other visitors who had come out in the rain—and despite the threat of a thunderstorm—seemed unfazed by the noise. It was almost like they had not heard it at all, which of course made little sense. 

A shiver swept up Rosalie’s spine. She had the sudden feeling that she was being watched. She had dropped her phone onto the table when she had leapt up in fright and now reached for it, but as she leaned froward slightly, her arm outstretched, a low murmur broke the silence. She froze. She could not tell what was being whispered only that there seemed to be multiple voices all around her. She could not make sense of it. The nearest person to her was at least five metres away, and she could easily make out their face. Their lips were not moving. 

The dread in her gut was slowly rising. Her breathes were slowly getting louder and the sense that she was being watched intensified tenfold. 

Rosalie picked up her phone and ran. She had no clear destination in mind, she just knew that she needed to run. It was almost like she was in some kind of trance. The path led her into the bush. The whispering voices grew louder as she passed through the trees.

All of a sudden, a wave of energy shot through the trees and swept through Rosalie. It was not that dissimilar to a cloud, but it was thicker and blue in colour. Her entire body was tingling. She was not afraid of the strange wave of energy, more curious and surprised than anything else. There was something about it that seemed familiar, but she simply could not place it. 

As the cloud swept away, Rosalie turned her gaze to the direction from which it had come and tentatively stepped off the path, navigating her way through the underbrush in search of the energy’s source. It was not long before she found it. 

Wispy waves of blue energy poured from an oddly shaped stone formation. It was intricate in its design with a polished surface and intricate imagery carved into the rock. She could not quite make out the imagery through the streams of energy, nor was she quite sure from where it was resonating. 

Rosalie cautiously took a step forward, then another and another until she was close enough that she could reach out and touch the strange sight before her. Swallowing, she bravely raised her hand and reached into the blue energy, brushing the tips of her fingers against the smooth stone. She had expected it to be cold, but her fingers were met with warmth. Though appearing stationary the stone vibrated. She could even now hear a gentle humming from within it. 

Rosalie took one more step. She stared, mesmerised by the blue energy that was now beginning to pulse. It visibly brightened, and with a surge, Rosalie was unexpectedly hurled into the air. At least that was what it felt like. Her surroundings had vanished, there was only that strange blue light. There definitely was no longer anything beneath her feet. There was a tug in the pit of her stomach. She had a suddenly feeling of being thrown into the air. 

Rosalie closed her eyes as a blinding flare of light erupted around her and stifled a scream as she fell. She did not know how long she fell for. It could have been a second or an hour. When her feet finally hit solid ground, relief ignited within her. She had regained her footing, that much she could tell, but something about the air around her seemed off. There was no longer the gentle patter of rain, and the cold wind had mysteriously vanished. It was humid and dry. She could even feel the sun on her skin. 

Not knowing what had happened or what awaited her, Rosalie took a deep breath and slowly opened her eyes.