Of Charms And Dreams

The echo of her footsteps in the dark hallway grew in cadence as she approached a door she had never opened, despite her countless walks through that vast mansion forgotten by time. A few candles, arranged as though to form a path along the corridor’s center, flickered to life as she drew near. Curtains stirred in the sudden wind that rose unexpectedly in that passage… As she pressed forward, faint chords drifted toward her, notes of a melody she had never heard before, yet strangely familiar, though nothing earthly. Flickers of light shimmered, and then a mist gathered, curling around her. The door began to dissolve, dematerializing into air. Beyond it, soft rays of sunlight filtered through the leaves. A heavy drowsiness overtook her, and she leaned against the wall as lights and shadows drifted across her vision. A soothing sensation filled her being while the walls around her reshaped into ancient stone, bricks veined with moss. Before her, the door reformed, not as wood, but as a gate of vines and ivy, glowing with light. And then she stepped through…