Encountering Darkness Read online

  Even though she realizes this is Pete, she is emotionless and backs away because of the current situation.

  She runs out of the room and proceeds to the left. The people who chase her, once far away, are now coming through the double doors behind her. She runs past her room, and through another set of double doors. As she scrambles through this new area, she hears voices. As she comes closer to the voices, she realizes there are a bunch of people cluttering in a room.

  A few of them look up at her, but most of them have no interest in the commotion. Amy reasons, maybe it's that whatever is in their hands is more interesting. Looking over to her right, she sees a women around a wooden object.

  This lady looks up at her and calmly speaks. “Are you okay?”

  Amy ignores this person and continues on past the crowd of people. She is about ready to proceed through the exit, but realizes there are people coming in from outside. She turns away from them and continues on her way. Amy makes her way through a second double door on the far side of the room from where she enters.

  I really need to get away, she thinks. She instinctively knows she needs to avoid capture.

  She rushes through the doors and continues to look for another way out of this place. As she proceeds along, she continues to look over to her left, hoping to find another door out. As she presses on, past many doors, she spots a place to exit.

  Coming to a exit, Amy opens it, and walks through feeling relief.

  Almost outside the door, Amy notices that grass is everywhere, but she continues through it and runs. She hopes that no one has seen her go through this door.

  Looking behind, she gasps at the sight of the same building she has been in multiple times. The same stone building she first found and marched around. The same building where this mess became more of a mess.

  Turning around she walks up to the stone building and realizes there is no door.

  With relief no one is chasing her, but with confusion, Amy ponders why she is back in this world. It's the world she knows, but she hopes she will have answers, especially in regards to seeing Pete.

  She also wonders if there's a connection through walking through doors and appearing in new areas. In this area, this world, this place where she lives, there are no doors. In her world, if there is a “door,” it's just a sheet or something covering it. Everything is open, everything except this building she looks at; this building made with stone. In this building is where she found the necklace and met the shadows. It is the same building where she remembered electricity.

  As has been common for this journey of Amy’s, she feels lost and full of confusion, and not sure at all what to do.

  Thinking longer, she wonders if this is perhaps a good thing. Perhaps she needs to find another door; she can then reach the other world and get answers. Maybe this is how she finds her dad. Maybe this is how she finds her Father.

  As Amy turns away from the stone building, she walks around the whole exterior hoping for some answers. All she wants is to find another door.

  Not finding one around the building, she continues to walking on past it, and proceeds further than she has ever gone before. As she does so, she continues to ponder many things.

  The sun, which sets to her back, sets off a soft glow on her arms. The light looks beautiful to Amy as it extends past her. It seems warm and it feels good.

  The pleasant sensation dissipates, and Amy felt lost and lonely, but first and foremost, unsure of what to do.

  Amy, continuing on her way, reaches an area of the grass field, and finds a tree in the middle of the plain. The sun looking down on the tree causes it to almost glimmer. It shines from the sun beating down on it: the radiant beauty came from the orange crescent light.

  Amy walks up to the tree and realizes it's not just the leaves and the trunk that are glimmering, but there's something else in the distance leaning against the tree on the ground. It shimmers in light. It's her shield!

  You cannot imagine the joy she felt when, yet again, she realizes she is not alone. There is someone with her, always with her. As Amy continues to walk up to the shield, she sees its beauty contrast the sun's light. Unlike the light Amy is accustom to see radiating from the shield, this is a brilliant white light. This light gives her peace, hope, encouragement that maybe, just maybe, everything is okay.

  About the Author

  Paul Brandt, a self-published author, writes Christian fantasy novellas, using other elements such as suspense, mystery, and horror.

  He began writing in high school, while finding a passion, in English class. Initially, Paul Brandt’s writing began as short stories or poems, but soon, he started his first book, "Encountering Darkness," as a junior in high school. Although, the finished product was not achieved until years later.

  Paul, once born in a seven passenger van, now lives in Louisville, KY where he works overnight to achieve his dreams and sleeps, at random times. Growing up, he often had a motivation to create things, whether it be writing or music, and continued that passion into adult life. When he is not writing, he enjoys reading, music composition, and biking. Paul is growing into a greater inclination to be Christ-like, and aims, while often failing, to follow him every day.

  Thank you for reading!

  Dear Reader,

  I hope you enjoyed “Encountering Darkness.” While this book has been long in the making, I am thankful I could finish it. Although I am now crafting the next book, and there is a rough draft for the overarching series story, I am open for feedback on this book or thoughts on future books. If you are interested in reaching me for comments, or if you would like to be added to an email list for future books, you can reach me at [email protected].

  As you probably notice, reviews can be difficult to come by. You, the reader, have the power to make or break a book. Whether you enjoyed the book, or not, I would love a review of “Encountering Darkness.” You can review here.

  In gratitude,

  Paul Brandt