The Mysterious Ball
Uploaded by ExtremeAdidas on Feb 14, 2012
I stared with bewilderment as the ball rolled out of my grasp. It landed on the grass patch on the side of the path. Squinting in the darkness, I could make out a paved trail, shrouded from view by overgrown clumps of bushes. It was already past midnight and I was in no position to spend the night chasing a ball, which seemed to have a mind of its own. Mind of its own…The word replayed in my mind. The thought of the ball being possessed by spirits crept me out. None of this would have happened if I hadn’t disobeyed my parents’ orders. Since they had gone out to attend a dinner gathering, I was alone at home. After years of having taken care of myself, acquiring that sense of independence came to me naturally.Nevertheless, being a mischievous boy, evil thoughts began to crowd my mind when my eyes fell on the ball.
Basically, that’s how I ended up here. And now, my confidence was wavering. I looked back, and I realized that I was a long way from home.
“Perhaps someone living over the other side might be able to help me…” I pondered. As if on cue, the ball rolled down the stoned path, beckoning me to follow. I was too young to realize the enormity of the situation then. A young boy, wandering away from home, chasing after a ball that was leading him astray. Unbelievable.
The rustling of leaves jolted me into the present. I whipped around, but I was unable to find anything peculiar. Surprisingly, the ball had stopped rolling, as if it had also sensed a presence. Mustering up my courage, I decided to peer into the bush. The thorns pricked my skin, and the dim light made my task even harder. However, my hands stroked against a cold metal. And to my astonishment, it was a pocket sized, golden-framed mirror. The pale moonlight shone off it, giving it an eerie glow.
“This might come in handy,” I thought as I pocketed it. It was only then did I realize that the atmosphere of the surroundings had changed drastically. The old trees were twisted and gnarled, much like the fingernails of an old lady. The leaves had long withered away, and the ground looked like an unkempt Persian carpet. The temperature had dropped several degrees, and it was unusually quiet. Unexpectedly, the howl of a...