The Mystery

THE MYSTERY
BY
RICHARD COTTON
                  I opened my eyes slowly as the buzzer on my alarm clock buzzed like that of a small wasp trying to borrow its way into my brain. Looking around I found my self laying down on a rough wooden floor with in a room with two doors to leave by.  I then tried to remember who I was and where I was. But the buzzing sound wouldn’t let me. I sat up slowly and glanced around again to make sure the room hadn’t changed.  But no there still was nothing. It was void of anything that would help me find out where I was. I got up onto my feet unsteadily as the room span as I did so. But it soon settled and my vision returned. I could hear water dripping on the ceiling. I would have to find out what was dripping up there, but for now I had to get out of this room. So I decided to go through the left hand door first. As I moved my feet felt like lead balloons. But I couldn’t worry about that. There was no door out of this room. But it was strangely lit by an eerie green light. Yet there was no windows to let any light in. this room was also empty apart from a large wooden chest in the room. On looking closer I found that this had a coded lock on a large hasp. I checked my pockets to see if there were any pieces of papers with codes on, but there was nothing. So I turned back as here was nowhere to go from this room.
                        Going back through the room I woke up in and out through the right hand door. This third room was to have no furniture, but there was some stairs going up in the far end of the room, and just to my left there was stairs going down. Then I noticed three pipes going up into a room above on the left hand side wall.  I walked over to the pipes to notice a spoon just placed next to them. Kneeling down next to them I saw that the also had small wheels on them. These turned when I tried them, but why they where there I had no idea. So I decided to go down stairs first. The lower rooms had normal light from bulbs that were hidden somewhere from my view.  The stairs led to another room. This one had some things in. There was a grandfather clock stood to the right of the room. It wasn’t working so that was no help in knowing what the time was.  To the left of this there was a large book case. It still had the odd book on its dusty shelves. To the centre of the room there was a table. On its dust filled top there was two clean grey slim tiles. Looking closer I noted they had computer chips and wires on them.  Next to these there was a silver coin. I picked this up first. On one side there was a picture of Queen Elizabeth the second. I turned it over to the face side and found that it had been defaced by someone scratching in three numbers. Then I remembered that the chest had a lock on with three figures on, so this must be the combination to it.
                At first I thought of going and opening the lock, but put it off till I had looked at the other objects in this room first. So I went over to the clock and book shelf. Looking at the books yielded nothing of help to me. Some of the books even fell apart when touched. So I went to the clock next. This was old with lots of dust on the outside casing. The clock it self had stopped working at ten past two. I saw that I could open the bottom door of the casing. Inside I saw the pendulum with all its fixings. Then I spotted an envelope. It stood out has it wasn’t dusty like the rest of the clock. It had been placed in the far corner too, which meant it should have been dusty. I picked the envelope up. I opened the leaf and unfolded the paper with in. It was a latter. It had been typed with a modern computer. So I started to read it.
     ‘Dear Mike
                            I’m sorry to do this to you, but if you are reading this letter it means you are now been held at a location somewhere that I can’t get you back from. The only information I can give you is that the first wheel needs to be left alone. The middle wheel needs to be turned to the left twice, and the right wheel needs to be turned once right.
        Yours Stephen’
             So Mike must be my first name then. But how did this Stephen know I was going to find his letter and when did he put it into the clock. With these two things puzzling me I decided I couldn’t find answers just standing here. I turned and went back up the stairs. I walked over to the pipes. Bending down I took out the letter to cross check what I had to do. Then having finished with the wheels as the letter said I noticed that the water had stopped dripping. Turning around I soon noticed that there was now a round metal disc on the left wall in the room I had woke up in. The disk had four slots in. These where round like the disc I had found. I placed the two I had found in two of the slots. Then I decided to go and open the chest next.
               I went back to the chest. Knelt down to get a closer look at the lock. Then I took the coin out and read the four numbers that had been scratched into its surface. Then I turned the tumblers to match the same numbers in order. The lock snapped open and fell to the floor with a thud. It took me some effort to prise the lid open has the hinges were stiff. I looked to the inside of the chest. There were some dusty clothes piled into the chest. Some even had cobwebs on them. There was a musty smell to all of it. I decided to take them out as it seemed odd that the chest was locked for some dusty old clothes.  At the bottom I found a long thin white fuse and a diary. The diary had been wrapped very carefully in a sealed plastic bag and looked out of place in this chest. Then I saw a label on the front of the diary.
‘To Mike’
It was meant for me then. But again this was a new item placed under old ones.  So I glanced at the red embossed cover of the diary. There I saw the year imprinted in gold glitter. 2065, but if that was the year how come the clothes looked older than that. I stood up and left the room. The last place to go was up stairs. These creaked has I went upwards. This made me feel very nervous and I thought at least two times that I wouldn’t reach the top in one piece. Yet I did. On the landing I saw there were two rooms up here. One was the bathroom and the other was the bed room. Well I thought it was the bed room. There was no bed and again no window. Over on the far right wall there was a fuse box with on space empty in which would fit the fuse I had picked up. Then there was another grandfather clock. I went straight to that and opened the door. Inside was the third tile. I t was clean and free of dust. I was getting used to this now. Taking the tile I then went to the fuse box. I placed the fuse into the empty slot. Then flicked the switch. I soon noticed a low hum now filled the whole place. It wasn’t too bad, but just enough to be noticed.  Having nothing else in the room I went over to the bath room to see what there was there. The toilet and bath was white in colour. But the bath looked old, whilst the toilet looked very new. Then I saw the green sink this was out of place with the bath and toilet. Under the sink there was a two door cupboard.  To the right of this there was a bath room cabinet, its mirror cracked but not so much that couldn’t still see my face. Looking back at me was a place faced man. I had dark brown eyes that were deep set. My curly light brown hair looked well kept even though I had been here for sometime. I turned the cold tap. A small thin stream of clear water trickled out into the sink. I splashed what I could on to my face to make me feel refreshed.  After this I knelt down to the cabinet under the sink. Inside I found a rusty small brass key and a ripped note.
‘Mike I love you…’
Yes that was all there was as the rest had been torn off. Leaving me no idea what the rest said. It had been written by hand. Did it mean I had a lover, and what was her name? If it was a woman. I bent up again and turned to the bath cabinet. I slid open the door. Inside hid behind the pill bottles there was a small metal door where the brass key would fit. I put the key in and opened the door with ease. Inside I found the last grey tile and a flat thin book. I took both of them out of the nook. I had a quick glance at the title of the book.
‘Travel in time and space’ By Mike Saunders. Somehow I felt that this must be my full name. So why would I write a book and not remember that I had done so. I left the bath room and headed back down the stairs ending back in the room where I woke up.  I reached up to the metal plate and placed the four tiles into the four slots each fitted with a special notch so that they would only fit in one order. Once I had placed the last one the hum of the room changed. It reached a peek where it was starting to hurt my ears. Then there was bright flash of light. This blinded me for a few seconds. But soon my sight returned. I soon noticed that the tiles had disappeared to be replaced by two grey metal doors. I noticed they were ornately decorated with brass figures of birds and trees. Next to the doors there was one button. I walked over to the doors and pressed the button. The door slid open with a hiss. I saw that behind the door there was a square metal room its walls had dints in all around the four of them. The white ceiling light buzzed slightly. I stepped into the room. Turning around I noted there was three buttons on three inside of the room. I looked closely at them to see if they could give me any indication what button did what. So taking my life in my own hands I pressed the very top button.  The doors snapped shut too quickly for me to do anything to get out of this room. I waited a few seconds but nothing else happened. So I pressed the bottom one. The doors hissed open. Outside was still the same. The room I awoke in. this left the middle button. Pressing the top one made the doors shut again. I slowly reached out to the middle one sweat dripping down my forehead. Thoughts of an explosion went through my head think that this last button would finish me off for good. Could I risk it, but I had to know what would happen with that last button. Finally I pressed it and waited for the end to come. It seemed like a life time before the metal room trembled. I felt it rising slowly upwards. I let my breath go now that there was no explosion. I didn’t know where I was going but at least it was better than been trapped in the lower rooms. The metal room slowed to a stand still and all was quiet again. I pressed the bottom button. Outside I saw that now I was stopped at a short metal corridor that led to a single wooden door. I hoped that this door was unlocked as I hadn’t found any other keys around. My calf high black leather boots echoed as I walked down the corridor. I hoped that this led to the outside and it was warm out there as all I had on was my white Arran knitted jumper, brown cotton short sleeved shirt, Denim jeans and short cotton brow ankle socks with those leather boots.  I had reached the door and it was too late to turn back now. I reached out to the knob and stopped my self. I looked around the door to see if there were any traps there to stop me opening this door, but couldn’t see anything.  All seemed fine, but I still felt nervous as I placed my hand on that knob.  I twisted it and the door swung outwards. I stepped through the open door with great caution. I felt the warm sun shine down and a light breeze blowing across the doorway bringing with it a smell of pine trees. I went to move towards the blue sea I could see ahead when something sharp hit me from behind and my world blacked out. I awoke slowly to the sound of whale song echoing off the far walls around me. Now what was happening?