NOVEL NEXT Into the Tunnel
Chapter 39 Into the Tunnel
The two walked for a few minutes until they reached a non-descript wall resembling any other wall in the corridor. But when Kailey stopped to question the witch hat why they had stopped there, the hat paused and activated some magic. Some of the rocks in the wall began to enclave into the wall and then extend back to their normal position like a pressure plate contraption. After several more sequences, the hat huffed in exhaustion, exclaiming, "Whew, I believe that did the trick."
As the witch hat sagged in exhaustion, the illusion enchantment disappeared, revealing a tunnel in front of them. The tunnel was small, only big enough for a child. Due to her curse consuming most of the nutrition from the food she ate, it meant she hadn't grown much. She was smaller than other girls her age. Kailey knelt to examine the tunnel, asking the hat, "Do you know if this tunnel can bear my weight? I mean. You are as light as a feather. How do you know if it can support my weight."
"I can assure you that the tunnels and walls in this ruin are still as strong as ever. The only things that have broken in this ruin or eroded were the perishable foodstuffs," the hat explained, quelling Kailey's doubts. Kailey, unsure, began crawling through the unlit tunnel that was lightly filled with dust, sneezing a bit as the dust went into her nose and mouth. Just as she thought of turning back, she saw a dim light ahead of her. Now, with something to look forward to, Kailey persevered onward. After a few more minutes of crawling, Kailey reached the opening. She gently lowered herself to the ground and checked her surroundings.
She saw a room filled with various old and weathered books, showing time had taken its toll on them. As Kailey was about to approach the books, she felt something hit her in the back. When she turned to see what had hit her, she saw the witch hat drifting to the floor. Curious about the place, Kailey asked the hat about it. "Wow, this place is amazing! I've never seen anything like it. Even the ruins I've trekked through never had spaces like these. Or maybe I never found the hidden path to them. Anyway, what is this place? It's amazing!"
The hat responded to her question smugly, with pride. "Well, after exploring the entire ruin, I started collecting the random scraps of paper and books I found and stored them here. I have, of course, read all of the stuff in here and have categorized them, but I don't think I'll be able to tell you the book's content, just where they are stored." While the hat was explaining things, Kailey began impatiently fidgeting, wishing she could go to the shelves to find a cure for her curse.