I immediately ran out my broken door thus, breaking it even some more. Focused only on what was in store waiting for me sitting in the vault. I assaulted running at full pace yet again squeezing into any available space through the student maze. Their angered gaze, as I ran by, turned into cries of "Don't run!" but this mystery that was spun in my mind needed to be more clearly defined.

Quickly finding the stairs I took care to hold on tight to the railing despite my speed. I proceeded to fly down the stairwell and almost fell headfirst. Immersed too much in my head into what lied ahead not minding my steps instead. Coming to a dead stop at the bottom I was presented with a large cast iron door our misbegotten relic from the War. It roared with cracks and creaks as I bore its weight to unseat. As my motion headed me straight down an underground hall my footsteps echoing off the walls as I walked. I finally came to stand in front of our vault. My thoughts coming across all this supernatural design whilst I tried to remind myself of the combination. To my elation, I was right on the first try. As I pulled the door back I was immediately attacked by a blast of air. Preparing myself for a surprise my eyes scanned to where it should stand and there it was perched on a shelf. Personally, I was stunned and immediately thumbed through my coat sleeve to retrieve the map from my office not being cautious at all I grabbed and pawed at my coat. But that seemed to be all she wrote because it was gone.

Withdrawn my perceive, this was too hard to believe. I could not conceive of where it went did time somehow circumvent preventing the two from existing next to each other? This discover only lead to more questions instead. I just couldn't wrap my head around what was spread out before me. I receded back to my office being more cautious of mind. Was this the divine trying to give me a sign?

Still unable to define the missing map The next day I aimed to meet Henry at noon at the Gold Doubloon. Soon enough I was packing up my stuff and running late as anticipated. Quite irritated by the traffic downtown I frowned upon our lack of headway as it seemed we stayed still for five minutes until I told my driver to let me out. A stout walk would do me some good and ensured his payment was procured. Assured I would make better time on foot I hoofed it the rest of the way and finally came to stay at a horrible auto wreck that sent chills down my spine.

Intertwine the twisted steel, blood spilled out on the ground. Drowning out the grayish tone of the street's cobblestone. My own knees became weak after seeing mangled bodies leaning out of what was once a large bus. Plus some of them were still alive screaming to be provided help.

Yelping at the top of her lungs a young woman screamed "My baby!" "My baby!" Maybe if whatever sliced this child's skull had been dull but he was now just a lifeless hull. Quickly pulled from her hands by a well-intentioned man he tried to help her understand her baby was dead and yelled "Lady he is gone!" Spawned from the pits of hell this sight was too gruesome to tell.

I fell to my knees to conceive of such grotesqueness indeed it would impede into a man's eternal soul. To behold such loss of life nary could one invite the devil to take his fill. My will to look any more strained. I aimed to walk away as my stomach churned. More concerned with keeping my lunch down I found the strength to move around the length of the bus and adjusted my stride to guide me towards the front and that's when I was confronted with Henry.

He knelt in a pool of blood embracing his beautiful dove. His love was crushed head-on. Too forgone for breath, death had taken Sadie first. The reaper's thirst this day wouldn't be swayed. As he laid her body down her gown soaked in crimson red the roses meant as her present glowed incandescent in the sun as one by one they were blown away. Today Sadie's spirit was delivered from whence it came. Claimed way too soon many would later come to say.

The portrait of a crushed man Henry could barely stand. Lending him a hand I assisted him to the sidewalk. While he talked in a gasping tone repeating "No!" "No!" "No!" Being bestowed a twist of fate he wasn't ready to take my thoughts were this might mentally break him. Such a sin to lose the one that won your heart well before you two could even start.

Imparted such a loss Henry started to slowly grow detached from faculty and friends extending no effort nor perceive of comradery towards them. Condemning himself to his study he uttered barely a word when I would turn to him to say.

"How was your day?"

Instead, he would just stay behind closed doors and ignore the rest of the world. So one day I decided to hurl myself past said door just as he had done with mine only months before and what was in store well, I was not quite prepared for. Before my eyes wad the Pulchura stone sitting aglow on his hearth emanating forth a light brighter than the sun. It seemed he had begun to open a portal to, I dare say another time and place. Displayed before my eyes was a different skyline defined by its own sun. None of it looked familiar. Figures of humans went about their day walking every which way completely unaware they were being stared at. Unprepared to look into another time my mind was unable to define what I saw.

Henry was desperately pawing through a book looking quite bedraggled. His dabbling in this sorcery scared me. He had the map sitting at his side so I decided to stride in with an attempt to win out his mind with a plea to his rationale side. Sliding it within his view I skewed the map upside down and cried aloud.

"Unshroud your mind what you are doing will redefine time!" "If you climb into that portal your mortal soul is at risk from the vipers kiss!" "Here!" "Forming amidst the script is advise you remain out of the tear."

But Henry didn't care, his mourning was too strong. Apparently all along he had known something would go wrong.

Henry: "That day when I first grasped the stone it was Sadie I saw and knew I needed to atone for her death." "And it will be done to my last breath!" "I will fetch her from the busses path just before the reaper's wrath."

"This scath cannot be undone what has begun will come into fruition!" "Position yourself in gratitude instead of this crazy latitude of changing time." "I can't even define what you are about to do." "Also, conclude the snake bite will invite your doom."

Henry just quickly resumed his tasks intent to prevent Sadie's death. The depth of his love was put above even his own life. His design to change time itself could well be considered insane but his aims were steadfast despite their vast ramifications they would most certainly make.

Taking the stone, the map and an ancient scroll wrapped up in a sack he said "goodbye" whilst applying his firm handshake in which to take his leave and stepped into the portal to weave a time of his own design. A sublime flash of light blinded my sight then he was gone. Drawn to fix an unkind twist of fate for a love that had no relate.



Nine months had passed since I saw Henry last and then as if happenstance an article was plastered across the front page of that Sunday's post. Governor Baldwin was hosting a celebration to toast his daughter's marriage to a Mr. Arthur Locke Esq. and I was immediately shocked. Henry had obviously knocked Sadie out of the path of the bus but what became of him?

Though a slim chance of me getting in I crashed the wedding party anyway. Staying off to the side as to not provide any signs I didn't belong my dress was well out-classed for all the invited aristocrats. As I sat in the church pew Sadie finally came into view all dressed in white she was really quite the sight. All the hype was right, a real beauty that would ignite the heart of any young man able to stand in her presence. The essence of a perfect woman I'd dare say, but to pay the ultimate price just to suffice fate I couldn't relate. Secretly I prayed Henry was awaiting her hand in some faraway distant land.

I scanned the room presuming he may be watching from afar when I spied a bizarre man standing between a Duke and a group of his guards. A hard stare was needed but it was Henry secreted behind the collar of a thick pleated coat seemingly devote to remain aloof you could barely see his face with dark sunglasses strategically placed to displace any account of his attendance. It took tremendous will for me not to immediately spill out of my seat and not greet him. But, instead, I went ahead and waited for the ceremony to be vacated. Then I wasted no time climbing through the stragglers. Once through the laggers, I immediately stopped and was shocked Henry was gone. Though my brawny stare hadn't withdrawn but an inch it was though he did know I was coming to bestow greetings and reputed us meeting or seeing each other though we were considered as brothers.

Suffering the next morn was difficult my emotions very worn from losing a friend. On my way to attend that morning's meeting for a fleeting second, I passed the faculty pictures cast on the wall but Henry's was completely gone. Thereon its place was yet another man's face. A Reginald R. Johnson replaced Henry's spot. I was shocked, to say the least, but then I asked myself was his presence completely ceased? I Immediately policed the school files dialing through every scrap possibly attached to Henry's name and I came out null not a single record to pull.

Full of woe realizing no one would know Henry's sacrifice to keep the status quo. I lengthened my post-meeting stroll back into the old wing of the school to cool my mind and try to realign with this daily grind though secretly hoping to find my old friend extend one last appearance before his story ended. Just then, a wad of paper presented itself on the floor. Unencumbered to explore I bore its unexpected weight and to satiate my curiosity. The impossibility I saw left me in awe when I realized it was the Pulchra Stone but... but.... how did he get it home? Combing through the paper scrap used as a sack I was taken quite aback when I read the wraps contents. It was context was written by Henry.


~I owe you my life, without you pointing out the warning advise. I would have arise every day trying to push Sadie out of the way for an eternity to stay. I played the stone's game and came to one conclusion. My exclusion from this time made it realign without me I would have to stay away from my love living another day in with me in play. In fact, you may be the only one to remember what I have done to allow Sadie to continue on. Don courage for I will be fine but to keep this timeline define I ask that you crack the stone never again allowing someone else to own this future I have alone have grown.~


Being shown these words I couldn't help turning my concerns towards Henry. In what century did he now exist? Was he adrift in some ancient time trying to redefine our current line? Or resigned from participating at all just stalled in some distant place just waiting for natural death to take its place?

Well, I wouldn't debase his devotion so in one quick motion I slammed the stone against the floor but I was quite unprepared for what was in store. Moored within its crystalline cage was an enraged serpent demon. Steaming as it unfurled its wings it did sing an ungodly tone as a portal opened up to take it home to hell. It didn't sell on its new destination and the devil's creation grabbed my leg attempting to peg me within its reach. I unseated its hand and quickly landed on the other side of the hall falling on some unused lockers. They rocked as I fell and came to dwell on top of me. My attempts to free myself now were in vain as they lay on top of me the entity still coming to take me away. Then, as if laying in wait from behind Henry showed to turn fate's incline. He grabbed the beast by its tail pulling it down into the abyss from which he was avail. Permitting the portal to quickly close before my eyes.

It was then, I realized that the Pulchura stone's magic came from the devil's aims. Sadie's twist of fate must have been by a deal Henry had made with it to steal her away from the reaper's stay. Not ok with the sacrifice that upended my best friend I knew it was then that I would have to repair the stone in order to throw myself back into a forbidden time crack.

So the next time an offer to give you divine powers comes your way I'd offer you stay true to yourself no matter the wealth or what the past has put you through. To pursue such folley will volley misfortune in your path and could cast you to an eternity lashed into fire.
© Peter Gunn