Past: Alnwick’s Gardens
T he night Lewis took the mushroom he’d fallen to his knees in the Pillar’s arms. The impact was too strong, and he couldn’t handle it, though he needed to find the March as soon as possible to tell him before he forgot forever.
It was an emotional moment for Lewis. An opportunity for the Pillar.
“Feeling weary, Lewis?” he said, holding Lewis in his arms. “It will soon pass. Just keep with it.”
“I think I will regret taking the mushroom later.”
“Oh you will,” the Pillar smirked. “But we’re all full of regrets, aren’t we?”
“What if I die before I go to the March?” Lewis coughed.
The Pillar knew Lewis wasn’t going to die but saw the opportunity right away. “Maybe tell me, Lewis. What is it you want to forget?”
“The location of the Six Keys,” Lewis, under the influence, spilled the beans.
“Six Keys? What do they do?” the Pillar asked, though years later he’d regret not asking where they were.
“They control the world.”
The Pillar rolled his eyes. “Ah, that cliched trope that some keys or ring holds all the evil in the world?”
“It’s not that,” Lewis said. “Mr. Jay found a secret to controlling the children of the world.”
“Children?” the Pillar scoffed. “Who would want to control those obnoxious creatures?”
“Imagine having access to a child’s mind,” Lewis said. “Imagine you’re the devil and have a magic potion that helps you insinuate all bad ideas and believes into a child’s heart and soul.”
The Pillar liked it. “That’s interesting, Lewis. So it wasn’t you who discovered this power?”
“I spent my life opposing it,” Lewis said. “Mr. Jay has it. I stole the magic from him, and now he is lost without it. The dream of his next generation under his influence is gone.”
“So you hid it? The secret?”
“The secret to the most precious thing.”
“Most precious thing?” the Pillar grimaced. “Ah, of course, to you children are a most precious thing. Obnoxious little bratty monsters to me. How did you steal the power from Mr. Jay by the way?”
Lewis was about to say but dozed off again in the Pillar’s hands.