Fate

Young Jonathan Tyler was safely in bed while visions of video games and cell phones danced in his head. At least as safe as you can be in New York City. I mean you can never be to sure, yes the doors were locked but would that really do? You can never ever be to sure. It may have been fate… or maybe, just maybe it was because of something else, something more evil and sinister. All I can say is that the chimney should have been blocked that night.

12 year old Jonathan Tyler woke to the sound of Christmas carols coming from his bed side radio. Jonathan sat up and slammed the button on his radio to stop the carols so maybe he could get more sleep. It was so dark and he couldn’t remember why he would set the alarm so early. He let his head drop back on to his pillow and rolled on to his side. He could only just make out the numbers and letters on his digital clock, although he knew that the number 25 was special, he was so dazed he could not recall why. Why, why was the number 25 so important? He decided to turn the radio back on. The song had ended and the radio host was speaking “today the weather is 23°F and boy is it coming down it’s been doing this all night sure wouldn’t have wanted to be the big man last night.” Jonathan turned off the clock radio. How could he have been so stupid? How could he not know what today was? He had a sudden rush of energy he leapt out of bed and sprang down the stairs.

No one was up and the clock said 5:00AM. He swerved around the kitchen counter and slid into the living room and there it was. His Aztec gold, his pirate treasure, in the middle of the living room was a mountain of bountiful gifts. He ran back up the stairs bashed into his parent’s room and yelled “IT’S CHRISTMAS!!!” He ran right back out of the bed room for there was still more work to be done. He bounced up the stairs and careened right into the wall. He shook his head and ran into his brothers room screaming repetitively “IT’S CHRISTMAS IT’S CHRISTMAS!!!” He sprinted back for the living room and from the hallway emerged two tired parents and an excited little brother.

After opening presents, Jonathan had 3 sweaters, 10 pairs of socks, an ipod, 3 games, 1 cell phone and 1 box of cookies. Jonathan just finished breakfast when he noticed one more present lying under the Christmas tree. Jonathan approached it and asked, “Has any one dropped a present?”

“I don’t think so,” replied David, Jonathan’s father. Jonathan read the tag. There was no name of who it was from. Jonathan looked all over the package and found that on the tag it stated the present was for him. He opened the gift shredding the paper. When he had ripped the paper bit by bit he discovered that the gift was a book with a symbol on it like a medieval illuminated capital F.

Jonathan opened the book and as he did so he saw the book title Fate. Fate thought Jonathan, what kind of title is fate? Jonathan continued to flip through the book. There wasn’t an author or publisher as there are in other books. There was no table of contents or prologue either. He flipped to the last page…it was blank. He began to flip backwards. He discovered that all the pages but one were blank. This is odd thought Jonathan. He began to read the first paragraph.

Church bells rang as he ate his lunch. It was a busy afternoon and the streets were filled. He was with his best friend at one of his favorite pizza parlors. It was warm for winter and the sun was high. But little did he know he was in grave danger. A red BMW was zipping down the street at an alarming rate of speed. The car was heading in the direction of the pizza parlor and had no intention of stopping. He herd screaming and saw the car inches away from the side walk still driving at top speed. He saw it smash through the big glass window and it was headed straight for him.

The paragraph ended there. What a strange book thought Jonathan. Why would someone send him a book that only had one paragraph? Jonathan took the book into the kitchen and threw it out. This book is just too strange he thought. He continued on for the rest of Christmas day enjoying himself and by the end of the day he had forgotten all about the book.

The next day Jonathan had made plans for him and his best friend Fred to go to pizza hut. Boxing Day sales were on and the streets were crowded. Jonathan sat down to lunch with Fred who had already ordered a medium pizza for them. Inside his winter coat made him hot so he took it off.

“Here”, said Fred passing him a slice. After 15 minutes of talking the old clock on the church struck noon and the bells began to ring. Jonathan felt a strange feeling but he didn’t know what it was. He herd a loud noise and screaming and suddenly it all came back to him. He knew what was about to happen. He grabbed Fred and flung him out of the way and jumped to the side. Just then a red sports car came crashing through the window and bashed into the table where Jonathan and Fred had just been.

After the fire department cleared the area Jonathan listened in on the police officers conversation.

“So, any bodies?”
“Nope looks like a runaway car.”
“But how can that be, the car must have been going 100 to cause that much damage.”
“The only thing I can say is that there was no one in the car and even if there was someone, they would be dead. The entire front of the car was crushed.”

No one was driving the car, thought Jonathan things were getting a bit too weird. Jonathan hurried back home, hoping to find what he was looking for. He sped into the house and ran into the kitchen. He opened the trash can and he found at the bottom, the book. He quickly searched the packaging for any thing that could tell him about the book but all he found was a very sharp feather. Why a feather thought Jonathan.

Over the next few days Jonathan thought about the book and feather. In fact he spent most of his time trying to figure it out. He spent so much time on his own working with the book Fred began to wonder what he was doing.

“You know Jon you haven’t really been around lately” said Fred.
“Something’s been bothering me” he replied.
“What is it?” Fred asked.
“Never mind” replied Jonathan.
“Common you can tell me” Fred coaxed.
“Trust me you would never believe me” he said.
“Oh common please” begged Fred.
“Fine but you can never tell anyone ok?”

Fred agreed and Jonathan explained all about the foretelling book along with what he read about their near death experience. He also told him about the feather, that he questioned so much.

“So the, so the car was, but what about?” Fred stuttered.
“Yep that’s right” Jonathan replied.
“So what you mean to say is that you have a book that made the car crash into the pizza parlor?”
“Yes and if you want I’ll show you” said Jonathan.
“Ok” Fred said in astonishment.

So Jonathan took Fred to his house to show him the strange and mysterious book. A book that could decide fate.

Jonathan entered his room with Fred following close behind. He slipped the book out from under the bed where he had hid it for the past little while. Jonathan dropped the book on the bed.

“So can the book tell you what will happen next?”
“Well no, it doesn’t work quite like that, you see I can’t quite figure out how it works because most of it is blank.”

Jonathan flipped to the first page to show Fred what he meant. However when he flipped to the second page he found writing. Some of the book had been filled in.

“Look”
“Pray running, running some here across our forest.”
“He shall be our pray, let us hunt, let us kill.”
“We shall pounce at the right moment. Soon sooner.”
“NOW!”

It ended.

“What could it mean?” asked Fred.
“I don’t know” said Jonathan confused.

It was strange this paragraph was not like the other. It was written in someone’s perspective. But who was speaking? Who was after the boy they were talking about and who was he? However no matter what he knew this would be trouble.

Christmas vacation had ended and school had started again. Jonathan and Fred were in the library working on the computers.

“Jon, look at this” said Fred.
“What is it Fred?” asked Jonathan.
“I found a web site of ancient myths and Legends. I think I know what we are dealing with. Legends say that there was once a book that was blank and those who wrote in it could have what ever they wished. Unfortunately the book was often used as a weapon because before the creator died by the hands of his enemies he wrote a terrible curse, a curse that the book must destroy its current owner but before they realized it the book would have gotten them. Many people would send the book to unsuspecting victims in order to kill them. The worse part was that for those who tried to destroy it no mater how many times they stabbed it, no matter how many spells they cast, the book could not be destroyed.”
“Fred you may be onto something but why would any one want to send the book to me?”
“I don’t know why, but we need to get rid of it” said Fred.
“Fred didn’t you under stand? It can not be destroyed.”
“Wait, Jon didn’t it say something about writing in it?”
“Ya your right it did, maybe this will help us find out who sent it.”

Since Jonathan didn’t get any work done during the day because he was thinking about the book he had to stay after school. Unfortunately when Jonathan went out side it was already 5 o’clock and there was a police line around an area of the park. Usually Jonathan would just cut across the park to shorten his walk and it was already extremely late. Jonathan avoided the police and snuck under the police line. Quickly he ran through the park until he could jump the second police line. He wondered what the police were doing in the park but he had more important matters to attend to.

He was continuing through the park when he stopped. A chill went up his spine. He felt like many vicious eyes were watching him. He began to walk when all of a sudden he saw in front of him the shape of a dog and two glowing yellow eyes. Quickly he jumped back and grabbed a heavy stick. He struck at the figure, but instead he missed and there was nothing where the creature had been.

All of a sudden he was pushed to the ground. He rolled over and standing over him was a wolf with black fur and from the trees emerged a hundred more. He felt them piling all over him. He felt them tearing his cloths. He felt them sinking their teeth in to his skin. Suddenly every thing was dark.

“WAKE UP!!!”

Jonathan awoke to see a tall man in a trench coat with a big hat.

“Ahh the bald eagle’s feather,” the man said as he held up the feather that came with the book.

It was just about then Jonathan realized where he was.

A storm had blown in and Jonathan was tied up to a pole on the top of the empire states building. Also there were two other poles that a boy and a man were tied to but it was so dark he couldn’t tell who they were.

“The bald eagle is an endangered species you know. Did you also know that in medieval times they used to use feathers dipped in ink for pens. Or perhaps you were just too stupid to know.” said the man who walked over to a search light and pointed it at Jonathan’s face. “Personally I like to use blood.” The man pulled out a knife and cut Jonathans arm. He dipped the feathers tip in the spilling blood. The man pulled out the book and began to write as he spoke out loud “And Jonathan Tyler all of a sudden felt excruciating pain.”

Jonathan felt like he had been stabbed ten times and lived. He heard muffled screaming coming from one of the other poles.

“Oh yes.” Said the man “lets hear from dear old daddy.”

The man in the trench coat pointed the search light at the second pole revealing Jonathans father with a piece of duct tape across his mouth.

“Who are you” Jonathan shouted.
“Yes right we haven’t been properly introduced but no worries I’ll save your father the trouble. Besides I think your father has hurt you enough tonight. Well, you see about twenty years ago your father was poor and had no one to help him. He came to me asking for a loan. I agreed but I told him that if he didn’t pay me back I would have his first born. My name is Robert Domero but you shall call me mercy please mercy!!!”

“But for now lets not talk about you let’s talk about your friend.”

Robert went into the darker corner of the building and came back holding Fred by the collar.

“NO!!!” shouted Jonathan.

By then the rain was coming down pretty hard and the ropes were getting soggy. Jonathan tried to wiggle free and the ropes were coming off slowly but he still needed a bit more time. Robert held Fred over the edge of the roof by his collar.

“Let’s see how easy you crack Jonathan Tyler for not even fate can save your friend now.”
“On the contrary Robert I think it can.”

Jonathan had managed to untie himself and was standing with the book and feather in his hand. He began to write suddenly the knife flew out of Roberts hand and cut Jonathan’s father’s ropes. Robert put Fred down. Jonathan threw the book at Robert and finally three pillars of lightning came down hitting the poles and rebounding in to the center where Robert stood holding the book.

David, Jonathan and Fred all survived. Every thing turned out ok in the end, the book was destroyed and the only thing that could destroy it was itself. Some people thought it was magic but I think it was fate.