6 The Magic of the Aurora Light - Part 6

Up close, I couldn't help but stretch my hand out and touch the ray of light.

It felt warm and gentle against my skin. I cocked my head to one side.

"Wow! This is so surreal," I said softly in wonder. Then I reached my other hand out, the one still holding onto the necklace, and once again, I felt the warmth of the light caressing my skin. Wondering what it would be like if my whole body were to pass through it, I did just that.

I slowly walked through the aurora, and the moment I did so, I felt a force pulling at me, snatching me up so suddenly that I gasped and became breathless. Then I found myself gently falling, floating through the emptiness of space, as my surroundings turned into darkness, followed by a burst of brilliant light passing through me.

"Oh my God!" I said breathlessly, my eyes darting around me in a panic as I clutched my hands, and the necklace, against my chest. "What's happening?"

I was about to start screaming when I found myself being gently pulled back, and then I was in the pool again, the hot spring water surrounding me, caressing me, telling me I was back where I had been before, at the bathhouse.

With my heart still racing, I said, "Oh my God, what was that?"

Was I dreaming a moment ago? Was it even real? With me falling and floating in the darkness and then all those lights and stars surrounding me and passing through me?

Then just to make sure I hadn't been dreaming a mere moment ago, I looked up, and sure enough, I noticed that the aurora was still there, this time on the other side of me, clearly telling me that what had happened was real.

Just as I was about to touch the aurora and walk through it again, to test and see if I'd go through that experience again, I heard loud noises coming from outside. I could faintly make out men shouting, footsteps running, and loud stomping against the earth. And then there was that continuous humming of engines.

The voices of the men shouting were getting louder, which suddenly freaked me out.

Shit! Had something happened while I was bathing? Earthquake? But here along the East Coast? And what of the aurora? Had that had anything to do with what was happening outside?

I turned to look at the aurora once again. It was still there, glowing so brilliantly and elegantly. I had to admit that it was a weird phenomenon, all right. I was certain that aurora didn't appear here on St. James Island, and this scenario was definitely not normal.

I hastily got out of the pool and rushed over to the bench where I had left my belongings. Suddenly, I came to a stop because there was no bench.

"Gone!" I said, breathless. "What? Where did it go? The bench? My bag? My clothes? My glasses?"

In a panic, I scanned the place, thinking that I must have become disorientated due to what had happened in the pool earlier. This, in turn, led me to walk in the wrong direction. If so, then the bench, along with my bag and other belongings, should be on the other side of the room instead of here.

I turned around and marched to my right, feeling hopeful. But then my stomach sank the moment I noted that there was no bench on this side of the room either. I felt a cold sweat settling on my skin as my eyes darted around the place. That was when it hit me.

The place looked different. This bathhouse didn't look like it had been newly renovated by Dad with simple, modern material. This place looked like it had always been like this, with fancy wall columns and intricate designs.

What the hell? This hot spring looked like a Roman bathhouse in ancient times, with marble walls, floor, and ceiling.

I panicked. Oh God, I'm not in a dream, am I? I didn't read too many of Dad's fantasy books and am now having a lucid dream about them, right?

I rubbed my eyes and even pinched my skin. "Ouch!" I exclaimed. I felt pain, so I knew I wasn't dreaming. This was real. Everything around me was real.

"Clothes," I said as I scanned the place once more in a state of dread, looking for something to wear. After all, I didn't want to be naked while in a state of confusion and panic, more so if someone happened to walk in and find me here.

Through the misty haze of steam and my shortsighted vision, I saw a bunch of clothes I had not notice before lying on the floor not too far away. I rushed over and picked them up, frowning as I looked them over. These were like nothing I had ever seen. One was a pair of dark pants, while the other was a blouse and jacket. They looked a little bit like cosplay but more authentic, like those that belonged in the middle ages but still had a sense of modernism to them, since the pants had a zipper and the blouse and jacket had buttons.

The clothes, though plain in color—black pants, off-white blouse, and an earthy-brown jacket—were still rather stylish with frills and embroideries.

Should I put these on? I wondered. They weren't mine and I didn't want to steal, but…

Suddenly, loud banging noises erupted in the air, and I jumped in fright.

Holy shit! Guns? Rifles? Seriously?

With shaky hands, I pulled the necklace over my head and rested it around my neck for safekeeping. Next, I pulled on the trousers. Luckily, they fit. Thank God. Then I put on the blouse, buttoning it up all the way to my throat. I hastily put on the jacket, which was loose on me.

I didn't have time to appraise my overall appearance or to think what I looked like with this foreign clothing on because those damned frightening noises were getting louder, which meant that whatever was happening outside the bathhouse was getting closer to where I was, too.

Once done, I rushed over to the door. There, I came to a sudden halt as I stared at the mighty frame in shock.

It wasn't Dad's new wooden door! It was a massive stone wall of a door.

"Shit!" I muttered under my breath.

Again, the voices of men shouted in that chaotic state, along with the sound of rifles going off and a loud engine humming noisily in the background, which only worked to frighten me even more witless.

God, I honestly hoped it wasn't World War III going on out there. America hadn't been invaded in the silence of the night, had it?