The book of gifts

Special note - { } used when the character is thinking internally.

In a chilly night, when the moon was the highest. In a particular grave yard, which was located on top the mountains, where petty ghosts could be roaming by any minute, occasionally sounds produced by crows could be heard loudly.

Suddenly a sound produced by a cough could be heard by one, if present at this moment.

A grey color tombstone started to shake slightly, a minor disturbance could be seen in that particular grave.

" Cough! Cough! It's suffocating. "

The first thing that entered our protagonist sight was darkness, and he could very well feel himself suffocating due to lack of air around him. He was bounded up in a close compact space. Which he feels to be a flat wooden box.

{ Which bastard is trying to play tricks on me? Tomorrow's the day, when this daddy is gonna have his marriage, becomming a husband at last. Even if you have some grievance with me and really do hate me to the core, bastards, locking me up in a box! This isn't fun at all! }

Looking at his past, Zed Theodore, the name of our protagonist, was from an ordinary middle class family. He had completed his masters in literature, later got a well settled job as an assistant professor in a reputed collage.

He was going to marry his childhood sweetheart, who was present along his side since his early years. In good days as well as his bad times till now, she had never stopped supporting him. He was naturally excited to have such a caring girlfriend and was about to become her husband, but was rotting in a wooden box at present.

Enjoying his bachelor's party in a high end bar alongside his friends, he hangover the night. Drinking alcohol, racing cars, dancing alongside the girls, singing songs and at finally b**ging their a** late nights, after getting high in hotel beds. He was quite busy the night, last day.

Sobering at the hotels at late nights, waiting for the sun to rise, he went for the bed to take a short nap, since tomorrow was also gonna be a busy schedule again, but by the time he opens his eyes again, he found himself trapped in a wooden box, which didn't even had a ventilation facility.

{ Shit! The air's not gonna last for long, I quickly need to find a way, to break apart the wooden box, if not this daddy will really meet his end here and this bloody box would really become my grave. }

" Ah~~~~~~~ "

Bam! Bam! Bam!

He crouched his knees towards his abdomen and intake a deep breath before launching his kicks. Using all his accumulated strength Feng long started kicking the lid hopping that it may break apart any moment from now.

{ These bastards, they nailed the lid tightly! }

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Regardless of weather the lid was nailed or it wasn't, he did not had the luxury to worry about that part, as every second counts for his survival, and wasting one could turn deadly. He continued kicking the lid.

Crack!

Few cracks started to appear over the lid, tough he was not able to see them at the current darkness, he was still able to clearly listen to the sounds of wood cracking above, which started to pump his confidence. He started to pour every ounce of his strength over his legs and started kicking them more vigorously than earlier.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Crack! Crack!

Loose grainy sand which was still fresh after burying, started spilling over his face. Which started to increase in quantity and the flow after receiving each of his ongoing kicks.

{ Great! within few more kicks it may finally break apart. }

Boom!

Surprisingly his next ongoing kick had broke apart the lid completely, and all the sand above the wooden box started pouring inside. He quickly crouched to a circular ball, until all the sand which had entered in had settled, and he made out his way easily through them, since the soil was fresh and loose.

He took few deep breaths before looking around, the place he was buried earlier.

" Fuck you sick bastards! This is a coffin..... wait! What happened to my mature voice? It feels childish. Did I hurt my throat earlier.. no!It feels different... my body! The fuck, I had turned into a kid! "

He almost cursed his friends for locking him, since they were the only ones close to him, who were sobering alongside him. Finding out that not only was his voice turned to that of a kid, his body size was also shrunken down to that of a 10 year old kid.

Zed was also angered for an another cause, was he not buried shallow or the wooden coffin used was not made of cheap wood, his chances of getting out were almost nil, considering his current build.

He started panicking, but had calmed down immediately and reason out, what was exactly happening with his body?

{ Am I still dreaming! It must be a night mare then. Every thing should turn back to normal once I sleep again. }

He tried sleeping for a minute, but had to quickly abandon the delusion of a dream, as the rotten smell of flesh and bones started entering his nose, noises made by crows, the cool winds that hit against his face and the chill sandy bed below, every thing felt too realistic for him to be a dream.

" Fuck this isn't a dream, it feels real! "

{ Did some mad scientist abducted my body for experimentation or did I turned into an undead? No, I can still feel my heart beating soundly. }

Since he wasn't dreaming, the possibility of him being abducted by secret organization to undergo illegal experimenting, conducted by mad scientist still prevailed his mind, but the technology of earth had not advanced to a point where a person's soul could be transferred to others or creating a zombie and such which were still non existent.

So this is really my original body, does that mean I had been given a strange drug, which made my body shrink, like those I had seen in movies and novels. " But still, where am I ? "

" Tombstones.... no not just that.... a grave yard! You sickos you buried me in a grave yard today, when my marriage schedule was gonna take place the next day. Don't let me find you bastards or else this daddy's gonna punch your face until your birth mothers fails at recognizing you! "

He became extremely angry since his most cherished moment was stolen from him, even if he some how returns back to city, could his lover still be able to identify him, but suddenly a voice promoted his brain, that had startled him.

" Ding! Tester had passed the initial trial (1/3) trial of wit . Proceeding for middle trial (2/3) trial of courage. "

Author's notes :

Characters added:

Zed Theodore - Name of protagonist.