Part 5: An Abrupt Halt

Now knowing their purpose,
and far below the surface,
The Winding Staircase halted,
the game was now faulted.
Into Level 25 they must journey,
for their passage will take some searching,
Peter now realized at last,
his journey wore more than one mask.

Peter: Inside this door,
another staircase lays,
perhaps hidden so cleverly,
perhaps sitting out as plain as day.

Alex: We are ready when you are,
our journey has brought us so far.
but keep in mind,
we do not know what dangers might lurk behind.

Peter: Beyond this point,
we stick together.
if we become separated,
this labyrinth of rooms
may keep it that way forever.

Ava: Please, words are useless.
We all know that together
is our only way through this.

Peter: This door is not burned.
It opens freely.
How odd, that we must skip these,
and burn the very last beneath it.

Ava: This floor is completely untouched!
It is lit so well
it seems here,
no body or thing has ever dwelled.

Alex: The rooms are merely frames,
hollow like this home.
This place was never finished,
perhaps there is no staircase in it.

Peter: There must be a passage,
if not it defeats our purpose,
why else would they send us
so far below the surface.

Ava: I feel something is not right,
this thought burns through to my stomach,
though this room is so bright,
gloom is still present on it.

Alex: There is something we are not seeing,
our vision is surely distracted.
This room must have some sort of trick
to finding our passage.

Peter: The floors, they seem to shine
as though they are made of gold.
Perhaps in darkness,
our path may be told.
Break the lights!
The reflection shall die,
we must try for we are wasting time.


Alex: My friend your theory is correct,
the floor casts no more glare.
The staircase surely is hidden
somewhere over there.

Peter: I have found it.
We must press on.
This is where our lives
must become bold.

Part 4: The Winding Staircase: Alex and Ava

Alex: Peter, you must understand,
our past is one of hardship,
because for us, there was never a kind, giving hand.
You were born into wealth and glory,
into what we were born,
is an entirely different story.

Peter: My sympathy my friends,
I admit, I know nothing of the sort.
To you my life seems grand,
but to me my luck seems a burden.

Ava: We grew up in the slums,
and it was extremely cold,
I'm sure you can imagine,
as our home was filled with holes.

Alex: Our parents were kind and loving,
but they worked day and night.
They were always so tired,
and never had time for life.
At night they would give us all their warmth,
we slept so soundly, as if we were told,
while they huddled and shook violently in the cold.

Ava: They loved us oh so much.

Alex: We always had so little to eat.

Ava: So while we ate they starved.

Alex: Oh how they grew so weak.

Alex and Ava: Their bodies couldn't take the cold
it were as if they had grown old,
the sickness came and infected,
our only source of love in this
cruel and hopeless world of ours,
in time they passed and we were left,
alone.

Peter: My friends
this is so terrible.
I have no words to express
how much I ache for your broken hearts.
When we get through this,
you shall accompany me,
back to the mansion,
you are now my family.
Please, I must ask,
how did you end up in this terrible task.

Alex: Shortly after our parents passed,
we feared we would never last.
But alas, we came upon this house,
and Elias was kind enough
to let us come in and work to pay
so we could have a warm place to stay.

Ava: We clean the house,
what little we can,
we cook for and feed the children and old man.
About a month has passed since we were taken in,
and today Elias received word from your kin.
Rather than pick a child, more experienced,
he came to us and said it was imperative,
he said all this with a sort of grim look on his face,
apparently we had skills
for which would help you greatly.

Peter: Perhaps your parents trades
are the skills to which he refers.

Alex: Our mother was a maid,
there are no relevant skill which she gave.

Peter: Then it must be your father,
he showed you something i'm sure.

Ava: our father showed us much,
he was an incinerator.

Part 4: The Winding Staircase: The Burned Doors

With their lanterns lit,
they travelled down,
the stairs were jagged, slippery, and reeked.
But even with their light, it was too dark to see what was collecting on their feet.
As they passed every level going down, they soon realized something.
The doors in which to enter the floors,
Seemed as though they had been burning.

Peter: We have been climbing down for hours,
and each door we have passed,
smells of smoke and bears a color of deep black.

Alex: Indeed my friend,
this I have noticed too.
It seems other people were sent on the same mission
before you.

Peter: Stop. Perhaps we should enter one of these floors.
Perhaps there are remnants
of what other had to burn before.

Ava: But we are constricted by time,
and its grip is growing tighter.
With each minute that ticks away,
our lanterns flames shall tire,
and remember we must save some oil
in order to start the fire.

Peter: Perhaps if we only use two lights
instead of three.
Here I shall put mine out,
and we can investigate behind this door,
surely you want to see.

Alex: Sister, he is right.
It proves better to be prepared.
With only two lights lit,
much oil will be spared.

Peter: So it is settled then?
We shall enter level 12
A brief look around,
there is no need to delve.
The door seems to be stuck,
something is blocking it inside.

Alex and Ava: We shall help,
it is our purpose,
please move aside.

Peter: It is open only a crack,
and I can see very little.
Ashes, burned paper,
and… a shirt, it is in tatters, 
but other than that,
there is no need for further investigation of the matter 
Come let us continue our descent,
and perhaps you will tell me your story,
my ear is lent.

Part 3: All Is Not As It Seems

So Peter, Alex, and Ava set off down the dark steps.
However, none of them knew, that back at Peter’s home,
the truth was about to reveal itself, to the world.

The Servant: Sir, Elias has sent word
that Peter's journey has begun
but how could we have sent him
so far from the warmth of the sun

The Magistrate: This world grows dimmer without his light,
but it must be done
I carry his world in my hands
and my obligations crush it all.

Servant: His heart sits in the right place
but his mind is so foolish.
To bite his tongue
and accept this meaningless task

The Magistrate: Yes, but even you must know,
that saving words and biting tongues
are tall tales made only
for the sake of love.

The Servant: He trusts in you
with an adamant confidence
but his mind does wonder
as his eyes glisten
and i fear we've drawn this out too far

The Magistrate: Life has its prices
when loose ends look past the horizon

The Wife: You foul, fake, fool!
What have you done?
Condemned our only remaining son?
Was it not enough, to lose our two eldest?
It seems that you and your war
are the ones who deserve this!

The Magistrate: My dear, dim, doll,
you have no knowledge of the matter,
this is my will and it shall be done,
I will not risk my power
over such a trivial matter
as a son.

The Wife: Are you so sure
that you can fix this world
that we have destroyed?
Are so driven by a power hungry lust,
that your son is now the same as dust

The Magistrate: He is of no worth!

The Wife: He is your blood!

The Magistrate: I’m sorry dear but by dawn,
his blood will be the Earth’s.
Ashes and dust, burning embers.
He will be eaten by the fire,
As well and his hopeless lusts and desires.

The Wife: My husband, you no longer have my heart.
You have lost your sight of justice.
This crown of blood that fell
down the line into your hands
has made you no longer a man.
You forget that those
who still remain
will never go back to the old ways again.
You were once the epitome of justice
I hope by dawn Peter returns,
And with malice, he shall correct this...

Part 2: The House By The Sea

As Peter entered the terrible house by the sea,
he was greeted by dozens of children,
so filthy that grime was all they seemed to be.
He asked where he could find Elias,
and they all circled him and spoke.

Children: Welcome to our home!
We hope you feel comfortable
No one ever comes to visit us,
so your business here is surely a must.
This house is not a normal house,
no it has many levels beneath,
when the clock strikes twelve
we're sure you'll be heading down to see.

Peter: Children you obviously understand
I have no time to waste.
Where is the man they call Elias?
Tell him I am the son of The Magistrate.

Children: The Magistrate!
His son?!
What an honor to have
such a guest in our home.
And just what

brings such rich blood

to such a shallow place as this?

Please tell us, for we are curious.

Peter: I have been chosen to perform a task tonight.


Children: Tonight?
Run away! Run away!
He is the chosen one who shall burn all our home away!

Elias: Hello there!
I sense a great fire in you,
we'll see just how well you'll do.

Forgive the children,
for they are a bit short minded,
you see, they're not used

to company.
now your father

believes in you a great deal.

but we'll see how well you'll do

and i truly meant

i sense a great fire in you.

There are thirty five levels beneath our feet
and each contains a number of rooms.
You must journey to the 35th
and enter room 22.


Peter: Is this truly what i must do?


Elias: Room 22 is a special room.
Whatever lay within
you must BURN IT.


Peter: is this truly

what i'm chosen for?

surely my father meant

for something more

Elias: Listen close young Peter.
This is very important,
no matter what lay in that room,
you must burn it.
The whole room must be set ablaze,
and I am sad to say,
failure doesn't mean you get to walk away unscathed.

Peter, i beg you listen close again,
no glass shall be broken,
if it is, your blood shall be spilled as a token.
Along your journey these two siblings shall accompany you,
their names are Alex and Ava,
they will help you through.

Elias: Now go for the clock has struck midnight,
now go, your journey has begun,

be back before the dawn.

be back before the dawn
oh and beware of those, living upon and below level 26.

part 1: The Magistrate and his son

Our story unfolds
in a desolate, barren setting.
One in which the sun was never meant to behold,
and snow falls always, unrelenting.
The bitter cold digs deep in your bones,
the temperature, oh so low.
but this would be the least of this boy's worries.
His name was Peter
His fate was sealed the day
that he was born,
to the Magistrate.
The long held family tradition,
on which he was about to embark,
was the push over the edge,
the lone spark in a world so dark.

Magistrate: Son, I've been waiting for this day,
you see now that you've come of age,
it's time to make your father proud,
our ancestors have all proven themselves,
and now it's your turn, you will succeed without a doubt.
My prayers go with you into the darkest depths of despair,
for what you will see, I have seen,
and all that you will feel, I have felt,
and so have all the other men in our blood,
my son, today you become a man.

Peter: Father, I trust in you with all my heart
but surely you cannot send me off so blindly from the start.
What am I to do?
What shall be expected?
Is there no way around this?
Or am I condemned to accept it?

Magistrate: Peter, you must understand,
I grow weaker and
and you are next to rule this land.
But before this power is passed,
I must be sure, you can do what it will ask.

Peter: I now see what this means,
and though I wish not to bear this awful weight,
this great task I shall accept,
for you weary heart's sake.

Magistrate: My son, so brave,
so gallant in your ways,
to the House By the Sea you will go.

Peter: My God this cannot be!

Magistrate: Inside find the old man named Elias,
he shall inform you of your task.
Like a fire burning bright be bold,
no go my son,
into the cold.

son of magistrate
sent to a house for punishment
bunch of children upon entering house
old people in kitchen talking about the shinedown
main character, boy, and boy's sister have to find room in house and burn it and everyone inside it or something bad would happen
traveling through house, see many different weird rooms filled with horrible people doing horrible things (possible filler for history of house)
find a glass wall in a room and can see room that needs to be burned,
but the glass cannot be broken
(boy angrily throws lantern at glass, it explodes and the flames engulf the sister)
still alive, boy carries sister and they along with main character find the room,
it is filled with people.
boy starts fire, and sets himself and sister aflame
main character see's that the house is all evil.
he begins to burn down the entire house
him and all the other children escape in time
stand outside and watch the house burn.

the gift of faith
is one not handed out freely.
though many will claim
that they have it,
know they flaunt insecurity
and desperation to feel safe.
the chair in the corner
was made to be sat in,
but man would rather stand.
instead of sitting patiently
man asks why, and man becomes paranoid
and threatened when an answer is not given.
the chair that was made
for comfort and relief
now flies out the window,
as man now feels free.
people do bad things
and the world,
just is not ready to accept,
that it will never end.
look up to your leaders,
and begin the long trek home.
for this war has been lost,
never to be remembered,
it now is gone.