You speed away from the strange castle. It isn’t until you reach the outer court yard that you realize that something is wrong. You look at the moat in shock. The draw-bridge is raised, you can’t get out!
Spinning around you rush back to the doors. There must be some-one in this place that can let you out! You spend the next hour running frantically from the front doors to the draw-bridge. You don’t dare go inside, but with the amount of noise you’re making it doesn’t matter. Anyone inside would have heard your panicked pleas long ago. Finally you slump to the ground near the raised draw bridge.
"I want out!!" You shout to the general area in hopes that some one will answer. Wandering back to the door you sit down in the shadow of the castle. "Why can't I get out?" You ask yourself out loud, just to hear the sound of a human voice.
You nearly faint when a cultured voice answers you. "You want to leave? But you haven't gone inside yet!"
Scampering backwards you look fearfully around and spot the speaker a few seconds later. The lion door knockers have come alive and are looking at you, worried expressions on their golden faces. You gape at them, eyes wide.
The lion on the left comments. "Gee, it looks like it's eyes are going to fall out of it's head!"
You glare at it and snap a reply. "They are not, and I'm not an it. Eesh, haven't you ever met a realm wanderer before?"
Both lions blink, and the lion on the right answers you. "Sure we have!! We just haven't talked to any in so long."
You just stare, trying to decide what is more disturbing. The fact that the door knocker is talking to you or the fact that the door knocker just blinked at you. "Um, sure. Do you know how I can get out?"
Both lions smile. The sight of sharp teeth is never reassuring, even if they do belong to door knockers. It's the left one that answers this time. "Yes we do, just give us a second."
The expressions of both of the lion door knockers go blank and they fade back into lifeless metal. You wait anxiously. A minute or two later both lions come back to life. "There you go. The draw bridge should be down now." The one on the left answers.
The one on the right looks curious. "You aren’t going to go in?"
You shake your head. "No way."
It sighs. "You don’t know what you’re missing. Farewell Wanderer! Come back soon!"
You give the lion a strange look then head for the draw bridge at a dead run. A few seconds later the lowered draw bridge comes into sight. You head across it then run onto the path. You can't help but look back, maybe you will come back someday.....
Back to the Entrance...