Basement

Waiting for the coast to clear; Than snuck across the family dwelling and soon found himself face-to-face with his subject of interest.

“The basement door.” He whispered to himself in anticipation.

Its sight was nothing special, but to someone like Than, who had been trapped in the body of an infant for years; restrained so long, everything to him was game.

Moreover, in the absence of his otherworldly father, Brauch had taken up the mantle as Than’s new guardian and had subsequently spent the majority of the last half-decade micromanaging Than at every opportunity. Than didn’t find the gesture all too pleasing.

Nevertheless, the fact that he was mentally older than his mentor meant Than was able to quickly learn his way around.

“I guess that old saying is true; patience is a virtue.” Than nodded.

Having said that, he quickly turned his attention back to the unsuspecting door. Its surface was a dry color of black, overlayed by a tinge of mold growing on its hinges.

“Talk about ugly. Eh, doesn’t matter. I didn’t come here for a fashion show. If I want to find whatever Straits gifted to the old man, this basement is as good a place to start as any.”

Than pulled on the doorknob, which was tougher than it appeared.

“C’mon! Open … Open … Open up and give me what I want!” He muttered, and with a numbing crack, the door sprung from its frame; opening, at last, sending Than stumbling a couple of feet back.

Quick to dust his pants; Than approached the newly-opened entrance to the basement. Poking his head inside, the first thing he noticed was the smell; there was a stench similar to that of cheddar cheese.

“Well, clearly this place hasn’t been accessed in quite a bit.” Than said, covering his nose.

Ignoring the piercing scent, Than also noticed a set of winding stairs that led farther down into the shadows.

With his hands slightly trembling, Than took a step inside.

*******

Once at the bottom, Than came to the realization that, while ominous, the basement was indeed nothing more than just a basement.

There was barely any light, while the air was thick and humid.

“I should’ve brought a lantern." Than muttered.

Old furniture lay strewn about; mostly cabinets, packed to the brim with all kinds of things. Accompanying them, were large books stacked one on top of the other.

Without a doubt, even if Than didn’t find what he was looking for down here, he’d already filled up his quota of items to kill time with.

“What’s this?” Than snatched an object from the floor, examining it to realize it was some type of colorful stone. “That’s pretty neat, maybe I’ll sell it for something in the future.”

Just then, a sharp noise screeched from one of the darker corners of the room, startling Than into a freeze.

Thoroughly shaken, Than took a look around. “Who’s there?!” He gulped.

From the abyss, a voice perked up mumbling something unintelligible.

Frightened, but mostly curious. Than dropped what he was doing and began following the direction of the voice.

With rubble resting in his path, Than had to push past several items before coming to a stop in front of two gray, withered curtains.

Having come so close to the source, Than was finally able to discern what the voice was saying.

“Safety in reclusion. Safety in reclusion. Safety in reclusion. Safety in reclusion. Safety in reclusion…” It mumbled to itself in the shadows.

Even with his lips dry from the adrenaline; Than mustered up the courage to speak and then screamed. “Who are you?! And what are you doing in my basement?!”

Right as those words left his mouth, the room fell silent. There was no more mumbling. There was very little breathing.

This particular silence mirrored that which happened in the presence of a predator. As if to warn of incoming danger, birds would quit chirping, the wind would stop blowing, and prey would run away.

With nothing breaking the silence, Than raised his voice again. “I asked, who are yo-”

Just as he opened his mouth, the darkness dissipated as a row of lanterns, each hanging on adjacent walls, suddenly ignited.

Than jumped back, surprised at the sudden shift from darkness to light.

Peeking through his fingers, Than was able to identify a massive fort sitting in the middle of the room. The structure was akin to the work of a master architect, carefully crafted from several pieces of furniture and covered in what appeared to be a leather blanket. Inside of its enclosed space, stood several bookcases, each lined from one end to the other with a myriad of books.

“Holy shi-” Than cut his sentence short, his eyes landing on a more peculiar sight.

There, in the center of the fort, stood a silver pole with a bird perched on top. The bird was about the size of an average macaw, with a couple of extra feathers on its head. It was a beautiful shade of bright orange.

Than was by no means an animal expert. Nevertheless, the sight of the unfamiliar fowl intrigued him, as no other animal had done before.

With careful steps Than approached the bird, reaching out to touch it. However, before he could do such a thing, the animal ruffled its feathers and bit the end of his fingers.

Than yelped, before falling into a stack of boxes behind him.

“You will not touch me.”

The bird spoke.