The Adventures of Brian (cont)
Chapter Four: The Hall of Mirrors
When they awoke, the sun was almost directly overhead. There was no sight of the fierce fight from the night before; the harmless dragon kite lay peacefully nearby. Liam walked over and picked it up. With the exception of several small holes torn around the painted dragon’s left eye, the kite looked almost new. Lucas and Aiden lifted the kite tail. It was silky and gentle to the touch. Liam let loose a bit of the string from the kite and jogged along the beach to fly it. As soon as Lucas and Aiden let go of the kite tail, it took a tentative jump then flew up high. The wind rushed and the kite triumphantly whistled as its flight pulled the string quite taut; and the boys followed Liam and his dragon silk kite to the castle's drawbridge.
Walking while pulling the kite proved to be slower than they had anticipated. When they reached the drawbridge, they stopped to rest before going into the castle. The castle was much larger than it appeared from afar; its five turrets stood gleaming magnificently in the sunlight. A stream ran underneath the drawbridge to the other side of the castle. Beautiful goldfish and other colorful fish of different sizes lazily swam in the stream, coming up occasionally for air behind the lotus and various sorts of water lilies. The stone walls were covered with fine moss. Except for a soft rushing sound of the wind through the fluttering colorful banners and flags on top of the turrets and along the castle wall, everything was quiet.
They gingerly walked across the drawbridge to the castle's main entrance. Brian was first with his sword in his hand; Liam rolled up the kite's tail and carried it close to his chest as he followed behind. Lucas, Liam, and Aiden brought up the rear. As soon as they reached the other side of the drawbridge, it slowly raised up and the entrance massive gate of the castle opened. A harmonious symphony of lyrical sounds greeted the boys as they entered. The garden was vast and meticulously planted. Incredibly intricate geometrical grass, trees, and plant patterns were mixed with colorful and sweet smelling flowers. A thick green grass covered most of the castle ground. The geometrically-patterned thickets were a little higher than the boys' heads. Large cherry trees with blooming flowers were meticulously planted at corners of the thicket patterns. Everywhere they looked, as far as their eyes could see, they saw flowers and buds of various hues and colors, plants and cacti, grass and trees, daffodils, and narcissus which were carefully and tastefully laid out - presenting each and all at their very best.
Songbirds were dancing and singing along as they followed the signs leading towards the Hall of Mirrors. Liam tried to make sense of the cacophony but could not concentrate. As suddenly as they turned left at one of the trapezoid-shaped thickets, they were at the front door of the Hall of Mirrors. The entire front of the Hall and most of its visible sides were made of mirrors. The doors were very tall and open. Emily, Liam’s cousin, was standing there with her hair braided up and slightly sleepy.
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