I was alway interested in my Father’s work, he was a Archaeologist and would travel the world looking for lost artefacts. He had a museum named after him. He liked to call himself the real life Indiana Jones. My mother would always tell me his stories were always exaggerated and to not get to obsessed with them. She would say his stories did not really happen like a movie.

I remember when I was little he and I would play out his adventure, this usually involved me running around with a sword yelling catch the swine Daddy he has the stone.

My father’s favourite story to tell me was always about the Kali Stone and stopping it getting into the wrong hands. He always told me it could bring forth the Goddess of death and destruction. He would tell me how he had found the stone and had to fight off a cult of deadly assassins who believed the goddess could change the world in to a place that was ruled buy evil. Death would come to the people that did not worship her.

My mother would give him strange looks and tell him tho stop filling my head with junk.

When I turned 10 my father went on one of his artefact hunts and never returned. Her has now been missing for 20 year. The night it happened I remember hearing my mother yelling down the phone begging him to leave it alone and run home and then she screamed noooooooo. I remember hearing her sons for the rest of the night.

20 Years Later ........

My name is Elli Smith and I am 30 years old and I am an Archaeologist and I work at the museum that is named after my father. My mother begged me not to become an Archaeologist but how could I not follow my fathers passions. I did have to promise her I would not travel and I would work in the research side of things in a museum so yes not as exciting but definitely interesting.

Last night I received a phone call saying my mothers body has been found dead in her home. Her throat had been slit. Sadly since my father had died my mother and I have not got along. His disappearance caused her to become depressed and turned to alcohol and cigs, she became abusive and hard to live with. I spent 6 years caring for her and as soon as I was accepted into Oxford University I left and never looked back. This phone call was the first I have heard anything about her in 15 years.

I was not looking forward to going home and was hoping my older brother Alex was dealing with it all. He was 6 years older and looked a lot like my father. He had dark brown hair and blue striking eye. He had no accomplishments and spent most of his time as a game designer and liked smoking pot. I remember him being fun to be around but the last time I saw him was 12 years ago.

The taxi pulled up to the house just as the sun had started to go down. The house looked dark and cold, not the home I remember. The garden was barren not a single flower grew the Rose bushes were long dead. I walked slowly to the front door and saw an envelope on the door, I dropped my bags by my feet and read the note. It was from my bother it told me that the key was under the the plant pot and that a strange man had come by and dropped a package and it was waiting in the kitchen for me, he also said he would be back with in the hour.

I found the key and opened the door, I was shocked to see my mother had left the house to wither, it looked dark and dusty and the paper was peeling from the walls. At least my brother left the heating on and it was warm. I walked in to the kitchen and straight to the package. It looked old and the paper it was wrapped in was stained. It looked like it was packed years ago. The journey was long so I decided to pop to the bathroom and then make a cup of tea.

Whilst I was making the tea, thankful she had kept everything in the same place at least that was something. I stood staring at the strand package it was a square about the side of a small jewellery box. Is this package maybe a reason my mother was dead or will it be an answer to why my father had disappeared. I’m feeling nervous about opening it. I pour my tea and sit in front of it, it feels like the box is pulling at me to open it, like the table it is on is buzzing and I look at my tea and I can see it slightly rippling.

I unwrap the box and under the wrapping is a hard wood box, varnished but fading and I decide to lift the lid. The first thing I see is a letter written in my fathers hand writing and a box underneath I lift them both out and my ears start ringing. I open the letter first and start reading it.

To my dearest Elli,

If you are reading this letter than I am no longer here and your mother is dead. I asked for my lawyer to hold on to this until this time. What I say now is very important. DO NOT open the box, hide it, bury it and forget about it. As your mother is dead it is no longer safe with the lawyer and they must have found out about your mother and believed she had it. They do not know about you. So please My dearest Elli hide it.

I love you

Daddy

I could feel the tears running down my face. What the hell is in this box? I can hear it ringing it’s vibrating on the table, how can I not open it. I lift the lid and I shut it fast in that one glance I saw a Red Stone it was a smooth looking as a pebble. I stand up fast and start pacing the room and I am completely lost in thought, it can’t be it can’t be I keep saying over and over again, it can’t be the Kali Stone. I hear myself say don’t rush, be as careful as I can. I gently grab the box.

I open the box and I place my hand in and I touch the stone. The air around me starts whizzing faster and fast then bang...... I wake up on a cold floor. I’m sweaty and shaken and my hand is hot when I look at it I can see the red stone in my hand. A voice speaks Elli no what have you done. Daddy is that you? It’s dark I can’t see you.

I look up and there he is and I am shocked to see he has not aged a day. He looks somber and warn out he has beard and his blue eye are striking in the dark. I could see tears in his eye and he kneels down and takes the stone from my hand.

Elli I told you not to touch it, you have no idea what you have done. I ask where we are? He tells me I am in her realm and time passes a lot slower here. She knows I am here and she is coming.

Have I destroyed the world by just touching a stone?

Dad I’m afraid. He takes me in his arms.

I am too my dearest Elli.