Althuro Way
By: Elouise Luana
Tags: Crime, Fiction, Magic, Mystery

Althuro Way

A picture frame hanging at the bottom of the stairwell. Depicting a farm on dead grass and a cloudy sky. A small crack in the bottom right corner of the glass protecting the dull photo. This is the house of a dull man. A dull man with much hatred and darkness in his heart only one thing can fix.

Emma Matrise was very busy. She was often in the woods collecting herbs and mushrooms for her potions or in the arb with her closest comrades. She was very determined to have the most buoyant summer before her last year in the academy.

Matthew Murrow was very bored. He was often laying on the ceiling of his room thinking, or sitting in the corner reading. He was very determined to not put much thought at all into his summer plans, so determined in fact that he hadn’t thought of summer at all.

“What's it say?” Asked Emma, her eyes fixed on the picture of the latest missing kid on the front of the paper. The air in Matthews living room felt cold and dry.

“Third missing kid this week, Hannah Minx. All they’re saying is to keep your eyes out for her and the others.” Matthew replied, taking a sip of his purple tinted tea.

“They aren’t doing anything?” “They never do anything.” Emma sighed and rested her head on her palms. All the kids that have gone missing in the past month have been little, ages 5 to 11. No one knows anything about the disappearances, because nothing like this ever happens in Althuro Way. Maybe on the other side, but not in Althuro Way.

You see, Althuro Way is a wonderland. Filled with magic in every house, in every store, and every where you may find yourself. Althuro Way is on the bottom of a flat planet called Earth, and the top was the other side. The people lucky enough to live in Althuro Way were born here and are capable of magic the people on the other side only know from fairy tales. Actually, the people on the other side don’t know of Althuro Way at all, it’s a complete mystery to them. To all except one exceptionally dull man.

His name is August Reed and he was born to be hidden. He is what those in Althuro Way would call an “other sider”, but he is much more than that. August’s mother was from Althuro Way. No one other than her was ever able to make it to the other side, and no one knows how she did it. When Mrs. Reed found herself on the other side, she met Mr. Reed, a human. Of course by the natural order of things they fell in love and had a beautiful baby boy, August Reed. But Mrs. Reed’s big mistake was never telling Mr. Reed about Althuro Way, and that she was magical. For the first time in history a baby of mixed Althurian and human blood was born. August had dramatic effects that would forever change the human world, as well as never be known. His mother died at birth and his father died of mysterious circumstances shortly after taking August home. He then was shuffled through many orphanages, all giving him away not more than half a year after getting him. He scared many people, strange things seemed to happen all around him, things no one but he could explain. After no more than 4 years of being alive August was taken by the government of the other side to be closely examined.

The government of the other side wasn’t very smart. They knew about the existence of Althuro Way but kept it hidden, only 4 people in the entire other side knew about it. They were scared. Somehow, August found out about Althuro Way and connected the dots of his past immediately. Now he was the age of 15 and he could control the things he could do. So he made them disappear. After months of no peculiar behavior surrounding August, they let him go back to the orphanage. But after his years being closely examined and tested, he learned things he will never forget. He was angry. 20 years later his plans were ready to be set into motion.

Matthew set down his newspaper and looked at Emma, he jumped when he saw her staring right back at him with a big grin on her face. “Ready?” she said excitedly. “Ready for…?” She didn’t answer, but just stood up and started walking towards the door. With a sigh, Matthew followed.

Their favorite spot wasn’t far from their neighborhood. Most of Althuro Way was forest, with small paths going all around to different parts of their towns and the world. Because most people rode their brooms or traveled through the magic line, there were very little cross world trails. But right off Trail 79, a cross world trail, was a small path. Emma has a theory that it was used back when Althuro Way was first created and has ever since been overgrown by plants and fungi. She thinks there's something hidden in it. They both laugh at it, but secretly believe it might have some standing. They don’t teach history in Althuro Way so who really knows. It leads to a beautiful opening in the forest, there are no trees, forming an almost perfect circular opening, and suspiciously placed rocks that were there before Emma and Matthew. This area is where they store all their enchanted items.

Technically you aren’t allowed to use or own enchanted items until 18, but if you just happen to be surrounded by them and aren’t caught using them, its fine. They teach students how to enchant things in school so it just makes sense to practice outside of school, or at least that's how Matthew and Emma justify it.

They have enchanted boots, some for flying, some for speed, and some for enhanced jumping. They have sticks that will shrink you when you’re holding them, they love to place them in random places and see what animals or little kids pick them up. They have trash that will make you hiccup bubbles for an hour after touching them. Most of the stuff they enchant is for pranks. See, its very easy to get away with stuff like this, considering it very rarely happens there are basically no consequences other than social disappointment if caught. Because of this, there's no sort of law enforcement. Many younger people are starting to contest this lack of profession, especially with the new missing kids and no one doing anything to find them or find out where they went. Emma and Matthew started doing pranks almost daily as a way of protest, they even got a group of trusted friends to join them. So far it isn’t doing anything. People are getting restless. But amongst the people wanting change there are also many saying to leave it alone, that Althuro Way is fine without any sort of laws or policing. These people just believe the lost children are at fault of the careless parents. They say its the natural order of things for people to be free of government interference. This is the most political its been in Althuro Way for the longest anyone can remember.