A Castle and a Boy.

Once there was a castle that reached the heavens. The townspeople feared it, the emperors desired it, the explorers wanted to see it. This castle, however, was an enigma of sorts. No matter who went near, or who tried to reach it, they would find themselves in a forest, going in circles for hours until they found themselves where the castle thought they belonged.

The castle had a sense of humor, once, it sent an emperor to the grave of the emperors before him. Of course he didn't find that very funny.

"Demons!" The townspeople started to cry. "Demons is why no one can reach it! It is a house of demons!" The emperors shook their head whenever they heard this. If it reached the heavens, how could demons possibly be inside? They assumed it was a god. It had to be, right? They needed somewhere to rest on Earth but still be connected to the heavens to survive. So they tried sending knights with offerings, tried to coax the god in their favor, but nothing happened, except the knights would end up home with their families.

The explorers studied the castle from afar, wondering how to get in.
One of these explorers had a son, one of which knew all about the castle. He said, as a child, that there must be someone very special inside the castle. The castle was protecting whoever was inside. He told his father one day, "I will make friends with the castle and whoever is inside. They must be lonely. I don't want them to be alone."

So every night, before he had to go to bed, he'd go as close to the castle as he could, look up, and yell to the highest peak, "Don't worry! I'll be your friend! I promise!" And instead of trying to push on to get closer to the castle, he would head back and go to bed. This went on for a year before the boy noticed that he could get closer to the castle than before. This made him excited and so he kept up the routine.

As the boy got older, he started talking more on his journey, thinking the castle could hear him. "Today, my father found a hidden grove just west of the town in the valley. It was beautiful! The water was so clear and the reflections it gave onto the rock were the most beautiful colors I've ever seen." He laughed.

This went on for a few months and he noticed the castle becoming even closer. Instead of going straight to bed, now the boy would sit at the point where he could not proceed and talk to the castle. "I can't wait to meet you and whoever is inside. I bet you are both lovely." He would proceed. "I hope I can show you the world outside. Maybe you can tell me about your world? What is it like in there." He wouldn't expect answers, just grin, dust himself off, and leave for the night.

He was now a man, though the castle still thought of him as a boy. It had been many years, more than a decade since the boy started to wander towards the castle and he finally made it to the door. His excitement overtook him and he grabbed the door handle, hoping to be able to push in. But to his disappointment, it remained locked. He frowned for a moment and looked up. For the first time, he noticed a tower. In this tower, he saw a light behind a curtain and what was even more exciting was that the light illuminated a figure. He grinned and stepped back, shoving his hands in his pockets. "So is that who you protect?" He asked the castle, looking at its door with a sly grin. "Thank you for showing me. I'll keep coming and keep waiting."

He rushed home and couldn't wait for the next night. He couldn't wait until he could meet that figure in the tower.

For what seemed like forever, the boy would come and sit in front of the door. He would talk to the castle, trying to soothe it, trying to see when he could see the figure. It seemed like the castle was being fickle. He had made it all this way and yet the door was blocking him. He never tired of talking to the castle and the castle never tired of hearing the boys tales and adventures.

It was the day of his twentieth birthday and the boy decided against parties, against spending time with his friends and family, instead he brought food and a pack to the castle and sat outside the door. "Today is my twentieth birthday. I wanted to spend the day here. I don't expect you to give me anything for my birthday, but I wanted to see you." He laughed. "How silly, I want to spend my birthday with a castle who does not respond."

He nearly fell over when he heard a soft voice. "Happy birthday." He chocked on his own breath and his eyes widened. "Is...Castle, did you just speak?"
"Well how can a castle speak?" The voice, which he assigned to a girl, retorted.
"Then... who are you?" He asked cautiously.

There was nothing but silence.

He sighed and scratched the back of his neck. "Hello?"

No reply.

"Hello?"

Still nothing.

"Oh, come on!" He groaned and sat down. Just as he was about to open his pack, the door opened. Pulling the pack on his back, he stood, walked in, and jumped as the door slammed behind him. He looked around and saw that the castle was nothing like he expected. Inside was furnished, as if someone took very good care of it. The walls weren't bare, but had tapestries and art hanging down. The candles were lit and it was very much pleasant and warm inside. He had thought that it would be bare, cold, and that nothing but the person inside would be there.

"Hello?" He called out.

He wandered towards the staircase, remembering the tower. While climbing, he took his time, walking along and examining the place around him. It was magnificent and splendid. He had a smile that couldn't be removed from his lips.

"Do....you like it?" The soft voice was heard once more. His eyes wandered to try and find the girl, but they landed on the curtains that were bulging a bit.

"It's beautiful." He took a cautious step towards the curtains. "Do you live here alone?"

"Yes, quite alone. This is my place, the only place that I belong. But no one else belongs in here with me." The lump shifted a bit.
"Not even a friend?" His foot hit a creaky board. He winced and looked at the curtain to find the lump gone.

Confused, he climbed the stairs quicker, more determined to find out who this girl was. It took him an hour or so before he even got to the tower's entrance. Once there, he heard the voice again.
"What will you do if your imaginations aren't real? Will you be disappointed?" The voice seemed to be above him. His eyes wandered up and he caught the hint of a pale pink gown, fluttering. The girl was behind a pillar, sitting on a supporting structure, but there was no way she could have climbed up there. "How did you get up there?"

When there was no answer he thought about her question. "I haven't been disappointed thus far and to expect anything is a bit ridiculous right about now."

A soft giggle came from behind the pillar. The peek of her gown slid behind the pillar and she was gone once more. He was more determined than ever. He opened the tower's door and ran up the stairs, ignoring the stinging in his legs. He had to figure it out. He had to know who this girl was.


At last, the door stood before him. The door  that would solve the mystery. "I worry, you won't like me when you see me." The voice spoke from behind the door. "I'm not any sort of 'friend' material. I'm not even made of a material." Her voice sounded as if she was pouting, it made him grin to think about it. He took a moment, thinking about what she would look like, what she would be like. His heart was racing and after spending more than a decade trying to unravel the mystery of the castle, he was about to. "Are you taking back your promise?" The voice broke the silence and he pulled open the door. The girl before him wasn't real. He realized that she wasn't alive. Though she was beautiful, she was clearly not fully there.

Before anything else could happen. Before his mind processed what was in front of him. Before the girl had a chance to run or say anything. He touched her wrist, pulled her into his arms and hugged her close, burying his face into her shoulder. "Never." He spoke into her ear faintly.

The girl was frozen, this was the first time anyone could touch her. The first time she felt warmth. The first time that she had anyone in the castle but her. Shaking, her arms wrapped around the boy and let herself sink into the warmth that neither of them would forget.