CHAPTER 12: THE EMPTY SAFE6 min read

While Marques and Jowlani await the report on the purple stone, things have been going smoothly in Netralia. Jowlani has had his first appointment with a psychologist to talk about his thoughts and feelings. The intake went well and he will have regular appointments from now on. Diagnosed with depression and complex trauma, work is cut out to become better. Also to become a better version of himself, like he promised Zayden.

 

“Another day of progress is coming up, on this mediocre cloudy day. That doesn’t bode well really, does it? Where’s the sunlight when you need it most?”


Jowlani stands up and looks at his notification board. He sees that today there are no appointments or tasks scheduled. This will allow him to do some household chores.

 

“The house is a mess. I haven’t cleaned in over a week. It’s high time to clean and make everything back in order. When the house is a mess, so is my mind. And if it’s clean, I can focus more on meditation and journalling. Aunt Serena has a good cleaning routine. Let me see if I can find the note.”

 

Jowlani finds the note and reads it with care. The trick doesn’t lie in working room by room. It’s actually working corner by corner. That way, if energy or the mental state rapidly drops, at least something is done. A full room might seem too much to tidy, but a corner might just be enough.

 

“Oh, should not forget to clean all the old paperwork in the safe as well. Love the notes of warranty, but not when they’re over at least ten years old.”

 

He starts cleaning the kitchen sink, stove and oven first. The oven which almost set fire to the house some time ago. The remnants of whatever food it was supposed to be, are wiped out and thrown in the bin. There’s one thing that’s certain. Food is not supposed to be the colour of burnt charcoal.



After cleaning out the oven, Jowlani feels like he can still go. He decides to clean the windows downstairs. After a good wash, the glass shines again. Jowlani feels satisfied with the result.

 

“Look at that! I don’t even like cleaning the windows at all. It’s a waste of time in my mind, but it’s done now. Phew, time for a break and a snack. Not the healthiest, but I deserve something sweet.”

After a twenty minute break and additional sugar inside the body, Jowlani carries on. It’s time to work in the safe. Throwing stuff away definitely clears the mind.

 

“Okay, let’s take a look at what we have here. It shouldn’t be too much, as I cleared it out a month ago. Open up!”

 

He check inside and sees all kinds of paperwork, but not sorted. It looks weirdly bundled up, like it’s supposed to hide something. Instead of trying to work it out, Jowlani decides to take all of the items out. That should make sorting and putting it back in the safe an easier task.

 

Though as he’s almost cleared the entire safe, he notices a specific item missing. The purple stone that Zayden should have put in there. This is not the time for playing games, especially when he’s in another country. Jowlani gets nervous and a bit anxious after having cleared out the entire safe. The purple stone is absent in between all items. There are some small bags and holders in it. The first thing he does is check them to see if the stone is in it. He checks over and over, and turns them inside out. No stone found anywhere.

 

“This cannot be. My eyes must deceive me, for sure. Zayden would never do this. Probably I’m tired and I miss something. I always lose my keys and other important things. Like I missed the note when Zayden was in the ruins. It’s not the end of the world yet. Let me call in the best person for this quest.”

He finds a housekey, locks the door from the outside and walks over to aunt Serena. He explains the situation around the missing stone in the safe.

 

“Oh deary me, it should not be too much of an effort to find it. I’ve just finished tidying up the kitchen. Let me grab a key and we’ll find it together.”



Serena walks into the house, grabs a key and a bag, and is back in a matter of seconds. They go inside Jowlani’s house. Serena sees all the bags, papers and more on the floor.

 

“Oh boy, you left no stone unturned. Pardon my pun dear, but this is chaos at its finest. Let’s throw away first what’s no longer needed. Then we file things by topic into folders. I brought some with me.”

 

Together, the “aunt and nephew” start doing exactly what Serena suggested to do. After every bit of paper is thrown away or sorted, small bags remain. One by one, they take out the items. They find pieces of jewellery, old photos and some money. After having emptied all the bags, Serena is the first to turn silent. She knows that the stone is not in the safe.

 

“Auntie, you’re quite silent all of a sudden. Does that mean..?”
Serena does not know what she should tell Jowlani, but knows that the truth is best.


“My dear boy, it seems like the stone, is no longer present. Perhaps Zayden left it elsewhere, but it’s very likely though that he took it to Altgrön. Maybe he’s just taken it for research. Over there, they do have the best magic professors. Like Rania or that brother of hers. He’s a stinker. And I mean he reeks awful. Like a dead fish rotting becomes frozen and then defrosted again.”

“Maybe, maybe you’re right auntie. Breathe in, breathe out. I shouldn’t stress too much about it right now. Most likely, it is for research. Or maybe he’s trying to use it for the better.

That he can convince his parents to see things differently. Whichever the reason, I hope he’s not feeling too guilty for taking it. He must have felt pressure or a valid reason.

 

I don’t like his actions or lying about it. Though I will forgive him, because of the situation he’s in. The stone has great power in some hands, but only evil people will use it for the worst.

I doubt that his parents are like that. They try to do the best things for their country too. Let’s clean these final bits into the safe. I’m happy that we got through it. Thank you so much auntie!”

 

Serena looks a bit concerned. It seems like her “nephew” has taken steps of self-care, and less criticism towards others. Maybe Jowlani is progressing faster than most people think. So it slides off her and she smiles towards him.

 

A full day of cleaning happened with nothing on schedule. Not the ideal day, but a productive one. One thing is certain. Zayden has some work cut out for him. While he feels guilt, Jowlani is more relaxed in the situation.

When will Jowlani learn of the powers of the purple stone?


And which powers will it unlock for Zayden to use in the power play of chess with his parents in Altgrön?

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