Keep the story going.

Peter looked down at his hand. He was not holding an electronic device. When he looked over at the car, the trunk was still closed. So that must have been part of the dream, he realized.
When he went to check the trunk, he found the latch was jammed. Something inside the trunk was preventing him from opening it. Sarah had an idea.

"Why don't I try opening it?", she suggested.
Peter rolled his eyes in disgust, as this was another case of 'Pete you're hopeless'. Sarah opened it easily in one attempt.
"See, there wasn't anything jamming it!", Sarah darted back at him. She was really fed up with Peter's uselessness, especially given he worked with the FBI of all places.
Going back to the trunk, Sarah peered inside. Inside was a map, showing the location of something through the use of a red x. Sarah and Peter had no idea what location this map was showing, however at first glance, Megan's eyes lit up in amazement.

"Look," she said, pointing to the map, "this is our house, in the corner here. This line," she said, tracing it with her finger, "is our street. Here's the intersection," she went on, pointing at the crossed lines, "and that leads to the red X, right there! At the edge of the lake!" she finished, indicating the blue circle right near the X.

« Last edited by CrypticWizard on Feb 3rd 2016 »

Quickly, they all got into their car and Sarah drove to the edge of the lake. She wondered whether they would have to dig for whatever was there, but as soon as they arrived, she was surprised to see a single gravestone. Megan quickly got out of the car and dashed towards the front of it, eager to see if there was a name on it. Staring deep into it, her jaw dropped and she looked as if she was about to scream and throw up at the same time. The name at the top of the gravestone was the name of her mother.
Spoiler:

Sarah approached and saw the name. However, she also noticed that no dates were engraved. "This can't be right," she said. "I'm obviously still alive, and there are no dates. This isn't a gravestone, it's a marker! Whatever this map is leading us to must be somewhere around here!"

Megan let out a huge sign of relief. She had all these scenarios in her head that in the future her mother dies and there would be no way to save her. However that scenario was still buried in her.
"I thought...", Megan began, before she burst into tears.
Sarah slowly walked over to Megan to hug her when she fell right through her, as if she was a hologram! Backing away in fear, Megan had had enough.
Still wiping away tears, Megan began, "Mom I'm gonna stay with Stacey until all this mess is over."
"I have no idea what that just was; whether it was real or something else, but it's just too much Mom." She finished with "Please understand.", as she ran off towards the suburban area.

Megan shook her head, pushing that scenario out of her mind. She reached out to take her mother's hand, and it was a real flesh and blood hand. Peter came over to look at the marker, and was able to read the faded names of himself and his daughter. "Whoever put this here wanted us to find it, but why? What does it mean" Megan took another look at the map to see if there was anything to indicate the significance of the marker.

A closer look revealed the red X on the map was not the location of the marker, it was actually on the lake itself, right at the edge. The three of the walked to the edge of the lake, and just under the waterline was a a metal box, half-buried in the sand. Peter dug it out and opened it. Inside was an odd-looking object. It looked like a CD--it was flat, circular, about six inches across, an even had a small hole in the center--but it was made of stone.

They walked back over to the stone marker and Sarah noticed something--on the back side of it (without the names) was a circular depression. Peter tried putting the stone disk into it and it fit perfectly. There was a rumbling and the marker started to sink into the ground, but something else started rising up behind it.

A small temple, with strange symbols on it's pillars rose up from underground. The family walked inside, and displayed open on page 45 was a book. When Sarah closed it, she saw it had a sparkling green cover, with the same symbols printed as the title which were on the temple pillars. When Sarah re-opened the book; this time to page 1, the family heard faint, gentle footsteps behind them.

An old man wearing a white cassock was walking toward them, smiling. He spoke to them, but it was in a language none of them had ever heard. The man noticed their puzzled expressions, cleared his throat, and spoke again. "Welcome. I am Father Martin, the head priest of this temple. What brings you here?"

"But this temple was underground a few minutes ago? How are you the priest of a temple which no-one can see?", Megan asked.
Father Martin replied, "Ahhh young soul, this temple has ALWAYS been here, above ground. You just weren't ready to see it yet. When you witnessed it arising from the ground, it was a psychological illusion. It never arose."
Sarah looked puzzled, then began, "Why can we see it?"

"Only those who have passed the tests can see it. Each of you had tests to pass. Everything that has happened since the night you delivered the pictures to the man in the car has been part of your test. And, young girl, you solved the map that led you here--that was your test. All of you passed your tests, except... Sarah, your brother Jacob should be here. Where is he?"

« Last edited by CrypticWizard on Feb 28th 2016 »

"Right here!", he called out from the distance, holding that electrical device from Peter's dream.
"You asked me to find it Father, and found it I have", he continued.
The family gazed towards him, puzzled. How and why did Jacob know this man?
"I should probably explain", Jacob began. "This is a seniver portal, something which constantly haunts the minds of the Chosen Few. At least one of you would've seen this device in a dream I take it?"
Peter nodded.
"Great", he continued. "This device is actually real as you can see, and was used thousands of years in the past, the future, and only a few years in our past. An ancient group, consisting of some of the finest minds and agents this galaxy has some to know of once used this. However, they are lost in a separate dimension, so they are irrelevant. You could say they are in another story, but we must continue their story in whatever ways we can."

(sorry if my post was too long)

« Last edited by Matt77 on Feb 29th 2016 »

(I presume you forgot that Jacob is deaf)

Sarah's face was white as a sheet as she looked at Jacob. "Since when can you talk?" she demanded.
"That's right," said Peter. "Last time we saw you, you were deaf and mute."
"I can explain that," said Father Martin. "Please, sit down, I will tell you what has happened."

(Yep, forgot that, sorry. Thanks for fixing that up)

"The previous Chosen Few; the ancient agents, came across several anomalies along their travels. These anomalies were areas of space where disease and the dying could be healed. They knew not how it worked, but after your brother's long hard years of working with me (he looked at Sarah) I decided I must take him to one of these anomalies", Father Martin explained.
"But you said they were areas in space?", Sarah said, puzzled.

"That is where the seniver portal comes in," said Jacob. "As you know, a portal links two locations, like a door would. But, unlike a door, a seniver portal can link two location that are not physically near each other. The portal can take you anywhere, provided you know how to use it."
"And this is how you regained your hearing?" Sarah asked.
"Right! But the seniver portal I used was damaged, so Father Martin sent me to find another. It was not easy, but I did it."
Suddenly, Megan spoke up, "Hey, where did Dad go?"

"Oh dear, already?", Father Martin sighed, turning to face Jacob.
Jacob knew what had happened. He now had the task of telling his sister that her husband may not be coming home.
"Sarah, here's the thing. We are all Chosen Few. We are the next group. Well, us & Veronica at least. But to become the Chosen Few we must overcome 3 tests. Sarah, your current test is getting through this investigation you're under. Megan, your current test is to decode this novel."
Jacob handed her a gold polished book, looking about 200 pages thick.
"As for Peter, he's onto his third and final test. He's already passed 2 of his tests. The final test is the worst however, and there's no running away from it. It chooses YOU."

« Last edited by Matt77 on Mar 3rd 2016 »

"However," Father Martin put in, "we cannot discuss what Peter's third test is."
Sarah was thinking about having to work with Veronica. She and her cousin had never gotten along. Veronica had always been bossy simply because she was a couple of years older.
Megan was looking through the book Jacob had given her. It was written in that same strange language as the book on the altar, but to her surprise, she was able to read it. It seemed to be a very strange story revolving around something called the Dodecagon of Power.

« Last edited by CrypticWizard on Mar 3rd 2016 »

This Dodecagon of Power consisted of 10 individuals. They were Liam, Samus, Luigi, Ridley, Quinn, Snake, Colin, Kirby, Anti-Kirby, Professor Arturo, Sonic, and Dominic. However, the book also mentioned several other individuals including Bowser, Daisy, Peach, & Mario.
"Hey Mom! The characters from Mario games are real!", Megan let out in happiness.