Mirrorworlds The twelve books E-Book

Rolf Glöckner

• Herausgeber: neobooks
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Serie: Spiegelwelken englisch
• Sprache: Deutsch

Seitenzahl: 248

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

Rolf Gloeckner, born in Georgsmarienhütte in 1945, now lives in Oldenburg, is married and has a son with his own family. He is enjoying his well-earned retirement and now devotes his time to astronomy, astrophysics, photography and, of course and above all, writing fantastic stories. 'Mirrorworlds the twelve books' is the first adventure in the Mirrorworlds trilogy, which concludes with Mirrorworlds The crystal war ' and 'Mirrorworlds The witch castle'.

Leseprobe

Mirrorworlds the twelve books

  Mirrorworlds

The twelve books

A Fantasy adventure

by Rolf Gloeckner

Coverfotos:              © determined – Fotolia.com

                              © SimFan – Fotolia.com

                            © Katharina Wieland Müller / pixelio.de

                            © Rolf Glöckner / Rückseite

Creator:              © Tom Jay changed Rolf Glöckner

© Rolf Gloeckner

About the writer:

Rolf Gloeckner, born in Georgsmarienhütte in 1945, now lives in Oldenburg, is married and has a son with his own family. He is enjoying his well-earned retirement and now devotes his time to astronomy, astrophysics, photography and, of course and above all, writing fantastic stories. ’Mirrorworlds the twelve books’ is the first adventure in the Mirrorworlds trilogy, which concludes with Mirrorworlds The crystal war ’ and ’Mirrorworlds The witch castle’.

 

 

Chapter 1 The old Floor

The evening crept by.

It was quiet in the old building, only the occasional creaking of the roof beams and the rustling of the leaves of the large poplar trees outside the ditch that enclosed the garden could be heard. In the adjacent beech forest, the wind played with the branches and carried a variety of noises and animal sounds to the house.

The children, Carolyn and Tom, were lying on the ancient Persian rug in Tom's small, cosy room, poring over books they had found in the attic not long ago. Suddenly, a loud bang from the attic shook the house to its foundations.

Tom, a boy of about fourteen, relatively tall for his age, with short, tousled blond hair, looked up in surprise. His sister, a little younger than him and also blond, but with long hair, looked up in fright from the book she was engrossed in. The children felt a little uneasy. When they left the house together, their parents had told them that they were going to visit some old friends and that they might be late coming back. Now the siblings felt a little alone, and Carolyn asked her brother anxiously, ‘What was that?’

‘Oh, we must have been a little careless when we were rummaging through the books earlier. Something fell over in the attic; we weren't very careful. Let's go up together and look for it and put it back so our parents don't notice we've been rummaging around upstairs.’ You know they don't like us rummaging around in the attic on our own,’ replied Tom, continuing thoughtfully, almost to himself, ’Sometimes I really think they're hiding something.’

Tom was sure that his parents would not approve of them being there in their absence. His father had made that very clear. However, this only confirmed Tom's belief that there was something mysterious hidden in the attic, and sometimes he even thought that the old house was haunted.

For example, his mum and dad had once gone up there together, but after a short while they came back down wearing clothes that would have been more appropriate in the Middle Ages. That was really very strange! What could have happened up there? When the children asked, their parents were very evasive and didn't explain their different clothes.

‘Well, let's go and take a look,’ Carolyn replied reluctantly, although she didn't feel comfortable about it at all. She didn't particularly like the old attic with its dark corners and the old creaky wooden stairs that led steeply into the darkness.

Carefully, almost on tiptoe and trying not to make any noise, the children climbed the steep attic stairs and opened the door, which was reinforced with rusty iron bands. It swung open with a creak and the siblings plunged into the darkness of the old, dusty room covered in cobwebs. It was filled to the last corner with boxes, junk and everything else that people tend to store on the floor.

A strange light emanated from the back of the attic. There, where the light shone towards them, their parents had stored a lot of old furniture and other junk, most of which probably dated back to their great-great-grandmother's time. From their grandmother's stories, the children knew of some rather strange and mysterious rumours surrounding this peculiar, long-dead ancestor. Some people who had heard some of the incredible stories about their ancestor even whispered that she had once been a white witch who was highly respected in her circles.

The children felt a little uneasy, but they both bravely moved towards the light that seemed to be flickering in the darkness of the attic. Suddenly, they heard a scurrying sound behind them. A mouse, which was probably at home in the attic and had been frightened by the children, ran towards the light coming from a large old mirror. It jumped right into the light and, with a soft noise, suddenly disappeared. ‘What was that?’ Tom exclaimed.

He cautiously approached the brightly lit mirror. As he passed by, Tom picked up an old, gnarled stick leaning against one of the cupboards and carefully touched the glass-like surface with it. Nothing happened! The tip of the stick disappeared completely and without any resistance into the surging light! How strange!

Carolyn screamed suddenly when Tom, brave as he was at his young age, stuck his head right into the light. ‘Stop, Tom, you don't know what's waiting for you on the other side. It might be dangerous, please be careful!’ Tom waved his arms wildly, but his head remained hidden for the time being. After a while, the upper part of the boy reappeared. He shouted enthusiastically:

‘Carolyn, just look, there's a completely strange, mysterious world behind it! We should take a look, don't you think? I can see a dense forest and in the middle of this forest there is a large castle built of old stones.

Come with me, it's definitely not dangerous, everything looks so peaceful over there. We simply have to take a closer look. I saw it clearly, there's a new, completely different environment hidden behind the light! This is exciting! The mouse went there earlier, so why shouldn't we be able to do the same?’

Chapter 2 The decision is made

Preparations

‘Are we really going to do this?’ whispered Carolyn. ‘We have no idea what's waiting for us over there, or what will happen if we can't find our way back. I'm a little panicked.’

‘Oh, come on,’ said Tom reassuringly, ‘don't be so scared, we'll make sure we're properly equipped for this adventure. We'll need to pack quite a lot: a torch, a pocket knife, a raincoat, a rucksack and, and, and, and...’ Tom started listing all the things he planned to take with him on the trip, whereupon Carolyn began to laugh loudly and asked, ‘But who do you think is going to carry all that?’

Tom, who always thought and acted practically, replied quickly: ‘Everyone takes a rucksack, oh, and maybe a rope in case we have to climb somewhere, as well as a sausage, bread, a large bottle of water and something sweet.’ ‘And good shoes and warm clothes,’ added Carolyn excitedly. ‘So, let's pack everything quickly.’

They hurriedly left the eerie place and climbed back down the dark, creaking staircase to gather everything they wanted to take with them and pack it into their rucksacks. When everything was safely stowed away, they set off, laden with their luggage, up the stairs and, their hearts pounding, entered the pitch-black, almost completely dark attic once again.

The iridescent light from the mirror now only dimly illuminated the back of the room. As they both walked towards the light, an ancient leather-bound book suddenly lay before them. Carolyn looked at it from all sides, shook her head in amazement and finally stowed it carefully in her rucksack.

‘Why on earth do you want to lug around such a heavy tome?’ Tom asked his sister in amazement. ‘I don't know, I suddenly heard a voice inside me telling me to take this old and rather heavy book with us, it could be of great use to us on the other side of the mirror,’ Carolyn replied, somewhat confused herself.

‘Let's go now, and if we don't like it on the other side of the mirror or if it gets too dangerous, we'll turn back right away, I promise,’ Tom reassured Carolyn. Then they cautiously began to approach the shimmering light in the corner of the floor.

Finally, the children stood directly in front of the mirror. The light shimmered in a variety of colours and it seemed to them as if they could hear all kinds of different sounds. Carolyn's heart was beating in her throat and Tom was more nervous than he wanted to admit.

Trapped

Marc and June looked at each other, at a loss.

‘What do we tell the children if we don't get back in time?’ June asked her husband. He just shook his head and didn't answer. Instead, he began to carefully examine the wall of their prison, which was made of a shiny metallic material. ‘How are we ever going to get out of here?’ June asked desperately.

‘Patience!’ her husband replied. ‘Let me take a look.’ He meticulously felt the walls and noticed a small, inconspicuous groove that was barely visible, forming an oval shape on the wall.

‘There's something here!’ he exclaimed excitedly. Marc pulled a small knife, which had apparently been accidentally left in his pocket, from his trousers and carefully ran it along the thin groove. Suddenly, he felt a little resistance and increased the pressure of the knife slightly. With a soft crunch, the wall opened.

Both quickly tried to reach inside. June tore a pillow from the bed in the room and pressed it into the gap, which was now wide open. At least it couldn't close so easily now. With all their strength, they pushed the panel aside.

‘Now we might be able to get out,’ Marc finally said. ‘We'll soon see where we are and whether we can free ourselves. To simply knock us out in our sleep and carry us off... We were probably a little too careless.’ They entered a corridor filled with dim light, at the end of which there appeared to be a door. Together they walked towards it. The door opened without difficulty.

After hesitantly stepping through, they found themselves in a large room filled with all kinds of devices, scales and something that looked like a large control panel. Marc approached it to inspect it more closely.

‘June!’ he called, ‘Come here, please, I think we're in the air. You can see it from here!’

They looked out in alarm: right in front of them, clouds were piling up. ‘What do we do now?’ June finally asked.

‘I'll try to figure out this panel, and then I'll try to get us back to Earth,’ Marc replied. They nodded to each other.

Chapter 3 What's happened here?

Surprise

‘Well, here we are!’ whispered Carolyn. ‘Now what?’

‘Oh,’ replied Tom, ‘it's simple, we step through the mirror and look around on the other side before we make our way to the castle, or whatever this old building is.’

‘But you should take another look through it first to make sure it's safe to enter this strange land. Maybe it's dark there now,’ whispered Carolyn, shivering. "Look down too, we don't know if we'll fall or if we'll need a rope to get into this strange world. I'm a little scared, and if our parents come back and we're not in our rooms, what will they think?‘ Tom tried to calm Carolyn down a little and acted casual: ’Nothing will happen. To reassure you, I'll stick my head through the light before we actually go through the old mirror."

He moved towards the glowing spot, put down his backpack, took the torch in his hand, cautiously held a finger into the swirling light of the mirror, and when nothing happened except a slight tingling sensation, he stuck his head through, as he had done before. However, he immediately pulled it back with a loud cry.

‘What is it?’ Carolyn asked, now extremely alarmed.

‘That's not what I saw earlier. Come on, take a look and tell me what you see.’ ‘No,’ whimpered Carolyn, "I'm scared, let's not go in there alone.

What did you see there anyway?‘ ’I saw a city like I've never seen one in my life, with tall towers, flying cars moving back and forth between the towers, a large lake on the edge of the city and something like a park full of strange trees, plants and animals.‘ Carolyn began to sob. ’I'm terribly afraid, let's stop this, you!"

A strange smacking sound interrupted Tom, who wanted to continue his story. The light dimmed and suddenly a large figure stood before them. A small head with large round eyes peered out of the breast pocket of the figure's jacket and spoke in a squeaky voice:

‘I think they've discovered us and our way into the mirror worlds!’ ‘Uncle Hans!’ Carolyn groaned. ‘How did you get here?’

Hans, her mother's brother and somewhat the black sheep of the family, took her reassuringly in his arms, stroked her unruly hair and replied quietly:

‘It's a long story, Carolyn. I think it's time I told you some of it. Let's go downstairs. You tell me how you found the mirror, and I'll explain some things to you. And please just call me Hans. You can leave out “Uncle”.’

Crash and escape

Marc calmly immersed himself in the controls directly in front of him, surrounded by complete silence. He was able to decipher some of the numerous labels, while he tried his best to at least figure out the others and determine the interdependencies between the individual instruments.

‘Okay,’ he said, "this lever here probably regulates the altitude of this aircraft; that seems to have something to do with the up and down controls, and this rotary switch obviously regulates the speed.

I'll just give it a try.‘ He turned the lever very slowly and a display changed to an instrument position that he thought was zero. ’Now I'll try to go a little lower." He moved one of the levers again. He could now see outside through a large glass panel that had suddenly become transparent:

In the distance, something like a horizon appeared. Marc slowly moved the lever further and the horizon came closer. ‘Don't you have to slow down a bit when you want to land?’ asked June. ‘Yes,’ replied Marc, ‘I'll try that next. If I move this lever there, it might change the direction.’

He tried it. Slowly, the horizon shifted to the left. ‘And now to the other side. Fortunately, that seems to be very easy. Now let's try to land.’ He concentrated on moving the levers and rotary switches when June suddenly exclaimed, ‘We've been here before! That's the castle of those two strange birds. Just try to land there, maybe we can take shelter there.’ Marc increased the speed a little and the ground quickly came closer. Then he slowed down again, because the possible landing site was now clearly visible. ‘I have to get this strange vehicle down on the ground right now, whatever it takes.’ He resolutely pulled the lever he had previously identified as the brake. Suddenly there was a loud rumbling on the outside of the aircraft, the machine almost turned around itself, sagged and hit the marshy ground with a loud slap. ‘Quick, get out of here,’ Marc shouted, ‘before the owners of this plane catch us.’

Together, they rushed out of the control centre, through a winding corridor and out of a hatch that had just opened, leading them directly outside. From a height of about two metres, they jumped down onto the damp ground and ran together towards the building that rose up in front of them a short distance away. They reached the gate just as the aircraft appeared behind them, looking almost spherical from that distance. Several hatches opened and a horde of terrifying-looking figures armed to the teeth immediately set off in pursuit.

Marc and June reached the gate, panting heavily, just in time. It opened as if by magic and closed again behind them as soon as they had rushed through.

They were saved!

Chapter 4 Explanation

A family secret is revealed

The three of them, or rather four if you counted the strange creature peeking out of their uncle's breast pocket, quietly descended the steep wooden staircase.

They all found a place in the large living room with its black oak furniture and fireplace, where a few logs were still glowing. The children waited eagerly to hear what their relative had to tell them. But first he stood up, placed two large beech logs in the almost extinguished embers, took the bellows and fanned the fire back to life.

When the flames began to flicker and the shadows danced mysteriously on the walls, he sat down in the old armchair, which probably belonged to his great-great-grandmother, and was about to begin his story, but Carolyn couldn't wait any longer and cried out:

‘Who or what is that in your pocket?’ Hans smiled and replied, ‘Yes, believe it or not, Carolyn, that's my ID card in my pocket!’

Now he had said something! With her big eyes wide open in anger and her little four-fingered hands waving wildly, the little creature squeaked,

‘Tell me, what are you thinking? Me, an ID card? You wouldn't be able to manage without me! Anyway, I'm not an ID card, I'm a companion and my name is Lanudas. I'm coming... Oh, never mind, let this giant tell you, he always knows everything better anyway.’

Lanudas fell silent and retreated so far into the breast pocket of his jacket that only the tip of his hat was visible. Hans cleared his throat awkwardly and began: ‘Actually, I just wanted to get the book I stupidly left behind last time...’

As if on cue, Carolyn jumped up, ran to her backpack, opened it and took out the book that had strangely appeared in the attic at her feet. ‘Maybe this one?’ she called.

Uncle Hans took the book, opened it, muttered something like ‘Wrong page, wrong time,’ slammed the book shut and continued. "There's a lot you don't know about the past, so I'd like to tell you something about the book and your maternal ancestors.

You probably don't remember, you were very young when I was house-sitting for your parents during your first holiday together. Out of boredom, I did some minor repairs and tried to tidy up the attic.

I opened one of the old black oak cabinets, and it was as if the book suddenly jumped into my hand. It opened and Lanudas fell right at my feet. I was startled because I had never seen such a small creature before. My astonishment was therefore great.

Now there was no more tidying up, because Lanudas had a lot to tell me in gratitude for freeing him from the book. And so I learned that since time immemorial, the women in our family had been travellers between worlds and still are today. That also explains,‘ her mother's brother now addressed Carolyn, ’why the book was lying on the floor in front of you of all people.

You will probably also be a traveller, just like your mother, who has only embarked on such an adventure once so far. Since the book chose you, you will probably become her successor.‘ ’And what about me?‘ asked Tom. ’Why did I see so many strange things in the mirror when I looked through it, first something like the Middle Ages and then a hyper-modern city? If you hadn't come, in which country and time would we have ended up, and where could we have expected help if we had set off? They are different countries, and they must also be different times, mustn't they?‘ ’Yes, you're right about the times,‘ replied her uncle with a smile. ’But the book is the most important thing of all.

There are many references to women in this book, but only a few references to men. For example, I found my name written in runes, and I think there should also be a Tom and a Carolyn. The men whose names appear in the book can also see the strange worlds, just as you were able to do earlier through the mirror.‘

’And what does Lanudas have to do with this?" Carolyn wanted to know.

‘He presented me with the mirror that your mother had wisely covered with a large black cloth and showed me how it can be used to travel to another world and another time.’

The fire in the fireplace had long since burned down when Hans added, ‘But that's enough for today, tomorrow is another day. Let's all go to bed now.’

As if to himself, he muttered, ‘Tomorrow is a better time anyway, today would have been too dangerous.’

The children protested vehemently, of course, but Hans would not be swayed. ‘And where will you sleep?’ asked Carolyn. ‘I'll go back to the attic,’ replied her uncle.

The children got up to go to their rooms; Hans disappeared up the attic stairs with his troll.

When the house was finally quiet, Tom couldn't stand it any longer. With the torch in his hand, he crept behind his uncle to the attic, opened the old door and looked around. Everything was dark, only the light from the torch pierced the darkness like a bright finger. Hans had disappeared. The light from the mirror had also gone out.

Tom now felt a little uneasy up there. On tiptoe, clutching the banister tightly, he climbed down carefully.

Soon after Tom had told his sister Carolyn what had happened, the children went to their rooms to get some rest after their exciting day.

The passage

Suddenly, a voice rang out from the wall next to them: "Unfortunately, you cannot stay here. We have learned from our well, which allows us to see into the future, that new visitors are coming who are very close to you both. Unfortunately, I can't say any more at this point. So hurry up, there should only be one passageway here. Follow the corridor you are in and go to the fourth mirror on your right. You must use this mirror as a passageway to the next world, and no other! But wait at the right mirror until you hear the gong, then use the passageway."

The couple looked at each other in bewilderment. ‘What is all this mysterious talk?’ asked June. ‘We've been chasing this mysterious book for three days now, how are we supposed to continue?’

‘Oh,’ replied Marc, "if only we hadn't lost that book of our ancestors! What will become of the children if we don't get back in time?

We don't even know how much time has passed for them. You know, we're moving, and that doesn't make things easy, especially when we're in different time zones. Come on, we have to keep going. You heard the voice, and I think it sounds like it might be urgent. Come on, we really should hurry."

They continued on their way through the long corridor, passed through an archway and entered a room with many mirrors on the walls. They stopped in front of the fourth mirror on the right, as the voice had told them.

Suddenly, the mirror showed the familiar bright glow and a gong sounded in a dull tone.

The sound vibrated for a long time, and then the voice spoke again: ‘You will reach your destination. At the end of the seventh day, you will experience a great surprise. And now go!’

They took each other's hands and stepped through the mirror together, whose light went out with a smacking sound. They had disappeared.

Where would the transition lead them?

 

Chapter 5 Breakfast and a new companion arrives

The travelling companion

After a restless night, during which Carolyn and Tom had hardly slept a wink due to excitement, the children were torn from their troubled slumber early in the morning by footsteps and the creaking of the attic stairs. They quickly jumped out of bed and rushed into the large kitchen, still wearing their pyjamas. A surprise awaited them there, because their uncle had not come alone! Next to Lanudas the gnome, who was peeking out of the breast pocket of Hans' jacket as usual, looking very disgruntled, was a completely unknown figure. Wrapped in a dark brown cloak, her face hidden under a hood that fell low over her face, she sat on the chair next to the large stove. Right next to her stood a large sack with many strange things sticking out of it.‘Children, slow down, please,’ her uncle said, curbing the siblings' exuberant curiosity. ‘First, we'll have breakfast with all kinds of delicious things and, of course, cocoa for all of us. Then we'll have a lot to explain and prepare so that we can soon go on our first journey through the mirror together.’ He turned to the figure in the robe and said in a friendly voice, ‘And you, Sulass, take off your hood, or better yet, take off your cloak and come join us at the table. I know how much you like cocoa, and you can only get it in our time and here in our world.’

The figure rose smoothly, threw back the hood with a quick movement of its head, and then, with another very slight turn of its body, let the robe slide completely to the floor. The children, astonished by the sight of the creature, sat very still and a little fearfully on their chairs and looked questioningly at Sulass.

He or she, the children couldn't tell exactly, had large dark slanted eyes, round ears reminiscent of a bear, a pointed nose and a mouth from which two long sharp fangs protruded. The body was covered with black fur consisting of short, fine hairs. Each thumb had a claw that looked very dangerous and suddenly disappeared with a soft click. Now the thumb was completely covered with fur and looked completely harmless again. The feet, hairy down to the three toes, also had two sharp claws.

The creature rose with an ease that suggested great strength and sat down at the set breakfast table. After taking in all the details of the visitor's appearance, Carolyn stammered in alarm, ‘What is that?’ ‘That is Sulass, he is a Rucks and comes from a strange world where they are the dominant species,’

Hans replied. ‘He will accompany us on our first journey and provide us with everything we need as humans. When we've finished eating, Sulass, why don't you empty the sack so we can see exactly what you've brought us?’

Excitedly, the children wolfed down their breakfast, and Sulass, who hadn't eaten much but had drunk all the more cocoa, was now finally ready to open the sack.

Everyone waited eagerly to see what might be hidden in the large jute sack, and soon a large number of different objects clattered onto the kitchen floor.

Tom saw a breastplate, a short sword and a dagger with a finely chiselled handle, a cap with a feather, a doublet with three-quarter-length trousers and leather boots. Carolyn, on the other hand, also saw trousers, a blouse, a waistcoat, leather low shoes, a quiver with arrows and a bow.

How did this Sulass know that she had started archery about six months ago? Tom was also amazed at the things that were obviously intended for him, as they were all the right size.

Hans said to Sulass, somewhat disgruntled, ‘And for me?’ He then addressed Sulass in a strange language that sounded like a humming in different pitches. Sulass hummed something back, then opened a small bag, took out a tiny bottle and gave it to the siblings. He made a gesture of drinking.

The children looked questioningly at their uncle, who nodded in approval. First Tom, then Carolyn took a sip from the bottle, which contained a sticky sweet liquid that caused a pleasant burning sensation on the tongue. And as if by magic, they suddenly understood the humming sounds that the strange creature was making, clearly and distinctly in their own language. Now the questions bubbled out of them, and Sulass good-naturedly answered everything they wanted to know.

After a while, her uncle interrupted and said, ‘We want to finally begin our journey. Take the clothes I brought, put them on, and when you're ready, please give me the sack, because it contains something very important to me. Then we'll go up to the attic together, and the adventure can begin.’

Stop

Marc and June were suddenly thrown into a new world. When they pulled themselves together and took their first look at their new surroundings, they saw a small town right in front of them.

Suddenly, a man appeared in front of them. He was wearing a helmet, a somewhat rusty breastplate, a brown doublet and trousers that ended in high leather boots. He pointed a long rifle at them and shouted in a loud, rough voice:

‘Stop! Hands on your heads!’

Fear crept up inside them. What did this man want from them and why was he threatening them with a gun?

‘We are travellers, just passing through, please let us go,’ said Marc in the friendliest tone he could muster.

‘No way!’ replied the man rather harshly, waving his long and dangerous-looking weapon in front of their faces. ‘You will now follow me to the village, where we will find out where you come from and what you want here. Now move, and quickly, if you please.’ He roughly pushed the long barrel of his weapon into Marc's back.

Resigned to their fate, they made their way down to the village. June couldn't help asking a question that seemed important to her: ‘Where are they taking us?’