Snippet #1936732

As the carriage rumbled along on the streets, Iggy gazed out the window, watching his surroundings fly by. Buildings, trees, people, cars. The horses' hooves clapped against the streets rhythmically, creating a steady backdrop of noise that lulled the boy into a slight doze. His eyes were glazed over as they stared sightlessly outside for his mind was far, far away from taking in the scenery. His hand reached up and tugged at the semi-loose tie hanging off his neck as his mind wandered. The letter hadn't really explained much - like the all-important why he was chosen. How had they known about him? And why was he going to this "ball" again? Oh right. Nothing better to do.

A sudden turn off the mainstream road caused Iggy to shift on his seat, jerking out of his thoughts. The road was changing, looking less used, and buildings and civilization seemed to be receding. Iggy stared outside, feeling vaguely interested at the change for a while before the interest drained out of him and he slumped down again. He reached into his blazer and pulled out the red letter, inspecting it for the umpteenth time. A change in lighting stopped him from looking at the familiar words as he looked around for the cause. Outside had become darker - and so had the inside of the carriage.

It seemed that he had entered forest and trees, blocking out the little rays of light there had been. Iggy glanced outside at the wide, thick trunks and some of the lower hanging branches that scraped lightly against the carriage in some places. The leaves rustled as they passed by. Iggy wondered how much longer he would have to wait. However, he had a feeling they were nearly there. Something about the forest implied that the journey was nearly at a close and the moment the trees dwindled away, it would reveal... Well, whatever the place he was going to.

Iggy went back to the letter even though he felt he had practically memorized the entire thing while trying to figure it out. He had searched for implications and subtext that would tell him more about the reason the ball was being held. He had tried to see if there were hidden messages in code or in invisible ink. By the time he had gotten to wondering if it was in an alien language that somehow also made sense in English, Iggy had realized that he had had far too much time on his hands. And of course, what better way to have something to do than to accept the letter's offer?

The carriage was slowing down. The hoofbeats were coming at a slower interval. They exited the trees. Iggy felt his eyes widen slightly. "That looks legit," he breathed. The mansion gleamed like a giant gem in the middle of the dark trees. It practically sprawled out, hinting that there was a lot more to it than even what was apparent at the front. The carriage came a slow stop, and there was a sudden almost-silence where the only thing Iggy could hear were the crickets and a slight ringing in his ears from the absence of the hoofbeats.

Iggy was about to step out before he realized that he had to tuck in his shirt, tighten his tie, and basically make himself presentable. Dad'll be so proud, Iggy thought with a faint strain of sarcasm. I actually look "respectable." Iggy chuckled at the thought. The door to the carriage opened by itself and Iggy blinked, before finally remembering that carriages usually had footmen or something of that sort. He shook his head minutely and finally, finally, exited the carriage. After a polite "thank you", Iggy slowly took a few steps towards the entrance. The carriage started into life again and rode off after he moved away, but Iggy barely spared it a glance as he stood still and gazed at the large entrance several feet away.

Well, it looks like I'm here...

He took a deep breath, reached up to feel for his necklace, and then cheerfully made his way towards the doors. He had a ball to attend to.