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"Keep Out." The sign on the door of a room in the silent Ingland Witch Museum read: creepy but beautiful artefact read.
"Ah, it can't be that bad." Joe, a newly employed pot bellied art curator on night duty at the museum, said as he stood staring at the sign on the door with a flickering lantern in one hand and a candy in the other.
Ignoring the sign, Joe carefully fidgeted through the bunch of keys in his hands, looking for the perfect key to open the door. Finally, he found it, and after two turns on the keyhole, the door flew open to reveal a room without windows.
"Weird,” Joe muttered. Immediately, a cold shiver ran down his spine, but he brushed it off, thinking it was just his mind playing tricks. “So what do we have here? A lot of forgotten relics, I see,” he said to no one but himself as he stepped into the room.
Gently putting the candy in his mouth, with the help of the flickering lantern in hand, he proceeded to rummage through the forgotten relics in the keep out room. When suddenly, his gaze fell upon this ancient, ornate artefact hidden beneath a pile of old robes.
"Oh, my wow!” Joe exclaimed at the sight of the ornate beauty. “Now tell me how such a beautiful artefact like this can be locked up inside this room." He picked it up and smiled. Carefully, he placed the artefact on a nearby soft pillow. “It's about time the world saw your beauty, mi love,” he said, as he couldn't stop admiring its beauty.
He shuffled through other old relics, but none piqued his interest like the ornate artefact. He locked up the room and took the old artefact to an empty display stand, where he carefully placed it.
“But why would you be locked out for so long?” Joe asked the artefact if it could talk back to him with answers. “I've got to check the museum library to find out why," he said as he walked over to the library at the far end of the display hall.
He picked up a book boldly inscribed ‘For employees only’ and flipped through its pages for answers. Suddenly, he heard strange noises echoing through the halls. He looked but couldn't find anyone, then brushed it off again as his mind was playing tricks.
“Boom, the ‘keep out room”, page 105” He read loudly as he finally found a page with the answer he was looking for.
“Whatever you do, do not let the evil souls trapped in the artefact within the four walls of the keep out room see the daylight. Deter and live with the consequences your whole life," it read.
“Oh no!!” Joe exclaimed, dropping the candy in his mouth and looking up to stare at the old artefact sitting pretty on the display stand. Horror washed over him as he realised the danger he might have unleashed.
Just then, a shrill voice from the display hall screamed.
“Set me free!” The deafening voice said
Human shadows began to dance in the dim light, sending chills down his spine. The artefacts' energy gradually saturated the room. Joe's heart raced as he realised he might have made a mistake.
“Daylight!. I need daylight!” The shrill voice came again.
"Daylight,” Joe repeated. “Whatever you do, do not let the evil souls trapped in the artefact within the four walls of the keep out room see the daylight!.” Eyes wide open, he recited the exact line from the book. “No wonder the keep-off room had windows,” he added.
He looked at his watch. It was just a few minutes before midnight. “The artefact mustn't see daylight.”.
Heart pounding, Joe dashed back to the display stand where the artefact rested. "I've got to get you back!" he muttered frantically.
As he reached out to grab it, the artefact seemed to pulse with an otherworldly energy. "You can't escape us!" the shrill voice echoed again.
“Shut up!” He yelled, his hands trembling as he carefully lifted the artefact. "I'm so sorry; I shouldn't have shouted at you guys. But I've got to return you," he pleaded, his voice trembling.
With each step, the shadows in the room seemed to grow darker, more menacing, and racing after him. "Almost there," Joe muttered to himself, sweat beading on his forehead.
Finally, he reached the keep-out room, his breath ragged. With trembling hands, he placed the artefact back where he found it and locked the door tightly.
As he leaned against the door, he felt a wave of relief wash over him. "I won't make that mistake again," he vowed to himself, his heart still racing from the ordeal. He walked back to his duty post.