Forbidden Gates: The Book of Celestial Magic

1- A Letter for My Sister

Dear Catherine,

 How are you? I’m alright, not much harm done, but I’m doing fine. It’s been crazy here, so many things has happened since I last saw you. How’s Tom? I miss him too. I’m guessing you’re probably dying to know what happened here, and how it all came together. Well, don’t worry I’ll tell you every single detail about it.

I find it weird that after all of this, it seems like nothing changed, but I guess some things are better off the way they are, peaceful and beautiful.

Now where was I? Oh yeah, I was about to tell you what had happened. It all began after you left.

“Good morning class. How are you all today?” asked Mrs. Imminent. For a woman of her age, Mrs. Imminent sure was loud. Mrs. Imminent is my Astronomy teacher; she’s been working here in Qatar for several years now. I guess she likes the peace and quiet here; I’d take peace and quiet any day too compared to New York, and I did, thanks to Mum and Dad of course. If we didn’t have that move I would’ve never had this relaxing life here, it’s a nice change from the busy streets there. I guess I’m just the type of guy who likes the serenity, even though it’s boiling hot in here.

“Good morning Mr. Bayer, glad to see you early today. A nice change from your usual late excuses.” she tells me. I usually just smile back, because why not? It’s so annoying how I’m always late though, but that’s not my fault! Remember when we were kids and we’d usually stay up just to watch the stars?

Well the previous night was different. Somehow, the stars weren’t present and it was just a dark sky. Due to their absence, I got bored waiting so I went to sleep instead. The world’s not the same like it was back then.

I remember you telling me the different constellations, but what I was mostly excited about was my first constellation star, the Aquarius. It was the first time I recognized a constellation on my own, and was I overjoyed or what? Those were great times.

 I also remember you showing me the rest of the Zodiac constellations, like for example, you showed me Tavros, formally known as Taurus but you chose the ‘Greek’ way or pronouncing it. Then you went on about the different names of that very Zodiac, that in Sumero-Babylonian it’s called ‘The Steer of Heaven’ which in later context after looking at a dictionary it meant ‘The Castrated Bull of Heaven’. Probably easier if you just said that rather than the word ‘steer’ but I guess you can learn something new every now and then, and because it does sound odd if you say castrated bull.

I miss those times.

“We’re going to have a trip to the Museum of Islamic Arts this week. Have your parents sign these slips and don’t forget to bring them in tomorrow. Remember, no slip no trip.” said Mrs. Imminent. I grabbed the sheet of paper and stuffed it inside my bag; I’m not too worried on losing it.

The class then went on for several hours; I guess being in Sixth Form has its downs. In the board Mrs. Imminent was talking about the “Uranometria”, the very first atlas to cover the whole celestial sphere. Sounds difficult right? Yes, yes it is.

I didn’t really pay attention to the lesson; I could just look it up later online.

“Mr. Bayer, can you please tell me a type of constellation found within the atlas of Uranometria?” asked Mrs. Imminent. I wasn’t paying much attention and was just flipping through my textbook so I didn’t really notice or hear her, but thankfully Dawn was there to kick me by the shins just to wake me up.

You remember Dawn don’t you? Dawn Sanchez? My best friend since I came here to Qatar, which was like I don’t know, six years ago? Light-skinned, brown haired and rosy cheeks, you even called her an American when clearly she was Filipino. Well anyways, after kicking me ‘hard’ in the shins, I was able to wake up from my morning daze and stood up in unison to her attack.

As you know, I am an actor, so these skills come in handy sometimes. “Yes Mrs. Imminent?” I asked innocently. She looked at me suspiciously whilst I held a nervous yet calm grin in my face. I glance across the room for any help, and once again Dawn was to the rescue.

“Sam, Mrs. Imminent asked give her ‘a type of constellation found within the atlas of Uranometria’ and I think one of them would be Sagittarius, also known as the Archer.”

She answered a Zodiac name, of course! I read a while back about a Zodiac that caught my interest, one of significant difference, ‘One of the constellations found in the Uranometria would be Ophiuchus.’ I answered.

Everyone looked at me in confusion as the star wasn’t even mentioned by Mrs. Imminent. But then I notice that in the board we’re a series of stars she’s listed, but somehow Ophiuchus wasn’t present.

“Erm… that is correct Mr. Bayer. Please sit down.” Mrs. Imminent tells me.

Everyone is still looking at me in confusion. I guess they were just wondering how I was right about a type of star that even Mrs. Imminent wasn’t too sure of, but I know Ophiuchus exists, it was one of the stars listed by Johann Bayer, the creator of the atlas Uranometria. Yeah, I do study every now and then too you know.

The bell finally rings and it was time for the first break. English Literature was next, so that was a relief. Usually on breaks I spent my time doing some errands in the New Library at the School’s Main Site, but today I wanted to visit the Old Library at the Sixth Form Center because they say it’s got so many books from the past, and I just thought that maybe I could find some that will interest me.

When I went inside, the library was really weird. The books were great however, it’s just that they had a significant difference from the New Library; they were all so dusty, as if no one had been there in a long while.

I found many great books; A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute, Don Quixote by Cervantes, and The Crimson Year by Will Creed. But what truly stood out the most was this book, I didn’t know why it was there but it seemed pretty new, almost like it was recently placed in there.

The book had a peculiar front cover, whilst most of them were just blank and covered using leather, this one was different. This particular book had a beautiful front cover: an illustration of the Sun and Moon intersected, the moon covering a part of the soon, and with the lively orange curving rays of the Sun were quiet blue shards that seemed to be frozen sunshine rays, and the whole thing almost resembled a compass.

 It was quite thick, but not as thick as the books I’ve read like Cornelia Funke’s Inkheart or Inkspell; it was fairly thick. The front cover had a title, and somehow I was able to understand it. “Celestial Heavens” it said, though the ‘Celestial’ bit was written in Latin; that being it said ‘Caelestis’, and it was curved on the top of the Sun and Moon illustration. Meanwhile, the ‘Heavens’ part was written in Greek which it wrote ‘Ouránia’, was placed curved on the bottom of Sun and Moon illustration. Below the ‘Heavens’ part was a name: Ioannis Bayeri Rhainani. An odd name too.

It was weird the way how the Librarian was just staring at me when I tried to borrow the books, almost like she’s in a daze of some kind. She just sat there, smiling with her pale cheeks and her pale skin. After scanning each book, she would just place it on the table like a robotic machine. When I finally handed her the Celestial Heavens, she took the book and flipped through it, then returned it back to me without a word.

“Erm, I would like to borrow this book please?” I ask again.

She turns her head to the left and stared at the window for a minute or two, then back to me. “This book is not the property of the Library. Would you like to have it?” she asked.

I look at the book. It’s a cool looking book, why would I not want it? “Yes, I would love to have it!” I reply. She oddly smiled at me, showing all of her teeth, and handed me the rest of the books I borrowed. For a young woman of her age, she sure seemed peculiar.

I didn’t exactly know what the contents of the book were, I just happen to have seen the front cover and it made an impression on me. The way it is; how it’s formed and how it comes together; it’s very majestic.

Since almost everyone will plan to be late for English Literature class, they probably went to the Main School Site just to be at least 10 minutes late while waiting for the bus to take them here in the Sixth Form Block, so as usual I stayed in the room right next to the English Lit room and read there.

The other books were interesting, but Celestial Heaven was even more interesting. Once I opened the book, the very first thing I see is the book plate. Somehow, even though the title is in two languages, the book plate was written in English. It says ‘This book now belongs to _____’, and naturally as someone who likes to put his name on things, I wrote my name on it.

‘Samuel Bayer’

Odd, why would it say ‘This book now belongs to’? Did the author know it was going to be passed on or something? I mean why use ‘now’? Maybe they just ‘This book belongs to’ would be the norm, but this has the word ‘now’ in it. I guess I was making a fuss over nothing, so I decided to just forget about it.

After the bookplate, the rest were…..unusual. On the page right after the bookplate, it says ‘To Samuel, may the stars guide you’. I didn’t really want to think of it much so I just thought to myself then that it was a coincidence, but little did I know that it was so much more than that.

Class began. As usual I’m first at class and Mr. Thornville’s mad because everyone is once again, late for his English Literature Class.  It’s really irritating sometimes when a teacher is complaining and you’re the only student at class. It’s like you’re being forced to interact, even though you don’t want to.

I just smiled constantly as he babbled on about how irresponsible my generation is and that there are only a few people like me these days so I should never change blah-blah-blah. There are times when you would accept a compliment wholeheartedly, but I wasn’t even sure that his was a compliment. It was hardly a compliment! Then again, what would I know about compliments right?

Look, I know what you’re going to say, ‘Everyone likes you Sammy’. But it’s not the truth alright? I know people hate me, I guess not everyone, but I know lots of people do. Try Spencer. I know he acts all nice to me all the time and treats me like one of his friends, but I feel like deep down inside he hates me. I don’t know why, but there’s just something about his glares behind my back that gives me that idea. Spence has been my friend for quite sometime now, and I do like him mind you, but I feel like he’s not the same as he was before. He’s not the same good old Spencer that I used to hang out and play tricks with; he’s changed a whole lot after we entered High School, or Key Stage 4, or whatever. But let’s forget about him and focus on why other people hate me.

I haven’t told you about it yet, but it was during Year 9. I guess I was becoming more aware of how people took advantage of my kindness, more like stupidity, and stood up for myself. I guess ever since then that smiling goody-goody boy was gone. Okay so maybe not everyone took advantage of me, but since then I’ve changed. I’ve become bossy, I always argue with my friends, I act like I’m so much better than everyone, and now look, I’m early at class just so-

Forget about it.

It’s been fifteen minutes and not a single word from my classmates. Where are they now? Mr. Thornville hasn’t stopped complaining. He’s still going on about the worthlessness of this generation, and that we ‘millennial’ should look out because if we don’t, our future could be dark blah-blah-blah.

Once he finally stopped, another 10 minutes had passed and no one came yet, so he decided to go to the main site and search for them, and instructed me to read a book while he was gone.

What happened next will totally blow your mind.

So since I was alone, naturally I was bored. So I grabbed the book I got for free from the Library earlier and began flipping through it. The contents were weird, and they were written in Latin too. So as I continued to flip through a book full of nothing but text, I came across an illustration. I couldn’t quite make what the illustration was, it looked weird and unrecognizable. Right next to it was a text written in Latin, but on the top it was somehow English. It said “Stand up in a space. Read the content out loud.”

I looked at the book, then outside to check if someone was there. No one. So I stood up within a space, and began to chant “Ahem- okay. Uh, let’s see. Per virtutes stellarum, per vires de Saturn et Uranus, procedo Aquarius! Recludos est januas de Uranometria!” and all of the sudden, the book begins to shimmer and float!

As I back away, the book seemed to be following me. Then suddenly, it flew up in the air fast, and landed on my hands. Almost as if forcibly, my hands open the book at the same exact page and lightning strikes began to occur. They were coming out of the book! I began to feel electrified, and I could see that flickering light was appearing on my arms too! The shimmering continued to grow lighter, thus I threw the book on the floor.

A figure comes out; I wasn’t quite clear what it was then, so I only saw a figure of light.

My hands and arms were still flickering with light, so I was in a panic, when suddenly the figure approached me. “You are not worthy of the power! The gates shall bind you and you will be finished! The power is not for you, it will never be yours! Suffer the fate of those who have come before you and die!” and as it said this, it grows feathery wings. It then lifts its hand up and more flicker of lightning occurred! The flickering lightning then formed into a huge lightning bolt and using its left hand, it throws the bolt towards my direction! As it flickered in a great amount of speed, I stood there, paralyzed and clueless with what to do.

In desperation for safety, I did what any normal person would do, I place my hand right in front of my face and cowered in fear; and maybe conjure up an awesome force field too. The attack was stopped, and the force field disappeared. I look at my hands, ‘Did I do that?’ I asked myself. I begin to hear the creature swore in what sounds to be Greek, and then it stood by the window and flew off.

After that, I passed out.

“Mr. Bayer, wake up!” I heard a man say.

It was Mr. Thornville! I looked around in confusion, ‘What happened? Was I just dreaming?’ I asked myself as I observed my hand to see if that shimmering light burnt me. No sign of anything; no burns what so ever. After that I searched through my bag to see if the book was there, and it was! Then I flipped through the pages, trying to look for the mermaid illustration, but turns out it wasn’t there.

So I thought I was just dreaming then. It was all just a dream, and that craziness was just something that I made up in my head. The whole thing was a dream. But little did I know that it meant so much more. During my constant self-thinking, I didn’t realize Mr. Thornville was looking at me furiously, so when I finally looked at him, well let’s just say I had an after school detention. As it turns out during the time he “went to check up on them” I fell asleep while reading ‘A Town Like Alice’ in which he insulted me because the book should not be slept at as it is ‘a true work of art’. Last time I stay here to be early again, that’s for sure.

A Little Bit Lost

Hey, I'm back. I guess I haven't posted here in a long time, I don't really know why. Probably because I haven't been experiencing anything blog-worthy to post, so I kept quiet. But hey, I'm back.

Since summer vacation began I think I've lost my inner self, the me that loved writing, the person that explored life, that someone that loved excitement. Can you blame me? It's been a boring summer for me. Nothing new to do, and my friends aren't even bothered to hang out with me, times like those I question myself if they even enjoy my company at all.

So I think I'll keep this short, I don't have much brain activity going on since school ended, so I guess I'll wait till school begins to start posting regularly here, but I do have to say one thing, I don't think I've ever felt lost in the whole of my life up until my Year 11 life. It was just so confusing for me, I didn't know what I wanted, what I stand for, and what I am. But now, I do. I know what to do, I know what's coming, and I'm ready for it. Believe it or not, it's all thanks to all the hardships I've been through, conquering my inner demons and making myself better than what I already was, that's what got me through my lost phase, and now I'm ready, I'm ready to strike back and be a better me, so I hope you're ready world, here I come!

Vlog #1: Introducing Me, Myself, and I (Not the Disney kind)

I've always wanted to do Vlogs for so long now, but never had the guts, or the equipment, to do so. But now, welp here it is! My very first Vlog!!!! I hope you guys like it! :) Btw, it's not HD because my camera isn't so great, but hopefully I'll be able to buy a new one soon :P

The Unwanted Child

Upon watching Matilda, I’ve realized that there are so many young people out there who are treated like the unwanted child, the mistake. It’s funny because when you’re the unwanted child, you can’t say what you want without getting into trouble, you can’t feel without getting into trouble, basically, you can’t be yourself around your family. Usually for these types of people, school is their salvation; it’s the place where they can be away from home. Whenever they’re at school, they’re free to be happy, to express themselves, to be who they are. One of my favourite books, Call Me Hope, reveals how verbally abusive parents can be, and how deeply it can affect their children. Most always believe that troubles come from somewhere else, and home is the safe haven, but I beg to differ, sometimes somewhere else is a safe haven, and home is where the troubles come from.

People who has never experienced them believe that parent’s of those children are just being loving, and they’re doing what’s best for them, but if they really did love their children, why not listen to them to reason? There’s always a reason most of the time, they just have to listen, but no, they go by what to believe in and immediately think their children are rebelling. They immediately believe they’re the damsel in distress and that the demon is their unwanted child. Imagine if you were like that, would you still think of those who call themselves the unwanted child only does this to defy their parents?

Next time you see someone like that, look at their side of the story, listen to them and let them relieve the pain of their chest. Behind those smiles are tears just waiting to be relieved, but they can’t do that if they’re all alone. The only thinng they can do is to cry to themselves, feel pity for themselves, and know that they are alone in this world, no one to listen to them.

I guess what I'm saying is, some of us are lucky to have parents who although don't understand us most of the time, still cares for us even with our flaws. Sometimes you might get mad at your parents, but that's part of being human, as long as you respect them, even if they can't properly see it, then that's fine.

The Real Philosophers

Children with high imagination are usually seen as stupid, idiots, or just plain silly. Why would I say such a thing? Well I was, or am like that. Since I was a kid, my imagination and sense of wonder has always been a strong point for me. It may sound cliché or stupid, but growing up I was seen as stupid. I could remember the times when I was in class, and whilst having lessons I’d ask myself, “I wonder what it’s like to ride a dragon?” upon seeing an image of a dragon in the room, then the teacher would ask me a question and since I wasn’t giving a care as to what he was saying, I’d usually be clueless, then the rest of the class would laugh at me. Due to that constantly happening, I was sent to join the class of special people, because they thought I was one too, but as it turns out I am clever, just easily distracted.

Call me crazy, but I remember entering a gate that led me to a whole new world, one that was extraordinary. I called it “That Place” because of what I saw. I saw plants with faces, rainbows surrounding the skies, giant grasses that can be sat on, a field of ice, a pool of food, and many little creatures running around in joy. It was my Wonderland, now that I think about it. My best friend and I usually went there to play, we would skate around in the ice, play with the little creatures, run around and whatnot. It was amazing, until one day, when I came back everything was gone. I tried asking about it, but it seems like it never existed, only to myself and my best friend. A couple of years later, even she denied it, saying that it was all our imagination. Well was it?

But that didn’t stop me from continuing to nourish my imagination; I also remember having days that were dark, especially on bed times. I believed that there were monsters all around me when I slept, so I usually hid under the sheets, but because I couldn’t breath and it was too hot, I tied my sheets around on the side and made a small fort like area in my bed that enables me to freely move in. Well of course my blanket is still over me, so I believed that I was safe. I usually slept with stuff toys, believe that they were real and they were my guardians, ready to protect me. I also believed I had magic, I was a strong magic believer then, so I would cast a spell that would put up a force field around myself and below me, not placing one under my bed as I believed that I might let the monsters in. I did this every night for so long, until one day, around a couple of months ago, I just realized that I haven’t slept like that in ages. I’ve revealed my head for quite some time now, and almost all of my stuffed toys that I believed to be real were all kept away in my memory box, stored as just another part of my memory.

That was the time when I realized, I was growing up, and that my childlike traits were disappearing. I began to become to more focused, asking myself less and less questions that’s out of the blue, whether it’s possible to fly or not, it was also wearing away. I knew then that I was losing myself, the person I’ve begun to love, the young philosopher within me, the one who everyone thought was stupid, but was the one who was actually thinking all along, I lost me.

What I’m saying is, I want to become myself again. People disliked him, but I liked and enjoyed to be him, and I want to become him again. Children may look stupid to you, but to me I see them as young philosophers, seeing the world in a different viewpoint, being individuals unlike adults who seem to want things to be “normal”; the  boring choice of lifestyle. 

Charmed: Chapter 1

"She's The One"

The wind blew gently as the cold winter night took over the warm breezy afternoon. His eyesight was blurred, so he couldn’t see what was going on. He held on to it, mighty tight as if he could never let it go, but he knew he was bound to.

“Wake up Sam, it’s time for school!” yelled a shrill voice that can only be described as nuisance; it was his sister Clarisse. As he began to get up, he looked at his window, and from far beyond he could see the horizon where the sun slowly made its way up. Another day for school it seems, but he was not in the mood for it, though was he ever in the mood for it? A day like Sunday is usually days when students his age go back to bed and constantly say “Five more minutes”, but he chose to be different, he chose to be on time. His teachers have always admired his perseverance; whenever they see him, he would be in the library reading books or helping out with placing the books back to their rightful places as some students do not have enough sense to return the books back themselves. He was a great help it seems, one who everyone counts on.

As he got up and out of bed, he grabbed his glasses and went straight to the toilet to freshen up. He turned on his phone to play some tracks, one of his favourites were by the American Authors, being “Best Day of My Life”. He liked singing during the times when the water fell on his black hair, so the lyrics usually came to him on top of his head, for he memorized them perfectly, much like with other songs he admires. Music has always been one of his passions, though he has many, music is one where he could express himself in a harmonic way, which is just the way he likes it.

Once he was done taking a shower, he went back to his room and dressed up. He then grabbed his combed, dipped it into the styling green gel he usually uses, and began combing his hair towards the upper right, just the way he likes it. As it is gel, his hair was held up towards the upper right, making him look neat and presentable, the way he wants it. It was not only long ago when he began making himself look well-dressed; he wanted to make a change with his usual scruffy “I don’t care much” persona, but with this change his personality had also met some tweaks and improvements, making him either a better person, or one he thought he was never going to be.

He took small steps towards the kitchen, he wasn’t in the mood to have cereal and fresh milk; pancakes maybe, but not the same old corn flakes and milk. He saw his sister cooking up some sausages, “Thank goodness” he told himself, and surely this was a big change for him. As he ate some of the sausages, he thought to himself “This is gonna be a good day”. He ran down as he said goodbye to his sister, for they both live in the same flat as he is after all a high school student, whilst his sister was a University student, and since she won’t be going to classes for the summer, she got to stay at home, but he had to attend “Summer School” basically a prison for the juvenile delinquents like himself. Well, he’s not really one, but because of some stupid accusation and a fail for Math’s, he had no choice.

As he walked towards the school, he saw his best friends; Alicia and Cedric. He greeted them with a wave, as they too had to attend the student’s prison. Alicia had been his friend for quite some time now, and although people usually tease them with one another, he was still trying to look for a spark between them, so he wasn’t quite sure for his feelings towards her. Alicia can be tomboyish at times, and she usually wore a baggy shirt and liked to wear a cap to hide the fact that she didn’t brush her hair. It was long back when they both lived in US when they first met; it was in a summer camp. He vaguely remembers Alicia getting lost, and when he saw her in a panic due to her sprained ankle, he began to calm her down and carried her back to the campus. From then on, the duo became inseparable until Alicia had to move to Canada due to her father going there for work. During her absence, he then met Cedric, a usually clumsy yet funny guy who he met at fifth grade. Much like little kids, both began to bond over cartoons, especially on that T.V show “Pokémon” and that’s when the duo became close friends. Two years later, Alicia returned and the trio became closer than ever. Now, even at summer school, they’re still inseparable.

“Hey Cedric, guess what? Check me out!” he said as he playfully spun around and walked like a male model. His friends shook their head and just laughed at him. Not looking at where he was going to, he accidentally bumped someone. “Whoa! I’m so sorry!” he apologized to the stranger.

She wore a pink hat, and was looking quite shy. As he looked at her with daze, Alicia immediately noticed this and nudged him. By the time he came to, she was gone. He then whispered to them “I- I think she’s the one. I just know it.” He then looked at her direction and took a long time to stare at her beauty. She was nothing like the girls he had met, she was special. She had blonde straight hair; Alicia does too, but hers weren’t straight and fixed like hers. Her skin was so fair, and she dressed fashionably. He just knew that she was one for him, and he had to know her. He knew something was different about it, he just had to know.

Stress to Mess

It’s that time of the year again where some people panic and flip tables, whilst some sit back and just go with the flow, that’s right, it’s exam time. I would classify myself as being both, because that’s what I’m doing right now; telling myself everything will be fine, whilst scratching my head viciously (a habit of mine when I’m stressed). 

The night before your exam, you study as much as you can, trying to cram everything inside your head, well here’s a helpful advice, don’t. Just trying to cram everything in won’t work, you need help. You won’t be able to do this alone. I’ve been there, and when doing it, you’ll usually read things that you won’t even remember, so it’s better to take a different approach. 

My approach was that I called my best friend and told her about my worries and needs for knowledge. Being the amazing person that she is, told me she’ll help me. So we spent the whole of the afternoon revising from Math to Biology. Funny how at first, I was clueless as can be, ready to flip her piano table and her computer table, and her, when as we went along, I began to learn more about the topic; especially in Biology. 

Using my favourite memory technique “Mind Room” I began to memorize of the important bits and pieces that are essential for the examination, the ones I thought of anyways. Test of Starch being the use of Iodine solution, test for Protein being Beirut, etc. I remembered them all, but my point is that I would’ve never taken the initiative to actually memorize and learn these things if it weren’t for the help of a friend.  So here’s my advice, do group study, study with your best mate, never do it alone! It’s a lot more fun that way, and plus you can ask them about things you don’t understand about.