Phantom of Keys

By Prince Pravin

The Phantom of Keys, a horror novel, traces the adventures of a bunch of teenagers who steal the diary of a phantom in a haunted mansion. Not for the faint-hearted, this novel is filled with exciting twists and contains an unforgettable plot!

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Oct 31, 2011
• ISBN: 9781467062831

Prince Pravin

The Phantom of Keys is the third novel by Prince Pravin. Having won multiple literary awards and nominated as a finalist in international competitions such as the USA Best Book Awards and Indie Excellence Awards for his first two novels, Pravin returns with a classic children horror novel which showcases yet another facet of his prolific writing style. Inspired by Enid Blyton’s Famous Five series, Pravin’s passion for writing unfolds once again in his latest masterpiece, the Phantom of Keys, a novel which details the story of a bunch of teenagers who steal the diary of a lost soul wandering in a haunted mansion. Eerie encounters plague the novel as characters come face to face with strange unexplainable phenomena. Succeeding Pravin’s début African Girl (2008) and When Angels Bleed & Devils Lie (2009), the Phantom of Keys once again ventures into a different genre, children’s horror. Pravin has channelled much of his personal experiences into his novels. Following his father’s death in 2008, Pravin turned to writing for consolation and his novels are the mirrors reflecting the tumultuous journey Pravin has endured. Pravin’s latest novel drifts away from the serious themes of its predecessors, demonstrating a continual development in his writing. Effectively combining poetry with prose, Pravin pours his soul out once again at crucial points of the novel. This lures readers into the introspective sphere of his life. “Unlike previous novels, this novel explores a more adventurous side of my writing which is infused with fantastical elements. There are two plots running parallel to each other before merging into one main plot. Tailored to children, colourful characters are prevalent across the novel with a tinge of underlying romance. Personally, I had fun writing this novel as it rekindled the lost adventurous spirit within me. Hopefully it will appeal to the universal audience” A native of Singapore, Pravin is currently pursuing Medicine at the National University of Singapore.

Book preview

black.jpg Intro

Miraculous Mechanism

Strings of emotions stood in different corners of a room. Each had its own distinct characteristic. One perpetually wept, emitting gloomy tunes. Another was a dam containing the rivers of joy while the other was stomping to emphasize its blatant frustration. On separate islands these strings stood, refusing to speak with each other.

In the center of the room, there was a black foundation. It was hollow and empty. It had been standing there for days now, patiently waiting to be filled by some useful substance. It did not desire to ask any of the strings in fear of being mistaken as biased. Therefore, the black pieces stood in the center of the room, constantly maintaining unbreakable silence.

The door of the room was closed. Nobody had opened it since its creation. The room’s owner had slammed the door shut after observing the repulsive behavior of the strings. He had left two sheets of paper inside the room. Once upon a time, the strings were fascinated with the papers. They had never seen anything which quite resembled papers and the papers became their primary source of entertainment.

The papers were tossed amongst the strings like people with no sense of direction in their lives. Each time the strings fiddled with the papers, a portion of their emotions will rub off the papers, leaving a mark on the papers. Eventually, the papers were completely filled with various marks some of which were repetitive. Once the papers were exhausted, they were thrown aside in one corner of the room. The paper craze was over.

Out of the blue, the door flung opened. In entered a wizard. He noticed that everything in the room was in disorder. He decided to make things right. With a mild wave of his wand, he cursed the strings in the room.

May Harmony turn the elements in this room into a single Family he bellowed. All of a sudden, a wave of sparkling stars flowed from his wand into the room. The stars wrapped around the strings of emotions and one by one, the strings were skillfully woven into the pieces of black foundation. No matter how much the strings struggled, they could not escape from the firm grip of the stars. Once the stars accomplished their job, one by one, they consecutively turned into black and white keys which filled the empty clave of the entire foundation. The keys connected themselves to specific strings of emotions. The last star transformed into a key and all was quiet.

The wizard tucked his wand into his robes and picked up the two sheets of paper. He fabricated a seat and sat down. He placed the papers onto the structure and placed his nimble fingers on the keys. He read the lines on the paper and addressed them as notes. He commenced playing and coined an ingenious term for the structure.

Relishing the pure joy of what he was hearing, he astutely remarked What a Perfect Piano.

black.jpg Kids & Kites black.jpg

My kite is better than yours! Clement exclaimed to Mathew who was running alongside him. The two eight-year old children were having a whale of a time. Clement and Mathew had been best friends since they were six years old. They lived in the breathtaking but quiet countryside of Wales. Life in the countryside had always been simple. There was no noise like in the big cities and there was no pollution. Life was as plain as the folks who led humble lives. Both their fathers were farmers and both their mothers were housewives who were best of friends. They held every celebration together and the community was closely-knitted as there were very few people dwelling in the tranquil village of Marseilles.

The long-awaited summer holidays had finally arrived and the children were the most jovial. It was the only time in the year when they were free to do as they wished. Families would seize this opportunity to spend more time with their children. However, there was one sport no one could deny, no matter how young or old. It was kite flying! Kite flying was a proud tradition passed down from generation to generation. Kite flying symbolized liberation. Centuries ago, when Marseilles had been liberated from the clutches of the British, the overjoyed villagers took to the countryside while flying kites imprinted with the national flag of Wales. Kite flying had a long history and survived through numerous revolutions. It was a hot favourite amongst the villagers, especially amongst the children who had the most vigour to play this fascinating sport.

Your kites might fly high in the sky but nothing beats the pop princess of all kites Mariah cried out from the corner. A kite shaped in the wonderful outline of the majestic butterfly soared above the rest. Clement sulked and Mathew stared in utter disbelief. Mariah strode across the boys with her kite and she did a dance while showing off her brand, new kite she had made all by herself.

Hey, that is so not fair. She had her mommy do it for her Clement remarked, scoffing as Mariah ran around him in endless circles while her kite swivelled above their heads. Clement, who became annoyed, began wildly chasing Mariah around the wide, open pasture.

"Well, if it isn’t cry baby Clement who is jealous of my kite and moi. Well keep chasing and we shall see if you can keep up with me," Mariah teased Clement who was still hot on his heels. Mariah was running until she fell down and Clement broke out into laughter.

Give it a break you guys Mathew shouted from the other end of the pasture, running to help Mariah back on her feet. Clement, who was still laughing, patted Mathew on his back and continued flying his kite in the most free-spirited manner.

Oh, just look at him go. I am so going to get him Mariah got up and dusted the sand off her dress. She picked up her kite and with Mathew’s help, she got her butterfly elegantly swaying with the wind. Mathew joined Clement and both of them began racing around the pastures. The winds grew stronger and the three children were enjoying the gusts of wind blowing against their faces and their clothes. The winds of summer were finally here! The kites of various patterns were dancing along with the trance of the winds. Clement’s eagle was being pursued by Mathew’s tiger while Mariah’s butterfly was trapped in the middle of the two. The children were laughing their hearts out as the true spirit of summer embraced them. They were running and running through the pastures and soon, they found themselves running through the golden plains. The maize crops were towering above the children and passer-bys spotted three kites wheeling across the azure, blue skies. The three children were racing each other until Mathew, who was in the lead, came to an abrupt halt. He stood petrified as his eyes widened. He stopped laughing.

Mat, why did you suddenly stop? Clement, who was trailing behind him, asked. Mathew did not say a word.

Hey, where did all the fun go you guys? Mariah, who was the last to join them, inquired. Clement and Mariah exchanged puzzled looks.

Over th…the…there Mathew stammered as his finger pointed to an old, dilapidated mansion perched precariously on the edge of the cliff in front of them.

Wow, its got spooky written all over it Clement mumbled, taking a few steps closer to the haunted mansion.

Mariah grabbed her kite and marched in front of them. You guys did it! You found the haunted mansion, looks eerie to me. Don’t know why they say it’s haunted. I don’t believe in ghosts and ghouls, that is so very childish she said. However, Mathew was trembling and Clement was well-concealed behind him. The clouds above the haunted mansion were bleak and dark. There were no residents in the vacant mansion.

All of a sudden, Clement screamed, Who’s that? He was pointing to an elderly woman who was standing at the entrance of the house. Mathew and Mariah looked on. When the wind blew, the old lady vanished into thin air.

Oh God, that’s enough for me! Mathew yelled as he ran all the way back. Clement, who was shocked, ran after Mathew.

Yeah right…must be a couple of pranksters Mariah muttered, rolling her eyes as she headed back home.

***

As night fell, the old lady appeared in the ruined house and as the music played, her sadness unfolded note by note into the stale air.

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black.jpg Years Down the Road black.jpg

The planes touched down at Heathrow Airport outside Wales. Their parents were prepared with huge bouquets of flowers to warmly welcome their children who were returning from their overseas educational trips. Clement was first down and he raced to meet his parents. He was clad in his black jacket and jeans. Next down was Mariah who dashed into the airport looking most dashing in her black gown. Clement could not help but admire her stunning beauty. She had grown up to become a supermodel. The last plane arrived and out came Mathew who was struggling with his numerous suitcases. He was elated to see his two best friends in the whole wide world. He had been isolated from them when he was studying in Sciences Po in Dijon. Clement, Mariah and Mathew shared a group hug and their siblings were the happiest to see them. It had been thirteen long years since they had such a reunion.

Their families took a bus with them to Marseilles and they were surprised to find themselves at the house near the edge of the cliff. The house looked different but Mathew was about to cry when he was standing in front of the house.

Why…why are we here? Mathew asked his parents who were smiling at each other.

Well, we thought that since the three of you were best of friends, we should move into this house which we bought for a cheaper price than all our three individual houses. It is really beautiful. We decorated the interior and it looks like a palace. All the moving of furniture was sponsored by the town council Mathew’s mother, Mrs. Thompson said.

O I do wonder why Mathew mumbled nervously to himself as memories of the old woman he had seen years ago drifted into his mind.

O come on all of you, this is going to be fun. Staying together before we return back to our boring university mundane routines again is undeniably going to be like being on cloud nine Clement said to his companions who wore expressions of immense disbelief.

Let’s just go in and put our luggage down, my bones are aching from all this standing and aimless rattling Mariah sighed. Everybody readily agreed with her. Everyone went in and Clement’s father, Mr. Gordon took