The Secret Chambers: The Adventures of Elyon

By Deborah Meyers

Twelve-year-old Jack Matthews and his two younger twin brothers, Luke and Seth, are at a community playground when they notice a doorway east of the swings and jungle gym. Something mysterious summons them to enter. The door leads to a secret universe filled with mystical sights and wonders, including angels more than 100-feet tall. The boys also encounter not so harmless Tabanus—horseflies. These horseflies make contact with the boys, touching their arms, legs, and faces, causing a burning and sharp stinging sensation. In pain, the boys realize they need to escape from these creatures. Frightened, they grope in the darkness, looking for a place to hide or a way out. A fantasy for middle readers, The Secret Chambers follows the story of three brothers who stumble into an unexpected adventure. It tells how they overcome their fears and learn to work together as they reveal important truths on their path of discovery.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
• Release date: Mar 31, 2019
• ISBN: 9781483497969

Book preview

Texas.

CHAPTER

1

My name is Belteshazzar, and I have been given the role of the Keeper of Kruptos (kroop-tos’). I must define for you my duties included as the Keeper. My job is not only to guard and to protect this magnificent chamber, but also to summon those who seek to know. Know what, you ask? Let me just say that you will soon know the answer to this, as you, too, have been beckoned to the chamber of Kruptos. But first, come with me as we journey to this secret place with three unsuspecting young boys.

Jack, what are we doing in here? asks Luke.

Yeah, Jack, and what do you think we’ll find in this place? And what is this place, anyway? Seth inquires.

Hang on, guys. I don’t know anything yet. Let’s just look around for a minute and see what we find, Jack replies.

Belteshazzar can see the three children through the two-way mirror. They have no idea they are being watched. In just a few moments, they will begin their search throughout the room. Their eyes will behold mysteries beyond their comprehension. Yet all the while, they will discover wonderful hidden treasures deep within their very own beings.

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The three boys are playing at the community playground when they notice a doorway east of the swings and jungle gym. Twelve-year-old Jack, the oldest of the siblings, is swinging on the playground’s swing set. He thinks he sees something shimmer from the corner of his right eye. His eleven-year-old twin brothers, Luke and Seth, also think they see something sparkling. Deciding to walk toward it, they stumble upon a door by accident. But what they don’t realize is they have been summoned to this door.

Briar and nettle, along with fractured tree branches, cover the door. Its appearance leads the boys to believe it has been in this condition for quite some time. They decide to clear out the briar, nettle, and branches, but not without great effort. After an hour of clearing out the mess, they see what has been sparkling. The doorknob looks to be some type of jewel. The twins let out their heartiest belly laughs when Jack decides to call it a razzle-dazzle doorknob!

Jack turns the razzle-dazzle doorknob, causing the large wooden door to creak and groan on its hinges. The three brothers cautiously enter the room. It takes a moment for their eyes to adjust to the dimly lit room. They begin to walk down a rather long hallway. The boys can hardly believe what they see next. At the end of the hallway is a beautiful golden door with each of their names inscribed with the same razzle-dazzle jewels. Since Jack is the oldest, his name appears first; then Luke’s name appears because he is two minutes older than Seth; and then last, but not least, Seth’s name appears.

The boys look at each other with wonderment. Someone is expecting them to find this place, but who? Witnessing the eagerness in his youngest brother’s eyes, Jack allows him to open the door. Seth reaches to turn the doorknob, but before he can, all on its own the door opens wide to the boys. They almost think they hear someone say, "Enter, my sons." Nah, it can’t be possible because as far as they can tell, there is no one else in the room.

Seth sees the three toy chests first. Well, he thinks they are toy chests. Again, like the door, each of their names is inscribed on the chests with the same razzle-dazzle jewels. Luke notices the jewels on the doorknob, the door and now the chests change colors from crimson to amethyst, sapphire, gold, and finally, silver.

These jewels are truly a fascinating sight to behold. The boys seem to be holding their breath as they watched the jewels change from one color to the next. What’s causing this magnificent marvel?

Before the boys approach each of their personal chests, they take in the beauty of the room. The walls seem to have been painted with a translucent colored glaze, giving a pearlescent effect. There is one large, square, antique gold-framed, beveled mirror. (This, of course, is the same mirror through which Belteshazzar can observe them from the other side.) In the middle of the room is a medium-sized cherrywood conference table. Four cherry-red velour overstuffed easy chairs complement the table. The chairs are just the right size to comfortably seat a child of age eleven or twelve. These chairs are so snug, warm, and cozy that falling asleep in them would be easy to do.

Luke tells his brothers to go ahead and look inside their chests. Seth, the youngest, has no trouble opening his. He sees there is a lock on the chest. He doesn’t need a key as it opens just the same way the door opened—all by itself. How odd this is, Seth thinks.

A gasp escapes his lips when he finds a picture of himself in the arms of an angel. The angel is holding him and covering Seth with his massive wings. He remembers the scene depicted quite well in the picture. But how could this be? The picture reveals the day he entered Father & Sons, a store his parents told him to never step foot in.

Seth had disobeyed and gone inside the store, anyway. He didn’t understand why he shouldn’t be allowed in the store. It didn’t seem like there was anything wrong with it.

He was unaware of the negative reputation the store held. But just as he was thinking all of this, something peculiar began to take place. He began to experience what would be known as a vision.

Standing near the counter where the candy is located, Seth sees a boy about his same height come into the store. The boy standing at the counter begins taking a bag of Skittles, a box of Twizzlers and some Starbursts. Just then, the clerk sees him trying to stuff the candy down his shirt. The boy starts crying, pointing at Seth, and saying Seth was stealing the candy.

The clerk has a puzzled look on his face and turns toward the direction where the boy is pointing. The clerk asks the boy, Who did you say was stealing the candy? The boy looks at Seth and points at him again saying, Him!

The clerk tells the boy, Young man, there is no one else standing here, except you. So, you better put the candy here on my counter, leave my store, and never come back here again!

Seth thinks, How could it be possible that the clerk never saw me, especially since I was standing right there? It had to have been the angel who had kept Seth hidden from everyone except the other boy.

Okay, who took this picture? No one had a camera, and besides, it all happened much too fast for anyone to take the picture. Seth ran out of the store, thinking all this time that no one knew he had ever been there. He never even told his parents what had happened, because he feared what they might say or do.

They probably never would have believed the part about the clerk not seeing Seth. Or better yet, they may have thought that the boy had seen him. You can believe this, though: he never, ever went back into that store again.

I understand now, Jesus. Disobedience is in my heart. But that is not really what You want. You want me to always obey. I am so sorry, Jesus. Please forgive me. I want to tell my Mom and Dad what I did. I want to tell them I am sorry for disobeying. I remember they used to read some verses from the Bible about obeying.

There under the picture, Seth sees a Bible. It isn’t just any Bible, though. This Bible has his name inscribed on the front, much the way this chest is inscribed. When he opens it, the one and only page in the Bible has these verses in it.

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother,’ which is the first commandment with promise: ‘that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.’ (Ephesians 6:1–3, NKJV).

This is My special promise to you, My dear Seth. Love forever, Jesus.

Seth closes the chest, but still holds on to his picture and Bible. He slowly walks over to one of the overstuffed chairs. He climbs into it, curls up in a ball, and swiftly falls asleep.

Luke uses his key to open the chest, and it begins to open slowly, revealing an old friend of his. Luke’s face bursts into a full grin as he picks up his green teddy bear with the yellow ears. He thought he had lost his teddy forever. It has been a full year since he has seen Teddy. He can’t imagine what had ever happened to him. All he can remember is that