The twelfth candle was lit, completing the circle. Nothing happened for the next few seconds, the room was so quiet that the breath of everyone waiting good be heard. The members that had congregated for the ceremony looked around at each other with a tinge of disappointment on their faces before looking back at the candles.

The same faces then turned quizzical among those waiting to make the journey as a soft, swirling wind wrapped its way around the room passing over each member with a slight chill. Excited murmurings filled the room. The candles all stopped flickering and stood tall and straight. Each flame in the circle then started to grow taller and thinner, before bending inwards just below the ceiling allowing each flame to touch at the apex. As the last flame reached the center, all twelve flames turned a toxic green colour and a split started to form down one side with bright orange sparkly edges.

The first member bowed his head and walked to the split, he knelt down and muttered the words Laus Deo under his breath, stood up and slowly moved to the edge of the split, there was no wind, no sound and just a black void beyond the split. He raised his arm and slowly put his fingers through before quickly withdrawing them. He examined his fingers and as there seamed to be no damage, they were a bit cold but no harm done.

The split had continued to grow and was now down to the floor and about a meter wide. The orange edges fizzed and small white sparks flew off in all directions before being drawn into the split and disappearing. Standing, looking into the void, an orderly line formed behind him in anticipation. He took a deep breath in, slowly exhaled and forward and into the beyond. One by one, each member walked up, bowed, spoke under there breath and walked through the split.

As the last member walked through, the split closed up in a flash of orange, blue and red flashes and white sparks jumped over as though sewing up the split. The flames then straightened up before slowly shrinking back down to their original size as a candle flame, flickering in the air.

A side door to the hall opened and a gust of wind swirled in and extinguished all the candles. "Hello? anyone there? I thought I saw a light on in here." The old caretaker looked around the room, " must have been a trick of my mind" He turned and shuffled back out the door. The door slammed shut as he went to close it.

Journal Fund

Thank you for reading this story and I do hope you enjoyed it. I enjoyed writing it and if you would like to support me and my writing you can help boost my moral and buy me a much needed journal or a coffee, this would be very much appreciated to encourage me to keep on writing new stories.