by Cathy Cai

Sheriff Edwund and I were creating a gigantic gingerbread cookie on Christmas Eve. My cookie sprung out of the oven the moment I removed it. While Edwund was setting up the trap, I began chasing after the gingerbread. Black smoke billowed from the cookie as we turned into a dimly lit lane.

I started to wander and couldn’t get rid of the impression that someone was following me as I made my way up the poorly lit alleyway. I picked up the pace, raising the hairs on the back of my neck. Suddenly, I was pulled into a doorway by a hand that gripped my arm.

When I turned to confront my attacker, I was met by a masked figure’s intense stare. “Who are you?”

With my pulse pounding from dread and thrills, I made my demand. The figure didn’t answer but instead handed me a small envelope before disappearing back into the darkness. I hesitated for a moment before opening the envelope, revealing a cryptic message written in code. I knew there was only one person who could help me crack the code and unravel the mystery behind the mysterious figure in the alleyway: my old friend and master cryptographer, Sarah. 

As I made my way to her apartment, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being watched. Every Dark Lord seemed to hold a pair of eyes, and every sound made me jump. Finally, I arrived at Sarah’s door and knocked frantically.

When she answered, I quickly explained the situation to her and showed her the code. She studied it briefly before nodding and grabbing some paper and a pen. Together, we worked for hours, piecing the clues and deciphering the message. Finally, the words on the page revealed the shocking truth–the masked figure was a long-lost enemy seeking revenge for a past wrong that had been done to his family by mine.

At the end of the message, he wrote, “I have got my revenge. The life of your father is on the line.” Armed with this knowledge, I set out to confront the masked figure and put an end to the mystery once and for all. But as I approached, I realized there was more to the story than I had initially thought, and the danger was far from over. Sarah had to depart for a crucial business meeting, so I was on my own. Unsure of what to do, I returned to my study and went over all I knew. 

I felt that something wasn’t right as I sat in my study, gazing at the blank paper in front of me. I saw that there was plenty of unsaid tension in the room, and I kept looking over my shoulder. As a private investigator, I had worked on a lot of cases, but this one stood out. I couldn’t help but worry whether this would be my first unresolved case, as suspicion hung over it.

The facts of the case were simple enough—my father had gone missing, and it had something to do with our enemy. But as I dove deeper into the details, I began to uncover a web of lies, deceit, and betrayal that stretched far beyond what I had initially anticipated. Every lead I followed seemed to lead me down a darker path, and I couldn’t help but feel like I was being watched. But by who and why?

 As the pieces of the puzzle began to come together, I realized that I was dealing with something far more sinister than a simple missing person case. And as I stood on the edge of uncovering the truth, I knew I was in grave danger. But I couldn’t back down now—the truth needed to be brought to light, no matter the cost. I decided to take a walk to clear my mind.

I felt uneasy but couldn’t shake it as I wandered down the dark, lonely path, searching for the truth. The hairs on the back of my neck were standing on end, and my heart was pounding in my chest.  I whirled around, grabbing for the knife in my pocket, when I heard a faint disturbance behind me. But there was nothing there, just the empty alley and the sound of my breathing. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being followed, and I quickened my pace, my eyes darting around, searching for any sign of danger.

Then I saw it—a dark figure lurking in the corner, watching me with cold, calculating eyes. I knew then that I was in deep trouble and that the mystery of what was really going on in this dark, dangerous city was about to unfold. After years of researching, I have finally discovered the truth. The legends were real; it was time to expose them before they got to me. Every step was important; I couldn’t give it away.

It’s time to get going. I had to get back home fast and get to the town hall early tomorrow morning. 

“It’s time to expose you once and for all, the Dark Lord!” I spoke. 

I guess life had other plans for me because the next thing I knew was that I fell asleep and woke up in a storage closet. I couldn’t escape this thing; it was as if I was trapped, and then realization hit: the Dark Lord was watching me all along. I was missing, and I knew that if I didn’t escape soon enough, my family would worry. 

“Well, look who we have here.” the Dark Lord said. 

“Arghh, let me go,” I said. 

“No, you will expose me, and soon enough, the sheriff will find you,” Dark Lord said. 

“It has been two days and two nights. The police have already launched an investigation into you. It won’t be long before they find you.” 

“There was no trace of Mr. Holes’ disappearance. All evidence is false. Everyone was at the town hall meeting. Nobody stayed home. He has just gone poof and disappeared. Oh my, what do we do?” Sheriff Edwund said.

“Unless… No, it can’t be true. The Dark Lord took him. He mumbled weird things like ‘The truth will be exposed, Dark Lord.’ I think The Dark Lord is real. The Dark Lord took him! It’s true. The prophecy says so.” 

When day goes by, and night comes.

The Dark Lord will come.

To the one

That discovers.

The secret beheld.

They will go missing.

For a reason

The Dark Lord doesn’t want you to come.

The Dark Lord will get you.

The Dark Lord will trap you.

So, The Dark Lord

Is warning you now.

Do not ever.

Try coming after me.

“So, it’s true. Mr. Holes has found out. We must get him by any means. Wait, he has a tracker. In a case like this, we should go track him, and all will be well. Currently, it says that he is at the town hall. We must go check, or all will be lost.” Edwund said. “It’s best to be safe than sorry.”

Knowing about a tracker, the Dark Lord told Mr. Holes to misplace the tracker or his family would be cursed with misfortune.

“The only thing I find is a piece of paper. The tracker was a fake, meant to mislead me. More proof of The Dark Lord’s doing. Unscramble the letters stteoorlaegc. That spells a storage closet. He is in a storage closet! I’m one step closer to solving this case. The most likely one is the abandoned one, and it is full of scary stuff.” Edwund said.  

“He is coming to get you and expose you again, Dark Lord. Time to back down. The legend of you was real, Dark Lo-” 

“FBI, open up!” Edwund said. “Dark Lord, we know you are real. Your time is up, goodbye.” 

Edwund traps The Dark Lord in a container and releases Mr. Holes. 

“Edwund, thank you so much. In your honor, I will announce it to the town hall tomorrow. I call for a town hall meeting tomorrow. Right now, let’s enjoy it and get home.” I spoke.

“Wow. So stupid. Edwund, do you think you can trap me in here? Well, congrats, you are wrong. I will be coming, plotting for revenge. So, take care…” Dark Lord whispered from inside the container. “I’ll be back next year.” 

The Dark Lord transformed into the cookie that I was chasing. 

“So that’s where my cookie went. You transformed into the Dark Lord!” I exclaimed. 

Edwund, being himself, opened the container and popped my cookie into his mouth. 

“Edwund!” I gasped, “Now the Dark Lord will be inside you! Edwund, you must get it out or bad things might happen.”