Sofia’s Short Story - May

The cloaked figure moved closer to the group. 
“Ah, the book that I have longed for,” he said with an ominous chuckle. “Why don‘t you give it to me?”
Peter clutched the book to his chest. “And why would you want it?”
”I have gone through enough trouble just to enter this house,” the figure snarled. “And I am not leaving without it. Why I want it is none of your concern.”
Gracie walked in front of Peter. “You‘ll have to get through me to get to him!” she warned.
Percy went in front of his twin sister. “Me too!” he added.
Hazel stood in front of him. “Me three!” she declared.
The figure laughed. “How courageous of you.” He easily pushed past them and snatched the book from Peter, then fled the library.
”After him!” shouted Peter.
The group ran after the figure through the whole house until they were all panting like they‘d just run a marathon.
”He‘s too fast for us,” Gracie called as she slid down a bannister to go faster.
Suddenly, Percy found himself in front of the cloaked figure and ripped the book from him. However, the figure held on.
”Give that back!” he snarled and they had a tug-of-war over the book. 
Hazel came running and jumped onto the figure, knocking them both onto the floor.
”Run!” Hazel yelled at Percy, who ran out of the room. The figure‘s hood had fallen to reveal his face. He had a sharp scar across his left cheek and wild black hair. He pushed Hazel aside and went off after Percy, who had been flipping through the pages in interest while he ran. He found a few interesting images of maps and was about to find out more until the man yanked the book out of his hands.
”Why do you even want this book?” demanded Percy as the man clutched it hard to his chest.
”Unlike you, I know how to read it,” the man answered. 
“You can read Old English?” Percy asked, utterly confused.
”Of course I can,” the man answered. 
Percy looked at him with a gasp. “You‘re from 1066, aren‘t you?” he asked, awed.
Suddenly, Peter and Mr Green rushed in and knocked the man over. Peter held up the book in triumph.
The man stood up, smoothing out his cloak a little. “I am from 1066,” he answered. “And I‘ve come for this book so that I can return it to its rightful owner.”
”What‘s your name, anyway?” asked Peter.
”Aurelius,” the man finally answered. “This book must be returned to the past at once.”
”But how did you even get here?” Hazel asked.
”A kind fairy sent me here to retrieve it,” Aurelius answered. “I need to leave with it at once.”
”Will I be free of this house once you do so?” Peter asked.
Aurelius thought for a while. “Perhaps,” he replied. “But I cannot say for sure.”
”When are you leaving?” Hazel wanted to know.
”Soon. At midnight,” Aurelius explained. 
“But what would happen if you didn‘t have the book?” asked Gracie.
”The book… is important to the people of 1066 because it has a great value of information,” explained Aurelius. “And if it does not return in time, we will be facing a great problem as we do not know how to conquer our enemy. He is perhaps the same person who locked Peter in here.”
The group looked at each other.
”Then you should take the book with you,” Peter said at last, and somewhere deep within the house, a clock chimed midnight.
The whole group became very still. Then, Hazel noticed that her fingertips were shimmering. “What‘s that?” she asked as she held up her hands.
Gracie noticed that the edges of her sneakers were shimmering as well. “Wait a moment…”
Peter gasped as his whole arm started to shine.
Aurelius looked shocked. “You‘re also being affected!” he cried out.
Even Mr Green, ghost and all, was shimmering.
In less than a minute, all of them looked as if they were covered in glitter, and then they vanished into thin air.
And off they were to 1066.