Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands.
"OMG, is this even real? Mum turn around. It's gorgeous!" said Del, referring to the Amsterdam Centraal Train Station.
I'm walking on the street of Amsterdam 🎤
Del was ecstatic to be in Amsterdam. After months of travel vlog binging, she finally got to see the white and blue trams, the famous canal cruise and the constantly busy bicycle lanes. It has only been ten minutes since she jumped off the train but Amsterdam had already taken her breathe away.
Without wasting a minute, Del and her family made their way to their hotel. Luckily, the A-Train Hotel is only five minutes away from the Centraal station (read: on foot).
As soon as they checked-in and dropped off their luggages, the Roses went on a river cruise. It was a decent way to see all of Amsterdam. Audio guides were provided to commentate and explain about the 100 highlights in Amsterdam. The audio tour is available in eight different languages so it's not a problem for non-Dutch speakers like them.
The Roses spent their first evening in Amsterdam taking selfies and family pictures in front of the 'IAMSTERDAM' sign which is located near the Rijksmuseum. It was almost impossible to capture a perfect photo because people were climbing and sticking out their heads from behind and in between the giant letters. It was a struggle but a family photo with thirty strangers would do.
An hour passed by and their tummies were rumbling. After walking a few metres before the sign, Del and her twin brothers saw something that nobody could resist. A massive vanilla ice cream sculpture. I know. They fled to the stall and queued to get themselves an ice cream and a nutella waffle each.
Even though it was 12°C , the sun was out and it was the perfect weather for a cold treat.
On their way back to the hotel, Del witnessed a young man collapse right before her very eyes. His face was covered in blood. She was taken aback. She could not move a muscle. People started gathering around and thankfully, she heard someone calling the ambulance. Her heart was racing and she was sweating. In that moment of despair, she sniffed an odd but familiar smell. It was almost as bad as the smell of blue cheese. Strangely enough, Del noticed that she was the only one who could smell it. It was horrible and terrifying.
"Del come on, we are going to miss the tram! Hurry up!" shouted Zinnia.
"I-I-I'm coming." stuttered Del.
"Everything okay Del? We can talk" asked Mr.Rose.
"It's nothing. I'm fine." Del replied, thinking about the event. It's not fine.
After an unbelievably long day, Del took a nap on the sofa. It was only 6 p.m.
The Roses spent their first evening in Amsterdam taking selfies and family pictures in front of the 'IAMSTERDAM' sign which is located near the Rijksmuseum. It was almost impossible to capture a perfect photo because people were climbing and sticking out their heads from behind and in between the giant letters. It was a struggle but a family photo with thirty strangers would do.
An hour passed by and their tummies were rumbling. After walking a few metres before the sign, Del and her twin brothers saw something that nobody could resist. A massive vanilla ice cream sculpture. I know. They fled to the stall and queued to get themselves an ice cream and a nutella waffle each.
Even though it was 12°C , the sun was out and it was the perfect weather for a cold treat.
On their way back to the hotel, Del witnessed a young man collapse right before her very eyes. His face was covered in blood. She was taken aback. She could not move a muscle. People started gathering around and thankfully, she heard someone calling the ambulance. Her heart was racing and she was sweating. In that moment of despair, she sniffed an odd but familiar smell. It was almost as bad as the smell of blue cheese. Strangely enough, Del noticed that she was the only one who could smell it. It was horrible and terrifying.
"Del come on, we are going to miss the tram! Hurry up!" shouted Zinnia.
"I-I-I'm coming." stuttered Del.
"Everything okay Del? We can talk" asked Mr.Rose.
"It's nothing. I'm fine." Del replied, thinking about the event. It's not fine.
After an unbelievably long day, Del took a nap on the sofa. It was only 6 p.m.
Find the responsible creature and use the eluvian ivy. Bring justice to the young man and the door will be open for you.
Del woke up with the worst headache. "Eluvian what? Justice? Door? What door? What's happening?" mumbled Del, confused. She went to the kitchen and found a note on the fridge.
"We're going out for dinner. You refused to come. There's some leftover in the fridge. Heat it up."
Whilst drinking a glass of cold water, Del spotted bright green lights coming from the bathroom across the room. Out of curiosity, she made her way to the bathroom to see some words transcribed on the door. It wrote 'World of Potions'. She was shocked and extremely excited to set foot in WOP. Del did not know that the way to WOP was through her hotel bathroom. At the drop of a hat, she reached for the doorknob and tried to open the door. Unfortunately, it was unsuccessful. The door was locked.
"Is anybody in there? Hello?" asked Del, but there was no reply.
Del was puzzled. "Is this all in my head or is this legitimate? Goodness. Am I out of my mind?" She started thinking about the dream she had. "Maybe this has something to do with the eluvian thingy majigy and the man, the smell- Oh my god." Del gasped. At times like this, she wished she brought Calla along on the trip.
Del went on her phone and googled 'WOP', 'Eluvian navy' and 'strange smell accident' but nothing came up. Obviously. Del spent the rest of the night trying to figure out what her dream meant. At the back of her mind, she was almost sure she heard a thing or two about the eluvian navy. However, she could not quite put her finger on it.
At breakfast the next morning, Del was particularly anxious about her family members seeing the green light from the bathroom. She figured that if they saw the writing on the door, her identity would be revealed. After every bite of egg toast, she would glance at the door to see if anyone went to the bathroom.
A few moments later, Del was surprised when she saw her dad coming out from the bathroom.
A few moments later, Del was surprised when she saw her dad coming out from the bathroom.
"No! What are you doing dad? Wait- how did you get in there? It was locked last night. Do you have the key? How did you get in there?" She was beyond nervous.
Did her dad see the World of Potions? Will she be expelled even before enrolling?
"Um, no Del. It was not locked. A simple twist and wala! Haha." Gestured Mr.Rose. "Are you okay? You have been acting weird lately. What happened yesterday?" He continued.
She dashed to the bathroom and washed her face a number of times. Everything was blurry to Del. She did not understand what was happening and it was driving her crazy. She stared at her reflection and was singing in her head.
Who is that girl I see? Staring straight back at me. Why is my reflection someone I don't know?🎤
"Wait- I was saying it wrong all along! It's Eluvian Ivy. Yes. I need to find it. Calla. I gotta call Calla." Rejoiced Del.
Del reached for her phone and dialed Calla's number. A few beeps later, Calla was at the other end of the line. Del reported to Calla about the incidents from A to Z. Whilst listening to the news, Calla searched for her great grandparents' ancient potion books in the library. She was hoping to find answers in the books. Calla was not as worried as Del because she read something about a test before enrolling in a potion school.
"Aha! Here we go!" exclaimed Calla, as she read the rules and regulations to enroll in a potion school. She told Del that there was nothing to be afraid of. Calla believed that the incidents Del was going through was just a part of a test before studying in Sam George's Potion School. "Seems like someone didn't do her homework." Said Calla, mocking her best friend.
"God why didn't I read the T&C before even flying here? UGH" whined Del.
to be continued