The Caulbearers

She knew where she needed to go to view the periodicals. It was on the very top floor of the building in an area reserved for individuals who were searching for information regarding the history of the surrounding area or who were working on a family genealogy. Chastity sighed, she had spent many hours behind these walls in the past, searching endlessly for even a smidgen of truth. She hoped for that truth today.
She walked past the front desk and then turned right, climbing a wide staircase that lead up to a landing that was spotted with golden rays of light coming through a large window. She felt its warmth as she circled up the stairs to the top floor. It was unoccupied, except for an old grey haired man who sat behind a desk reading the daily paper through thick lenses. He glanced up at her, smiled and then folded the paper in half.
"May I help you miss?" he asked, in a low raspy but cheerful voice.
Chastity smiled back at him as she walked up to the desk.
"Yes, I'm looking for a particular newspaper from 1948. I would like to know if you have it on microfilm."
The man laid the paper down on his desk and then began to get up. "Well, what paper are you looking for and do you have an exact date?"
"Yes I do. I'm looking for the Evening Post with the date, April 21, 1948."
The man walked around his desk and then gave her a hand signal to follow him. He wandered to the back of the room where an old metal microfilm cabinet sat. Chastity glanced around the room. It hadn't changed much since the last time she'd visited. There was the old map of Charleston hanging on the wall above an old wooden file cabinet, a row of three microfilm readers, and a large table that sat in the middl...

... middle of paper ...

...their powers were limited.
They believed that by obtaining what they came for, that they would receive greater power through it, but the power would only last for a short while and then it would fade away. Not only that, but they would first have to know how to use that power and it could only be obtained through the unconscious mind. She knew how to use it, but it had taken many years of practice and training with the elders. The elders called it an inner hidden knowledge, and that every living soul possessed it, yet very few knew how to use it. Those few, like herself were very rare.
One would have to question to why they would be fighting to get it. There was only one reason and it was a selfish one, someone wanted to use it for their own personal gain. She knew that one of them possessed the powers already, for how could Grace become ill so suddenly otherwise.