Narration My name is Silas Vail. I’m eleven years old, and I live in Monkey Hollow, Ohio. Most people have never heard of it. It’s an old coal mining town hidden in the hills of Hocking County, where the mornings smell like rain and the mountains keep more secrets than people do. My dad runs one of the mines. Sometimes he lets me ride along, but I’m never allowed underground. He always says, “Some places aren’t meant for kids.” So I wait outside. I watch the miners disappear into the mountain before sunrise… …and come back hours later covered in black coal dust, coughing like the mountain stole a little piece of them. Dad says the mine can be dangerous. One spark… One mistake… And everything could disappear in an instant. But lately… It’s not the mine that’s been scaring me. Every night, after I fall asleep… I hear her. A woman’s voice. Soft… Sad… Calling my name. “Silas…” She keeps asking me to follow her deeper into the mountain. I don’t know who she is. I don’t even know if she’s alive. But I know she wants me to find something. Something that’s been hidden beneath Monkey Hollow for a very long time. Tomorrow… I’m taking my best friend… My cousin, Ezra Jax… And together we’re going to follow the voice. If my dad finds out… I’m grounded for life. But some mysteries choose you… Whether you’re ready… Or not. My name is Silas Vail. And this… …is the story of The Dark Crystal.
