AGNES & ABBY
in
Mirror Magic
CHAPTER ONE - RED
The bathroom door opened and closed. The footsteps of several people entering echoed through the white tile room.
“Lookie here, it’s Grandma Agnes.” A girl’s voice called out, resounding off the walls. A chorus of laughs broke out at the joke, now an old one.
Agnes didn’t have to look up from the sink to know who had made the joke. Cindy was her nemesis, or would be, if she cared enough to have one. Cindy had been mocking her clothes, her glasses, her face, and everything about her for the last two years. It was something of a hobby for her. With her were Jill and Rachel, of course. They were her parrots and echoes, laughing at all of her lame jokes.
Agnes kept her gaze front and center, focusing on her reflection in the mirror. Brown eyes stared back at her through round glasses with dark frames. Her pale skin contrasted with her dark hair, which was tied back in a ballet bun. Only a few strands of hair escaped, mostly around the nape of her neck and around her ears.
Agnes washed her hands quickly, hoping to leave before the teasing escalated, but the trio of girls formed a wall and cornered her.
Cindy put her mouth right up to Agnes’ ear and spoke loudly, “Grandma Agnes is hard of hearing.”
“I’m not a grandma.” Agnes muttered under her breath, dabbing at her face with a paper towel from the dispenser beside the sink.
“What? Whaaaattt?” Cindy laughed as she pretended she was hard of hearing, too. Jill and Rachel held their sides as they bellowed out laughter. Clearly this whole routine never got old with them.
Agnes let a slight frown cross her face. She ignored it as best she could, but she was still only human. She reached to throw away the paper towel, but Cindy reached out quickly and snagged her hand, eyeing the ring on it.
“Grandma got some new jewelry, kids! I think she got it from the grandma store!”
Agnes yanked her hand away from Cindy’s grasp, covering the ring with her other hand. It was new, to her at least. Just two days ago, she’d received it as part of an inheritance from her Great Aunt Dolores, who’d recently passed away.
Agnes hadn’t known her well, having only met her once or twice, but she recalled a secretive woman with a mysterious air about her. Dolores had been something of a black sheep in the family, with more secrets than anyone knew. So, it had been quite a surprise to find that her great aunt had left her an antique jewelry box.
The jewelry box was old, supposedly from her great aunt’s childhood. The tarnished silver box was about the size of a shoebox, shaped like a fancy octagon with four feet that reminded Agnes of an old-fashioned clawfoot tub. A little key stuck out of the back, to wind a music box hidden inside the jewelry box, but that didn’t work. It was jammed.
The lid of the box was engraved with a coat of arms from the Everett family. It was hard to make out much of the heraldry, other than the flowery ribbons surrounding it, a knight’s helmet at the peak, and a trio of some sort of animal on the shield. Some words, likely in Latin, were inscribed beneath it. But inside, that’s what Agnes liked best about the box.
The inside of the jewelry box was lined with crushed velvet in a purplish red color. A small tray could be lifted in and out of it, and both layers were filled with a variety of antique jewelry. There were earrings, bracelets, and necklaces set with stones of every color. There were garnets, emeralds, amethysts, pearls, and other stones she didn’t recognize. Most were set in pieces of silver, but some pieces were made of soft gold or other metals, and a few were just tied on strings of beads.
It was from this collection that Agnes had found a mood ring, of all things. It had looked out of place in the pile of antique jewelry. It had called to her somehow, so she’d put it on, wearing it to school.
“Don’t touch that.” Agnes snapped at Cindy, instantly regretting her tone, because it would only encourage her tormentor.
Cindy through her hands up to protest her innocence. “Sorry, Grandma Agnes. I didn’t realize it was a precious family heirloom. It looks like you got it from a gumball machine…”
It certainly wasn’t an expensive-looking ring, but the little color-changing bubble was nice. It was set on a silver ring, which could be expanded to fit almost any finger size. It was simple, but nice, or at least Agnes thought so, even if it never seemed to show any color other than blue. She wondered briefly why it hadn’t changed colors to show her nervousness or irritation.
“Is it blue because you’re sad?” Cindy’s voice was sickly sweet with fake concern.
“Yeah, sad because she’s feeling blue!” Jill chuckled.
“It’s going to be red with blood from a fat lip if you keep bothering my sister.” A voice growled from the doorway.
Agnes’ eyes flashed wide with surprise as she looked past Cindy and her lackeys to the doorway, where her almost sister stood, hands on hips and a furious look on her face. No one had heard the door open.
Cindy’s mouth opened to say something, but she quickly shut it. No one wanted to mess with Abby. Abby was older than them. She was in 6th grade, and she was a star athlete. That made her popular with the boys and the envy of many of the girls. She was also very tough, tough enough to beat up several of the boys who’d tried to bully her off the baseball team.
Unlike Agnes, who was tall and reed thin, Abby was shorter and stockier, built for sports. Her blonde hair was cut shoulder length, and her bright blue eyes seemed to take in everything in a room. She wasn’t as pretty as Agnes, with a shorter nose and a square face, but she exuded a type of energy that made her fun to be around.
That she called Agnes her sister was a stretch of the truth. They might be stepsisters someday, maybe even soon. Right now, they simply lived together, because of their parents. They didn’t share a last name, even if they now shared a bedroom.
Agnes’ mom was dating Abby’s dad. Agnes’ mom was a divorced artist. It had been just Agnes and her mom, the two of them, for as long as she could remember. Then, a year ago, her mom had met Abby’s dad.
Abby’s dad was a retired baseball player. He’d taken a coaching job at the local high school, and had happened to meet Agnes’ mom one night at the bowling alley. Since then, the two parents had become inseparable. They’d moved in together with their girls a few months ago. Abby and Agnes got along well enough, despite being so different.
Marriage had been talked about, but Abby’s dad was a widow. When Abby’s mom died five years ago, he’d said he would never marry again. He was still coming around to the idea, and then Agnes and Abby would really be sisters. That didn’t matter to Abby though. As far as she was concerned, they were sisters already. She was protective and loyal like that.
“Hi, Abby.” Cindy said meekly. She and her two friends vanished into bathroom stalls.
A glance passed between Abby and Agnes, but Agnes turned back to the mirror, embarrassed at having to be rescued by Abby. She hadn’t really even needed rescuing…
Abby was still glaring at Cindy and her lackeys when they came back out of the stalls less than a minute later. The three girls hesitated on their way to the sinks, but, seeing Abby’s dark expression, they fled without even washing their hands.
“Animals.” Abby grunted. Then she turned her attention back to Agnes. “Well?” She demanded.
“What?” Agnes replied indignantly.
“Why are you letting Cindy push you around?” Abby had a flush in her face. Confrontations got her worked up.
Agnes shrugged. “It’s not worth the bother. If I ignore her, she goes away.”
“Yeah, right.” Abby scoffed, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. Her headband kept most of it out of her face, a necessity when she was dominating on the baseball diamond, on the basketball court, on the soccer field… “I’ve been bullied before. It doesn’t last long if you stand up to them.”
“They call me ‘grandma.’ What’s the big deal? I’m not going to punch them in the face for it.”
“Maybe you should. It’s been two years of this, you said. You can do things however you want, but Tommy Rhodes hasn’t called me Crabby Abby since I popped him in the nose.”
“Yeah, they call him Broken Rhodes.” Agnes retorted smartly, grinning. Tommy’s nose hadn’t even been broken, just bloodied.
“I’m just saying that if you show them you’re willing to fight, they quickly move on to someone weaker. I can even back you up if they try to team up on you.” Abby cracked her knuckles, grinning wickedly.
Agnes sighed. “Abby, I’m not going to fight them.”
“I know, you’re a dancer, not a fighter.” Abby teased gently, pirouetting poorly on her tiptoes.
Agnes choked back a laugh. If anyone else had said it, she might have been bothered. Abby understood her. They were like sisters, despite their parents’ marital status.
The hallway bell rang, and the shuffle of feet in the hallway dissipated.
“Back to class then?” Abby suggested, inclining her head toward the door.
The star athlete of Covington Upper Elementary probably wasn’t going to get yelled at for being a minute or two late. Although, Agnes was something of a teacher’s pet, as well. She was the kid who was always following directions, so she would probably get asked if everything was alright, rather than catch a scolding from the teacher. She could always say she had a bellyache. It wasn’t much of a stretch. Cindy certainly was a pain.
“Yeah, I guess.” Agnes washed her hands once more, not because they needed it, but because it felt as if she were washing her hands clean of the whole bother with Cindy. As she reached for another paper towel, she noticed her ring had finally changed color. In fact, it was flashing red.
Abby stared at the ring. “Is that ring from the jewelry box?”
Great Aunt Dolores was Agnes’ great aunt, not Abby’s, so no inheritance had been left for her. Great Aunt Dolores probably hadn’t even known that Abby existed. Abby played it cool, as she wasn’t into wearing jewelry, other than holiday-themed earrings like little pumpkins for Halloween, but she was curious about the antique jewelry box. Agnes had caught her looking over the jewelry box more than once since it arrived.
“Yeah.” Agnes stared at the ring as it continued to flash red.
“Is it supposed to do that?” Abby asked.
“I don’t think so? Maybe?” She twisted the ring on her finger, staring at the color-changing bubble on the top. Shaking her head, she looked once more at the mirror and prepared to leave. Flashing red or not, the bell had rung.
Only, when she looked at the mirror, she didn’t see her reflection. Her eyes caught on what they saw instead: a moonlit lavender sky. She went to say something, only no words came out. She looked over at Abby, who saw the same thing. Entranced, the two stared at the strange night sky with the silvery moon hanging overhead.
Abby, ever the braver of the two of them, reached out and touched the mirror, as if to see if it was a prank or an illusion. Instead, her hand slipped inside the mirror. It gave way as if it were liquid mercury, and her fingers slid into the surface of the mirror.
“What in the world?” Abby wondered aloud, dabbling her fingertips in the watery surface of the liquid mirror. She pulled her hand back and found it unchanged.
Then, reaching in up to her wrist, she gave a shout as she was yanked toward it. Eyes wide with surprise, Abby’s hip bounced off the sink and she gave a yelp of pain as she slid up and into the mirror, disappearing completely.
“Abby!” Agnes screamed, hands clutched together against her chest as her almost sister vanished into the mirror’s silvery depths.
When there was no response, only the echo of her scream in the bathroom, she knew what she had to do. She had to follow Abby in. Except, she wasn’t going to let something drag her in. She was going to go in on her own. She climbed up on the sink, thankful that it didn’t collapse beneath her weight, and she jumped into the mirror.
Ring flashing red, she vanishing into the mirror’s cold surface.
“Lookie here, it’s Grandma Agnes.” A girl’s voice called out, resounding off the walls. A chorus of laughs broke out at the joke, now an old one.
Agnes didn’t have to look up from the sink to know who had made the joke. Cindy was her nemesis, or would be, if she cared enough to have one. Cindy had been mocking her clothes, her glasses, her face, and everything about her for the last two years. It was something of a hobby for her. With her were Jill and Rachel, of course. They were her parrots and echoes, laughing at all of her lame jokes.
Agnes kept her gaze front and center, focusing on her reflection in the mirror. Brown eyes stared back at her through round glasses with dark frames. Her pale skin contrasted with her dark hair, which was tied back in a ballet bun. Only a few strands of hair escaped, mostly around the nape of her neck and around her ears.
Agnes washed her hands quickly, hoping to leave before the teasing escalated, but the trio of girls formed a wall and cornered her.
Cindy put her mouth right up to Agnes’ ear and spoke loudly, “Grandma Agnes is hard of hearing.”
“I’m not a grandma.” Agnes muttered under her breath, dabbing at her face with a paper towel from the dispenser beside the sink.
“What? Whaaaattt?” Cindy laughed as she pretended she was hard of hearing, too. Jill and Rachel held their sides as they bellowed out laughter. Clearly this whole routine never got old with them.
Agnes let a slight frown cross her face. She ignored it as best she could, but she was still only human. She reached to throw away the paper towel, but Cindy reached out quickly and snagged her hand, eyeing the ring on it.
“Grandma got some new jewelry, kids! I think she got it from the grandma store!”
Agnes yanked her hand away from Cindy’s grasp, covering the ring with her other hand. It was new, to her at least. Just two days ago, she’d received it as part of an inheritance from her Great Aunt Dolores, who’d recently passed away.
Agnes hadn’t known her well, having only met her once or twice, but she recalled a secretive woman with a mysterious air about her. Dolores had been something of a black sheep in the family, with more secrets than anyone knew. So, it had been quite a surprise to find that her great aunt had left her an antique jewelry box.
The jewelry box was old, supposedly from her great aunt’s childhood. The tarnished silver box was about the size of a shoebox, shaped like a fancy octagon with four feet that reminded Agnes of an old-fashioned clawfoot tub. A little key stuck out of the back, to wind a music box hidden inside the jewelry box, but that didn’t work. It was jammed.
The lid of the box was engraved with a coat of arms from the Everett family. It was hard to make out much of the heraldry, other than the flowery ribbons surrounding it, a knight’s helmet at the peak, and a trio of some sort of animal on the shield. Some words, likely in Latin, were inscribed beneath it. But inside, that’s what Agnes liked best about the box.
The inside of the jewelry box was lined with crushed velvet in a purplish red color. A small tray could be lifted in and out of it, and both layers were filled with a variety of antique jewelry. There were earrings, bracelets, and necklaces set with stones of every color. There were garnets, emeralds, amethysts, pearls, and other stones she didn’t recognize. Most were set in pieces of silver, but some pieces were made of soft gold or other metals, and a few were just tied on strings of beads.
It was from this collection that Agnes had found a mood ring, of all things. It had looked out of place in the pile of antique jewelry. It had called to her somehow, so she’d put it on, wearing it to school.
“Don’t touch that.” Agnes snapped at Cindy, instantly regretting her tone, because it would only encourage her tormentor.
Cindy through her hands up to protest her innocence. “Sorry, Grandma Agnes. I didn’t realize it was a precious family heirloom. It looks like you got it from a gumball machine…”
It certainly wasn’t an expensive-looking ring, but the little color-changing bubble was nice. It was set on a silver ring, which could be expanded to fit almost any finger size. It was simple, but nice, or at least Agnes thought so, even if it never seemed to show any color other than blue. She wondered briefly why it hadn’t changed colors to show her nervousness or irritation.
“Is it blue because you’re sad?” Cindy’s voice was sickly sweet with fake concern.
“Yeah, sad because she’s feeling blue!” Jill chuckled.
“It’s going to be red with blood from a fat lip if you keep bothering my sister.” A voice growled from the doorway.
Agnes’ eyes flashed wide with surprise as she looked past Cindy and her lackeys to the doorway, where her almost sister stood, hands on hips and a furious look on her face. No one had heard the door open.
Cindy’s mouth opened to say something, but she quickly shut it. No one wanted to mess with Abby. Abby was older than them. She was in 6th grade, and she was a star athlete. That made her popular with the boys and the envy of many of the girls. She was also very tough, tough enough to beat up several of the boys who’d tried to bully her off the baseball team.
Unlike Agnes, who was tall and reed thin, Abby was shorter and stockier, built for sports. Her blonde hair was cut shoulder length, and her bright blue eyes seemed to take in everything in a room. She wasn’t as pretty as Agnes, with a shorter nose and a square face, but she exuded a type of energy that made her fun to be around.
That she called Agnes her sister was a stretch of the truth. They might be stepsisters someday, maybe even soon. Right now, they simply lived together, because of their parents. They didn’t share a last name, even if they now shared a bedroom.
Agnes’ mom was dating Abby’s dad. Agnes’ mom was a divorced artist. It had been just Agnes and her mom, the two of them, for as long as she could remember. Then, a year ago, her mom had met Abby’s dad.
Abby’s dad was a retired baseball player. He’d taken a coaching job at the local high school, and had happened to meet Agnes’ mom one night at the bowling alley. Since then, the two parents had become inseparable. They’d moved in together with their girls a few months ago. Abby and Agnes got along well enough, despite being so different.
Marriage had been talked about, but Abby’s dad was a widow. When Abby’s mom died five years ago, he’d said he would never marry again. He was still coming around to the idea, and then Agnes and Abby would really be sisters. That didn’t matter to Abby though. As far as she was concerned, they were sisters already. She was protective and loyal like that.
“Hi, Abby.” Cindy said meekly. She and her two friends vanished into bathroom stalls.
A glance passed between Abby and Agnes, but Agnes turned back to the mirror, embarrassed at having to be rescued by Abby. She hadn’t really even needed rescuing…
Abby was still glaring at Cindy and her lackeys when they came back out of the stalls less than a minute later. The three girls hesitated on their way to the sinks, but, seeing Abby’s dark expression, they fled without even washing their hands.
“Animals.” Abby grunted. Then she turned her attention back to Agnes. “Well?” She demanded.
“What?” Agnes replied indignantly.
“Why are you letting Cindy push you around?” Abby had a flush in her face. Confrontations got her worked up.
Agnes shrugged. “It’s not worth the bother. If I ignore her, she goes away.”
“Yeah, right.” Abby scoffed, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. Her headband kept most of it out of her face, a necessity when she was dominating on the baseball diamond, on the basketball court, on the soccer field… “I’ve been bullied before. It doesn’t last long if you stand up to them.”
“They call me ‘grandma.’ What’s the big deal? I’m not going to punch them in the face for it.”
“Maybe you should. It’s been two years of this, you said. You can do things however you want, but Tommy Rhodes hasn’t called me Crabby Abby since I popped him in the nose.”
“Yeah, they call him Broken Rhodes.” Agnes retorted smartly, grinning. Tommy’s nose hadn’t even been broken, just bloodied.
“I’m just saying that if you show them you’re willing to fight, they quickly move on to someone weaker. I can even back you up if they try to team up on you.” Abby cracked her knuckles, grinning wickedly.
Agnes sighed. “Abby, I’m not going to fight them.”
“I know, you’re a dancer, not a fighter.” Abby teased gently, pirouetting poorly on her tiptoes.
Agnes choked back a laugh. If anyone else had said it, she might have been bothered. Abby understood her. They were like sisters, despite their parents’ marital status.
The hallway bell rang, and the shuffle of feet in the hallway dissipated.
“Back to class then?” Abby suggested, inclining her head toward the door.
The star athlete of Covington Upper Elementary probably wasn’t going to get yelled at for being a minute or two late. Although, Agnes was something of a teacher’s pet, as well. She was the kid who was always following directions, so she would probably get asked if everything was alright, rather than catch a scolding from the teacher. She could always say she had a bellyache. It wasn’t much of a stretch. Cindy certainly was a pain.
“Yeah, I guess.” Agnes washed her hands once more, not because they needed it, but because it felt as if she were washing her hands clean of the whole bother with Cindy. As she reached for another paper towel, she noticed her ring had finally changed color. In fact, it was flashing red.
Abby stared at the ring. “Is that ring from the jewelry box?”
Great Aunt Dolores was Agnes’ great aunt, not Abby’s, so no inheritance had been left for her. Great Aunt Dolores probably hadn’t even known that Abby existed. Abby played it cool, as she wasn’t into wearing jewelry, other than holiday-themed earrings like little pumpkins for Halloween, but she was curious about the antique jewelry box. Agnes had caught her looking over the jewelry box more than once since it arrived.
“Yeah.” Agnes stared at the ring as it continued to flash red.
“Is it supposed to do that?” Abby asked.
“I don’t think so? Maybe?” She twisted the ring on her finger, staring at the color-changing bubble on the top. Shaking her head, she looked once more at the mirror and prepared to leave. Flashing red or not, the bell had rung.
Only, when she looked at the mirror, she didn’t see her reflection. Her eyes caught on what they saw instead: a moonlit lavender sky. She went to say something, only no words came out. She looked over at Abby, who saw the same thing. Entranced, the two stared at the strange night sky with the silvery moon hanging overhead.
Abby, ever the braver of the two of them, reached out and touched the mirror, as if to see if it was a prank or an illusion. Instead, her hand slipped inside the mirror. It gave way as if it were liquid mercury, and her fingers slid into the surface of the mirror.
“What in the world?” Abby wondered aloud, dabbling her fingertips in the watery surface of the liquid mirror. She pulled her hand back and found it unchanged.
Then, reaching in up to her wrist, she gave a shout as she was yanked toward it. Eyes wide with surprise, Abby’s hip bounced off the sink and she gave a yelp of pain as she slid up and into the mirror, disappearing completely.
“Abby!” Agnes screamed, hands clutched together against her chest as her almost sister vanished into the mirror’s silvery depths.
When there was no response, only the echo of her scream in the bathroom, she knew what she had to do. She had to follow Abby in. Except, she wasn’t going to let something drag her in. She was going to go in on her own. She climbed up on the sink, thankful that it didn’t collapse beneath her weight, and she jumped into the mirror.
Ring flashing red, she vanishing into the mirror’s cold surface.
CHAPTER TWO - BLUE
Agnes found herself sliding into a river, or rather sliding on the river. It was a strange sensation to have the water tumbling along with her but still stay as dry as a bone. She was on top of the river, somehow not sinking into it. Strange as it was, she didn’t have time to think about it.
Unlike Agnes, Abby was definitely in the water. Just ahead of her, tumbling in the rushing water, Agnes saw Abby’s head bobbing up and down in the swirling river. She was spluttering and gasping for air. Agnes fought to get closer to Abby to help her.
Even if she was on top of the rushing water, Agnes still had to deal with the shifting and tumbling of the water beneath her. It was like being in a bounce house with a dozen other people all jumping at different times. She slid and flopped her way toward Abby, but she was not going to be in time.
Ahead of them, looming dangerously, was a waterfall.
“Agnes!” Abby shouted, struggling to keep her head above water.
“I’m coming!” Agnes shouted to her over the noise of the rushing water. She was getting closer, but there was no way to make it to her before they reached the edge of the waterfall.
Agnes tumbled once more and slid on her rear as the river tossed her once more, spinning sideways. She lost sight of Abby, but heard her shriek as she went over the edge. Agnes had all of two seconds before she followed Abby over the waterfall, and she did her best to get her feet under her. She didn’t want to go over head first!
With a dropping sensation in her gut, she followed Abby over the edge, white foam thrusting her out and over the edge. She wasn’t getting wet, but the splashing water certainly did its best to push her around, and she went sailing over the edge, arms pinwheeling in the air.
The fall was mercifully short, maybe 20 feet, and not the hundreds she’d worried it might be. And, she fell with surprising gentleness. It was like being lowered on a rope as she glided to the bottom, not at all like being dropped off a building.
Agnes’ feet alighted softly on the tumultuous surface below, making it difficult to keep her balance. She was surrounded by the pounding water that had driven Abby into the depths beneath the fall.
A moment of terror flashed through her as Agnes looked for Abby, worried that she’d be dashed on the rocks below the water or held under until she drowned, but Abby broke the surface a few steps away from her, coming up gasping.
“Come on, Abby! Where are you?”
There, a flash of blonde hair under the water!
“Abby!” Agnes shouted as she scrambled over to where she thought she’d seen Abby, unsure of what to do. It wasn’t like she could dive in after her, since she was stuck on top of the water.
Abby coughed and broke into a laugh upon seeing Agnes’ worried look. “That was like a water slide, only better!”
“Are you okay?” Agnes asked, kneeling over near where Abby was treading water, just beyond the rough water at the base of the falls.
“Yeah, but how are you standing on the water?”
Agnes shook her head and shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s the ring.”
“A little help then?” Abby suggested.
Agnes looked at her helplessly. She didn’t know how this worked. “How? I’m up here and you’re in there.”
“I don’t know. Try to pull me up.”
Agnes brought one knee up and braced herself to stand. Then she offered Abby a hand. Abby took Agnes’ hand with both of hers.
“Ready?” Agnes asked.
“Beam me up!” Abby said with a grin.
With all of her strength, Agnes pulled, lifting Abby as she stood and began to back up. Except, rather than just dragging her through the water, she pulled her up onto the water’s surface, as if it were the edge of a swimming pool and not liquid water. With Agnes’ hand on hers, Abby could stay on top of the water.
“How are you doing this?” Abby asked in amazement, bringing herself up off of her knees to stand beside Agnes. She was careful to always keep one hand on Agnes,’ so she wouldn’t sink back in again.
Agnes shrugged. “I don’t know.” The ring was glowing blue, but otherwise gave no indication of what was going on.
Laughing at the absurdity of it, Abby held on to Agnes’ hand and looked around. Safely out of the water, they could finally get a look at where they were.
The sky was a deep bluish purple, almost black, but raven colored. The sky was filled with an oversized silver moon and not much else, but it wasn’t the moon they were used to seeing. It had far more craters, which were discolored and pinkish, rather than gray.
Following Agnes’ gaze skyward, Abby whistled loudly. “That doesn’t look right.”
“I don’t think that’s our moon.” Agnes commented softly.
“Probably not,” Abby agreed, “and those don’t look like our stars, either.”
The silvery lights she was referring to swam gently overhead, as if pushed by the winds. They looked more like lightning bugs than stars. The not-stars didn’t twinkle so much as flash off and on as they swam through the sky, constantly rearranging themselves in odd constellations that might have made more sense if they had time to watch for patterns.
Closer to earth, they saw that they were standing in the middle of a pool no more than a hundred yards across. Glowing fish surfaced occasionally across the lake, creatures as long as the girls were tall, covered in shimmery scales that pulsed with color as they wriggled their way through the water.
Along the shore, dark rocks were stacked at one side of the lake, building up into the hill from which the waterfall tumbled. The rest of the lake was ringed by thin, silvery trees with lavender leaves, looking like some strange sort of paper birch trees. The trees swayed softly in the nonexistent wind, their leaves whispering gently.
The lake appeared to have no outlet, and yet it didn’t overflow, despite the volume of water that was dumping into it from the waterfall. There were many curious things about this place, things that didn’t make full sense. It certainly wasn’t like home.
“Let’s get off of this lake.” Abby suggested, tugging at Agnes’ hand gently but firmly.
Abby didn’t like the looks of the fish swimming by, so she didn’t mind the suggestion at all. The fish were too long and too serpentine, somewhere between a snake and a goldfish. She wasn’t going to wait around to become their dinner.
Agnes closed her mouth, realizing she’d been gawking openmouthed at her surroundings. She trudged forward, following Abby’s lead to the edge of the water.
Once on the shore, the two girls found themselves standing on grass that was also wrong. It was too blue, somewhere between a sea green or a robin’s egg Crayola crayon in color. It even sounded wrong, crunching underfoot with a very rubbery feel, much like rubber mulch on a playground.
“This place is so weird.” Agnes remarked, realizing that her head was still swiveling back and forth, taking everything in.
“Let me try the ring.” Abby suggested, holding her hand out suddenly.
“For what?” Agnes asked, quirking an eyebrow.
“I want to walk on water.” She grinned.
Agnes shook her head, thinking there were more important things to worry about, like getting back to class before they got in trouble.
“Come on…” Abby put on her best sad puppy dog face.
When she got like that, there was no sense fighting it. Agnes sighed. “Fine. Just be quick. We need to figure out how to get back home.”
Abby eagerly took the ring from Agnes and slid it on her little finger. Her ring finger was too big to fit, and she didn’t want to readjust the ring’s size, since it wasn’t hers.
Backing up with a squish of water in her shoes, Abby got a running start and bolted toward the lake with the same speed that she’d use to steal a base in a ball game or go for a layup in a pickup game of basketball. She was a star athlete after all.
Only, instead of running out onto the surface, her feet dropped right through the water when she took her first step off the solid land. She’d expected to step on the surface, and it didn’t support her. She cried out awkwardly and splashed headlong into the water.
Agnes burst out laughing, and couldn’t contain her mirth even as Abby came up spluttering once more and looking disappointed.
“What happened?” Abby limped toward the shore.
Agnes felt bad, but couldn’t stop laughing. It had just been such an awkward flop, and Abby had looked so shocked when it hadn’t worked.
“It’s not that funny!” Abby protested, but it came out more like a whine. Then, seeing Agnes doubled over with laughter, she couldn’t help but laugh a little herself.
“You’re just… such a good athlete usually…” Agnes choked out between laughs.
Abby nodded. “It was a monster belly flop.”
Agnes wiped a tear from her eye. “Oh, man. You ate it.”
“Big time.” Abby agreed, pulling herself up beside her sister once more. “But why didn’t it work?”
“Because you’re not supposed to be here!” A voice hissed from the trees behind them.
Agnes and Abby snapped around, looking at the forest that surrounded them. The trees weren’t densely packed together, so they should have been able to see anyone in the woods, but there was no one. Suddenly, a chill wind crept out from the woods, and the trees didn’t look quite so friendly anymore.
“Who said that?” Abby demanded, balling her hands into fists as Agnes took a step behind her.
“I did.” Came the voice again, decidedly girlish.
Abby took a step forward to challenge whatever was in the woods. “Show yourself, whoever you are… whatever you are…”
As they watched, one of the nearest trees began to move.
Agnes gulped. “Maybe you shouldn’t have said that, Abby.”
“Too late…” Abby whispered regretfully.
Unlike Agnes, Abby was definitely in the water. Just ahead of her, tumbling in the rushing water, Agnes saw Abby’s head bobbing up and down in the swirling river. She was spluttering and gasping for air. Agnes fought to get closer to Abby to help her.
Even if she was on top of the rushing water, Agnes still had to deal with the shifting and tumbling of the water beneath her. It was like being in a bounce house with a dozen other people all jumping at different times. She slid and flopped her way toward Abby, but she was not going to be in time.
Ahead of them, looming dangerously, was a waterfall.
“Agnes!” Abby shouted, struggling to keep her head above water.
“I’m coming!” Agnes shouted to her over the noise of the rushing water. She was getting closer, but there was no way to make it to her before they reached the edge of the waterfall.
Agnes tumbled once more and slid on her rear as the river tossed her once more, spinning sideways. She lost sight of Abby, but heard her shriek as she went over the edge. Agnes had all of two seconds before she followed Abby over the waterfall, and she did her best to get her feet under her. She didn’t want to go over head first!
With a dropping sensation in her gut, she followed Abby over the edge, white foam thrusting her out and over the edge. She wasn’t getting wet, but the splashing water certainly did its best to push her around, and she went sailing over the edge, arms pinwheeling in the air.
The fall was mercifully short, maybe 20 feet, and not the hundreds she’d worried it might be. And, she fell with surprising gentleness. It was like being lowered on a rope as she glided to the bottom, not at all like being dropped off a building.
Agnes’ feet alighted softly on the tumultuous surface below, making it difficult to keep her balance. She was surrounded by the pounding water that had driven Abby into the depths beneath the fall.
A moment of terror flashed through her as Agnes looked for Abby, worried that she’d be dashed on the rocks below the water or held under until she drowned, but Abby broke the surface a few steps away from her, coming up gasping.
“Come on, Abby! Where are you?”
There, a flash of blonde hair under the water!
“Abby!” Agnes shouted as she scrambled over to where she thought she’d seen Abby, unsure of what to do. It wasn’t like she could dive in after her, since she was stuck on top of the water.
Abby coughed and broke into a laugh upon seeing Agnes’ worried look. “That was like a water slide, only better!”
“Are you okay?” Agnes asked, kneeling over near where Abby was treading water, just beyond the rough water at the base of the falls.
“Yeah, but how are you standing on the water?”
Agnes shook her head and shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s the ring.”
“A little help then?” Abby suggested.
Agnes looked at her helplessly. She didn’t know how this worked. “How? I’m up here and you’re in there.”
“I don’t know. Try to pull me up.”
Agnes brought one knee up and braced herself to stand. Then she offered Abby a hand. Abby took Agnes’ hand with both of hers.
“Ready?” Agnes asked.
“Beam me up!” Abby said with a grin.
With all of her strength, Agnes pulled, lifting Abby as she stood and began to back up. Except, rather than just dragging her through the water, she pulled her up onto the water’s surface, as if it were the edge of a swimming pool and not liquid water. With Agnes’ hand on hers, Abby could stay on top of the water.
“How are you doing this?” Abby asked in amazement, bringing herself up off of her knees to stand beside Agnes. She was careful to always keep one hand on Agnes,’ so she wouldn’t sink back in again.
Agnes shrugged. “I don’t know.” The ring was glowing blue, but otherwise gave no indication of what was going on.
Laughing at the absurdity of it, Abby held on to Agnes’ hand and looked around. Safely out of the water, they could finally get a look at where they were.
The sky was a deep bluish purple, almost black, but raven colored. The sky was filled with an oversized silver moon and not much else, but it wasn’t the moon they were used to seeing. It had far more craters, which were discolored and pinkish, rather than gray.
Following Agnes’ gaze skyward, Abby whistled loudly. “That doesn’t look right.”
“I don’t think that’s our moon.” Agnes commented softly.
“Probably not,” Abby agreed, “and those don’t look like our stars, either.”
The silvery lights she was referring to swam gently overhead, as if pushed by the winds. They looked more like lightning bugs than stars. The not-stars didn’t twinkle so much as flash off and on as they swam through the sky, constantly rearranging themselves in odd constellations that might have made more sense if they had time to watch for patterns.
Closer to earth, they saw that they were standing in the middle of a pool no more than a hundred yards across. Glowing fish surfaced occasionally across the lake, creatures as long as the girls were tall, covered in shimmery scales that pulsed with color as they wriggled their way through the water.
Along the shore, dark rocks were stacked at one side of the lake, building up into the hill from which the waterfall tumbled. The rest of the lake was ringed by thin, silvery trees with lavender leaves, looking like some strange sort of paper birch trees. The trees swayed softly in the nonexistent wind, their leaves whispering gently.
The lake appeared to have no outlet, and yet it didn’t overflow, despite the volume of water that was dumping into it from the waterfall. There were many curious things about this place, things that didn’t make full sense. It certainly wasn’t like home.
“Let’s get off of this lake.” Abby suggested, tugging at Agnes’ hand gently but firmly.
Abby didn’t like the looks of the fish swimming by, so she didn’t mind the suggestion at all. The fish were too long and too serpentine, somewhere between a snake and a goldfish. She wasn’t going to wait around to become their dinner.
Agnes closed her mouth, realizing she’d been gawking openmouthed at her surroundings. She trudged forward, following Abby’s lead to the edge of the water.
Once on the shore, the two girls found themselves standing on grass that was also wrong. It was too blue, somewhere between a sea green or a robin’s egg Crayola crayon in color. It even sounded wrong, crunching underfoot with a very rubbery feel, much like rubber mulch on a playground.
“This place is so weird.” Agnes remarked, realizing that her head was still swiveling back and forth, taking everything in.
“Let me try the ring.” Abby suggested, holding her hand out suddenly.
“For what?” Agnes asked, quirking an eyebrow.
“I want to walk on water.” She grinned.
Agnes shook her head, thinking there were more important things to worry about, like getting back to class before they got in trouble.
“Come on…” Abby put on her best sad puppy dog face.
When she got like that, there was no sense fighting it. Agnes sighed. “Fine. Just be quick. We need to figure out how to get back home.”
Abby eagerly took the ring from Agnes and slid it on her little finger. Her ring finger was too big to fit, and she didn’t want to readjust the ring’s size, since it wasn’t hers.
Backing up with a squish of water in her shoes, Abby got a running start and bolted toward the lake with the same speed that she’d use to steal a base in a ball game or go for a layup in a pickup game of basketball. She was a star athlete after all.
Only, instead of running out onto the surface, her feet dropped right through the water when she took her first step off the solid land. She’d expected to step on the surface, and it didn’t support her. She cried out awkwardly and splashed headlong into the water.
Agnes burst out laughing, and couldn’t contain her mirth even as Abby came up spluttering once more and looking disappointed.
“What happened?” Abby limped toward the shore.
Agnes felt bad, but couldn’t stop laughing. It had just been such an awkward flop, and Abby had looked so shocked when it hadn’t worked.
“It’s not that funny!” Abby protested, but it came out more like a whine. Then, seeing Agnes doubled over with laughter, she couldn’t help but laugh a little herself.
“You’re just… such a good athlete usually…” Agnes choked out between laughs.
Abby nodded. “It was a monster belly flop.”
Agnes wiped a tear from her eye. “Oh, man. You ate it.”
“Big time.” Abby agreed, pulling herself up beside her sister once more. “But why didn’t it work?”
“Because you’re not supposed to be here!” A voice hissed from the trees behind them.
Agnes and Abby snapped around, looking at the forest that surrounded them. The trees weren’t densely packed together, so they should have been able to see anyone in the woods, but there was no one. Suddenly, a chill wind crept out from the woods, and the trees didn’t look quite so friendly anymore.
“Who said that?” Abby demanded, balling her hands into fists as Agnes took a step behind her.
“I did.” Came the voice again, decidedly girlish.
Abby took a step forward to challenge whatever was in the woods. “Show yourself, whoever you are… whatever you are…”
As they watched, one of the nearest trees began to move.
Agnes gulped. “Maybe you shouldn’t have said that, Abby.”
“Too late…” Abby whispered regretfully.
CHAPTER THREE - GREEN
As Agnes and Abby watched, a spindly girl with silvery skin peeled herself away from the tree, becoming more solid and thicker than the tree had been. Green eyes flashed below lavender eyebrows and wisps of lavender hair that fell tangled from her head like vines. She was about the same size as them, looking near to their age, but it was hard to tell.
The tree girl danced away from the forest edge on tiptoes, each step a strange and sudden movement, looking like some sort of modern dance. She moved in an interpretation of a leaf caught on the wind, fluttering and floating this way and that toward its goal, which was the two scared girls huddled beside the lake.
“What is it?” Abby whispered.
“It is a dryad.” The creature answered, clearly hearing even whispers. Her lips quirked in a smirk and she stared at the two of them with her very green eyes.
“What did you mean before when you said that Abby wasn’t supposed to be here?” Agnes asked, stepping out from behind Abby.
The dryad waved its hands and shifted its feet. It seemed unwilling to stand still. The gentle breezes kept it in motion. Even its lavender hair wafted softly in the wind as she moved.
The dryad slid closer to Agnes, fingertips dancing lightly on her shoulders and arms. She inhaled deeply, closing her green eyes for a moment. Her head titled in confusion. “You’re not Dolores, but you smell like her.”
“She’s my great aunt…” Agnes offered.
The dryad stared at them. “Great aunt?”
“Her grandmother’s sister.” Abby explained.
The dryad’s head snapped toward Abby, her mouth twisting strangely. “Grandmother?” She said the word as if it tasted wrong.
Abby eyed the dryad warily. “Her mother’s mother?”
“You are strange.” The dryad announced with a bored sigh. “Worrying about parents and lineages. In the forest, we are all daughters of the mother tree.”
Agnes didn’t understand what all of that meant, but she was curious about one thing. “You knew Dolores?”
The dryad did a spin on the breeze, smiling at the sky. Then, with a flap of her arms, she tiptoed toward the woods, spinning around the nearest tree. “Dolores used to walk among our trees. She loved our forest. You look like her.” Her dance paused as she stopped to look at Abby, favoring her with a disappointed expression.. “The other one, not so much. Her hair and face are wrong.”
“Hey!” Abby protested.
Agnes shrugged at Abby. What did you say when a dryad said you had the wrong color of hair and complained about your face? “She’s my sister.”
“No.” The dryad’s nostrils flared. “She smells different. Wrong.”
“She’s an almost sister. We live together.” Agnes answered quickly.
The dryad’s head tilted sharply. “Strange.”
“We’re almost sisters.” Abby declared.
“Almost sisters.” The dryad echoed.
“What is this place?” Abby asked.
“The Lake in the Woods.” The dryad answered simply.
“I can see that.” Abby said dryly, hands on her hips. It was frustrating talking in circles, with no clear answers.
“That is the name of this place.” The dryad insisted.
Abby smirked, ignoring Agnes’ looks. “What if there is another lake in the woods somewhere around here. What would you call that?”
The dryad shrugged. “Although, Dolores called this place ‘Mirror Lake.’” The dryad recalled wistfully. Clearly, she had been good friends with Agnes’ great aunt. “Dolores always came to this place through a piece of shining glass, or so she told me.”
“The ring brought us here.” Agnes said, looking at the ring, which glowed green.
The dryad drifted over to Agnes, taking her hand in hers. Her fingers felt like silken birch bark, rough in places, but generally smooth. Her eyes glowed even greener, if that was possible, in the ring’s light.
“It’s so beautiful.” The dryad cooed.
Agnes nodded. “Miss dryad, what is your name?”
“Falala.” The dryad answered musically, still eyeing the ring.
“Fa-la-la?” Abby replied, making it sound like the Christmas song.
“Falala.” The dryad said quickly, mashing the syllables together. “It is the name that Dolores gave me. The rest of our kind do not need names. I speak for my sisters.”
Her eyes shifted to the forest, where dozens of pairs of greenish lights became apparent as tree trunks shifted and squirmed. An arm could be seen here, and there a foot, or an occasional face, but none of the other dryads seemed to want to come out.
Abby clutched Agnes’ arm tightly. It was her turn to be scared. One was quite enough, but dozens of dryads were worth being worried about. “Agnes, we need to get out of here.”
“Falala, can you help us get home?” Agnes asked.
The dryad waved her hand dismissively, still staring at the ring. “If you want to go home, just go to the Upside-down Lake. You came in on Mirror Lake, so you must go back through the Upside-down Lake. That’s what Dolores always did.”
Agnes frowned. It wasn’t as if the ring had come with a map. “I don’t know where the Upside-down Lake is. Can you tell me?”
Sighing and finally peeling her eyes away from the ring, Falala pointed in a direction, seemingly at random. “That way.”
“Is it far?” Abby asked.
The dryad shrugged and did a turn where she stood. “I’ve never been there. I just know the direction you must go to get there.”
“Can you help us get through the woods at least?” Agnes asked.
The dryad froze still for the first time since they’d met her. “What will you give me for helping? Dryads don’t like to stray far from their trees… not without good reason.”
“What do you want?” Agnes asked.
“The ring!” Falala hissed, baring surprisingly sharp teeth. They looked like wooden splinters from when a tree snapped in two.
“No!” Agnes shouted, pulling her hands to her chest and away from the dryad and her sharp mouth.
“I’ve always wanted a ring of my own.” Falala pouted, running her hand through her soft lavender locks.
Agnes suddenly had an idea. “Falala. I may have a ring for you after all!”
The dryad slid gracefully over to Agnes, resting her head on Agnes’ shoulder. “You do?” She whispered longingly.
Agnes nodded and slid away from Falala to reach up to her own hair. She’d used several hair ties to make her hair stay in place, along with bobby pins. If she’d been dancing, there would have been a small net pulled over it as well, but today it was just hair ties and pins.
As she undid her hair, Falala let out an appreciate ooh and ran her fingers through Agnes’ dark hair. Abby watched the dryad was obvious unease, by Agnes tried not to mind. She was just curious, or so she hoped.
Agnes slid a bobby pin in to keep hair out of her face and left the rest done up in a ponytail. Then, turning to Falala, she held out a black hair tie.
Falala sniffed it. “It smells like you.”
Agnes laughed. “I know. I’m sorry. I don’t have my bag with me. Otherwise, I’d give you a new one.”
“I love it.” Falala snatched it from Agnes’ hand to place it around her finger like a ring. It was much too large. She frowned at it as it flopped around.
Abby hid a laugh behind her hand, but Agnes shot her a look. “Falala?”
The dryad’s head quirked at the sound of her own name. “Yes?
“Can I put it in your hair? I can do it like mine.” Agnes reached out to touch the dryad’s hair. It was silky and fine, like baby down.
“Like yours?” The dryad’s green eyes beamed. “Yes, thanks and please.”
Agnes set to doing her hair, carefully combing it together with her fingers. It felt as if it were quivering and alive beneath her fingertips. All the while, Falala softly hummed to herself, clearly liking the attention. There weren’t a lot of spa days and opportunities for preening and pampering in the woods by the lake.
A minute or two later, Agnes had carefully set Falala’s hair into a decent ponytail. Curiously, the lavender hair had set itself into a soft wave of curls by itself. Pulled back away from the dryad’s face, it really set off her angular cheekbones. It was pretty. She could have been a dancer.
“I must see myself!” Falala announced, sensing that all was done. She walked to the water’s edge and knelt down.
“I do not even look like myself!” She announced excitedly. “This is most fabulous.”
“It’s pretty.” Abby agreed.
Falala shot her an excited look, the first warm expression she’d had for her. “Please and thanks.” She sighed.
“You’re welcome.” Agnes said happily, doing a ballet curtsy.
Falala laughed musically, enjoying the dance move. She stood suddenly, landing on her tiptoes. Then she held out her hands.
“Come, friends. Let me take you to the edge of the woods. I shall gladly escort you, so all of the others can see my new hair.”
“Next time, let’s bring a whole bag of makeup with us.” Abby said, nudging Agnes, who grinned and nodded.
“What is this makeup you speak of?” Falala inquired, taking Agnes’ hand in her left and Abby’s in her right.
Talking together, they strolled through the woods. If they kept their eyes forward and ignored the strange colors and smells of the woods around them, the two girls could almost forget they were in another world, except for those curious green eyes that kept appearing at the edges of their vision.
Still, Falala would take them to the edge of the forest. That was the easy part. After that, they’d be alone, with no real idea what the Upside-down Lake was or how it would get them home.
Agnes could only hope the ring would guide them.
The tree girl danced away from the forest edge on tiptoes, each step a strange and sudden movement, looking like some sort of modern dance. She moved in an interpretation of a leaf caught on the wind, fluttering and floating this way and that toward its goal, which was the two scared girls huddled beside the lake.
“What is it?” Abby whispered.
“It is a dryad.” The creature answered, clearly hearing even whispers. Her lips quirked in a smirk and she stared at the two of them with her very green eyes.
“What did you mean before when you said that Abby wasn’t supposed to be here?” Agnes asked, stepping out from behind Abby.
The dryad waved its hands and shifted its feet. It seemed unwilling to stand still. The gentle breezes kept it in motion. Even its lavender hair wafted softly in the wind as she moved.
The dryad slid closer to Agnes, fingertips dancing lightly on her shoulders and arms. She inhaled deeply, closing her green eyes for a moment. Her head titled in confusion. “You’re not Dolores, but you smell like her.”
“She’s my great aunt…” Agnes offered.
The dryad stared at them. “Great aunt?”
“Her grandmother’s sister.” Abby explained.
The dryad’s head snapped toward Abby, her mouth twisting strangely. “Grandmother?” She said the word as if it tasted wrong.
Abby eyed the dryad warily. “Her mother’s mother?”
“You are strange.” The dryad announced with a bored sigh. “Worrying about parents and lineages. In the forest, we are all daughters of the mother tree.”
Agnes didn’t understand what all of that meant, but she was curious about one thing. “You knew Dolores?”
The dryad did a spin on the breeze, smiling at the sky. Then, with a flap of her arms, she tiptoed toward the woods, spinning around the nearest tree. “Dolores used to walk among our trees. She loved our forest. You look like her.” Her dance paused as she stopped to look at Abby, favoring her with a disappointed expression.. “The other one, not so much. Her hair and face are wrong.”
“Hey!” Abby protested.
Agnes shrugged at Abby. What did you say when a dryad said you had the wrong color of hair and complained about your face? “She’s my sister.”
“No.” The dryad’s nostrils flared. “She smells different. Wrong.”
“She’s an almost sister. We live together.” Agnes answered quickly.
The dryad’s head tilted sharply. “Strange.”
“We’re almost sisters.” Abby declared.
“Almost sisters.” The dryad echoed.
“What is this place?” Abby asked.
“The Lake in the Woods.” The dryad answered simply.
“I can see that.” Abby said dryly, hands on her hips. It was frustrating talking in circles, with no clear answers.
“That is the name of this place.” The dryad insisted.
Abby smirked, ignoring Agnes’ looks. “What if there is another lake in the woods somewhere around here. What would you call that?”
The dryad shrugged. “Although, Dolores called this place ‘Mirror Lake.’” The dryad recalled wistfully. Clearly, she had been good friends with Agnes’ great aunt. “Dolores always came to this place through a piece of shining glass, or so she told me.”
“The ring brought us here.” Agnes said, looking at the ring, which glowed green.
The dryad drifted over to Agnes, taking her hand in hers. Her fingers felt like silken birch bark, rough in places, but generally smooth. Her eyes glowed even greener, if that was possible, in the ring’s light.
“It’s so beautiful.” The dryad cooed.
Agnes nodded. “Miss dryad, what is your name?”
“Falala.” The dryad answered musically, still eyeing the ring.
“Fa-la-la?” Abby replied, making it sound like the Christmas song.
“Falala.” The dryad said quickly, mashing the syllables together. “It is the name that Dolores gave me. The rest of our kind do not need names. I speak for my sisters.”
Her eyes shifted to the forest, where dozens of pairs of greenish lights became apparent as tree trunks shifted and squirmed. An arm could be seen here, and there a foot, or an occasional face, but none of the other dryads seemed to want to come out.
Abby clutched Agnes’ arm tightly. It was her turn to be scared. One was quite enough, but dozens of dryads were worth being worried about. “Agnes, we need to get out of here.”
“Falala, can you help us get home?” Agnes asked.
The dryad waved her hand dismissively, still staring at the ring. “If you want to go home, just go to the Upside-down Lake. You came in on Mirror Lake, so you must go back through the Upside-down Lake. That’s what Dolores always did.”
Agnes frowned. It wasn’t as if the ring had come with a map. “I don’t know where the Upside-down Lake is. Can you tell me?”
Sighing and finally peeling her eyes away from the ring, Falala pointed in a direction, seemingly at random. “That way.”
“Is it far?” Abby asked.
The dryad shrugged and did a turn where she stood. “I’ve never been there. I just know the direction you must go to get there.”
“Can you help us get through the woods at least?” Agnes asked.
The dryad froze still for the first time since they’d met her. “What will you give me for helping? Dryads don’t like to stray far from their trees… not without good reason.”
“What do you want?” Agnes asked.
“The ring!” Falala hissed, baring surprisingly sharp teeth. They looked like wooden splinters from when a tree snapped in two.
“No!” Agnes shouted, pulling her hands to her chest and away from the dryad and her sharp mouth.
“I’ve always wanted a ring of my own.” Falala pouted, running her hand through her soft lavender locks.
Agnes suddenly had an idea. “Falala. I may have a ring for you after all!”
The dryad slid gracefully over to Agnes, resting her head on Agnes’ shoulder. “You do?” She whispered longingly.
Agnes nodded and slid away from Falala to reach up to her own hair. She’d used several hair ties to make her hair stay in place, along with bobby pins. If she’d been dancing, there would have been a small net pulled over it as well, but today it was just hair ties and pins.
As she undid her hair, Falala let out an appreciate ooh and ran her fingers through Agnes’ dark hair. Abby watched the dryad was obvious unease, by Agnes tried not to mind. She was just curious, or so she hoped.
Agnes slid a bobby pin in to keep hair out of her face and left the rest done up in a ponytail. Then, turning to Falala, she held out a black hair tie.
Falala sniffed it. “It smells like you.”
Agnes laughed. “I know. I’m sorry. I don’t have my bag with me. Otherwise, I’d give you a new one.”
“I love it.” Falala snatched it from Agnes’ hand to place it around her finger like a ring. It was much too large. She frowned at it as it flopped around.
Abby hid a laugh behind her hand, but Agnes shot her a look. “Falala?”
The dryad’s head quirked at the sound of her own name. “Yes?
“Can I put it in your hair? I can do it like mine.” Agnes reached out to touch the dryad’s hair. It was silky and fine, like baby down.
“Like yours?” The dryad’s green eyes beamed. “Yes, thanks and please.”
Agnes set to doing her hair, carefully combing it together with her fingers. It felt as if it were quivering and alive beneath her fingertips. All the while, Falala softly hummed to herself, clearly liking the attention. There weren’t a lot of spa days and opportunities for preening and pampering in the woods by the lake.
A minute or two later, Agnes had carefully set Falala’s hair into a decent ponytail. Curiously, the lavender hair had set itself into a soft wave of curls by itself. Pulled back away from the dryad’s face, it really set off her angular cheekbones. It was pretty. She could have been a dancer.
“I must see myself!” Falala announced, sensing that all was done. She walked to the water’s edge and knelt down.
“I do not even look like myself!” She announced excitedly. “This is most fabulous.”
“It’s pretty.” Abby agreed.
Falala shot her an excited look, the first warm expression she’d had for her. “Please and thanks.” She sighed.
“You’re welcome.” Agnes said happily, doing a ballet curtsy.
Falala laughed musically, enjoying the dance move. She stood suddenly, landing on her tiptoes. Then she held out her hands.
“Come, friends. Let me take you to the edge of the woods. I shall gladly escort you, so all of the others can see my new hair.”
“Next time, let’s bring a whole bag of makeup with us.” Abby said, nudging Agnes, who grinned and nodded.
“What is this makeup you speak of?” Falala inquired, taking Agnes’ hand in her left and Abby’s in her right.
Talking together, they strolled through the woods. If they kept their eyes forward and ignored the strange colors and smells of the woods around them, the two girls could almost forget they were in another world, except for those curious green eyes that kept appearing at the edges of their vision.
Still, Falala would take them to the edge of the forest. That was the easy part. After that, they’d be alone, with no real idea what the Upside-down Lake was or how it would get them home.
Agnes could only hope the ring would guide them.
CHAPTER FOUR - PURPLE
Agnes and Abby walked with Falala, who led them on a wandering trip through the strange woodland realm. Instead of heading straight through, the dryad led them in a zigzag path that brought them to rings of toadstools, fallen logs, new saplings, and places where the moonlight broke through the lavender tree canopy in a special way that she felt the girls absolutely had to see for themselves.
Clearly, Falala was in no hurry. She narrated the journey, mostly for herself. She seemed to have forgotten the joy of talking, perhaps because Agnes’ great aunt hadn’t visited in many years.
Eventually, the trees began to thin out. The silver-barked trees shrank from three or four times their height to only twice their height. The rubbery grass faded away to become purplish sand, and the space between trees became grew until there was nothing but sand beyond them.
They had reached the end of the forest, and the other dryads that had been shyly mirroring their journey began to gather along the tree line, not daring to step any farther away from their home trees. They had come as far as they could.
Falala looked at the two girls expectantly, smiling as sweetly as she could with her mouth full of jagged teeth. “Goodbye, please and thanks, sisters.”
Abby stuck out a hand. “Thanks, Falala. It was great to meet you.”
Falala stuck her hand out curiously, copying Abby’s gesture. Clearly, it was an unfamiliar act. Abby took the dryad’s hand and shook it firmly.
Falala burst into a laugh, staring at her hand when she took it back. “That tickles.”
Agnes, not knowing what to do, leaned in and hugged the dryad. The dryad’s skin felt like paper, and her hair smelled earthy, like moss. “Thank you.” She whispered
“Come back to us. I miss conversations.” Falala said forlornly, wiping a glistening tear from her silvery cheek. The drop glistened like morning dew.
“I will.” Agnes promised.
“We will.” Abby corrected.
“And bring makeup. I have a desire to see my face looking different colors…” Falala sighed.
Agnes grinned at Abby, and they stepped out away from the safety of the trees and onto the purple sand.
“Which way then?” Abby wondered aloud.
“Beyond the purple hills.” Falala offered, suggesting one direction with her left hand, and another with her right hand.
“That’s not very specific.” Abby whispered.
Agnes shrugged and pushed her glasses up on her nose. “It’s a start.”
When they looked back, Falala and the dryads were gone, with only the faintest suggestion of glowing green eyes drifting through the woods.
So the girls started forward, slowly at first, but with growing confidence as they went. They continued in what they hoped was generally a straight line. They looked back every now and then to see if they were turning left or right, but their footprints vanished rather quickly, as if the sand were healing itself and purposely hiding their tracks.
Their vanishing footprints were all they could see in any direction. The forest was gone, and there was nothing ahead or to either side of them except more purplish sand.
“That’s weird.” Abby said with a grimace. “Shouldn’t our tracks stay, like on a beach?”
Agnes nodded in agreement. “I don’t feel any wind. I’m not sure what’s making them go away.”
“Let’s just walk faster. Or even run.” Abby suggested, taking off at a sprint that kicked up sand in her wake.
Agnes was not quite as fast as Abby, but she had quite a lot of stamina from her dancing. She was also graceful in the uneven footing the sand offered. She kept up with Abby, for the most part.
Laughing, the two almost sisters ran toward the horizon, which seemed to stretch endlessly under the silver moonlight. They ran until they were both breathless and panting, but that burst of running had carried them far enough that they were no longer just surrounded by sand.
Here and there, chunks of rock were thrust up through the hills of sand. Most were only about knee-high and half buried in purple sand, but a few were taller than they were.
The black rocks were roughly rectangular in shape, but had chips and chunks missing toward their tops, as if someone had carelessly broken the corners and edges. They glistened like they were volcanic glass, catching moonlight on all of their facets and faces.
“What do you suppose those are?” Agnes asked between breaths.
“Rocks?” Abby surmised.
“Oh, really?” Agnes snorted. “I mean, everything here is weird. What’s different about those rocks?”
Abby shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe they glow or something strange.”
Agnes strolled over to the nearest one, nearly as tall as she was. Then she reached out to nervously brush her fingertips across its glossy surface. “It’s warm…”
“Warm?” Abby trotted over to place her hand on it as well. “You’re right. It is warm. It feels like it’s been in the sun.”
“Maybe it’s leftover heat from the daytime?” Agnes thought out loud. It made as much sense as anything else.
Abby nodded. “If it every is daytime here. The moon doesn’t seem as if it has moved at all. Shouldn’t it have moved a bit? We’ve been here a couple hours, it feels like.”
Agnes put her hands on her hips and stared up at the ever-present moon, frowning at its pinkish craters. “Now that you say it, that is odd.”
“That’s par for the course here.” Abby remarked, still running her hands over the rock.
Suddenly, the rock she was touching shifted beneath her hands. It jerked, then sank into the ground about half a foot.
“Whoa!” Abby jumped back, eyes wide.
“What is it?” Agnes asked, but froze when she saw the rock shift again. That’s when she noticed that her ring had just gone purple, and the rock chose that moment to fall over in the sand.
“Uh, oh...” Abby muttered.
Clearly, Falala was in no hurry. She narrated the journey, mostly for herself. She seemed to have forgotten the joy of talking, perhaps because Agnes’ great aunt hadn’t visited in many years.
Eventually, the trees began to thin out. The silver-barked trees shrank from three or four times their height to only twice their height. The rubbery grass faded away to become purplish sand, and the space between trees became grew until there was nothing but sand beyond them.
They had reached the end of the forest, and the other dryads that had been shyly mirroring their journey began to gather along the tree line, not daring to step any farther away from their home trees. They had come as far as they could.
Falala looked at the two girls expectantly, smiling as sweetly as she could with her mouth full of jagged teeth. “Goodbye, please and thanks, sisters.”
Abby stuck out a hand. “Thanks, Falala. It was great to meet you.”
Falala stuck her hand out curiously, copying Abby’s gesture. Clearly, it was an unfamiliar act. Abby took the dryad’s hand and shook it firmly.
Falala burst into a laugh, staring at her hand when she took it back. “That tickles.”
Agnes, not knowing what to do, leaned in and hugged the dryad. The dryad’s skin felt like paper, and her hair smelled earthy, like moss. “Thank you.” She whispered
“Come back to us. I miss conversations.” Falala said forlornly, wiping a glistening tear from her silvery cheek. The drop glistened like morning dew.
“I will.” Agnes promised.
“We will.” Abby corrected.
“And bring makeup. I have a desire to see my face looking different colors…” Falala sighed.
Agnes grinned at Abby, and they stepped out away from the safety of the trees and onto the purple sand.
“Which way then?” Abby wondered aloud.
“Beyond the purple hills.” Falala offered, suggesting one direction with her left hand, and another with her right hand.
“That’s not very specific.” Abby whispered.
Agnes shrugged and pushed her glasses up on her nose. “It’s a start.”
When they looked back, Falala and the dryads were gone, with only the faintest suggestion of glowing green eyes drifting through the woods.
So the girls started forward, slowly at first, but with growing confidence as they went. They continued in what they hoped was generally a straight line. They looked back every now and then to see if they were turning left or right, but their footprints vanished rather quickly, as if the sand were healing itself and purposely hiding their tracks.
Their vanishing footprints were all they could see in any direction. The forest was gone, and there was nothing ahead or to either side of them except more purplish sand.
“That’s weird.” Abby said with a grimace. “Shouldn’t our tracks stay, like on a beach?”
Agnes nodded in agreement. “I don’t feel any wind. I’m not sure what’s making them go away.”
“Let’s just walk faster. Or even run.” Abby suggested, taking off at a sprint that kicked up sand in her wake.
Agnes was not quite as fast as Abby, but she had quite a lot of stamina from her dancing. She was also graceful in the uneven footing the sand offered. She kept up with Abby, for the most part.
Laughing, the two almost sisters ran toward the horizon, which seemed to stretch endlessly under the silver moonlight. They ran until they were both breathless and panting, but that burst of running had carried them far enough that they were no longer just surrounded by sand.
Here and there, chunks of rock were thrust up through the hills of sand. Most were only about knee-high and half buried in purple sand, but a few were taller than they were.
The black rocks were roughly rectangular in shape, but had chips and chunks missing toward their tops, as if someone had carelessly broken the corners and edges. They glistened like they were volcanic glass, catching moonlight on all of their facets and faces.
“What do you suppose those are?” Agnes asked between breaths.
“Rocks?” Abby surmised.
“Oh, really?” Agnes snorted. “I mean, everything here is weird. What’s different about those rocks?”
Abby shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe they glow or something strange.”
Agnes strolled over to the nearest one, nearly as tall as she was. Then she reached out to nervously brush her fingertips across its glossy surface. “It’s warm…”
“Warm?” Abby trotted over to place her hand on it as well. “You’re right. It is warm. It feels like it’s been in the sun.”
“Maybe it’s leftover heat from the daytime?” Agnes thought out loud. It made as much sense as anything else.
Abby nodded. “If it every is daytime here. The moon doesn’t seem as if it has moved at all. Shouldn’t it have moved a bit? We’ve been here a couple hours, it feels like.”
Agnes put her hands on her hips and stared up at the ever-present moon, frowning at its pinkish craters. “Now that you say it, that is odd.”
“That’s par for the course here.” Abby remarked, still running her hands over the rock.
Suddenly, the rock she was touching shifted beneath her hands. It jerked, then sank into the ground about half a foot.
“Whoa!” Abby jumped back, eyes wide.
“What is it?” Agnes asked, but froze when she saw the rock shift again. That’s when she noticed that her ring had just gone purple, and the rock chose that moment to fall over in the sand.
“Uh, oh...” Abby muttered.
CHAPTER FIVE - WHITE
Agnes and Abby scrambled back from the rock as it grew legs and shifted out of the sand, shaking itself off.
“Does that thing have legs?” Abby demanded, her voice going high-pitched.
Agnes clutched tightly at Abby’s arm and backed up a few more steps. “Yessss...” She hissed, eyes wide in fear.
As they watched, the rock, which was nearly as tall as them, continued to shimmy around. It exposed what looked like crab claws and legs underneath the rock, along with two eyes on stalks. The legs and body underneath the rock were still dark, but not as dark as the shiny obsidian of the rock. In fact, there were hues of dark blue and purple worked into the shell of the crab creature.
Agnes relaxed her death grip on Abby’s arms, and stood back to watch the creature. “It’s like a hermit crab, only it lives under a rock.”
“A really, really big hermit crab!” Abby protested.
Abby squeaked again when more of the rocks began to move, triggered into motion by the movement of the first crab.
Agnes laughed. “It’s a crab. Chill, Abby.”
But Abby wasn’t having any of it. “Those pinchers can take your leg off at the ankle!” As if the first crab understood her, it snapped its pinchers at her, making a clacking noise. “See?”
“Then don’t step next to it.” Agnes said simply, but it wasn’t that simple, because there were at least a dozen of the creatures moving around now.
The smallest of the rock crabs had a ‘shell’ of rock nearly the size of a footstool. The largest lived under a black rock about the size of a sofa. It was quite large, and it was powerfully built to carry such a weight. Its eyes were cloudy, like an old man’s eyes full of cataracts. But, wherever it moved, the others followed.
The largest rock crab took a moment to feel the air, or that’s what it looked like. It’s mouthparts and antennae worked busily, and then it surged forward in a direction it deemed proper. The other crabs shifted to follow, dragging their rocks with them across the purple sand.
“They’re going the same way we are.” Agnes noticed.
“And?” Abby asked, eyeing Agnes suspiciously, knowing what she was going to suggest and hating it.
“I’m just saying…” Agnes shrugged.
“I don’t want to follow those things...” Abby said quickly, but her tone was not far from pleading.
The leader of the rock crabs halted at the top of the first rise. The others in the line stopped behind their leader, and they turned expectantly toward the girls, dragging their stones sideways so they could peer down at the girls with their eye stalks.
Agnes pointed up the hill at the rock crabs. “See? They’re waiting for us.”
Abby frowned. “Yeah, to eat us.”
The leader clacked his claws again and seemed to gesture toward the rock he dragged, which, strangely enough, seemed to have gouges in it that looked strikingly like it had been carved in the fashion of saddles.
“No. Way.” Abby groaned.
“Have it your way.” Agnes said with a smile. “Walk.”
“Agnes…” Abby whined, falling in beside Agnes as she started up the hill.
Agnes continued on, ignoring Abby’s whine. “Falala helped us. These crab things seem friendly enough.”
“Not everything will be nice.” Abby warned. “That’s not how the world works, not in our world or this one.”
“I know, but until something proves to be evil or dangerous, I’m going to trust them.” Agnes smiled, slipped a leg over the rock crab, and settled nicely into the seat.
Abby opened her mouth to argue, but couldn’t, not with a dozen pairs of eye stalks watching her walk up to take her seat on the back of the largest rock crab. Instead, she took a deep breath and sat behind Agnes.
Feeling their weight on his rock, the lead crab began hauling across the sands. He moved with surprising speed once he got moving. The crabs’ legs dug deep and pushed firmly against the purple sand, dragging their rocks in an arrow-straight path across the desert.
Strangely, the trails from the dragging rocks remained, where footsteps had not. It was as if they were supposed to be in this place, and the girls were strangers. Even the sands knew that they were not from here.
At the top of the first sizable hill, the rock crabs surprised them by sliding downhill on their rocks, using them like sleds. The first time they did it, they all tucked their legs into their shells and put their eye stalks up as far as they’d go, and down they went.
“They’re watching us.” Abby whispered in Agnes’ ear.
“I think they want to see if we like it.” Agnes decided. She raised her arms above her head and gave a whoop as she slid down the hill, treating it like a rollercoaster.
Abby laughed and joined in. It was hard not to. In fact, she started to have fun after the second hill. The rock crabs were very good at sliding. Most of the time, the downhill momentum was nearly enough to get the crabs to the top of the next hill. They did more sliding than walking as they traversed the purple dunes.
“Where are they going?” Abby asked after what seemed like an hour.
Agnes shook her head. “I don’t know, but it seems like where we want to go.”
“Are you sure?” Abby asked. “Look at your ring!”
The ring, which had been purple as they walked across the sand and while they rode the rock crabs, had turned to a milky white color, dull and ghostlike.
“What does that mean?” Abby asked.
“I think it means that we’re going to meet her.” Agnes raised a hand and pointed to the horizon, where a woman with dark hair and a white dress waited for them at the edge of the desert, where the purple sands faded to yellowy grasses and brown, barren trees.
Abby shaded her eyes with her hand and looked where Agnes was pointing. “She looks human.”
“Wouldn’t that be weird? Maybe she will have some answers.” Agnes suggested.
“Finally.” Abby agreed.
“Does that thing have legs?” Abby demanded, her voice going high-pitched.
Agnes clutched tightly at Abby’s arm and backed up a few more steps. “Yessss...” She hissed, eyes wide in fear.
As they watched, the rock, which was nearly as tall as them, continued to shimmy around. It exposed what looked like crab claws and legs underneath the rock, along with two eyes on stalks. The legs and body underneath the rock were still dark, but not as dark as the shiny obsidian of the rock. In fact, there were hues of dark blue and purple worked into the shell of the crab creature.
Agnes relaxed her death grip on Abby’s arms, and stood back to watch the creature. “It’s like a hermit crab, only it lives under a rock.”
“A really, really big hermit crab!” Abby protested.
Abby squeaked again when more of the rocks began to move, triggered into motion by the movement of the first crab.
Agnes laughed. “It’s a crab. Chill, Abby.”
But Abby wasn’t having any of it. “Those pinchers can take your leg off at the ankle!” As if the first crab understood her, it snapped its pinchers at her, making a clacking noise. “See?”
“Then don’t step next to it.” Agnes said simply, but it wasn’t that simple, because there were at least a dozen of the creatures moving around now.
The smallest of the rock crabs had a ‘shell’ of rock nearly the size of a footstool. The largest lived under a black rock about the size of a sofa. It was quite large, and it was powerfully built to carry such a weight. Its eyes were cloudy, like an old man’s eyes full of cataracts. But, wherever it moved, the others followed.
The largest rock crab took a moment to feel the air, or that’s what it looked like. It’s mouthparts and antennae worked busily, and then it surged forward in a direction it deemed proper. The other crabs shifted to follow, dragging their rocks with them across the purple sand.
“They’re going the same way we are.” Agnes noticed.
“And?” Abby asked, eyeing Agnes suspiciously, knowing what she was going to suggest and hating it.
“I’m just saying…” Agnes shrugged.
“I don’t want to follow those things...” Abby said quickly, but her tone was not far from pleading.
The leader of the rock crabs halted at the top of the first rise. The others in the line stopped behind their leader, and they turned expectantly toward the girls, dragging their stones sideways so they could peer down at the girls with their eye stalks.
Agnes pointed up the hill at the rock crabs. “See? They’re waiting for us.”
Abby frowned. “Yeah, to eat us.”
The leader clacked his claws again and seemed to gesture toward the rock he dragged, which, strangely enough, seemed to have gouges in it that looked strikingly like it had been carved in the fashion of saddles.
“No. Way.” Abby groaned.
“Have it your way.” Agnes said with a smile. “Walk.”
“Agnes…” Abby whined, falling in beside Agnes as she started up the hill.
Agnes continued on, ignoring Abby’s whine. “Falala helped us. These crab things seem friendly enough.”
“Not everything will be nice.” Abby warned. “That’s not how the world works, not in our world or this one.”
“I know, but until something proves to be evil or dangerous, I’m going to trust them.” Agnes smiled, slipped a leg over the rock crab, and settled nicely into the seat.
Abby opened her mouth to argue, but couldn’t, not with a dozen pairs of eye stalks watching her walk up to take her seat on the back of the largest rock crab. Instead, she took a deep breath and sat behind Agnes.
Feeling their weight on his rock, the lead crab began hauling across the sands. He moved with surprising speed once he got moving. The crabs’ legs dug deep and pushed firmly against the purple sand, dragging their rocks in an arrow-straight path across the desert.
Strangely, the trails from the dragging rocks remained, where footsteps had not. It was as if they were supposed to be in this place, and the girls were strangers. Even the sands knew that they were not from here.
At the top of the first sizable hill, the rock crabs surprised them by sliding downhill on their rocks, using them like sleds. The first time they did it, they all tucked their legs into their shells and put their eye stalks up as far as they’d go, and down they went.
“They’re watching us.” Abby whispered in Agnes’ ear.
“I think they want to see if we like it.” Agnes decided. She raised her arms above her head and gave a whoop as she slid down the hill, treating it like a rollercoaster.
Abby laughed and joined in. It was hard not to. In fact, she started to have fun after the second hill. The rock crabs were very good at sliding. Most of the time, the downhill momentum was nearly enough to get the crabs to the top of the next hill. They did more sliding than walking as they traversed the purple dunes.
“Where are they going?” Abby asked after what seemed like an hour.
Agnes shook her head. “I don’t know, but it seems like where we want to go.”
“Are you sure?” Abby asked. “Look at your ring!”
The ring, which had been purple as they walked across the sand and while they rode the rock crabs, had turned to a milky white color, dull and ghostlike.
“What does that mean?” Abby asked.
“I think it means that we’re going to meet her.” Agnes raised a hand and pointed to the horizon, where a woman with dark hair and a white dress waited for them at the edge of the desert, where the purple sands faded to yellowy grasses and brown, barren trees.
Abby shaded her eyes with her hand and looked where Agnes was pointing. “She looks human.”
“Wouldn’t that be weird? Maybe she will have some answers.” Agnes suggested.
“Finally.” Abby agreed.
CHAPTER SIX - BROWN
The rock crabs clearly had a destination in mind, almost as if they’d been summoned by the woman in the white dress. They continued on, dragging their rocks and Agnes and Abby with them until they reached the edge of the purple sands. They halted where the yellow grasses began, not wanting to go any farther.
The girls felt more than a hint of trepidation as the dark-haired woman eyed them expectantly. Even the rock crabs seemed impatient. The leader clacked his claws and pointed at the woman, giving the girls no choice but to hop down and greet her.
It was strange to meet what looked like another human in a place like this. Everyone and everything they’d met so far had been so strange: dryads, glowing fish, rock crabs… The girls didn’t know what to say, so they delayed saying anything, waving instead to the rock crabs, who were starting to scuttle back into the desert where they belonged.
The smallest rock crab paused, hanging back. He clacked his claws, and the girls mirrored the gesture, clapping their thumbs against their other fingers. Laughing, they watched as the little crab reluctantly joined the others, heading back into the purple sands.
Then, with nothing else to do, they turned upon the yellow grasses and looked at the waiting woman, who was vaguely familiar to Agnes.
“Have we met before?” Agnes asked suspiciously.
“No, but you have a look about you. Are you one of Dolores’ girls or granddaughters?” The woman asked.
“No, but she is her great aunt.” Abby offered.
The woman’s dark eyes glowed with sudden understanding. “Oh, so you’re Harriet’s daughter? You do have her look about you. What was your name?”
“Agnes.”
“And your friend here?” The woman inclined her head toward Abby.
“I’m Abby.” Abby answered for herself. “Our parents live together, so we’re almost like sisters now.”
“Almost sisters. I like that.” The woman replied, smiling.
“Me, too.” Abby gushed.
“It’s usually nice to introduce yourself.” Agnes said, frowning slightly.
“Oh indeed! Where are my manners. It has just been so long since I’ve spoken to anyone…” The woman chuckled. “My name is Doris. Dolores, your great aunt, was my sister.”
Agnes stared at her. She certainly did look like her great aunt, strikingly so in fact. “I don’t think if I’ve ever heard of you. I didn’t even know that Great Aunt Dolores had a sister.”
“It is a long story. We were ‘almost’ sisters as well.” She quirked her lips in a smile. Then, brushing her long, stringy, black hair behind her shoulders, she pointed off to where the trees were thickest. There appeared to be a sort of structure at the base of a few of the trees. “Perhaps we can discuss it over tea?”
“Tea?” Abby grimaced.
Doris laughed. “Cookies then?”
“That’s more like it.” Abby grinned.
“Well, my house isn’t much,” Doris said apologetically, “but it’s just over there by the trees, and I’ve made treats. I’m sure you have a thousand questions, and I’d like to try to answer some of them. Then, maybe you can help me in turn?”
“It can’t hurt to talk.” Abby said, starting off that way without a thought.
Agnes nodded, following Doris when she turned. She knew she’d said that she would trust anyone until given a reason not to, but something felt off. How had Doris known they were coming? It seemed as if she were waiting for them. Why hadn’t she heard of a Great Aunt Doris before? What sort of help would she ask of them? There were just too many questions, and something about Doris put her ill at ease.
Yet, she had been frightened of Falala at first, and the dryad had turned out to be a friend. Even the rock crabs, which Abby hadn’t liked right away, had been helpful. Why should Doris be any different?
Following a couple paces behind Doris, who was chatting up Abby about the wild yellow grass, the stunted brown trees, types of cookies, and everything in-between, Agnes cast her own eyes about the place. On the surface, it looked a lot like an African savannah, but it was not. Like Doris, something was not quite right.
The grass hummed softly, whether from bugs or from the grass itself, she could not tell. The brown trees were strange and stunted, without leaves that one could see immediately. However, when the winds came up, leaves deployed like sails from the trees, flapping open and catching the wind. As soon as the winds vanished, the leaves went back into hiding.
Was Doris hiding something, too?
Doris’ hut was built between six trees. She’d woven branches and sticks between the tree trunks, using them as corner posts for her hexagonal house. The roof was covered in bundles of thatch made from the yellow grass. The doorway was open, lacking a door entirely. The two windows facing toward the desert were similarly uncovered, except for some simple curtains that were barely visible, pulled aside to let in the moonlight and air.
Several kinds of flowers were planted around the edge of the house, many in dazzling colors and strange shapes. Around them buzzed what passed for bees and butterflies in the area, although they were strangely made. Smells of cooking and home wafted out from inside, a welcoming collection of scents that put them at ease.
“It’s small… but it’s home.” Doris said softly, gesturing for them to enter.
Abby went right in, finding a place to sit on the floor. Agnes followed her, letting her eyes roam around the place.
Doris’ home was just large enough for a small table, a mattress, a place to cook, and a few shelves that held quite an assortment of things. The shelves were full of shiny rocks, flowers, herbs, woven baskets, tools, and trinkets that she had apparently found in this world.
“This is so cool!” Abby said with a grin, patting the floor beside her for Agnes to sit down.
“It’s very nice.” Agnes agreed, taking the spot Abby offered.
“Thank you.” Doris said sweetly, busying herself at the small stove, which seemed to have been made from rocks and clay.
Agnes took a second look around, admiring the weavings that hung around the hut, some of them painted with different clays or embedded with colorful stones for decoration. If she had to make a house in the woods, it would likely look like this. It was strange, because she thought of Doris as being much older, but some of the things she’d collected were what a young girl might like instead.
“How long have you been here, Great Aunt Doris?” Agnes asked.
Doris paused, her hands hesitating over wooden platters she used as plates. “Just call me ‘Doris,’ please. All of that Great Aunt business makes me feel old.”
“It must have been quite a long time, if you built a house and lived here and everything.” Abby surmised.
Doris handed platters with small red berries and yellow biscuits to the girls. Then she settled in at the table, as there was only one chair. “I don’t know about that. The passage of time here is strange. What feels like hours here is mere minutes back home. Truthfully, I have no idea how long it has been.”
“Time is different?” Agnes wondered aloud, nibbling at the cookie, which tasted somewhere between a ginger snap and a butter cookie.
“This is good!” Abby mumbled between crunches.
Doris clapped her hands together, and her face split in a broad smile. “Thank you! I grind the seeds from the yellow grass outside. It makes a fine flour, and the things that look like bees make a sweet paste a lot like honey. It’s one of the reasons why I live here. One must eat.”
“And the berries?” Agnes asked, popping one between her teeth. It was tart, but not unpleasant. It reminded her of cranberry sauce.
“They grow near a waterfall, a strange place where the water runs backwards.”
Abby and Agnes shared a glance, chewing slowly.
“Does it feed into a lake? The Upside-down Lake?” Agnes asked.
“That would be the one. I don’t generally call it that. In fact, I haven’t heard that name in forever, not since… the dryad. What was her name again?” Doris wondered aloud, looking at the ceiling as if it might have a hint of the answer.
“Falala.” Agnes supplied.
“Falala! Oh, yes! How could I have forgotten her?” Doris smiled softly.
“Umm, what was the last thing you remember before coming here?” Abby asked.
“Oh, um, school, perhaps?” Doris shrugged, clearly not concerned with the subject. “Dolores and I used to come here so often. I grew to love it more than the real world, I suppose. My sister didn’t approve of my fixation on this place, but it is so magical, and the real world is so… droll. I can’t see why anyone would want to go back permanently.”
“We need to get back.” Agnes replied softly.
“Through the Upside-down Lake?” Doris asked, perhaps a bit sharply, her eyes focusing on Agnes.
Agnes swallowed another berry and nodded. “Yeah.”
Doris’ eyes went covetously toward Agnes’ hands, resting on the ring, which was still a milky, ghostly white. “I haven’t seen that ring in ages.” She whispered.
“Maybe you can come home with us, Doris?” Abby suggested, still happily munching on the cookies. She hadn’t noticed anything amiss.
Doris shook her head. “Only two can pass from this world at a time, unless you both have a piece from the jewelry box with you?”
“Nope. Just the ring.” Abby answered, perhaps a bit too quickly for Agnes’ liking.
Doris sighed. “It’s a shame. I was so looking forward to seeing my dear sister again.”
“Your sister?” Agnes looked at Abby, who wore a worried expression. “Didn’t you hear?”
“Hear what? I don’t exactly get the news in this hut. I only know what my sister shares when she visits. It has been quite some time since I’ve seen her, though. Ages, perhaps.” Doris smiled bitterly.
Agnes stared at her in disbelief. “You didn’t know then? Great Aunt Dolores died. I went to her funeral a few weeks ago.”
Doris’ face went ashen. “Weeks? But I’ve been here since… I’m not sure.”
Agnes and Abby shared another look. Abby shrugged, but Agnes needed to get to the bottom of this. “Doris, how old were you when you saw her last?”
Doris smiled at the memory. “I’d just turned 13. I remember, because Dolores had turned 15 just a week before me. Our birthdays were exactly a week apart. November 7th and 14th.”
Agnes swallowed. The berries had gone bitter in her mouth. Even if her reckoning was correct, that meant that Dolores had been here over 50 years. Alone? How could that be? How could she not realize how time had passed, and she said that time was different here. If that was true, how long had she really been here?
“Dolores was 68 when she died.” Agnes said softly.
“68? No, that’s not possible. It couldn’t be. She was 15.” Doris clenched her hands in her lap and frowned in confusion.
Agnes felt a pang of guilt. She didn’t want to be the one to share this news with the poor woman. In movies and TV, adults had to do this sort of a thing. Who was she to share the news of a sister’s death? “It was a heart attack. She was entirely healthy otherwise, and no one expected it. It was very sudden.”
“That’s how Agnes got the jewelry box. It was left for her in your sister’s will.” Abby explained. Even she had stopped eating now. Only crumbs remained, and one half-eaten biscuit.
Doris’ gaze hardened as it went back to the ring on Agnes’ hand once more. “If that is true, then I really do need to get home. I need to see this for myself. You must take me.”
“But you said that only two can go home with one piece of jewelry. Neither of us can stay here.” Agnes replied.
“We don’t know how to survive.” Abby interjected.
“Then you will have to go quickly and return with a second piece of jewelry, so I can go back to the real world.” Doris insisted.
Abby looked at Agnes and they both nodded. It wasn’t fair to leave someone trapped in this place, not if they could fix it. “We can try that.”
“We want to help you, but we need to get to the Upside-down Lake.” Abby said.
“Yes, that is where the mood ring must exit.” Doris agreed.
“The other jewelry is different?” Agnes asked. It was something she hadn’t even had time to consider.
Doris laughed. “Of course! This is a strange place. Each piece of jewelry allows you to enter and exit through a different place. Some portals are simple and safe, but some are in dangerous locations, if you don’t know what you’re doing.”
“And the Upside-down Lake, is that a simple place to leave?” Abby asked, looking a bit worried.
Doris nodded. “It certainly is. It’s the first place we learned to leave through also. You just need to find a bubble to carry you.”
“Can you take us then, show us how?” Agnes asked, hopeful for any assistance.
“I will take you as far as I can, but I have to keep to my woods here until you come back. If I leave my home for more than a short while, the animals move in.” Doris clicked her tongue and looked around her home. To her, it was everything she had, everything she’d made over at least 50 years.
“What kind of animals?” Abby asked. She’d always liked the zoo and animal TV shows.
“The dog-faced monkeys.” Doris hissed the name, shuddering.
Agnes’ eyes widened as the mood ring pulsed on her finger, changing to a beep brown color. Had they finally found something in this world that was not friendly?
The girls felt more than a hint of trepidation as the dark-haired woman eyed them expectantly. Even the rock crabs seemed impatient. The leader clacked his claws and pointed at the woman, giving the girls no choice but to hop down and greet her.
It was strange to meet what looked like another human in a place like this. Everyone and everything they’d met so far had been so strange: dryads, glowing fish, rock crabs… The girls didn’t know what to say, so they delayed saying anything, waving instead to the rock crabs, who were starting to scuttle back into the desert where they belonged.
The smallest rock crab paused, hanging back. He clacked his claws, and the girls mirrored the gesture, clapping their thumbs against their other fingers. Laughing, they watched as the little crab reluctantly joined the others, heading back into the purple sands.
Then, with nothing else to do, they turned upon the yellow grasses and looked at the waiting woman, who was vaguely familiar to Agnes.
“Have we met before?” Agnes asked suspiciously.
“No, but you have a look about you. Are you one of Dolores’ girls or granddaughters?” The woman asked.
“No, but she is her great aunt.” Abby offered.
The woman’s dark eyes glowed with sudden understanding. “Oh, so you’re Harriet’s daughter? You do have her look about you. What was your name?”
“Agnes.”
“And your friend here?” The woman inclined her head toward Abby.
“I’m Abby.” Abby answered for herself. “Our parents live together, so we’re almost like sisters now.”
“Almost sisters. I like that.” The woman replied, smiling.
“Me, too.” Abby gushed.
“It’s usually nice to introduce yourself.” Agnes said, frowning slightly.
“Oh indeed! Where are my manners. It has just been so long since I’ve spoken to anyone…” The woman chuckled. “My name is Doris. Dolores, your great aunt, was my sister.”
Agnes stared at her. She certainly did look like her great aunt, strikingly so in fact. “I don’t think if I’ve ever heard of you. I didn’t even know that Great Aunt Dolores had a sister.”
“It is a long story. We were ‘almost’ sisters as well.” She quirked her lips in a smile. Then, brushing her long, stringy, black hair behind her shoulders, she pointed off to where the trees were thickest. There appeared to be a sort of structure at the base of a few of the trees. “Perhaps we can discuss it over tea?”
“Tea?” Abby grimaced.
Doris laughed. “Cookies then?”
“That’s more like it.” Abby grinned.
“Well, my house isn’t much,” Doris said apologetically, “but it’s just over there by the trees, and I’ve made treats. I’m sure you have a thousand questions, and I’d like to try to answer some of them. Then, maybe you can help me in turn?”
“It can’t hurt to talk.” Abby said, starting off that way without a thought.
Agnes nodded, following Doris when she turned. She knew she’d said that she would trust anyone until given a reason not to, but something felt off. How had Doris known they were coming? It seemed as if she were waiting for them. Why hadn’t she heard of a Great Aunt Doris before? What sort of help would she ask of them? There were just too many questions, and something about Doris put her ill at ease.
Yet, she had been frightened of Falala at first, and the dryad had turned out to be a friend. Even the rock crabs, which Abby hadn’t liked right away, had been helpful. Why should Doris be any different?
Following a couple paces behind Doris, who was chatting up Abby about the wild yellow grass, the stunted brown trees, types of cookies, and everything in-between, Agnes cast her own eyes about the place. On the surface, it looked a lot like an African savannah, but it was not. Like Doris, something was not quite right.
The grass hummed softly, whether from bugs or from the grass itself, she could not tell. The brown trees were strange and stunted, without leaves that one could see immediately. However, when the winds came up, leaves deployed like sails from the trees, flapping open and catching the wind. As soon as the winds vanished, the leaves went back into hiding.
Was Doris hiding something, too?
Doris’ hut was built between six trees. She’d woven branches and sticks between the tree trunks, using them as corner posts for her hexagonal house. The roof was covered in bundles of thatch made from the yellow grass. The doorway was open, lacking a door entirely. The two windows facing toward the desert were similarly uncovered, except for some simple curtains that were barely visible, pulled aside to let in the moonlight and air.
Several kinds of flowers were planted around the edge of the house, many in dazzling colors and strange shapes. Around them buzzed what passed for bees and butterflies in the area, although they were strangely made. Smells of cooking and home wafted out from inside, a welcoming collection of scents that put them at ease.
“It’s small… but it’s home.” Doris said softly, gesturing for them to enter.
Abby went right in, finding a place to sit on the floor. Agnes followed her, letting her eyes roam around the place.
Doris’ home was just large enough for a small table, a mattress, a place to cook, and a few shelves that held quite an assortment of things. The shelves were full of shiny rocks, flowers, herbs, woven baskets, tools, and trinkets that she had apparently found in this world.
“This is so cool!” Abby said with a grin, patting the floor beside her for Agnes to sit down.
“It’s very nice.” Agnes agreed, taking the spot Abby offered.
“Thank you.” Doris said sweetly, busying herself at the small stove, which seemed to have been made from rocks and clay.
Agnes took a second look around, admiring the weavings that hung around the hut, some of them painted with different clays or embedded with colorful stones for decoration. If she had to make a house in the woods, it would likely look like this. It was strange, because she thought of Doris as being much older, but some of the things she’d collected were what a young girl might like instead.
“How long have you been here, Great Aunt Doris?” Agnes asked.
Doris paused, her hands hesitating over wooden platters she used as plates. “Just call me ‘Doris,’ please. All of that Great Aunt business makes me feel old.”
“It must have been quite a long time, if you built a house and lived here and everything.” Abby surmised.
Doris handed platters with small red berries and yellow biscuits to the girls. Then she settled in at the table, as there was only one chair. “I don’t know about that. The passage of time here is strange. What feels like hours here is mere minutes back home. Truthfully, I have no idea how long it has been.”
“Time is different?” Agnes wondered aloud, nibbling at the cookie, which tasted somewhere between a ginger snap and a butter cookie.
“This is good!” Abby mumbled between crunches.
Doris clapped her hands together, and her face split in a broad smile. “Thank you! I grind the seeds from the yellow grass outside. It makes a fine flour, and the things that look like bees make a sweet paste a lot like honey. It’s one of the reasons why I live here. One must eat.”
“And the berries?” Agnes asked, popping one between her teeth. It was tart, but not unpleasant. It reminded her of cranberry sauce.
“They grow near a waterfall, a strange place where the water runs backwards.”
Abby and Agnes shared a glance, chewing slowly.
“Does it feed into a lake? The Upside-down Lake?” Agnes asked.
“That would be the one. I don’t generally call it that. In fact, I haven’t heard that name in forever, not since… the dryad. What was her name again?” Doris wondered aloud, looking at the ceiling as if it might have a hint of the answer.
“Falala.” Agnes supplied.
“Falala! Oh, yes! How could I have forgotten her?” Doris smiled softly.
“Umm, what was the last thing you remember before coming here?” Abby asked.
“Oh, um, school, perhaps?” Doris shrugged, clearly not concerned with the subject. “Dolores and I used to come here so often. I grew to love it more than the real world, I suppose. My sister didn’t approve of my fixation on this place, but it is so magical, and the real world is so… droll. I can’t see why anyone would want to go back permanently.”
“We need to get back.” Agnes replied softly.
“Through the Upside-down Lake?” Doris asked, perhaps a bit sharply, her eyes focusing on Agnes.
Agnes swallowed another berry and nodded. “Yeah.”
Doris’ eyes went covetously toward Agnes’ hands, resting on the ring, which was still a milky, ghostly white. “I haven’t seen that ring in ages.” She whispered.
“Maybe you can come home with us, Doris?” Abby suggested, still happily munching on the cookies. She hadn’t noticed anything amiss.
Doris shook her head. “Only two can pass from this world at a time, unless you both have a piece from the jewelry box with you?”
“Nope. Just the ring.” Abby answered, perhaps a bit too quickly for Agnes’ liking.
Doris sighed. “It’s a shame. I was so looking forward to seeing my dear sister again.”
“Your sister?” Agnes looked at Abby, who wore a worried expression. “Didn’t you hear?”
“Hear what? I don’t exactly get the news in this hut. I only know what my sister shares when she visits. It has been quite some time since I’ve seen her, though. Ages, perhaps.” Doris smiled bitterly.
Agnes stared at her in disbelief. “You didn’t know then? Great Aunt Dolores died. I went to her funeral a few weeks ago.”
Doris’ face went ashen. “Weeks? But I’ve been here since… I’m not sure.”
Agnes and Abby shared another look. Abby shrugged, but Agnes needed to get to the bottom of this. “Doris, how old were you when you saw her last?”
Doris smiled at the memory. “I’d just turned 13. I remember, because Dolores had turned 15 just a week before me. Our birthdays were exactly a week apart. November 7th and 14th.”
Agnes swallowed. The berries had gone bitter in her mouth. Even if her reckoning was correct, that meant that Dolores had been here over 50 years. Alone? How could that be? How could she not realize how time had passed, and she said that time was different here. If that was true, how long had she really been here?
“Dolores was 68 when she died.” Agnes said softly.
“68? No, that’s not possible. It couldn’t be. She was 15.” Doris clenched her hands in her lap and frowned in confusion.
Agnes felt a pang of guilt. She didn’t want to be the one to share this news with the poor woman. In movies and TV, adults had to do this sort of a thing. Who was she to share the news of a sister’s death? “It was a heart attack. She was entirely healthy otherwise, and no one expected it. It was very sudden.”
“That’s how Agnes got the jewelry box. It was left for her in your sister’s will.” Abby explained. Even she had stopped eating now. Only crumbs remained, and one half-eaten biscuit.
Doris’ gaze hardened as it went back to the ring on Agnes’ hand once more. “If that is true, then I really do need to get home. I need to see this for myself. You must take me.”
“But you said that only two can go home with one piece of jewelry. Neither of us can stay here.” Agnes replied.
“We don’t know how to survive.” Abby interjected.
“Then you will have to go quickly and return with a second piece of jewelry, so I can go back to the real world.” Doris insisted.
Abby looked at Agnes and they both nodded. It wasn’t fair to leave someone trapped in this place, not if they could fix it. “We can try that.”
“We want to help you, but we need to get to the Upside-down Lake.” Abby said.
“Yes, that is where the mood ring must exit.” Doris agreed.
“The other jewelry is different?” Agnes asked. It was something she hadn’t even had time to consider.
Doris laughed. “Of course! This is a strange place. Each piece of jewelry allows you to enter and exit through a different place. Some portals are simple and safe, but some are in dangerous locations, if you don’t know what you’re doing.”
“And the Upside-down Lake, is that a simple place to leave?” Abby asked, looking a bit worried.
Doris nodded. “It certainly is. It’s the first place we learned to leave through also. You just need to find a bubble to carry you.”
“Can you take us then, show us how?” Agnes asked, hopeful for any assistance.
“I will take you as far as I can, but I have to keep to my woods here until you come back. If I leave my home for more than a short while, the animals move in.” Doris clicked her tongue and looked around her home. To her, it was everything she had, everything she’d made over at least 50 years.
“What kind of animals?” Abby asked. She’d always liked the zoo and animal TV shows.
“The dog-faced monkeys.” Doris hissed the name, shuddering.
Agnes’ eyes widened as the mood ring pulsed on her finger, changing to a beep brown color. Had they finally found something in this world that was not friendly?
CHAPTER SEVEN - BLACK
“Dog-faced monkeys?” Abby looked at Agnes incredulously.
“Yes, they’re terrifying creatures. One with a Pomeranian’s face nearly took my hand off once.” Doris shuddered, standing suddenly.
“Are we going now?” Agnes asked.
Doris nodded, gathering things into a little woven basket, which she thrust into Agnes’ hands. “It’s better before too late. They will congregate after the moon sets. They don’t like the silver light of the moon, and they come out more fiercely when the moon sets.”
Agnes regarded the basket curiously. There were more biscuits for the journey, and a handful of the berries. “Thank you.” She said softly, getting up off the floor.
Abby got up as well, peering at the basket. “More cookies!“ She grinned.
“Empty stomachs make for poor travels.” Doris explained, grabbing a twisted walking stick from beside the doorway. “Now off we go! There is no time to waste.”
Agnes and Abby fell in behind the older woman when she took off. She walked with a purpose, and the younger girls had no choice but to follow suit, or they would be left behind. They had little time to look back at the comfy little hut in the trees. It had been a pleasant place to visit, a little touch of home, but they had to leave.
The tall grasses seemed to part way for Doris, almost as if she belonged there. Agnes and Abby shared another glance, both noticing it. After having lived in this place for so long, had the savannah taken to Doris, just like the purple sands had taken to the rock crabs? Was she part of this place now?
It was another question that lacked an answer, and asking Doris seemed strange, maybe even insulting. She’d been so helpful, but she seemed to have secrets.
They plodded on for a good while, following behind Doris and feeling glad for her trailblazing. If the girls deviated from her path, the grass seemed to pull at their clothes, slowing them down. Following her, it was like riding in the wake of a boat, just easier.
From time to time, Doris would mutter to herself, take a measure of the moonlit sky, and make a course correction, deviating left or right in a path only she could sense. To the girls, everything looked the same: more tall, yellow grasses, or the strange, brown trees with the sail-like leaves.
Then, Doris suddenly stopped. Abby ran into her from behind. She’d been following boredly ever since the cookies ran out, and had been looking at the ground instead of looking where she was going.
“Oops… sorry!” Abby exclaimed, backing up.
Doris shot her a sharp look and held a finger to her mouth for silence.
“What is it?” Agnes whispered, but a howl answered the question for her.
“Dog-faced monkeys…” Abby said with a whimper, her face going pale.
“Hurry now, girls.” Doris said, darting off at almost a run.
Doris held her walking stick in front of her, and the grasses broke around her like a wave, letting them run as fast as their feet would carry them. Around them, more monkeys took up the howl, some from their left and some on their right.
They still hadn’t seen the creatures, though. Agnes’ eyes kept sweeping the trees, expecting to see some creatures swinging from the branches, like some sort of baboons or chimpanzees, but the trees weren’t really that close together. Would a monkey, even a dog-faced one, be able to make that swing or jump that far?
Then, she saw the grasses ahead of them twitch, and then a line of grasses began splitting. Something was heading toward them. The dog-faced monkeys were on the ground!
“There!” Agnes shouted, pointing.
“Get behind me!” Doris ordered, bringing her walking stick around to face the oncoming threat.
What burst from the grasses was not at all what they expected. A dog-like face erupted from the yellow field, a pug’s smashed, round face on the spindly body of a capuchin. Its head was oversized and awkward, and its eyes were far meaner than any pug Agnes had ever seen. There was nothing cute about this snarling little animal.
Abby and Agnes clutched at each other and shrieked simultaneously.
“Get out of here!” Doris shouted at it, slapping the end of the walking stick right in front of the beast’s snout.
The creature snapped its teeth at the walking stick and backed away, but another burst from the other side. The second one had an undersized head and floppy ears, like a beagle.
The beagle monkey nipped at the hem of Doris’ dress, but Abby kicked at it. It yelped and skittered off into the weeds.
“Thank you, Abby.” Doris said over her shoulder, still threatening the first with her walking stick. Another slap of the stick made the pug monkey disappear into the grasses.
“I think we need to keep moving, before more of those things find us.” Agnes suggested, still clinging to Abby’s arm.
“The edge of this place is not far.” Doris agreed. Then she took a measure of the sky, noting the moon that was drifting toward the lower reaches of the sky. “If we hurry, we can make it.”
“But how will you get back home?” Agnes asked. She didn’t want to imagine Doris left out here alone with these creatures.
Doris shook her head. “Don’t worry about that.”
“But we can’t leave you!” Agnes insisted.
Doris smiled. “Thank you Abby, but I will be fine. I will wait them out. They’ll give up once they see I’m not easy to pick on. Besides, I need you to make it out, so you can bring me back another piece of jewelry. That’s far more important than me making it back to my little hut immediately.”
“Lead the way then.” Abby suggested, and Doris did just that.
They ran once more, cutting through the grasses until they could see fields of pink flowers just beyond a particularly wide patch of trees, all thick the monkey creatures.
“Oh, monkey poop.” Abby muttered as they skidded to a halt.
Dozens of yellow eyes watched them curiously. A monkey with an elongated face and long limbs, resembling a greyhound dropped from one of the trees.
“We’re not going to outrun him.” Doris said with some certainty. Clearly, she’d seen this one before.
“What then?” Agnes asked.
Doris leaned on her walking stick, breathing hard. For all of her previous energy, she looked her age in that moment. “We can go through them, or try to walk around them, but I suspect they’ll follow us...”
“Through them?” Abby repeated the word in disbelief.
“You mean we bluff our way through, don’t you?” Agnes asked, remembering what she’d seen on programs about jungle animals like gorillas. She tried to imagine herself strutting through without fear. Could she convince them that she was stronger than them?
Doris nodded. “They respond to strength, real or imaginary. What they believe is important.”
“So it’s like when you pump yourself up before a game to psyche out the other team.” Abby nodded, cracking her knuckles. “That, I can do.”
“Abby?” Agnes said fearfully.
“I’ve got this, Agnes. Follow my lead.” Abby suddenly whooped and surged forward, not at a run, but at a confident walk.
Doris raised an eyebrow and looked at Agnes. Agnes shook her head and smiled. This was classic Abby. She was the loudest one on the team, the one that got everyone fired up.
“Cov-ing-ton!!!” Abby shouted, pumping a fist at the air. “Nobody messes with the Corsairs!”
Covington Upper Elementary School’s team mascot was a Corsair, basically a pirate. He was pretty goofy in real life, not threatening at all. He stole people’s hats during basketball games and handed out fake gold coins from a treasure chest. People messed with the Corsair all the time, but that was his thing. Still, Abby was doing her thing, and Agnes didn’t want her to do it alone.
“Go Cov-ing-ton!!!” Agnes joined in, marching in step behind Abby.
Abby looked back over her shoulder and grinned. “We’ve got this.”
The two girls continued to whoop, clap, and strut their way up to the edge of the trees, where at least a dozen dog-faced monkeys had climbed down from the trees to watch the approaching girls in looks of interest and fascination. A couple barked at each other, but none had charged or attacked them. Yet. That much was good at least, even if more of the creatures had gathered in the trees, drawn from more distant trees by the noise.
The monkeys left in the trees were eating some sort of fruit. Their jaws worked busily as their cunning little eyes watched the girls approach. They munched noisily, but remained alert and ready to pounce.
Agnes glanced back to find that Doris was trailing behind them, giving them more distance than she’d expected. Agnes frowned and faced forward again, joining in a school chant with Abby.
“Corsairs! Go, fight, and win! Corsairs, we’re in this, come sword, storm, or fin!” The girls laughed as they chanted.
It was so strange to cheer about school when they were confronted by a pack of dog-faced monkeys. One with a golden retriever’s face watched them from just a few steps away as they crossed under the first few trees. Monkeys shifted on their branches overhead, chewing noisily.
Suddenly, there was a commotion to their left, and the greyhound monkey charged at Abby. It had apparently had enough of this charade, and wanted to test them.
“Abby!” Agnes shrieked a warning.
Abby jumped back and shouted at the dog. “Rahhhh!”
The beast stopped in its tracks. It backed up, panting and glaring at them with menacing eyes. Then its gaze shifted to Agnes instead, and she felt her blood run cold when it seemed to smile, if that was possible with a dog’s mouth.
Something hit Agnes from behind, and she fell to the ground. Toenails scratched at her back and then there was a sudden feeling of something tearing at her hands. She rolled over and swung her arms around to get whatever it was off of her. There was some shuffling around and a yelp, and Agnes finally came to her feet again with Abby’s help.
“Are you alright?” Abby asked, not looking. She was busy stomping her feet in a circle around Agnes.
“I think so. My hand is…” Agnes broke off, staring at her scratched hand. Her ring was missing!
Agnes felt like she’d been punched in the stomach. She dropped to her knees and dug around on the grass, but there was nothing shiny, no glint of a ring on the ground. There was only dirt, the roots of the yellow grass, and the pits of the fruit the monkeys ate.
“What are you doing?” Abby demanded. She was having a hard enough time stopping the creatures from attacking without Agnes crawling on the ground like a weak target.
“My ring!” Agnes shouted. “It’s gone.”
Abby stopped stomping her feet around and stared at Agnes. “Say what?”
“I think one of them took it!” Agnes shouted anxiously. There was no sign of it on the ground.
“How?” Abby asked. “They’re monkeys.”
“They have fingers, Abby! Fingers! They took it off of my hand.” Agnes nearly screamed it at her. It wasn’t Abby’s fault, but she was scared, and she didn’t know what to do.
Abby stared at Agnes lamely at first, but then a look of fear broke across her face. “We can’t get home without that ring, Agnes.”
“I know!” Agnes hissed, looking around the for the monkey that had attacked her.
Sure enough, one just a few steps away was playing with her ring. It had a poodle’s face, white and sweet looking, except that it was holding her ring! It was turning the ring over and over in its little monkey paws, admiring the shiny bauble.
“There it is!” Agnes pointed at the poodle monkey.
“What do we do?” Abby asked.
Agnes shook her head. She hadn’t the faintest idea. What could they really do? “Should be chase it?”
Abby frowned. “Then it’ll climb up a tree.”
“So then we climb the tree and fight it if we have to.” Agnes replied, a little irritated that they were even having this conversation. It wasn’t like they had a choice. They couldn’t just ask the beast to hand it back.
From the looks of it, the poodle monkey was just a moment or two from putting on her ring, and then maybe it would be going home to their world, and not them! How about that for a terrible end to their adventure?
Abby looked back and forth, trying to get an idea. “I think it’ll just drop down from the tree and run to another tree. We can’t catch it. It’s too quick.”
“So what do you suggest?” Agnes inquired tartly.
Abby scuffed at the ground with her feet, bent over, and came up with a smile. “Chase it.”
“You just said that wouldn’t work!” Agnes replied angrily.
“No, you chase it.” Abby flicked a fruit pit up in the air and caught it on her palm. “I hit it with this.”
Agnes stared at Abby, and smiled suddenly. Of course! Abby was Covington’s ace pitcher. That’d teach that poodle monkey.
“Ready?” Abby asked her, seeing that Agnes understood the plan.
Agnes nodded and took off after the poodle with a scream. More like a dog than a monkey, the poodle creature started at her scream, ducked down, and bolted for safety with its tail held low.
Agnes continued to scream as she ran after the zigzagging monkey. The monkey hit the first tree it came to and vaulted up with an astonishing climbing speed. All around them, monkeys howled and watched with fascination.
Abby grinned at Agnes and took a few steps over toward the tree. The poodle monkey felt quite secure up in its tree. It watched Agnes warily, still playing with the ring. It ignored Abby right until the moment when she wound up and threw her first pitch, a fastball right down the pipe.
With a loud smack and a yelp, the monkey fell from the tree. It hit the ground with a muted thump, cushioned by the grasses, but stunned by the fastball pitch of the fruit pit. Agnes and Abby jumped on the creature, stealing the ring back from it before it could react, or at least that was their plan.
Doris beat them to it. She snatched the ring from the monkey and stepped back, letting the animal drag itself away with a whimper.
“We got it!” Abby cheered.
“Now we can get out of here. They won’t bother us anymore, not with our star pitcher here.” Agnes clapped Abby on the shoulder.
Abby shrugged and laughed. “Yeah, well, I do practice for a reason.”
Agnes held out her hand to Doris expectantly, but the older woman didn’t seem to notice. “Can I have my ring?”
Abby looked at Agnes in surprise, and then turned back to Doris. “Umm, Doris?” Abby asked nervously, but the woman didn’t answer. She just kept staring at the ring and whispering to herself.
Doris glanced up from the ring. Her eyes and mouth twitched strangely. She couldn’t seem to take her eyes away from the ring, which had gone as black as coal.
“Yes, they’re terrifying creatures. One with a Pomeranian’s face nearly took my hand off once.” Doris shuddered, standing suddenly.
“Are we going now?” Agnes asked.
Doris nodded, gathering things into a little woven basket, which she thrust into Agnes’ hands. “It’s better before too late. They will congregate after the moon sets. They don’t like the silver light of the moon, and they come out more fiercely when the moon sets.”
Agnes regarded the basket curiously. There were more biscuits for the journey, and a handful of the berries. “Thank you.” She said softly, getting up off the floor.
Abby got up as well, peering at the basket. “More cookies!“ She grinned.
“Empty stomachs make for poor travels.” Doris explained, grabbing a twisted walking stick from beside the doorway. “Now off we go! There is no time to waste.”
Agnes and Abby fell in behind the older woman when she took off. She walked with a purpose, and the younger girls had no choice but to follow suit, or they would be left behind. They had little time to look back at the comfy little hut in the trees. It had been a pleasant place to visit, a little touch of home, but they had to leave.
The tall grasses seemed to part way for Doris, almost as if she belonged there. Agnes and Abby shared another glance, both noticing it. After having lived in this place for so long, had the savannah taken to Doris, just like the purple sands had taken to the rock crabs? Was she part of this place now?
It was another question that lacked an answer, and asking Doris seemed strange, maybe even insulting. She’d been so helpful, but she seemed to have secrets.
They plodded on for a good while, following behind Doris and feeling glad for her trailblazing. If the girls deviated from her path, the grass seemed to pull at their clothes, slowing them down. Following her, it was like riding in the wake of a boat, just easier.
From time to time, Doris would mutter to herself, take a measure of the moonlit sky, and make a course correction, deviating left or right in a path only she could sense. To the girls, everything looked the same: more tall, yellow grasses, or the strange, brown trees with the sail-like leaves.
Then, Doris suddenly stopped. Abby ran into her from behind. She’d been following boredly ever since the cookies ran out, and had been looking at the ground instead of looking where she was going.
“Oops… sorry!” Abby exclaimed, backing up.
Doris shot her a sharp look and held a finger to her mouth for silence.
“What is it?” Agnes whispered, but a howl answered the question for her.
“Dog-faced monkeys…” Abby said with a whimper, her face going pale.
“Hurry now, girls.” Doris said, darting off at almost a run.
Doris held her walking stick in front of her, and the grasses broke around her like a wave, letting them run as fast as their feet would carry them. Around them, more monkeys took up the howl, some from their left and some on their right.
They still hadn’t seen the creatures, though. Agnes’ eyes kept sweeping the trees, expecting to see some creatures swinging from the branches, like some sort of baboons or chimpanzees, but the trees weren’t really that close together. Would a monkey, even a dog-faced one, be able to make that swing or jump that far?
Then, she saw the grasses ahead of them twitch, and then a line of grasses began splitting. Something was heading toward them. The dog-faced monkeys were on the ground!
“There!” Agnes shouted, pointing.
“Get behind me!” Doris ordered, bringing her walking stick around to face the oncoming threat.
What burst from the grasses was not at all what they expected. A dog-like face erupted from the yellow field, a pug’s smashed, round face on the spindly body of a capuchin. Its head was oversized and awkward, and its eyes were far meaner than any pug Agnes had ever seen. There was nothing cute about this snarling little animal.
Abby and Agnes clutched at each other and shrieked simultaneously.
“Get out of here!” Doris shouted at it, slapping the end of the walking stick right in front of the beast’s snout.
The creature snapped its teeth at the walking stick and backed away, but another burst from the other side. The second one had an undersized head and floppy ears, like a beagle.
The beagle monkey nipped at the hem of Doris’ dress, but Abby kicked at it. It yelped and skittered off into the weeds.
“Thank you, Abby.” Doris said over her shoulder, still threatening the first with her walking stick. Another slap of the stick made the pug monkey disappear into the grasses.
“I think we need to keep moving, before more of those things find us.” Agnes suggested, still clinging to Abby’s arm.
“The edge of this place is not far.” Doris agreed. Then she took a measure of the sky, noting the moon that was drifting toward the lower reaches of the sky. “If we hurry, we can make it.”
“But how will you get back home?” Agnes asked. She didn’t want to imagine Doris left out here alone with these creatures.
Doris shook her head. “Don’t worry about that.”
“But we can’t leave you!” Agnes insisted.
Doris smiled. “Thank you Abby, but I will be fine. I will wait them out. They’ll give up once they see I’m not easy to pick on. Besides, I need you to make it out, so you can bring me back another piece of jewelry. That’s far more important than me making it back to my little hut immediately.”
“Lead the way then.” Abby suggested, and Doris did just that.
They ran once more, cutting through the grasses until they could see fields of pink flowers just beyond a particularly wide patch of trees, all thick the monkey creatures.
“Oh, monkey poop.” Abby muttered as they skidded to a halt.
Dozens of yellow eyes watched them curiously. A monkey with an elongated face and long limbs, resembling a greyhound dropped from one of the trees.
“We’re not going to outrun him.” Doris said with some certainty. Clearly, she’d seen this one before.
“What then?” Agnes asked.
Doris leaned on her walking stick, breathing hard. For all of her previous energy, she looked her age in that moment. “We can go through them, or try to walk around them, but I suspect they’ll follow us...”
“Through them?” Abby repeated the word in disbelief.
“You mean we bluff our way through, don’t you?” Agnes asked, remembering what she’d seen on programs about jungle animals like gorillas. She tried to imagine herself strutting through without fear. Could she convince them that she was stronger than them?
Doris nodded. “They respond to strength, real or imaginary. What they believe is important.”
“So it’s like when you pump yourself up before a game to psyche out the other team.” Abby nodded, cracking her knuckles. “That, I can do.”
“Abby?” Agnes said fearfully.
“I’ve got this, Agnes. Follow my lead.” Abby suddenly whooped and surged forward, not at a run, but at a confident walk.
Doris raised an eyebrow and looked at Agnes. Agnes shook her head and smiled. This was classic Abby. She was the loudest one on the team, the one that got everyone fired up.
“Cov-ing-ton!!!” Abby shouted, pumping a fist at the air. “Nobody messes with the Corsairs!”
Covington Upper Elementary School’s team mascot was a Corsair, basically a pirate. He was pretty goofy in real life, not threatening at all. He stole people’s hats during basketball games and handed out fake gold coins from a treasure chest. People messed with the Corsair all the time, but that was his thing. Still, Abby was doing her thing, and Agnes didn’t want her to do it alone.
“Go Cov-ing-ton!!!” Agnes joined in, marching in step behind Abby.
Abby looked back over her shoulder and grinned. “We’ve got this.”
The two girls continued to whoop, clap, and strut their way up to the edge of the trees, where at least a dozen dog-faced monkeys had climbed down from the trees to watch the approaching girls in looks of interest and fascination. A couple barked at each other, but none had charged or attacked them. Yet. That much was good at least, even if more of the creatures had gathered in the trees, drawn from more distant trees by the noise.
The monkeys left in the trees were eating some sort of fruit. Their jaws worked busily as their cunning little eyes watched the girls approach. They munched noisily, but remained alert and ready to pounce.
Agnes glanced back to find that Doris was trailing behind them, giving them more distance than she’d expected. Agnes frowned and faced forward again, joining in a school chant with Abby.
“Corsairs! Go, fight, and win! Corsairs, we’re in this, come sword, storm, or fin!” The girls laughed as they chanted.
It was so strange to cheer about school when they were confronted by a pack of dog-faced monkeys. One with a golden retriever’s face watched them from just a few steps away as they crossed under the first few trees. Monkeys shifted on their branches overhead, chewing noisily.
Suddenly, there was a commotion to their left, and the greyhound monkey charged at Abby. It had apparently had enough of this charade, and wanted to test them.
“Abby!” Agnes shrieked a warning.
Abby jumped back and shouted at the dog. “Rahhhh!”
The beast stopped in its tracks. It backed up, panting and glaring at them with menacing eyes. Then its gaze shifted to Agnes instead, and she felt her blood run cold when it seemed to smile, if that was possible with a dog’s mouth.
Something hit Agnes from behind, and she fell to the ground. Toenails scratched at her back and then there was a sudden feeling of something tearing at her hands. She rolled over and swung her arms around to get whatever it was off of her. There was some shuffling around and a yelp, and Agnes finally came to her feet again with Abby’s help.
“Are you alright?” Abby asked, not looking. She was busy stomping her feet in a circle around Agnes.
“I think so. My hand is…” Agnes broke off, staring at her scratched hand. Her ring was missing!
Agnes felt like she’d been punched in the stomach. She dropped to her knees and dug around on the grass, but there was nothing shiny, no glint of a ring on the ground. There was only dirt, the roots of the yellow grass, and the pits of the fruit the monkeys ate.
“What are you doing?” Abby demanded. She was having a hard enough time stopping the creatures from attacking without Agnes crawling on the ground like a weak target.
“My ring!” Agnes shouted. “It’s gone.”
Abby stopped stomping her feet around and stared at Agnes. “Say what?”
“I think one of them took it!” Agnes shouted anxiously. There was no sign of it on the ground.
“How?” Abby asked. “They’re monkeys.”
“They have fingers, Abby! Fingers! They took it off of my hand.” Agnes nearly screamed it at her. It wasn’t Abby’s fault, but she was scared, and she didn’t know what to do.
Abby stared at Agnes lamely at first, but then a look of fear broke across her face. “We can’t get home without that ring, Agnes.”
“I know!” Agnes hissed, looking around the for the monkey that had attacked her.
Sure enough, one just a few steps away was playing with her ring. It had a poodle’s face, white and sweet looking, except that it was holding her ring! It was turning the ring over and over in its little monkey paws, admiring the shiny bauble.
“There it is!” Agnes pointed at the poodle monkey.
“What do we do?” Abby asked.
Agnes shook her head. She hadn’t the faintest idea. What could they really do? “Should be chase it?”
Abby frowned. “Then it’ll climb up a tree.”
“So then we climb the tree and fight it if we have to.” Agnes replied, a little irritated that they were even having this conversation. It wasn’t like they had a choice. They couldn’t just ask the beast to hand it back.
From the looks of it, the poodle monkey was just a moment or two from putting on her ring, and then maybe it would be going home to their world, and not them! How about that for a terrible end to their adventure?
Abby looked back and forth, trying to get an idea. “I think it’ll just drop down from the tree and run to another tree. We can’t catch it. It’s too quick.”
“So what do you suggest?” Agnes inquired tartly.
Abby scuffed at the ground with her feet, bent over, and came up with a smile. “Chase it.”
“You just said that wouldn’t work!” Agnes replied angrily.
“No, you chase it.” Abby flicked a fruit pit up in the air and caught it on her palm. “I hit it with this.”
Agnes stared at Abby, and smiled suddenly. Of course! Abby was Covington’s ace pitcher. That’d teach that poodle monkey.
“Ready?” Abby asked her, seeing that Agnes understood the plan.
Agnes nodded and took off after the poodle with a scream. More like a dog than a monkey, the poodle creature started at her scream, ducked down, and bolted for safety with its tail held low.
Agnes continued to scream as she ran after the zigzagging monkey. The monkey hit the first tree it came to and vaulted up with an astonishing climbing speed. All around them, monkeys howled and watched with fascination.
Abby grinned at Agnes and took a few steps over toward the tree. The poodle monkey felt quite secure up in its tree. It watched Agnes warily, still playing with the ring. It ignored Abby right until the moment when she wound up and threw her first pitch, a fastball right down the pipe.
With a loud smack and a yelp, the monkey fell from the tree. It hit the ground with a muted thump, cushioned by the grasses, but stunned by the fastball pitch of the fruit pit. Agnes and Abby jumped on the creature, stealing the ring back from it before it could react, or at least that was their plan.
Doris beat them to it. She snatched the ring from the monkey and stepped back, letting the animal drag itself away with a whimper.
“We got it!” Abby cheered.
“Now we can get out of here. They won’t bother us anymore, not with our star pitcher here.” Agnes clapped Abby on the shoulder.
Abby shrugged and laughed. “Yeah, well, I do practice for a reason.”
Agnes held out her hand to Doris expectantly, but the older woman didn’t seem to notice. “Can I have my ring?”
Abby looked at Agnes in surprise, and then turned back to Doris. “Umm, Doris?” Abby asked nervously, but the woman didn’t answer. She just kept staring at the ring and whispering to herself.
Doris glanced up from the ring. Her eyes and mouth twitched strangely. She couldn’t seem to take her eyes away from the ring, which had gone as black as coal.
CHAPTER EIGHT - PINK
Agnes stared anxiously at Doris, who was turning the black mood ring over and over in her hands, clearly tempted by it. Doris knew where the Upside-Down Lake was, and she knew how to get home. What would it take for the woman, trapped for so long, to seize this chance to run away?
Abby was clearly thinking the same thing, from the look on her face and the two fruit pits clenched in her fists. If Doris tried anything, she’d get the same treatment as one of the dog-faced monkeys, who were hooting and hollering and shaking about, but at least they were staying back in the trees.
Doris swallowed hard and looked from Abby to Agnes, and then reluctantly extended her hand for Agnes to take the ring.
“Thanks.” Agnes said, perhaps a bit sarcastically. She slid it onto her finger and frowned at the color, still coal black.
Abby looked from Doris to the monkeys, trying to decide which one was more dangerous at the moment. “We need to keep moving.” She announced.
“Yes, yes, of course.” Doris said, still distracted by the ring. “Move on.”
“We’re at the edge of these grasslands. The pink fields are just over there. Why don’t you just point us in the right direction and head back home before the monkeys become too much of a bother?” Agnes suggested.
Doris leaned on her walking stick, looking suddenly every year of her age, tired and lonely. “That is probably for the best, girls. I can’t go on like this anyway.” She smiled sadly.
“So we go into the pink fields and then what?” Abby prompted.
Doris turned toward the pink flowers that were starting to sprout just beyond the monkey’s trees, where the yellow grasses thinned out to nothing. “You must cross those fields carefully. The creatures there are not pleasant when disturbed. Cross carefully to find a bubble. You’ll use the bubble to ride the waterfall into the Upside-Down Lake.”
“That seems complicated.” Agnes said worriedly.
“Cross the pink field. Find a bubble. Ride the waterfall… Got it. Thanks.” Abby replied quickly, taking Agnes’ hand and pulling her toward the field.
“Thank you, Doris. We’ll be back for you.” Agnes promised, trying to sound cheery, but it was hard after that awkward ring handoff.
“Of course, girls. Have a pleasant journey and be safe.” Doris lifted a hand to wave, but her heart was not in it. She watched them as they crossed the last stretch of yellow waist-high grasses, and then turned to head home.
Agnes kept casting glances back at the woman, feeling both wary and sad. She had seemed so helpful, up until that last moment. Had she just wanted to go home that badly?
“That wasn’t right.” Abby whispered closely, worried her voice might carry.
Agnes nodded. “I think the temptation was too much. She just wanted to go home.”
“Maybe.” Abby didn’t sound convinced. “She could have left us stranded here. Our parents would never know what happened to us.”
“I know, Abby. I feel bad for her, but I was scared, too.” Agnes said sadly.
“I told you that not everything here would wish us well. Even Falala wanted the ring, at least at first. Given a chance, she might take it from us as well. We need to take care if we ever come back.” Abby warned.
Agnes stopped walking, hands trailing in the yellow grasses that had almost vanished. Pink blossoms waited in front of them, whole rolling fields of them. “What do you mean, ‘If we come back?’”
“Yeah, if.” Abby said, putting her hands on her hips. She still hadn’t put down the fruit pits.
“We have to come back, at least once for Doris.” Agnes insisted.
Abby shook her head, disagreeing. “I’m not sure we have to. I don’t think we should trust her.”
Agnes couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “But she’s family. She’s my great aunt’s sister. We can’t just leave her stranded here.”
“I’m not saying we should either, but I’m not going to trust her easily. Not again. If anything, we definitely need to have a spare piece of jewelry with us if we return. I’m not getting trapped here.” Abby declared.
“We can talk about this when we get home.” Agnes replied, looking at the silver and pink moon, now riding low on the horizon.
Abby followed her gaze, nodding. “Let’s move then, before the light runs out.”
There was still plenty of light to see by, but it could fade soon, and they didn’t have a flashlight. What would they do then? The light of the dancing stars overhead didn’t seem bright enough to travel by.
The pink flowers began to grow around them, petals flapping gently in the light breeze. They grew on long green stalks, coming up to their knees. Abby and Agnes walked among them, smiling at the delicate flowers, with petals resembling butterfly wings.
“They’re so beautiful!” Agnes said with a sigh, reaching out to touch one to bring it to her nose to smell.
Except, it stung her.
She yanked her hand back in surprise. “Ouch!”
“What is it?” Abby asked, yelping when she brushed into a flower on her own. She reached down and rubbed the red welt on the back her of her leg. “What in the world?”
“I think the flower stung me.” Agnes looked at her hand closely, noticing a little red dot, a puncture mark.
“It feels like nettles. It burns a little.” Abby grimaced.
Agnes eyed the flowers more closely, only to find it looking back at her with little eyes. “Whoa! It has eyes.”
Abby snorted. “Flowers don’t have eyes.”
“This one does.” Agnes pointed to the little white eyes that were watching them. “But it’s not a flower at all, is it? Look more closely.”
Sure enough, when Abby looked more closely, she saw that there were two butterfly-like wings attached to a serpentine green body that wrapped around the plant stalk, just like a seahorse clinging to coral.
“It looks like a little dragon with butterfly wings.” Abby suggested, looking closely, but not close enough that it might snap at her and bite her.
“They’re not all these dragon-fairy-things…” Agnes said after inspecting pink flowers nearby. “It’s like they camouflage in with the flowers. It’s mimicry. They’re designed to look like the flowers so they blend in.”
Abby whistled and looked at the fields of pink spread before them. “But if even a part of them are the dragon fairies, then we have to walk very carefully, or they’ll sting us when we get too close.”
“That will be the hard part.” Agnes agreed, but she thought she could see a path, a pattern in the flowers and dragon fairies, now that she knew what to look for. “I think I see a path.”
“Where?” Abby asked incredulously. “It all looks the same to me.”
“I think I can lead the way.” Agnes said, suddenly feeling limber.
“By all means…” Abby swept her hand in front of her, letting Agnes go where she wanted. She didn’t have a clue where to go.
Agnes smiled at Abby. “I’ve got this, Abby.”
“Great. Do your thing.” Abby grinned.
Agnes did just that, standing on her tiptoes. Then, with a twirl and a leap, she landed in a spot between flowers, away from the dragon fairies.
“Any stings?” Abby asked.
“Not a one.” Agnes smiled sweetly and curtsied. Then she leapt ahead to the next safe spot, making room for Abby to follow.
Abby tried to follow the path Agnes had traveled, but even as a strong athlete, landing gently had never been her thing. She mashed a flower or three in her landing, which was more of a crashing than a landing. She slipped and landed on her hip.
“Owww.” Abby complained, getting up slowly. “You make it look so easy.”
“We’ve each got our talents.” Agnes said, pulling herself onto her tiptoes for a second arabesque ballet pose.
Abby laughed. “Show-off.”
Agnes winked and twirled before leaping to the next spot, only noticing when she landed that her ring was no longer black. It had turned a cotton candy pink.
Abby was clearly thinking the same thing, from the look on her face and the two fruit pits clenched in her fists. If Doris tried anything, she’d get the same treatment as one of the dog-faced monkeys, who were hooting and hollering and shaking about, but at least they were staying back in the trees.
Doris swallowed hard and looked from Abby to Agnes, and then reluctantly extended her hand for Agnes to take the ring.
“Thanks.” Agnes said, perhaps a bit sarcastically. She slid it onto her finger and frowned at the color, still coal black.
Abby looked from Doris to the monkeys, trying to decide which one was more dangerous at the moment. “We need to keep moving.” She announced.
“Yes, yes, of course.” Doris said, still distracted by the ring. “Move on.”
“We’re at the edge of these grasslands. The pink fields are just over there. Why don’t you just point us in the right direction and head back home before the monkeys become too much of a bother?” Agnes suggested.
Doris leaned on her walking stick, looking suddenly every year of her age, tired and lonely. “That is probably for the best, girls. I can’t go on like this anyway.” She smiled sadly.
“So we go into the pink fields and then what?” Abby prompted.
Doris turned toward the pink flowers that were starting to sprout just beyond the monkey’s trees, where the yellow grasses thinned out to nothing. “You must cross those fields carefully. The creatures there are not pleasant when disturbed. Cross carefully to find a bubble. You’ll use the bubble to ride the waterfall into the Upside-Down Lake.”
“That seems complicated.” Agnes said worriedly.
“Cross the pink field. Find a bubble. Ride the waterfall… Got it. Thanks.” Abby replied quickly, taking Agnes’ hand and pulling her toward the field.
“Thank you, Doris. We’ll be back for you.” Agnes promised, trying to sound cheery, but it was hard after that awkward ring handoff.
“Of course, girls. Have a pleasant journey and be safe.” Doris lifted a hand to wave, but her heart was not in it. She watched them as they crossed the last stretch of yellow waist-high grasses, and then turned to head home.
Agnes kept casting glances back at the woman, feeling both wary and sad. She had seemed so helpful, up until that last moment. Had she just wanted to go home that badly?
“That wasn’t right.” Abby whispered closely, worried her voice might carry.
Agnes nodded. “I think the temptation was too much. She just wanted to go home.”
“Maybe.” Abby didn’t sound convinced. “She could have left us stranded here. Our parents would never know what happened to us.”
“I know, Abby. I feel bad for her, but I was scared, too.” Agnes said sadly.
“I told you that not everything here would wish us well. Even Falala wanted the ring, at least at first. Given a chance, she might take it from us as well. We need to take care if we ever come back.” Abby warned.
Agnes stopped walking, hands trailing in the yellow grasses that had almost vanished. Pink blossoms waited in front of them, whole rolling fields of them. “What do you mean, ‘If we come back?’”
“Yeah, if.” Abby said, putting her hands on her hips. She still hadn’t put down the fruit pits.
“We have to come back, at least once for Doris.” Agnes insisted.
Abby shook her head, disagreeing. “I’m not sure we have to. I don’t think we should trust her.”
Agnes couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “But she’s family. She’s my great aunt’s sister. We can’t just leave her stranded here.”
“I’m not saying we should either, but I’m not going to trust her easily. Not again. If anything, we definitely need to have a spare piece of jewelry with us if we return. I’m not getting trapped here.” Abby declared.
“We can talk about this when we get home.” Agnes replied, looking at the silver and pink moon, now riding low on the horizon.
Abby followed her gaze, nodding. “Let’s move then, before the light runs out.”
There was still plenty of light to see by, but it could fade soon, and they didn’t have a flashlight. What would they do then? The light of the dancing stars overhead didn’t seem bright enough to travel by.
The pink flowers began to grow around them, petals flapping gently in the light breeze. They grew on long green stalks, coming up to their knees. Abby and Agnes walked among them, smiling at the delicate flowers, with petals resembling butterfly wings.
“They’re so beautiful!” Agnes said with a sigh, reaching out to touch one to bring it to her nose to smell.
Except, it stung her.
She yanked her hand back in surprise. “Ouch!”
“What is it?” Abby asked, yelping when she brushed into a flower on her own. She reached down and rubbed the red welt on the back her of her leg. “What in the world?”
“I think the flower stung me.” Agnes looked at her hand closely, noticing a little red dot, a puncture mark.
“It feels like nettles. It burns a little.” Abby grimaced.
Agnes eyed the flowers more closely, only to find it looking back at her with little eyes. “Whoa! It has eyes.”
Abby snorted. “Flowers don’t have eyes.”
“This one does.” Agnes pointed to the little white eyes that were watching them. “But it’s not a flower at all, is it? Look more closely.”
Sure enough, when Abby looked more closely, she saw that there were two butterfly-like wings attached to a serpentine green body that wrapped around the plant stalk, just like a seahorse clinging to coral.
“It looks like a little dragon with butterfly wings.” Abby suggested, looking closely, but not close enough that it might snap at her and bite her.
“They’re not all these dragon-fairy-things…” Agnes said after inspecting pink flowers nearby. “It’s like they camouflage in with the flowers. It’s mimicry. They’re designed to look like the flowers so they blend in.”
Abby whistled and looked at the fields of pink spread before them. “But if even a part of them are the dragon fairies, then we have to walk very carefully, or they’ll sting us when we get too close.”
“That will be the hard part.” Agnes agreed, but she thought she could see a path, a pattern in the flowers and dragon fairies, now that she knew what to look for. “I think I see a path.”
“Where?” Abby asked incredulously. “It all looks the same to me.”
“I think I can lead the way.” Agnes said, suddenly feeling limber.
“By all means…” Abby swept her hand in front of her, letting Agnes go where she wanted. She didn’t have a clue where to go.
Agnes smiled at Abby. “I’ve got this, Abby.”
“Great. Do your thing.” Abby grinned.
Agnes did just that, standing on her tiptoes. Then, with a twirl and a leap, she landed in a spot between flowers, away from the dragon fairies.
“Any stings?” Abby asked.
“Not a one.” Agnes smiled sweetly and curtsied. Then she leapt ahead to the next safe spot, making room for Abby to follow.
Abby tried to follow the path Agnes had traveled, but even as a strong athlete, landing gently had never been her thing. She mashed a flower or three in her landing, which was more of a crashing than a landing. She slipped and landed on her hip.
“Owww.” Abby complained, getting up slowly. “You make it look so easy.”
“We’ve each got our talents.” Agnes said, pulling herself onto her tiptoes for a second arabesque ballet pose.
Abby laughed. “Show-off.”
Agnes winked and twirled before leaping to the next spot, only noticing when she landed that her ring was no longer black. It had turned a cotton candy pink.
CHAPTER NINE - YELLOW
Agnes led the way, dancing gloriously across the pink fields in the fading light. Her steps were true, taking the girls across the field, while avoiding the biting dragon fairies.
Abby did her best to follow, if a little less gracefully than Agnes. She tended to do better if she just kept moving, instead of stopping and starting. Momentum made it easier for her.
“Where are we going?” Abby called ahead to Agnes, who appeared lost in her dancing, but she was the one who saw the path.
“We’re almost there!” Agnes called back, grinning, lost in her element. “I can see it.”
Abby landed at the next safe spot and tried looking ahead where they were going. Sure enough, a light glowed ahead, a giant crystal ball on a stalk, surrounded by lesser crystal balls on shorter stalks. It was the largest one they were headed toward.
Several more leaps brought them to the first of the crystal ball flowers. They looked like sunflowers, with dandelion fluff balls on top, except the fluff was encased in an iridescent crystal ball.
Agnes knelt gently in the grass, folding her legs beneath her. She sat with her back straight, looking like a ballerina, despite her clothes. Abby looked at Agnes enviously. She could never be that graceful, she thought, sweating and sore after the trip they’d just made across the flowery fields.
Abby could run for an hour, sink fifty three point shots, or throw a baseball a hundred times, but the jumping and dancing was just not in her skillset. Her knees wobbled and she sank to the ground beside Agnes.
“What now?” Abby asked between heavy breaths.
Agnes looked over at her, eyes shining gloriously in the last light of the moon. She truly was in her element here. “I think we need to take that big one. This has to be the bubble we need to get home.”
Abby looked at the patch of crystal ball flowers, each ranging from knee height to taller than them. The largest was about eight feet off the ground, and was large enough that the two girls could get into it if they had to. “It has to be the biggest one, right?” The thing was just big.
“That’s the only one we can both fit into. I don’t think we want to take separate ones. We’re not going to get split up, not even for a minute.” Agnes insisted.
“I just hope it isn’t heavy.” Abby sighed.
“If it was, wouldn’t the stalk break?” Agnes wondered, but she was also hoping it was light enough that they wouldn’t have to struggle to carry it.
Abby nodded. That made sense. “Even so, I hope we don’t have to carry it far. It’s really big!”
Agnes got up, unfolding her legs and arms. “Let’s see how this thing works.”
Abby got to her feet slowly, grimacing as her calf muscles protested. “Alright then. Hopefully these ones don’t bite!” She said with a soft laugh.
Agnes decided to learn more about the spheres before going after the biggest one. She bent over to touch the sphere of the nearest plant, about the size of an orange. Her fingers rang out musically as she ran them across the glassy ball. It sounded like when someone ran their fingertips across a glass partially filled with water.
“That’s cool!” Abby said, trying it herself. The one she touched rang out with a different note.
“Different sizes make different notes.” Agnes surmised, grinning. She reached out to touch another one at the same time, and the two spheres harmonized.
Abby did the same, and soon, they were making simple songs with different crystal balls. In a matter of minutes, they worked out a rough version of Jingle Bells and Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.
“That’s so awesome!” Abby said with a laugh.
“I wonder if we could take some of these home and plant them.” Agnes wondered, looking at the strange flowers.
Abby shook her head. Something about that felt wrong. “I think part of what makes this place magical is that these things can only exist here. I don’t think they belong back home.”
“Maybe you’re right.” Agnes said, but Abby wasn’t sure if she really agreed.
“We can always come back next time and learn a few more songs.” Abby suggested diplomatically.
That seemed to work. Agnes smiled at the thought. “Deal! But only if we bring some makeup for Falala, too.”
Abby smiled. “Absolutely, but we might have to go shopping for more colors. Green is definitely her color.”
“Definitely.” Agnes agreed.
Laughing, they approached the largest ball, which rose overhead on the largest stalk, nearly as thick as one of their legs. Agnes reached over and tried to bend it, but it didn’t give. Despite its greenness, it was as stiff as wood.
“Let me try.” Abby suggested, waving Agnes back.
Agnes gave her space, and Abby took two steps back. Then, she stepped forward and leaped up powerfully, reaching with her hand as she went. In a move that was purely basketball, she slapped the bottom of the crystal ball, and it flew upward with a pop.
“Whoa! Catch it!” Agnes said, eyes wide as the bubble floated down a few paces away.
Careful not to crush any other plants beneath their feet, the girls positioned themselves to be on either side of the bubble as it floated down to the ground. Hands out, they cradled the bubble as it came down. It was surprisingly light, and it resonated beautifully beneath their hands, sounding like a lullaby.
“This thing is awesome.” Abby said in awe, looking through the ball at Agnes, who was distorted by the glass-like surface of the ball and the spiderweb of fluff inside.
“I know, right?” Agnes grinned at the cartoony version of Abby that was visible on the other side of the bubble from her.
“So we’ve got it, but now what?” Abby asked, craning her neck and looking around the fields for any indication of where they should go.
Agnes shrugged. “The path is gone. It only led here. Now that we have this thing, I don’t know.”
Abby concentrated, trying to listen for any noise of water, but she couldn’t hear anything over the lullaby song of the giant bubble.
As they looked, the evening light finally gave out, the last slivers of silver moonlight fading. The world went dark, all except for the dancing stars and the slight glow of light from the crystal balls.
“Uh, oh.” Abby looked to Agnes in worry, but that worry changed to surprise when Agnes’ ring flashed yellow. “Your ring!”
Agnes stared at her ring, which glowed as she looked at it, but then, just as soon as it turned on, it flickered and went dark.
“What’d you do?” Abby asked.
“I don’t know.” Agnes said worriedly.
They were in the dark in a strange world. They didn’t know the way home, and it seemed as if the ring could not help them this time.
Abby did her best to follow, if a little less gracefully than Agnes. She tended to do better if she just kept moving, instead of stopping and starting. Momentum made it easier for her.
“Where are we going?” Abby called ahead to Agnes, who appeared lost in her dancing, but she was the one who saw the path.
“We’re almost there!” Agnes called back, grinning, lost in her element. “I can see it.”
Abby landed at the next safe spot and tried looking ahead where they were going. Sure enough, a light glowed ahead, a giant crystal ball on a stalk, surrounded by lesser crystal balls on shorter stalks. It was the largest one they were headed toward.
Several more leaps brought them to the first of the crystal ball flowers. They looked like sunflowers, with dandelion fluff balls on top, except the fluff was encased in an iridescent crystal ball.
Agnes knelt gently in the grass, folding her legs beneath her. She sat with her back straight, looking like a ballerina, despite her clothes. Abby looked at Agnes enviously. She could never be that graceful, she thought, sweating and sore after the trip they’d just made across the flowery fields.
Abby could run for an hour, sink fifty three point shots, or throw a baseball a hundred times, but the jumping and dancing was just not in her skillset. Her knees wobbled and she sank to the ground beside Agnes.
“What now?” Abby asked between heavy breaths.
Agnes looked over at her, eyes shining gloriously in the last light of the moon. She truly was in her element here. “I think we need to take that big one. This has to be the bubble we need to get home.”
Abby looked at the patch of crystal ball flowers, each ranging from knee height to taller than them. The largest was about eight feet off the ground, and was large enough that the two girls could get into it if they had to. “It has to be the biggest one, right?” The thing was just big.
“That’s the only one we can both fit into. I don’t think we want to take separate ones. We’re not going to get split up, not even for a minute.” Agnes insisted.
“I just hope it isn’t heavy.” Abby sighed.
“If it was, wouldn’t the stalk break?” Agnes wondered, but she was also hoping it was light enough that they wouldn’t have to struggle to carry it.
Abby nodded. That made sense. “Even so, I hope we don’t have to carry it far. It’s really big!”
Agnes got up, unfolding her legs and arms. “Let’s see how this thing works.”
Abby got to her feet slowly, grimacing as her calf muscles protested. “Alright then. Hopefully these ones don’t bite!” She said with a soft laugh.
Agnes decided to learn more about the spheres before going after the biggest one. She bent over to touch the sphere of the nearest plant, about the size of an orange. Her fingers rang out musically as she ran them across the glassy ball. It sounded like when someone ran their fingertips across a glass partially filled with water.
“That’s cool!” Abby said, trying it herself. The one she touched rang out with a different note.
“Different sizes make different notes.” Agnes surmised, grinning. She reached out to touch another one at the same time, and the two spheres harmonized.
Abby did the same, and soon, they were making simple songs with different crystal balls. In a matter of minutes, they worked out a rough version of Jingle Bells and Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.
“That’s so awesome!” Abby said with a laugh.
“I wonder if we could take some of these home and plant them.” Agnes wondered, looking at the strange flowers.
Abby shook her head. Something about that felt wrong. “I think part of what makes this place magical is that these things can only exist here. I don’t think they belong back home.”
“Maybe you’re right.” Agnes said, but Abby wasn’t sure if she really agreed.
“We can always come back next time and learn a few more songs.” Abby suggested diplomatically.
That seemed to work. Agnes smiled at the thought. “Deal! But only if we bring some makeup for Falala, too.”
Abby smiled. “Absolutely, but we might have to go shopping for more colors. Green is definitely her color.”
“Definitely.” Agnes agreed.
Laughing, they approached the largest ball, which rose overhead on the largest stalk, nearly as thick as one of their legs. Agnes reached over and tried to bend it, but it didn’t give. Despite its greenness, it was as stiff as wood.
“Let me try.” Abby suggested, waving Agnes back.
Agnes gave her space, and Abby took two steps back. Then, she stepped forward and leaped up powerfully, reaching with her hand as she went. In a move that was purely basketball, she slapped the bottom of the crystal ball, and it flew upward with a pop.
“Whoa! Catch it!” Agnes said, eyes wide as the bubble floated down a few paces away.
Careful not to crush any other plants beneath their feet, the girls positioned themselves to be on either side of the bubble as it floated down to the ground. Hands out, they cradled the bubble as it came down. It was surprisingly light, and it resonated beautifully beneath their hands, sounding like a lullaby.
“This thing is awesome.” Abby said in awe, looking through the ball at Agnes, who was distorted by the glass-like surface of the ball and the spiderweb of fluff inside.
“I know, right?” Agnes grinned at the cartoony version of Abby that was visible on the other side of the bubble from her.
“So we’ve got it, but now what?” Abby asked, craning her neck and looking around the fields for any indication of where they should go.
Agnes shrugged. “The path is gone. It only led here. Now that we have this thing, I don’t know.”
Abby concentrated, trying to listen for any noise of water, but she couldn’t hear anything over the lullaby song of the giant bubble.
As they looked, the evening light finally gave out, the last slivers of silver moonlight fading. The world went dark, all except for the dancing stars and the slight glow of light from the crystal balls.
“Uh, oh.” Abby looked to Agnes in worry, but that worry changed to surprise when Agnes’ ring flashed yellow. “Your ring!”
Agnes stared at her ring, which glowed as she looked at it, but then, just as soon as it turned on, it flickered and went dark.
“What’d you do?” Abby asked.
“I don’t know.” Agnes said worriedly.
They were in the dark in a strange world. They didn’t know the way home, and it seemed as if the ring could not help them this time.
CHAPTER TEN - ORANGE
“Where did the light go?” Abby asked.
“I don’t know!” Agnes said, shaking her hand and yelping when the light went off and on again.
“It was on again!” Abby shouted.
“I know! I have eyes, Abby.” Agnes growled, shaking her hand again. The light flickered off and on again.
Abby frowned at Agnes’ tone. “Maybe you have to keep shaking it?” She suggested softly.
Agnes tried that, only to find it flicker off and on several times. It would not stay on. “It’s like it’s broken…” She grumbled.
Abby watched for a moment and then had an idea. “Move it really slowly… tip it back and forth until it turns on, and then try to keep your hand in that position.”
Agnes nodded, taking a breath. She did as suggested, slowly moving it back and forth. It took some trial and error, but she managed to finally get the ring to light up if she kept it pointed in one direction. If she moved it too far any other way, it would shut off.
“It’s pointing the way home!” Abby said with a grin. “It has to be what it’s doing. It will only show us the right direction to go.”
“How did you know?” Agnes asked.
Abby’s grin got wider. “Hey, I’m not just an athlete. I’m all about rules and directions. That’s what games are.”
“You’re right. Really clever, Abby.” Agnes agreed, keeping the ring pointing the way that lit the way.
“Thanks, Agnes.” Abby replied sweetly. “Now let’s start walking that way, avoiding those dragon fairies if we can.”
“I’ll do my best, but maybe I should lead the way.” Agnes suggested.
They tried swapping spots, so Agnes could walk forward, with the ring held in front of them to light the way, but it was too hard for her to hold the bubble with only one hand behind her. After some playing around, they decided to walk sideways, each of them holding the bubble with two hands, but with Agnes’ ring on the forward hand, lighting the way.
They worked their way across the fields, noting as they went that the dragon fairies had lifted up into the night sky. They were flitting about like night-time moths, crossing the beam of light the ring cast. Although they flew near the girls, their wings clattering like a dragonfly’s, they made no move to bite them.
Without worrying about getting bitten, the girls made good time crossing the fields. After some time, they came upon a more rocky area, and the noise of falling water carried to them.
“I can hear the water!” Abby exclaimed.
“It sounds like a waterfall.” Agnes agreed. “We must be close.”
They picked their way carefully through the rocks, keeping the bubble away from jagged edges or sharp points. The further into the rocks they went, the louder the noise of the water became. The noise grew until they came to the foot of a waterfall that inexplicably went up rather than down.
The water that fed the waterfall bubbled up from underground, filling a pool that was about twice the size of the waterfall. The water was drawn up through the waterfall before disappearing into a fog overhead.
Abby whistled appreciatively. “That is so weird!”
“I know. What do you even call it?” Agnes wondered aloud.
“What do you mean?” Abby asked.
Agnes grinned. “Water falls must fall. This one rises. Is it a water-rise or a water-lift?”
Abby frowned at the strange word suggestions. “Or we could just call it an upside-down waterfall. That seems easier.”
Agnes laughed. “You’re right.”
Abby shifted her feet. “So… uhhh… what now?”
Agnes shrugged, still holding the bubble. “I don’t know.”
“What does the ring say?” Abby asked.
“I don’t know, but it’s orange!” Agnes noticed.
The ring had stopped giving off a yellow beam of light and was instead glowing orange, and the bubble seemed to resonate with it, taking on an orange sheen across its surface.
“I think it’s time to get into the bubble.” Abby surmised, running her hands across the surface of the sphere. The surface felt different, more malleable, as if her hands could push through it.
“I think you’re right.” Agnes agreed. “Let’s get it over to the water, first, so we don’t have to roll it over with us inside it.”
“You don’t want to hamster ball it?” Abby asked, imagining the idea with a wide smile. It seemed like fun.
Agnes shook her head, although she also smiled at the thought. “No, it might pop on these rocks.”
They carried the bubble over to the water’s edge and gently set it down. The water bubbling up from the spring made the bubble wobble and turn, threatening to suck it into the upside-down waterfall before they were ready.
“Hold onto it!” Agnes said worriedly.
“I’ve got it. Figure out the ring.” Abby replied nervously.
Agnes nodded and ran her hands over the bubble. Then, on a whim, she pressed the orange ring to the bubble’s surface, gasping as part of the bubble’s skin retracted, opening up a port for them to enter.
“You get in first, Abby. I’m not sure if it’ll close up after I get in.” Agnes said.
Abby nodded, and carefully moved over, making sure Agnes had a good grip on it before she tried to climb in. Holding on to the edges of the portal, Agnes steadied the ball as Abby climbed in. The bubble wanted to roll when Abby entered, but she was able to hold it well.
“Your turn.” Abby said from inside, spreading her legs and arms wide to help her balance on the inside of the ball.
Agnes clumsily climbed up and over the lip of the portal, sliding down the inside with a laugh. As soon as she’d entered, the portal closed, and the bubble was whole once more. Then the ball began to float toward the upside-down waterfall.
“Oh, man. That wasn’t a pretty landing.” Agnes mumbled from the floor of the sphere.
With a little help, she was able to get up, and then the two of them rolled the sphere toward the waterfall, walking in the direction they wanted to go. They used their hands to steady themselves as they walked, very much resembling a giant hamster ball, other than the stringy fluff that stretched throughout the bubble, most of which was now torn to make room for the two girls.
“Here we go!” Abby hooted with excitement as they neared the edge of the waterfall.
“Hold on!” Agnes shouted, her voice echoing in the bubble.
Water started to lift and toss the bubble, but it wasn’t until they were fully into the flow of the water that they really began to move. There was that feeling deep in their guts as they surged forward, floating upward in the waterfall.
Through the bubble and the water that surrounded them, they saw the fog building around the top of the waterfall. It was like riding in a clear, round elevator, but with the rush of water around them instead of music.
Then, it was over.
The bubble popped out under a lake, coming in at the dim, silty bottom. The bubble glowed very faintly in orange, but otherwise, it was only dark water around them. They floated upward silently, slowly.
“It’s so dark.” Abby said, breathing slowly. She strained her eyes to see something, anything. Her breath fogged up the closest part of the bubble, so close was her face pressed to the surface.
“And quiet.” Agnes added, also looking for signs of life.
Then, there was a flash of orange and a serpentine tail.
“There!” Agnes pointed.
“And there!” Abby pointed out another. “They look like the glowing fish creatures from Mirror Lake, by Falala’s forest.”
“They do!” Agnes agreed.
It was hard to not admire the creatures. They looked like chubby goldfish, with long bodies that were mostly tails, somewhere between an eel and a snake. Their individual scales were all different luminescent orange, yellow, and gold. Some circled the bubble, curious, but nonthreatening.
As they ascended, more of the glowing fish surrounded them, lighting their way. In time, they could even see the surface of the lake from below.
“This is it.” Agnes said, grabbing for Abby’s hand.
Abby nodded. “I’m ready.”
The bubble hit the surface, and everything changed.
“I don’t know!” Agnes said, shaking her hand and yelping when the light went off and on again.
“It was on again!” Abby shouted.
“I know! I have eyes, Abby.” Agnes growled, shaking her hand again. The light flickered off and on again.
Abby frowned at Agnes’ tone. “Maybe you have to keep shaking it?” She suggested softly.
Agnes tried that, only to find it flicker off and on several times. It would not stay on. “It’s like it’s broken…” She grumbled.
Abby watched for a moment and then had an idea. “Move it really slowly… tip it back and forth until it turns on, and then try to keep your hand in that position.”
Agnes nodded, taking a breath. She did as suggested, slowly moving it back and forth. It took some trial and error, but she managed to finally get the ring to light up if she kept it pointed in one direction. If she moved it too far any other way, it would shut off.
“It’s pointing the way home!” Abby said with a grin. “It has to be what it’s doing. It will only show us the right direction to go.”
“How did you know?” Agnes asked.
Abby’s grin got wider. “Hey, I’m not just an athlete. I’m all about rules and directions. That’s what games are.”
“You’re right. Really clever, Abby.” Agnes agreed, keeping the ring pointing the way that lit the way.
“Thanks, Agnes.” Abby replied sweetly. “Now let’s start walking that way, avoiding those dragon fairies if we can.”
“I’ll do my best, but maybe I should lead the way.” Agnes suggested.
They tried swapping spots, so Agnes could walk forward, with the ring held in front of them to light the way, but it was too hard for her to hold the bubble with only one hand behind her. After some playing around, they decided to walk sideways, each of them holding the bubble with two hands, but with Agnes’ ring on the forward hand, lighting the way.
They worked their way across the fields, noting as they went that the dragon fairies had lifted up into the night sky. They were flitting about like night-time moths, crossing the beam of light the ring cast. Although they flew near the girls, their wings clattering like a dragonfly’s, they made no move to bite them.
Without worrying about getting bitten, the girls made good time crossing the fields. After some time, they came upon a more rocky area, and the noise of falling water carried to them.
“I can hear the water!” Abby exclaimed.
“It sounds like a waterfall.” Agnes agreed. “We must be close.”
They picked their way carefully through the rocks, keeping the bubble away from jagged edges or sharp points. The further into the rocks they went, the louder the noise of the water became. The noise grew until they came to the foot of a waterfall that inexplicably went up rather than down.
The water that fed the waterfall bubbled up from underground, filling a pool that was about twice the size of the waterfall. The water was drawn up through the waterfall before disappearing into a fog overhead.
Abby whistled appreciatively. “That is so weird!”
“I know. What do you even call it?” Agnes wondered aloud.
“What do you mean?” Abby asked.
Agnes grinned. “Water falls must fall. This one rises. Is it a water-rise or a water-lift?”
Abby frowned at the strange word suggestions. “Or we could just call it an upside-down waterfall. That seems easier.”
Agnes laughed. “You’re right.”
Abby shifted her feet. “So… uhhh… what now?”
Agnes shrugged, still holding the bubble. “I don’t know.”
“What does the ring say?” Abby asked.
“I don’t know, but it’s orange!” Agnes noticed.
The ring had stopped giving off a yellow beam of light and was instead glowing orange, and the bubble seemed to resonate with it, taking on an orange sheen across its surface.
“I think it’s time to get into the bubble.” Abby surmised, running her hands across the surface of the sphere. The surface felt different, more malleable, as if her hands could push through it.
“I think you’re right.” Agnes agreed. “Let’s get it over to the water, first, so we don’t have to roll it over with us inside it.”
“You don’t want to hamster ball it?” Abby asked, imagining the idea with a wide smile. It seemed like fun.
Agnes shook her head, although she also smiled at the thought. “No, it might pop on these rocks.”
They carried the bubble over to the water’s edge and gently set it down. The water bubbling up from the spring made the bubble wobble and turn, threatening to suck it into the upside-down waterfall before they were ready.
“Hold onto it!” Agnes said worriedly.
“I’ve got it. Figure out the ring.” Abby replied nervously.
Agnes nodded and ran her hands over the bubble. Then, on a whim, she pressed the orange ring to the bubble’s surface, gasping as part of the bubble’s skin retracted, opening up a port for them to enter.
“You get in first, Abby. I’m not sure if it’ll close up after I get in.” Agnes said.
Abby nodded, and carefully moved over, making sure Agnes had a good grip on it before she tried to climb in. Holding on to the edges of the portal, Agnes steadied the ball as Abby climbed in. The bubble wanted to roll when Abby entered, but she was able to hold it well.
“Your turn.” Abby said from inside, spreading her legs and arms wide to help her balance on the inside of the ball.
Agnes clumsily climbed up and over the lip of the portal, sliding down the inside with a laugh. As soon as she’d entered, the portal closed, and the bubble was whole once more. Then the ball began to float toward the upside-down waterfall.
“Oh, man. That wasn’t a pretty landing.” Agnes mumbled from the floor of the sphere.
With a little help, she was able to get up, and then the two of them rolled the sphere toward the waterfall, walking in the direction they wanted to go. They used their hands to steady themselves as they walked, very much resembling a giant hamster ball, other than the stringy fluff that stretched throughout the bubble, most of which was now torn to make room for the two girls.
“Here we go!” Abby hooted with excitement as they neared the edge of the waterfall.
“Hold on!” Agnes shouted, her voice echoing in the bubble.
Water started to lift and toss the bubble, but it wasn’t until they were fully into the flow of the water that they really began to move. There was that feeling deep in their guts as they surged forward, floating upward in the waterfall.
Through the bubble and the water that surrounded them, they saw the fog building around the top of the waterfall. It was like riding in a clear, round elevator, but with the rush of water around them instead of music.
Then, it was over.
The bubble popped out under a lake, coming in at the dim, silty bottom. The bubble glowed very faintly in orange, but otherwise, it was only dark water around them. They floated upward silently, slowly.
“It’s so dark.” Abby said, breathing slowly. She strained her eyes to see something, anything. Her breath fogged up the closest part of the bubble, so close was her face pressed to the surface.
“And quiet.” Agnes added, also looking for signs of life.
Then, there was a flash of orange and a serpentine tail.
“There!” Agnes pointed.
“And there!” Abby pointed out another. “They look like the glowing fish creatures from Mirror Lake, by Falala’s forest.”
“They do!” Agnes agreed.
It was hard to not admire the creatures. They looked like chubby goldfish, with long bodies that were mostly tails, somewhere between an eel and a snake. Their individual scales were all different luminescent orange, yellow, and gold. Some circled the bubble, curious, but nonthreatening.
As they ascended, more of the glowing fish surrounded them, lighting their way. In time, they could even see the surface of the lake from below.
“This is it.” Agnes said, grabbing for Abby’s hand.
Abby nodded. “I’m ready.”
The bubble hit the surface, and everything changed.
CHAPTER ELEVEN - CLEAR
Abby came out of the fountain with a gasp. She blinked at the bright sunlight and quickly looked around for Agnes, who was spluttering beside her.
The two of them stared at each other in wonder that quickly changed to horror as they realized where they were… the duck pond at Covington Upper Elementary School.
“We’re all wet…” Agnes grimaced, slogging toward the shore.
“Why are we here?” Abby asked.
Agnes shook her head. “I don’t know, but I can see that class is in session, which means we’re late! Late and wet.”
“Gym clothes?” Abby suggested.
Agnes nodded, and the girls took off running. They hit the double doors at a run, shoes squishing as they went. They made it all the way down the hallway to the gym locker room without getting caught, although they likely left a watery trail behind them as evidence.
They dried off with paper towels and quickly changed clothes. Only then did they notice the clock. They both stared at it in shock.
“We’ve only been gone like ten minutes?” Abby said incredulously.
“It felt like hours.” Agnes agreed. “The time really does work differently.”
As they exited the gym to get back into the halls and head to class, a voice stopped them. It was vice-principal Anderson. He was a grumpy fellow on a good day, mean on Wednesdays especially.
“Girls! Where are you going dressed like that? You’re late for class.”
Abby and Agnes shared a look. They could almost smell the detention slip being written.
“Uh, we had a mishap at the water fountain.” Abby suggested.
“A mishap?” Mr. Anderson inquired.
“Water sprayed all over our clothes and we had to change. We couldn’t go to class soaking wet.”
“Which one?” Mr. Anderson demanded, his mouth twitching beneath his mustache.
“Back down that hall.” Abby pointed the way they’d come. Water trailed back down that whole hallway along the path they’d taken.
“I’ll call a custodian. Hurry on to class then, girls.”
“Of course, Mr. Anderson.” Abby said sweetly. She took Agnes’ hand and hurried off in the direction of class. They’d have to stop at their lockers first, but it seemed as if they’d get away with it.
“I can’t believe we lied like that.” Agnes whispered to Abby.
“We had trouble with a fountain and got wet. We just weren’t completely clear about which one and where and why…” Abby winked.
“Why didn’t we come back in through the mirror in the bathroom though?” Agnes wondered.
Abby had an answer for that. She’d already thought about it when they were changing. “We entered and exited through different places in that world, so the same thing must have happened here. At least they were close by. They could have been miles apart.”
“Unless that Upside-Down Lake was actually close to the Mirror Lake where we came in. The fish were the same. Maybe it was part of the same lake and river system, and we essentially walked in a giant circle.” Agnes laughed. Even if it were true, they’d seen so many things that it felt worth it.
“If that’s true, then we’ll have to have a conversation with Falala about her directions when we see her again.” Abby said with a laugh.
They were at a hallway junction now, between the 5th and 6th grade halls. This was where they had to split up. They stared at each other for a moment and then hesitantly each started their own way.
Agnes turned back first. “Hey, Abby?”
Abby turned. “Yeah, Agnes?”
“I’m glad you were there with me.” Agnes said.
“Me, too.” Abby put her hands on her hips and gave Agnes a look of pride. “I’d go anywhere with you, this world or that. That’s what almost sisters are for.”
Agnes grinned and put her hands on her hip in a mirror of Abby’s pose. “You and me, Abby.”
“Agnes and Abby.” Abby nodded. “I’ve just got one more question…”
“Yeah?” Agnes smiled.
“What color is your ring?” Abby asked.
Agnes looked down. She’d forgotten about the ring since they’d come back. The ring had no color at all. It looked like a bubble of simple glass on the metal setting. “It’s clear.”
“Great. I can’t wait to see what that means.” At that, Abby turned and walked off to class.
Agnes watched her go, grinning. They’d figure it out. Together.
THE END
The two of them stared at each other in wonder that quickly changed to horror as they realized where they were… the duck pond at Covington Upper Elementary School.
“We’re all wet…” Agnes grimaced, slogging toward the shore.
“Why are we here?” Abby asked.
Agnes shook her head. “I don’t know, but I can see that class is in session, which means we’re late! Late and wet.”
“Gym clothes?” Abby suggested.
Agnes nodded, and the girls took off running. They hit the double doors at a run, shoes squishing as they went. They made it all the way down the hallway to the gym locker room without getting caught, although they likely left a watery trail behind them as evidence.
They dried off with paper towels and quickly changed clothes. Only then did they notice the clock. They both stared at it in shock.
“We’ve only been gone like ten minutes?” Abby said incredulously.
“It felt like hours.” Agnes agreed. “The time really does work differently.”
As they exited the gym to get back into the halls and head to class, a voice stopped them. It was vice-principal Anderson. He was a grumpy fellow on a good day, mean on Wednesdays especially.
“Girls! Where are you going dressed like that? You’re late for class.”
Abby and Agnes shared a look. They could almost smell the detention slip being written.
“Uh, we had a mishap at the water fountain.” Abby suggested.
“A mishap?” Mr. Anderson inquired.
“Water sprayed all over our clothes and we had to change. We couldn’t go to class soaking wet.”
“Which one?” Mr. Anderson demanded, his mouth twitching beneath his mustache.
“Back down that hall.” Abby pointed the way they’d come. Water trailed back down that whole hallway along the path they’d taken.
“I’ll call a custodian. Hurry on to class then, girls.”
“Of course, Mr. Anderson.” Abby said sweetly. She took Agnes’ hand and hurried off in the direction of class. They’d have to stop at their lockers first, but it seemed as if they’d get away with it.
“I can’t believe we lied like that.” Agnes whispered to Abby.
“We had trouble with a fountain and got wet. We just weren’t completely clear about which one and where and why…” Abby winked.
“Why didn’t we come back in through the mirror in the bathroom though?” Agnes wondered.
Abby had an answer for that. She’d already thought about it when they were changing. “We entered and exited through different places in that world, so the same thing must have happened here. At least they were close by. They could have been miles apart.”
“Unless that Upside-Down Lake was actually close to the Mirror Lake where we came in. The fish were the same. Maybe it was part of the same lake and river system, and we essentially walked in a giant circle.” Agnes laughed. Even if it were true, they’d seen so many things that it felt worth it.
“If that’s true, then we’ll have to have a conversation with Falala about her directions when we see her again.” Abby said with a laugh.
They were at a hallway junction now, between the 5th and 6th grade halls. This was where they had to split up. They stared at each other for a moment and then hesitantly each started their own way.
Agnes turned back first. “Hey, Abby?”
Abby turned. “Yeah, Agnes?”
“I’m glad you were there with me.” Agnes said.
“Me, too.” Abby put her hands on her hips and gave Agnes a look of pride. “I’d go anywhere with you, this world or that. That’s what almost sisters are for.”
Agnes grinned and put her hands on her hip in a mirror of Abby’s pose. “You and me, Abby.”
“Agnes and Abby.” Abby nodded. “I’ve just got one more question…”
“Yeah?” Agnes smiled.
“What color is your ring?” Abby asked.
Agnes looked down. She’d forgotten about the ring since they’d come back. The ring had no color at all. It looked like a bubble of simple glass on the metal setting. “It’s clear.”
“Great. I can’t wait to see what that means.” At that, Abby turned and walked off to class.
Agnes watched her go, grinning. They’d figure it out. Together.
THE END
