Remembrance of Childhood Imagination

“Quiet down now, Ash,” I say softly to the grey tabby cat that is sitting at my feet and meowing.

I am sitting in front of the vanity in my room, doing my hair for the day.

“Is there something up with this mirror? Or am I going insane?” I ask suddenly, glancing behind me at the white bookcase in the corner.

I swear it just changed colors. In the mirror it looked…black?

I look back at the mirror and see that the bookcase is back to normal.

If I mentioned this to my mother, she would call me crazy, but I know what I saw. It's the mirror. Not my eyes. My mind is normal.

Do I want it to be?

I slowly lift a hand and hesitate for a moment before pressing my finger to the mirror version of the bookcase.

“Grace! Breakfast!” Mother's voice startles me and I am barely able to process what happens next.

My hand falls through the mirror.

I stare at my wrist where my hand has disappeared through the glass. Then, I attempt to pull my hand back and it works.

I turn my hand and examine it to make sure everything is fine.

“Grace!” Mother calls again from the kitchen.

“Coming in a minute, Mother!” I yell back and then I look at Ash. “Are you coming?”

The cat stops, sits, and gives me a look that asks, “Where?”

“Why, through the mirror, of course. You know me, my curiosity always wins over fear,” I say with a soft chuckle. I have to check it out. I mean, who gets a chance like this?

She nuzzles against my ankle and I pick her up, taking that as a yes.

“Just a minute,” I remind myself quietly, climbing onto the vanity.

I close my eyes and start with one hand, a foot. Then I fully step through and first, I fall.

I open my eyes and the floor is right there, I just can't seem to reach it yet. But the floor in my room is red. This one is blue.

I try to look around, but my vision blurs slightly. All I see are objects passing through my line of sight. My heart feels like it’s in my throat and I pull Ash closer, trying to focus on the softness of her fur.

I count the time that passes in my head and, after three minutes, my feet finally meet the ground. I set Ash down on the ground and take a glance around the room.

My room.

But different.

The bookcase is indeed black now. The vanity is not its normal light pink but instead, a dark teal. The bed has changed to a very dark blue patterned with shiny stars.

I take a second look around and see that the window that is normally to the left of my vanity is not here. Nor is there a door or any other way to get out of the room.

A book lays open on the chair in the corner. I step closer and see that the right page is depicting the scene of a man tossing a ball for a dog to fetch in a forest.

I go to take another step but my foot almost lands on something furry. “Ash! I almost killed you. Watch where you’re going,” I say in a playfully scolding tone, though a small smile creeps on my face despite the strange surroundings.

A low rumble emits from the cat and she turns away from me, stalking towards the book once more.

The illustrations are absolutely magnificent. Whoever drew the pages in this book must have been very artistic and had a great imagination.

I reach forward and lightly touch the open page and then my head spins.

Once I regain my vision and my feet have steadied, I am able to get a good look at what happened.

The scene around me has changed. Now, I am in a forest, surrounded by the tallest trees I have ever seen.

“That way!” I hear a voice call from somewhere to my right.

I turn and start making my way towards the voice and the sound of trampling feet.

The scene from the book seems to unfold in front of me. A man is seen throwing a ball, which the dog, a golden retriever, goes to fetch.

When the man turns to face me, perhaps sensing a presence, his mouth widens to a crazy, yet heart-warming grin. He has curly black hair, glistening tan skin, and a pair of perfectly imperfect bright blue eyes.

He is wearing an outfit that looks half pirate, half prince, red, white, and ragged. A long sleeve shirt with tears, black pants with a hole by the knee, and a top hat with the whole top ripped off.

“Yello, missy. My name’s Avner. And this ‘ere is Bunny,” the man says in a thick British accent, beckoning first to himself and then the dog, ending with a bow.

“Such peculiar names,” I comment curiously, nodding my head in greeting. “Mine is Grace.”

“Glad to make your acquaintance, Missy Grace. Where’d ye come from?” the man asks, grabbing the ball from the dog, who has returned, and throwing it again.

“London. Though I don’t reckon you’d know what that is,” I say softly, smiling at his unusual calmness despite a stranger showing up.

“Blimey, of course I do. I know all the countries,” he says with a short but manic laugh.

“It's a city,” I correct politely. I can tell he's funny. Or crazy. Maybe both. But that's not so bad, is it?

“Why are ye here? Did ya come to play with us?” he asks, tilting his head, his eyes widening with intrigue. “Wait…Now that I think about it, you seem vaguely familiar.”

“Really? I’d say you do too. Though, I can’t imagine from where,” I agree. He does look familiar. The face shape, the edge in his voice. The psycho look in his eyes. Yes, it may be weird, but his presence is oddly comforting.

Suddenly, the wind picks up. The forest seems to darken at the sound of approaching stomping. Avner grabs my arm and pulls me behind a tree just as a woman comes into view.

She has frizzy red hair, ugly pale skin, a big nose, a long green dress, and an intimidating presence.

“Who’s that?” I whisper to Avner, my eyes glued to the woman. I can sense the evil in her.

“That there’s the li’le witchy from these parts. She’s the opposite of the word friendly,” he whispers back, still grinning but the sides of his smile droop down slightly with distaste.

“How so?” My curiosity overtakes me again, even though I get a feeling that I don’t want to know.

“She’s known for terrible things. Torturing those in her way, mercilessly se’tling her conflicts, enjoying pain. We tend to avoid her path,” he answers, exaggerating a shiver.

I’m not scared. I need to help protect this world despite the fact that I just learned of it.

Or did I?

“Is there any way to ensure she doesn’t continue this?” I ask quietly, refusing to let fear hold me back. I, personally, would rather take action than stand by and let a person push me around.

He pauses for a moment, a thinking look in his eyes. Then he clears his throat. “There is a book that hides in an old pine tree, answer three riddles, and magic will belong to thee,” Avner recalls with a tip of his hat.

An uneasy feeling creeps through my body as I realize the journey I must embark on.

“Where is this tree?” I ask cautiously, not knowing how far I’d be willing to travel to help them.

“Oh, just over there,” he answers as if it is the most obvious thing in the whole entire world. He points somewhere to the right. “Twenty paces atha’away, then two to the righ’.”

“Well, let's go then.” I grab his hand, somehow unfearful that he may be a stranger.

He smiles and allows me to drag him with. He points out the tree and I come to a halt, my grip on his hand tightening.

This tree. It looks like the one that was planted in our backyard when I was younger. Exactly like it.

But how? That tree was cut down four years ago. I’m probably imagining it.

I get over my shock and walk around the tree, examining it. The book is laying under some of the roots. There are riddles on the front page, just as Avner had predicted.

The first riddle states, “I am an odd number. Take away a letter and I become even. What am I?”

Well, let me think about this.

One. No.

Three. No.

Five. No.

Seven. Yes. Even

“Seven,” I say out loud rather than in my head.

“Very clever, ain't ya?” A laugh comes from Avner. His eyes glint with approval as we watch one latch on the book slip off.

The second riddle states, “I have cities but no people. I have roads but no pavement. I have rivers but no water. What am I?”

A moment of silence passes. What has each of those things but not really?

“A map.”

The second latch rips itself off. One more to go.

The third riddle states, “What can run but never walks, has a mouth but never talks, has a head but never weeps, has a bed but never sleeps?”

“A river.” This one comes easy. The word just slips from my mouth. Like a memory buried deep within the farthest part of my mind.

The book flicks open with a small clink. The pages flutter by quickly as they reach a certain page, which I skip through.

“What language is this?” I ask curiously, tilting my head as I try to make better sense of the words.

“Gibberish,” states Avner, beckoning to the book as if to say Figure it out. You'll be fine.

We return to where the witch is standing and I take a deep breath.

I read off the page of the book, “Bej bluacian grifeckido forleniatejy apleh zoustun abraw,” I recite surprisingly easily.

Almost instantly, the witch disappears from sight, as if she had never existed. Avner grins again and lets out a loud, “Woo hoo!”

Bunny starts barking happily, his tail wagging.

“You did it, love,” says Avner, patting my back and then ruffling my hair softly.

I respond with a smile. A genuine smile. Those don't come often from someone my age in my place.

The feeling of his hand on my head is so familiar that it makes me remember.

Remember what?

I made the book that lay in the room. The book that pulled me here. Ages…five through eight. This was my dreams, my imagination, my creation, my world. That room was my room. Real, but not real. Stuck halfway between two connected worlds in this life.

I was torn between which I wanted to join before my mom forced me away from it.

But I'm here now. Shall I stay and be free? Shall I go and live life?

Perhaps both.

No, not perhaps.

Yes, both.

Back and forth between worlds when things get tough. And no one can stop me.

“You remember, don't ya?” asks Avner, his expression softening enormously. He takes my hand in his, his grip firm yet definitely comforting.

“Yes. Yes, I remember. But I’m afraid I cannot stay here for too long. I must get back for breakfast. I promise to visit when I can though.” I will. I know I will. I cannot just leave this world behind. Not now. Not when there’s so much more to explore.

“Jus’ don’t forget this time, alrigh’?” Avner looks a bit sad now. Almost desperate. I realize he must have felt a bit lonely after my last departure.

“I won’t. I swear it,” I say confidently. Reassuringly.

He pulls me into a warm embrace, his arms wrapped around my waist as I snuggle against his chest. Just like how it used to be.

He walks me back to the spot where I was when I first arrived in this forest.

“Just close yer eyes an’ imagine yer room. Then, tha’s where you’ll be,” he instructs, reluctantly letting go and stepping back to watch me.

I do as he says.

“Wait, where’s Ash?” I ask suddenly, remembering my cat that had joined me in the room but I don’t recall seeing her here.

“She couldn’t travel with you. Only you can come and go. For now,” he explains.

“Okay. See you soon, Avner,” I say softly, a smile still across my face.

“Goodbye, Missy Grace,” Avner whispers.

~~~

“Grace? Grace!” Mother’s voice calls from down the hall. “It’s been five minutes since I called you for breakfast! Get your butt down here now, young lady!”

I open my eyes and see that I am sitting in front of my vanity, Ash on my lap. As if I didn’t go anywhere.

But I know I did. I wasn’t dreaming.

This room sure is something.

“Coming Mother!”