Another Place, Another Time

Another Time, Another Place

Mark, Mathew, Luke and Teresa were playing dress-up. Mark, the youngest of the four friends, was a courageous soldier. Mathew, the oldest, a daring pilot. While Luke played the part of a handsome navy officer, who a nurse called Rose -Teresa's Character, spontaneously fell in love with. They were looking for props when they came across a photo of a mysterious rail cart seemingly powered by a billowing sail, the poor rail completely surrounded by the nothing but water. On the back was a note to Mark, which he read aloud to the group, 'My beautiful baby boy, I miss you already but in Another Place, Another Time we will meet'. It was signed by Mark's father with the date ten years prior, 1925. The photo they saw was both mesmerising and thrilling, it beckoned to them, all of a sudden a vicious wind tore at their hair and the roaring of a cart on tracks greeted their ears louder than the roar of an very angry lion.

"Jes-s kr-st M-rk" Luke attempted to say only for the unheard words to be swept away in the distance. All such attempts by the others failed dismally so the four of them spent the entire trip silent and stiff as they attempted to stay reasonably warm.

Soon they began to near a towering rainforest, as they approached they were enveloped in the suffocating humidity. They entered the rainforest and went around a bend, the sheer size and thickness of the rainforest struck them. Only then did they realise that the wind-cart had come to a stop. They clambered out and investigated where they were, they soon found a path that trailed it's way through the thick and humid rainforest to an unknown destination.

Mark began to ruffle around his pack. "Man I'm hungry, but I ain't got a thing worth eating in here". He groaned

"I just can't believe your worried about food at a time like this!", Teresa exclaimed.

"Why not?", Mark replied defensively.

"Well, in case you haven't yet noticed, we've been sucked into a mystical drawing, ruined our costumes, we're near soaking wet from ocean spray, almost deaf and to top it all off we are as lost as elephants in Australia! Food should be the least of your concern, but finding the way back home would be mine!", Teresa ranted with rising pitch, volume and desperation.

"Well," began Luke in a thick southerner accent." we're not in Kansas anymore, but this definitely don't look like Oz."

"Mmmm... Interesting assessment Luke, however, can your brain even begin to comprehend the enormity of our situation!" Proclaimed Teresa in perfectly formed english.

Mathew seemed quite perplexed by the situation, Teresa as they all knew was quite nuts anyway being a Cunningham, well that and she was a girl, but she was absolutely flipping this time.

"If it ain't my fault you know, it's Marks, it was his photo", Luke protested.

"Oi, don't bring me into this Luke!" Mark shot back.

"Say, what was it about that photo Mark", said Teresa as she began to advance on Mark," I mean it's not everyday you get a photo from a dead relative that sucks you into it, isn't it? No? Good, so how about you tell us what happened."

"Hey! How was I meant to know? I'm as lost as you are", he paused for some time," come on let's get moving." He began moving down the path, after a brief hesitation they all began to follow.

Their trip was relatively quiet exempt for, Teresa's and Luke's grumbles and groans generally dedicated towards each other's stupidity. Only by the time the forest began to thin out did they realise that the sun had not moved all day, even their watches ticked through minutes yet the time stayed the same. As they marvelled at how bizarre it was, the ring and clash of church bells sounded. Civilisation at last! The children rushed down the path. What they found was not what they expected, a town with warm welcoming verandas a towering church in its centre... No what they saw was impossible. A medieval castle was situated in the middle of the clearing, several tall spires reaching into the clouds guarded by the tallest wall they had ever seen. Yet they saw no guards, no noises came from busy markets, no laughter of children running from doorway to doorway. The castle just was, it was there but not really there.

"This doesn't look good", Mathew said with just a tad of fear.

"What did you expect? Unicorns? Rainbows?" Inquired Teresa.

"Yeah kind of, it would have been nice," Luke muttered to himself.

"Whatever this place is, we will find our answers there." Mark said as he again began to walk off ahead of the others.

It was early quite as they entered, the cobblestones shone brightly under the sun, yet it was too... perfect. There was no dirt, no a scratch on a thing. They crept towards the next door, to there surprise sat a girl on a throne, no younger then ten she had gleaming blonde hair, shining green eyes and her smiled sat bright and cheerful on her face.

"Who goes there?", floated a girls voice from the throne.

"No one", Luke answered.

"Okay, no one, what do you wish to bring back?" The girl replied

"What a-a-are you talking a-a-about?" Mathew stuttered.

"Those who come to the this place, come to find what has been lost, what has not come, what they need, whatever they want. Only if they pass the challenge, they will be granted one thing of their hearts desire... Yet if you fail, you must return..." She giggled as if it was as obvious as the sky being blue.

"Mark Michelson, as the youngest you will go first," her voice chimed."Now tell me,'if I am tall when I'm young and short when I'm old', what am I?"

Mark thought for a while before answering, it was obvious,"a candle." He answered.

"Correct, Teresa White, in a one-story pink house, there was a pink person, a pink cat, a pink fish, a pink computer. What colour where the stairs?"

"It was a one-story house, there are no stairs!" Teresa replied instantly.

"Correct! Now Luke Smith, what is so delicate that saying its name breaks it?", the girl asked.

"Ummm, well breaks starts with a 'b', and delicate starts with a 'd' and saying starts with a 's', therefore it must be silence!" Luke answered.

"Correct? Okay last the oldest, Mathew, how many months have twenty-eight days?" The girl inquired.

Mathew thought, he thought and then he answered, "all of them have twenty-eight days!"

"Correct! You all pass! You passed the challenge," the girl said with an air of finality.

"Wait, no death defying stunts? No killer sharks-"Mathew began dumbstruck.

"Or evil mermaids!" Interrupted Luke.

"- jumps over lava or giant Venus fly traps!" Mathew continued. All of them were dumbstruck they had passed! But how?

"Come on guys, it's a Monday", she whined,"I really can't be bothered. Just follow me." She began towards the door and entered. The four friends gathered expectantly, there was nothing in there!

"No magical portal at all!" Exclaimed Luke.

"No I just like playing that trick on people", giggled the girl," Now begone!"

All of a sudden Mark woke up back in his bedroom, he looked at his alarm clock. Wait that's weird, the alarm clock is on the same date and it's only nine o'clock, in the morning? Then he smelt the aroma of fresh pancakes floating through his door, mum never cooked pancakes, he remembered that time when his dad cooked then on his fourth birthday. He ran into the kitchen in his pyjamas.

"Morning scout", a gruff voice said.

"Dad!"