The Cloud Castle

The Enchanted Woods

The elf led us to another signpost in the clouds.
   "The Enchanted Woods," I read aloud.
   "That name sounds a little spooky," Colette said with a shiver.
   "Well, the elf seems to think it's the way to go," I said, looking up at him.
   So we followed the sign to a staircase made of clouds. It led us to a forest--- and the trees were made of clouds, too! 
   "It's like something from a fairy tale," Violet said.
   "Yes, but let's hope a WICKED WITCH doesn't live here," said Pam.
   We walked toward the strange, fluffy trees. Everything was cloaked in a strange silence. Then, Colette suddenly let out a cry. 
   "NOOOOOOOO!" she wailed. 
   "Heeeeeeeeelp!" yelled Violet
   I rushed over to them, but before I could reach them, I stopped, confused. 

The fluffy trees around me had disappeared. Instead, I was back in the GARDEN AT MOUSEFORD ACADEMY!
   I froze, shocked. How could I have gotten there? And it looked different from how I remembered it. The buildings were CRACKED and there were no students in sight.
   Then an OLD RODENT slowly walked toward me, leaning on a cane.
   "Professor de Mousus!" I said, recognizing the academy's headmaster. My heart was beating quickly. "What is going on?"
   But the headmaster didn't reply. He just shook his head with a sad look on his face.
   "Thea! Thea!" I heard a voice, and someone touched my arm.
   I woke up, as if from a dream, and saw Will standing next to me.
   "Help me, Will!" I said. "We must help Professor de Mousus!" 
   "No, Thea, the professor is not here," Will said.
   "Yes, he is!" I insisted. "But he's old, and the academy is in RUINS, and he needs our help!"
   "It's just an illusion, Thea," Will told me. 

"You are seeing your fears come true. It's a trick of the Enchanted Woods."
   "What?" I asked. I was seeing the professor with my own EYES! "I don't understand. How can this be an illusion?"
   "The clouds here take the form of the fears of those who pass," he replied.
   "But why aren't you seeing anything frightening?" I asked.
   "I've been taking a course dedicated to learning how to control my emotions," Will explained. "Try to concentrate, Thea." 
   "I closed my eyes and opened them again. But I could still see the abandoned academy and Professor de Mousus.
   "Wait here for a moment," Will said. He rushed off and brought all the Thea Sisters over. Each of them was terrified by the vision of her own fears, too.

"Thea, I'm so scared," Violet said, reaching out to grab my paw.
   "You must think of positive things," Will told us. "Think of your friendship."
   That gave Colette an idea. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. Then she scrolled down the screen and pulled up a photo.
   "That's us!" Nicky cried. "It was right  after we finished our finals at the end of last semester."
   I was in the photo, too, and the happy memory came flooding back to me. The Thea Sisters had all done well on their tests and were excited about the vacation coming up.
   When I looked up from the photo, I saw that my vision of the academy had vanished! I was back in the cloud forest. The others were looking around, wide-eyed.
   "Everything's back to normal," Paulina said.
   Nicky grinned. "All our fears have VANISHED!"
   Colette's photo defeated them," added Pam.
   Will smiled. "Actually, what made your fears disappear was your friendship!"