Imagination's last hope: The quest to save the unseen world

Chapter 13

"How are you feeling?" Finnigan asked.

Rachel was sitting next to him in their shiny red flying car. They were on their way to Whimsyville, where they'll meet the rest of the team of guardians and then make their way to Techtopia.

"I feel like I swallowed hundreds of butterflies, and now all of them are going crazy in my stomach." She really wasn't feeling good about this mission. It was so weird for her to be in a different world. She knew now that all of this was real, but it still felt so surreal, like one crazy dream she was having.

"Don't stress about it too much. Mira and Glimmerwisp two are really good at these things, especially Mira. They'll keep you safe."

"I know, it's just so strange all of this. I know all of this is real, but simultaneously, it's hard to believe."

"I know exactly what you mean. When I died and came here, I also struggled to believe all of this is real."

"It's probably rude to ask this, but what exactly happened to you?" She asked Finnigan, realising that he hadn't ever told her his story about what happened to him.

"I don't mind at all. I was in my forties when I passed away. I was still quite young."

"Not to burst your bubble, but you're not young when you're forty. You're actually quite old."

He just rolled his eyes and continued with his story. "I was driving home after work. I was an amazing paediatrician, so I worked long hours and came home late. I was driving on the freeway when it all happened. I'll spare you all the gross and gory details: a car drove into me, and I crashed badly. It happened too quickly for me to even realise what was happening. All I thought about was my wife. Luckily, we hadn't been married that long, so I had no kids. And then, after everything happened, I was here. Hootwiggle spoke to me and told me that they needed me to be a guardian to protect children. I didn't have any idea if I was just in a coma, in heaven, or if any of this was even true. After a while, I realised that this was reality, so I said yes. And that's how all of it started for me."

Rachel remained quiet for a while; this was the first time she heard Finnigan's story. Before this, she had never known what his life was like and what he had done before he came here. It was cool hearing what his life was like and what job he did. She still had another question: "Did you want to look like a cat, or did somebody else decide for you?"

Finnigan laughed. "I don't think anybody decides. You just get here, and you're a cat or something weird without deciding what you want to look like. But I am a cat person. It makes sense."

"I think the black cat with sparkles and glitter suits you. It looks super magical. I never would have thought that you had such a fancy job."

"You must admit that I am smart." Finnigan looked really pleased with himself.

"You're smarter than a cat." Rachel joked.

Finnigan ignored her and went on about how he was at the top of his class in med school.

As they got closer to Whimsyville, the butterflies in Rachel's stomach were just getting crazier. Rachel felt the urge to chicken out. She wasn't handling the fear well, probably because she doesn't get scared as often. She wanted to chicken out and return to her life, but Rachel knew it wasn't as simple as it sounded.

"Fin, I'm terrified. I don't think I should go on this mission; you should go. I'll just freak out and ruin everything, and then you'll return to square one." Rachel said.

"Rachel, you have two options: either run away from your fears, you won't grow, and you'll probably be mad at yourself for running away. Or, you can face your fears and become a better and stronger person."

Rachel remained quiet. She had a lot to think about.

"Rachel, I wouldn't have brought you here if we didn't believe in you. You just need to believe in yourself."

Rachel said thanks to Finnigan. He tried talking to her, but she remained silent.

She thought long and hard about what he said for the rest of the ride. She had to help them with this mission, and so many guardians believed in her. She just had to trust herself and her teammates. She tried repeating to herself that everything would be okay and go smoothly, but she didn't believe this entirely.

"Rachel, I'm so glad you're here. Do you have any questions about what you have to do? You must leave in five minutes, so make it quick." Hootwiggle greeted Rachel.

Everybody was sitting at the table. The other guardians were working on their laptops. They said hello to Rachel and continued with whatever they were busy with.

"I don't have any questions. I'm just a little nervous about all of this," Rachel admitted.

"Don't be. Everything will go well, and if something happens, there is a backup team that will go and help you guys. You just have to stay focused on the mission and make sure that none of the bots see you. And I'm sorry for rushing you, but if you have no questions, you should get going. I have to give you something before you leave."

She went over to the desk in front of the large screen. Two gold watches were on the table. She gave one to Rachel and called Mira to come get the other one.

"These are special watches. If you need anything, just push the button on the side, and you can speak to us. It has a camera installed, so we'll be able to see what's going on around you. This way, we'll be able to know what's happening to you."

Rachel and Mira put their watches on. Rachel felt a little more relaxed knowing there was a backup team and she could communicate with Hootwiggle and Finnigan.

Hootwiggle made everyone wish them luck and sent them off on their mission.

Mira got a giant plastic bubble for them to travel in. It was the same as the one they flew in the last time when Mira took her to Youthful Archives.

They flew over Whimsyville and the ocean until they reached a Starfall grove. This was another beautiful forest. It was dark and mysterious but magical. Many large trees were growing there, each with glowing blue stars growing on them and hanging from them; a few had fallen off and were lying on the ground. The road they walked on was filled with glowing blue pebbles and sparkles. If it wasn't for all the shining stars and the bright pebbles, you wouldn't be able to see a thing inside of this forest.

Glimmerwisp two knew exactly where to go. She left a trail of pink shimmer behind her, making it easier for Mira and Rachel to follow her. After walking for a short while, they finally made it to the portal. It was just as magical as the one leading to the world of reality. This one had a different colour. It was dark blue, matching the colours of the forest.

"Are you ready?" Mira asked, ready to enter the portal.

"Yes," Rachel answered. She didn't sound convincing. You could hear that she was hesitant about all of this.

Glimmerwisp two nodded. Luckily, she looked excited, which gave Rachel some hope.

"Then let's go!" Mira shouted, jumping into the portal. Glimmerwisp two followed her, and then it was Rachel's turning. She took a big breath, trying to get the butterflies to calm down, and then she jumped into the portal.