The Baleivian Scrolls-The Hidden Realm

Introduction

I can remember as a child, wishing my deepest fantasies would come true. Fairies and pirates, cowboys and Indians, or maybe I was just a horse in the forest.

Me and my sister used to be thought of as weirdos. With our imaginations running amok. We used to build little homes and utensils for the fairies in our garden. We loved to play in the rain and drink from the ditch like settlers from the west. But at the end of the day we'd have to come back to reality, what with school and work. It all had to end at some point.

I remember as a young girl, escaping through my dreams. Imagining the most intricate of stories. Maybe i'd write books someday, or stick to my comics and concept art. At least I had that.

Then I hit high school. A time when everyone had phones, except me. Everyone had a boyfriend or someone to text. Not me. Everyone went out. I wasn't allowed.
Being a homeschool kid is hard. You don't know what's trending, or whatever is the hype at the moment. You just live and do whatever your brain thinks of. It's not like my parents tried to keep me from being lame.

I remember the time I asked my friend if she still imagined things or liked to pretend. What I recieved in return was a judging stare. I guess that just wasn't the thing anymore. So, I did it all in silence. Maybe, I'd just fantasize before I went to sleep. Maybe that's all I could do. It was time to cut the comics, the baby dolls, playing outside.

Pretty soon, the adults told me to get my head out of the clouds and get serious about my career. But what career? I wanted to be a mom. I wanted to be a chef. I wanted to be a teacher... what would I do? Guess I'll be that student. The one who can't make up their mind about a field of study.

One by one my friends vanished. Our lives went different ways. Some had babies, some were getting married, and me? Still drawing comics and going to college. But we all had to grow up at some point.

Work calls on work calls. Paper after paper. There was no time for my drawings and stories anymore. I had a big-girl job now.
Pretty soon, I was waking up, studying, and sleeping.

As I've grown up, I realized my parents raised me this way to allow me to enjoy childhood longer. Instead of sticking my nose into a phone, I played with friends, read books, discovered my artistic abilities. I made more memories getting a little bit dirty than I ever did staring at reels or TikTok's. I also excelled past my peers when I did get into a public setting. Homeschool for the win! I think my creative side still shows through, and I don't think that's as lame as everyone tried to make me feel it was.

All I'll say at this point, is that this is no ordinary story. It's an experience. It's based off of real people, real events, and real things me and my friends pretended as kids. Something you can also experience if you want to. This is the story about how multiple lives and friends' lives were changed for the better. All of these memories are twisted into a fictional story.

I hope you'll dive in and listen to the discovery of a lifetime...

***

This was an improv writing project amongst me and my closest, creative friends. It's not necessarily the most amazing written piece. But it's crazy to see how 3-4 minds wrap together to form one book. Happy Reading.

-Your penpal
G.