Season 1: Life takes a turn around

Chapter 2: Eldorian Initiation

The sun rises up from the east and lights up the whole of the kingdom of Eldoria and the whole of the entire kingdom has awaken. I yawn and try to get up from the bed feeling quite sore as if I have been subjected to a lot of physical activity the previous day particularly packing and rearranging. 'Good morning, Gallagher,' I say to the emptiness of the room, expecting the walls to envelope me or something. For some reason I am still not fully recovered from the preparations for yesterday's move and I am still hoping that breakfast will make itself known somehow. Hunger pangs alert, I grab my phone and type in 'breakfast recipes' on the search engine but as is my tendency – I end up browsing through social media sites. Cats doing tricks, people dancing to different challenges and theories about the toppings of the Eldorian pizza appear and disappear and in no time at all, thirty minutes are over.

The sound of the door being knocked on with much force by an unknown person brings me back to the real world and my gadgets. 'Hey, Star, time to get this day going!' By now, I know Gallagher's voice well, and it feels like a smack on the back of the head.

"Gallagher? " I say this and it sounds like I have just pulled myself up from the comfort of my bed. "I am very much awake, but I have been discussing with my blanket about life and I still need some time to convince the blanket that adventures are better. "

At last, I was able to drag myself out of the bed and into the shower; the cold water really does the trick. I rinse myself and style my hair rather nonchalantly and glance at the clock and it is 9:00 a. m.; it is late but there is no backing out at this point. Let me not forget that today is the first actual day of my Eldorian working experience with Gallagher and I am set and eager.

Gallagher waves to me as I leave the house and he gives me his naughty smile as always. "Are you all set to roll with this Eldorian experience?"

"I am willing to try that," I say putting on my best outfit that I have selected. The "comfort pants" I'd worn on my first day at the apprenticeship were quickly replaced by something a bit more adventurous—an ensemble Gallagher insisted was perfect for our day of exploration: It also comes with an informal shirt, a slightly rumpled tunic, and trousers with a variety of hidden pockets for carrying around treasures.

Gallagher did not take time to orient us to the society of Eldoria; he rather forced us right in the middle of it. The first place we visited was the famous Eldorian Flea Market which sells from magical artifacts to the weird and wonderful gadgets. Gallagher, who has been around the local scene for a long time, made it his business to make sure that I had a feel of what was going on.

Among the stands, Gallagher was a captain who was trying to find the right way in the storm. He said, 'You have to learn the basics of Eldorian bargaining,' and led me through the market that offered everything from books of spells to enchanted socks. 'It is not about the things that you are collecting, it is about the process of collecting them.'

Today's assignment was a garden gnome, or at least a gnome that Gallagher claimed was magical and, best of all, would help us luck up and, of course, make our apartment look less conventional. The gnome, with a bright red hat and a rather overly eager looking expression on its face, sat on a table next to other peculiarities. Gallagher's theatrics began immediately.

Gallagher was not a man who could restrain his excitement; "Ah, good sir! What a splendid gnome you have here!" he proclaimed to the seller, an old man with a stern look on his face who did not seem to be impressed by Gallagher's enthusiasm. But this gnome must surely be the key to the good life – or at the very least, a very lively garden.

The old man just smiled and looked at him with a bit of scowl on his face and said. "It is just a gnome! "

Gallagher went on with the charm. But see its face! You cannot convince me that this gnome has not seen some real magical shenanigans. '

The old man's lips twisted into something that could only barely be described as a smile. 'If you wish to purchase it at twice the price, then I would be inclined to believe that it is enchanted.'

Last of all, Gallagher was able to secure the gnome with the use of a persuasive speech and through the use of an exaggerated story. Gallagher was brandishing the gnome as if it was a victory when we left the scene. "This is a gnome that will make us lucky," he said to me. "Or at the very least, it will be an excellent conversation starter."

Gallagher did not limit herself to market rajas only. He took me to meet his lively group of friends in a potluck party with the concept: 'It was the weirdest dish ever! ' The event that I am referring to happened in Lena's garden which was full of flowers and the food that was prepared was a fusion of traditional and some not so traditional dishes from all over the world.

On one of the days, I encountered Lena, a woman who could knit as if she had a champion title, she could knit a scarf while boiling water and preparing tea. It was as if she had put on a neon green shawl and it was the most beautiful thing in the world and indeed it did seem to glow. "You have to taste my pickled beetroot pie," she said with a smile which suggested it was both her best dish and something she had worked hard on.

Here was Jonas, for instance, who could memorize Eldorian poetry and deliver it backwards as a stunt at a party. He sung the 'Lament of the Lost Lark' in reverse and it sounded like a riddle of a lullaby; the entire group was in stitches as he decoded the meaning of the song.

Their friendly demeanor and, perhaps even more so, their rather solemn efforts to teach me about the recycling system in Eldoria – which involved a dance to show the correct way to sort magic and non-magic waste – was as enjoyable as it was instructive. This was especially true of Lena's pie which, despite the bright colour, was, in fact, rather tasty, and Jonas's reverse poetry, which was confusing but in a funny way.

In the evening our apartment was full of new events. Gallagher and I would often argue about Eldorian soap operas which were as engrossing as they were complex or stay awake playing 'Dragon's Dice,' a game that was part fantasy and part luck. Laughter was our constant companion, and Gallagher's mission was clear: The following will help me not only to fit in my new environment but also celebrate the peculiar and the absurd of it.

One evening Gallagher felt it was time to get a 'taste of the local culture' and sit down to listen to Eldorian folklore. He took me to a pub that was popular with the 'Mythical Mirth Mondays' where people came to tell stories of magical beings and hilarious accidents. Gallagher's bit was a rather exaggerated tale of his own encounter with what he claimed to be a thinking vegetable, a cabbage.

As the story goes, narrated by Gallagher, the cabbage was an enemy to be reckoned with, armed with a carrot. Gallagher had done it, he had conquered the cabbage using nothing but a wooden spoon and a lot of drama. It was an interesting crowd and I was left stunned and amused at how Gallagher narrated his story with the kind of drama that would grace the stage.

Days went into weeks and I discovered that it wasn't just a case of adjusting to a new country; it was a case of accepting a new way of life which had to be embraced fully. Thanks to Gallagher, my transition was not a difficult one but rather focusing on the opportunities that lie ahead of me. We left with kebabs cooking in the starlight and were met with gnomes, cabbages and other such phenomena that I could never have expected on this planet.

There was a particular moment when Gallagher and I were at the balcony of our apartment in Eldoria; we were observing the moonlight on the streets. 'You know,' said Gallagher, 'it's said that the moon of Eldor looks at everything with new eyes; that it brings new light.' ' And maybe it is. '

I laughed and told her that, 'I think it is going great. ' If this is how my adventure is to be then I am good with it. '

Gallagher then punched me at the back, his smile now at its largest. "Oh well, here we go," he said again, and lifted an imaginary glass to the moon. It is now time to see what the kind Eldoria has for us next.

This is where our adventure begun every day something new was going on in our beautiful Eldorian fairy tale. There were fairies and gnomes; there were cabbages and, well, everything else – each event was yet another story to be told.