The invisible ink: Exposing the hidden stories in short narratives

Downside up: A family's journey through the other earth

Tyler, a nine-year-old with a nose perpetually stuck in a book, was convinced that his family was the only one in their suburban cul-de-sac who didn't have an extra-terrestrial visitor living in their backyard. his parents, bless their hearts, attributed his fascination with the unknown to an overactive imagination fuelled by too much science fiction. They'd laugh and dismiss his theories, especially when they concerned the upside-down world he'd invented. 

Despite their disbelief, Tyler knew the truth. He'd seen it with his own eyes. One scorching summer afternoon, while playing hide-and-seek with his little sister, Lily, behind the shed, he'd found a strange, shimmering opening in the ground. It pulsed with an ethereal glow, beckoning him closer. Curiosity overriding fear, Tyler had peered through the opening, his heart pounding in his chest. He'd seen it – a world mirrored, a world upside down, a world teeming with people, homes, and even a miniature car, all hanging precariously from the ceiling of his own backyard. It was a miniature world, but it was home to another family, just like his own, living their lives in perfect, upside-down harmony.

Tyler had kept this secret tucked away in the recesses of his mind, a precious secret he shared only with the whispers of the wind and the rustling leaves. He didn't breathe a word to his parents, not even to Lily, who was still too young to comprehend such a fantastical concept. He would spend hours, hidden beneath the shade of the old oak tree in the backyard, observing the upside-down family. He watched them eat dinner, their plates suspended above their heads, their forks scratching against the ceiling. He saw them laugh and play, their voices echoing eerily through the shimmering portal. They were different, but they were also familiar, just like a distant reflection of his own family.

One evening, while watching the upside-down family go through their nightly routine, Tyler noticed something odd. Their son, who he'd nicknamed "Upside-Down Tommy" for the way he always seemed to be upside down, was struggling. He was trying to reach a toy that was hanging, seemingly out of his reach. It looked like a miniature version of Tyler's own toy spaceship.

Driven by a strange, inexplicable urge, Tyler decided to help. He took his own spaceship, a gift from his grandfather, and carefully lowered it through the portal. To his surprise, Upside-Down Tommy reached out and caught it, his eyes widening in amazement. A grin spread across his upside-down face. Tyler smiled back, feeling a strange sense of fulfilment.

The next day, Tyler found a miniature model of a wind-up robot on the ground near the shimmering portal. It was a perfect replica of the robot he'd been wanting for his birthday. He knew it was a gift from Upside-Down Tommy. This exchange of gifts became their silent way of communicating, a secret language of toys and gestures understood only between them.

Tyler's fascination with the upside-down world grew stronger with each passing day. He started leaving small trinkets and toys near the shimmering portal, and in return, he received miniature versions of the same. The line between his world and the upside-down world blurred, and he started feeling a connection, an unspoken bond with the family that lived on the other side.

One afternoon, while engrossed in his book, Tyler noticed something unusual. The shimmering portal was pulsing faster than usual. It seemed to be expanding. The ground around it began to tremble, and a low, rumbling sound filled the air. He ran outside, his heart pounding with a mix of fear and excitement. To his horror, the portal was getting bigger, engulfing the backyard, and the upside-down family, their home, their cars, everything was being sucked towards his world.

Tyler screamed, fear choking his voice. He felt a strange force pulling him towards the expanding portal. He tried to resist, but it was too late. He was sucked into the shimmering void, his book flying from his hand, landing on the grass with a soft thud.

As he hurtled through the shimmering portal, everything went dark. When he regained his senses, he found himself in the middle of a miniature street, surrounded by tiny houses. Above him, he saw the familiar shapes of his own backyard, his house, his family, all hanging upside down. He was in the upside-down world, a world that was now no longer upside down, but a world that was now his own.

Tyler looked around, taking in the strange, yet strangely familiar surroundings. He was home, but not quite home. He was lost, but also found. He was in a world where the impossible had become possible, a world where the line between reality and imagination had blurred beyond recognition. And in that moment, he knew that this was a world he would have to learn to live in, a world where his fascination with the unknown had finally manifested, in the most unexpected way imaginable.