11 Years Missing

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Arika clutched her stuffed bear and inhaled, impatiently peering into the darkness of her room. The house was silent, apart from the never-ending ticking of the grandfather clock downstairs and her parents' soft snores in the neighboring room.

She stayed in her twin-sized bed, listening as the old clock rang. Four, five, six... twelve. Yes! She shifted on the bed. Is it safe to get up now?

She listened for a few moments longer, then slid off the bed, pulled her sweater over her soft pink PJs, and wrapped her brand new checkered scarf around her neck. Pulling the blanket off the bed, she tied it around her neck like a cape, and turned to pick up her bear.

"Come, Måns," she whispered. "Remember to be quiet."

Måns was an armful, almost half her size. It was difficult to see her feet with him even if the lights were turned on. She padded out of her room on the balls of her feet and shut the door gently. She paused. No sounds of movement came from her parents.

"Don't be impatient, Måns, or the guards will catch us." She took careful steps past their door.

The next challenge was getting downstairs...

Step by step she descended with Måns securely under her arm in a warm hug. The blanket trailed behind her like the cape of a princess sneaking out of her tower. Avoiding the creaky steps, she hung onto the railing. She heard a shuffle and froze. After a few seconds, she sighed in relief. Dad must be tossing and turning again, she thought and resumed her escape.

The ground floor was barely illuminated by the moon through the windows nearby. She found her socks, boots and gloves and pulled them on, along with her trusty winter jacket. She picked up a mini flashlight, tucking it in her jacket pocket and unlocked the back door using both hands. The door let out a high pitched squeak as it swung open. She cringed and paused her breath, shivering as a crisp breeze blew in. Pulling her scarf closer, she couldn't resist inhaling the fridge-like temperature for long. But she was determined to continue. She stepped out of the house, wedged the door open with a piece of loose wood she kept carefully hidden, leaving just a crack. Then she descended the steps. Looking up at the full moon, she smiled. She wouldn't need her flashlight to navigate tonight.

She headed for the small gap in the hedge to the right of her house. It was just wide enough for her to squeeze through. Måns got caught in some bushes and it took a few tugs to free him.

"Stay close, Måns. We need to keep on the path so we don't get lost."

They crossed a barren piece of land with thick power lines hovering high above them, extending in both directions. The path to the other side was clear in the moonlight. Here, the forest greeted her, extending arms of darkness to their regular visitor.

Arika was not afraid. She entered the embrace and ventured down a visible path, Måns and her blanket dragging on the ground, picking up 'strays' along the way. She walked for several minutes before coming upon a moonlit clearing, her secret playground.

She put Måns down and spread the blanket on the damp ground between the roots of her favorite tree, a large, old Birch tree. On the other side behind some shrubs, its hollow still kept her cushions and snacks safely out of sight. She retrieved them, and made herself and Måns comfortable against the trunk. She chewed on her snacks, her eyes lifted to the clear sky, looking for her constellation friends.

"Have a kex," Arika said pushing a half-chewed biscuit at Måns who was sitting beside her.

She pointed out Cassiopeia, Gemini, and her favorite Orion, and made up stories about them. Måns was always a captive listener.

The moon shifted in the sky and the temperature dropped. A couple of hours had passed. She sighed. This would be her last visit for a while. Winter was coming, so she'd have to play indoors till spring.

"Time to go home. We don't want the guards to find out about our secret, right Måns?"

As she stood up to put everything away, a distant glimmer caught her eye. She disregarded it at first. After resealing the leftover snacks in a ziplock bag and stuffing it in the hollow with the cushions on top, she turned once again and her eyes widened in wonderment. There, at the far end of the clearing, a myriad of colours formed an arc, sparkling like sunlight on water. Something beyond it drew her attention, and she shivered in anticipation and cold.

"What's this, Måns? A rainbow?" She sat the bear down on the grass, making sure it had a good view.

When she turned to face the magical sight again, it had cut the distance between them in half, a shimmer that obscured the view behind it and gave a slight reflection.

"Pleased to meet you! I'm Arika Lindblad," she held out the sides of her pretend gown and dipped a curtsy. She giggled, her bulky clothes had no resemblance to a princess.

She cocked her head as if to listen to the reply, then stepped closer, and closer again, curious. The shimmer faded as she stretched out to touch it. Instead she found a solid surface. A wall? But she couldn't see anything immediately in front of her, just the rest of the clearing beyond, ending with another path. She pulled off her gloves and spread her fingers, feeling the smooth, invisible surface. It felt warm to the touch, compared to the chilly atmosphere. Testing different viewing angles, she could see glints of the moon on the clear surface that widened like ripples until it gave way, letting her fingers slip through. It was warm, and her hand distorted as if in water.

"See, Måns? It's real magic." She laughed, pulling back her hand.

Now it was warmer than the rest of her body. Puzzled, she looked at the space in front of her, and up at the moon.

Then it dawned on her. "It's the end of the rainbow, Måns! Maybe there's treasure on the other side!" She reached out once more, stepping into the veil. The bear remained slouched, facing the vanishing shimmer. An echo sounded in the wind...

"Måns?"