Book of Worlds

Chapter Three - Lake Clair

The air around Sonia swirled and a boom of heat blasted the snow back into oblivion. Birds chirped and happily danced loops, luscious green grass appeared beneath the children's feet and grew high enough to tickle their elbows. The earth shook and a thousand roots blasted through the earth behind their backs and shot high into the sky. Branches reached out, leaves appeared and a forest was made. A puddle appeared a few feet ahead, which spluttered and flowed into river that immediately flowed into a crystal clear blue lake.

Sonia shivered with goose bumps, warmth seeped into her limbs. She held out her hands and noticed with bewilderment that she was still holding her diary in her left hand.  She smiled and let the rays of sun melt into her skin, the heat felt so good. She turned to Eric who was grinning at her profusely. There it was again. His contagious smile. She couldn't help but grin as well.

'Am I dreaming?' she asked. Eric shook his head.

'No,' he simply stated. Sonia looked back out and admired the magnificent mountains in the distance, their tips white with snow.

'Am I in heaven?' 

 Eric chuckled.

'No,' he smiled. Sonia looked down at her wet socks and immediately took them off. The grass was so warm and soft. She laid the soaking socks on a nearby rock. A small purple lizard scurried away.

Something small and shining flew past her shoulder and Sonia spun round to see something small hover near Eric's shoulder. It was a small human body the size of her index finger. It fluttered like a butterfly with gorgeous translucent pink wings. It flicked its luscious long blonde hair behind its shoulder and looked at Sonia curiously.

'Is that a fairy?' whispered Sonia. Eric reached up and held out a finger for the beautiful woman to sit on.

'What else could it be?' laughed Eric. The fairy stretched her wings and Sonia admired her long silk dress made of spider-silk.  All of a sudden the fairy giggled and darted off into the distance.

'I'm definitely dreaming,' whispered Sonia. Eric looked at Sonia with a hint of admiration.

'I promise you are not.  Trust me.  You're the first person I've ever taken here,' he said softly.

'Where is here? How did we get here? Is this magic Eric?'

Eric took a step back, his smile evaporating into a scowl.

'How do you know my name?' he demanded. Sonia was confused.

'You told me earlier today, at the bookstore-' Eric took another step back and viciously shook his head.

'What bookstore? I've never met you before!'

'Yes you have! I'm the girl from the bookstore, you gave me The Underground Palace by Alexandra Ramsay and told me-'

'I've never even heard of that book!'

'Why are you lying?' demanded Sonia.

'I'm not!'

'But your name is Eric?'

'Yes.' Sonia and Eric stood staring at each confused. Eric was telling the truth, he had never met Sonia before. But Sonia definitely met him earlier that day.

'Do you have a twin?' asked Sonia. Eric snorted.

'Not that I know of,' he replied, 'and who gives their twin boys the same first name?'

'Your mum?' retorted Sonia. Eric's smile turned back to a scowl. 'I'm kidding,' quickly added Sonia.

Eric let out a sigh and flopped himself onto the ground. It had been a long and stressful day and frankly he didn't care what hallucination Sonia had dreamed earlier.  He took a long sigh and soaked in the warm rays of sun.

Perplexed, Sonia took a few steps back and sat down next to her socks on the rock. The scenery was beautiful, something from a fairy tale postcard. Everything looked so alive and happy and glorious. It was too perfect. In the distance the fairy that Sonia had seen was now dancing with a group of other fairies.  They radiated every colour of the rainbow and their dresses glittered in the sunlight.  Magic, Sonia thought to herself, she had to be dreaming.

'Are we in Neverland?' Sonia asked Eric who was now spread out like a starfish on the ground.

'Nope. Everything in Neverland wants to kill you. If we were there, you would definitely be dead by now.' Sonia was speechless, then all of a sudden everything made sense.

'You can read yourself into books!' Eric didn't respond.  'That's how you made my story come real!' Sonia looked back out at the lake. 'What story are we in now?'

'I prefer the term novel thank you very much. And you're in mine.'

'You're a character in a book?' exclaimed Sonia, her eyes wide. Eric rolled his eyes.

'You're so naïve,' complained Eric, he sat up and looked at Sonia. 'Of course I am, and so are you for that matter, how do you think I managed to get into your world?'

'What? There's a story about me?'

'Duh!'

'But why? My life isn't interesting or adventurous?'

'There's a novel for everyone! Every single person that you have ever met, anywhere, has a novel. Call it a diary, but written in third person.' Sonia was speechless. Was Eric serious? Was it true?

'How come I didn't know about this?'

'I only know a handful who do.' Sonia pondered about this. She couldn't believe it. Was Eric serious? No, Sonia thought, she must still be dreaming. The idea was completely stupid.

'How many stories have you read yourself into?' asked Sonia, curious.

'Too many, lost count.'

'Just a couple? A hundred? A thousand?'

'Man, you're even nosier than that Hermione Granger character from-'

'You've been in Harry Potter?' demanded Sonia ecstatic, 'Can you take me there?'

'Perhaps another day, I'm tired, and hungry for that matter, you hungry?' asked Eric. He popped his head up from the ground and stared at Sonia hopeful.

'Not really,' replied Sonia. Back home it would be roughly 1am maybe, she was still full from the sausage casserole.  'So if you were reading my book, where is it?'

'Back home, probably still on my bed.  I'm really craving some bacon right now.'  

'How far is your home?'

'Just a half hour walk from here.  And eggs.  Not scrambled.  Fried eggs with bacon.'  Eric sighed and jumped to his feet.  'Come on,' he stated, 'I'll show you where I live and I can take you back home.'

Sonia scooped up her socks and glanced back out towards the lake and admired the cluster of fairies dancing in the distance.  She had to be dreaming.  Nothing this beautiful existed in real life.

'You better hurry up!' called out Eric.  'My stomach is starting to eat itself!'

Sonia laughed and ran to catch up to Eric who had already walked a fair distance towards the woods.