Lost In Time

Two Sides of Me

Hey everyone! Long time no see. At this point, this book is complete, and I hope you enjoy reading it! It is also copyrighted so don't you steal anything! I will be super mad!

When I opened my eyes, I was in a courtyard. Pale castle walls glistened with early morning dew, the rough stone worn with years of age. The grass was cleanly cut, and the whole place had that museum-like feel to it, like if you touched one thing, it would fall apart, like a house of cards. It was sort of breath-taking in its own way, but it wasn't why I was here. The reason I was here was that faint tugging at the edge of my vision, buried deep within my mind, growing stronger and stronger with increasing insistence. Something or someone had been here, standing in this very spot at some point in time, but wasn't now, and it was my job to track it down. Whatever it was.

So, I began to hike around, sniffing the air like a deranged mutt looking for a bone. Thank goodness there aren't witnesses this time, I thought grudgingly. It was way too early in the morning for this. A cool morning breeze greeted me as I trudged through the decaying castle, its walls long since worn beyond recognition of whatever it had once been. I shivered, since I was only in my jammies, which consisted of a loose-fitting purple tank top and pink gym shorts. I had managed to slip on the first shoes I had found, which were my fuzzy slippers, which were becoming slowly wet. Oh well, nothing to be done about it.

Twenty more minutes of walking around the huge structure and sniffing for the magical scent that would send me home (much like Dorothy's ruby slippers, I could simply tap it and say take me home Scotty!) the sun's morning rays had been making steady progress into burning the dew drops off of the rich green grass. It also revealed a hidden pathway, showing a hazy set of footprints, ingrained in the past. "Finally!" I breathed, jogging to follow them quickly. I had work in an hour.

The trail led me away from the castle, its looming shadows like a forbidding hand that refused to let me go, even as I stepped out of its cold embrace. Ahead of me was a flourishing forest, ripe in its bounty, the animals and birds already chattering as they woke up and began their day of foraging and surviving. Part of me felt a kinship to these animals; I was into surviving too. No matter the cost.

I felt the whisper of magical power before I saw the object; the steady thrum of energy that energized my tired bones and warmed my skin. Relieved, I hurried over, my downtrodden slippers making a mess of the muddy leaves covering the forest floor. When I came to a fallen tree, rotting and encased in fetid filth, I knew that whoever had left the artifact must have rested on this tree at some point in time, whenever that was. Slowly, I reached my hand into the worn hole that decorated the trunk, rummaging under the loose splinters, leaves, and cobwebs, seeking the source of the continuous thrum of power. My hands closed around it, and I embraced the shock of finding it, tempering and relishing the whoosh of power that zapped my skin. I smiled, closing my eyes as the sun's warm rays in the calm forest melted away in a whirl of sound and color, my body being yanked from one place to the next, the place I had been stolen from; my bedroom.

When everything felt less dizzy and my ears popped one last time, I opened my eyes, taking in the familiar surroundings, even if they weren't the ones I wanted the most. The white walls covered in old newspaper articles, famous quotes, scribbles, and pictures of family and friends. I kicked off my slippers, my cold toes digging into the soft turquoise rug that went nicely with the birch wood. I gently sat on my bed, feeling it barely dip under my slim figure as I looked around my room. There was my light grey couch with the lime green pillows and throw, my small desk covered in paperwork, old pens and pencils and my laptop, the antique dresser that had been here when I moved in, my wall mirror, and my queen sized bed, with the light lilac colored sheets rumpled from earlier use. I had been awakened from my slumber by the artifact I held in my hand. It didn't matter where I was, if the pull was strong enough, I had to go.