Mist

THE OTHER WORLD

"Oh , Martha ! You worry yourself a lot. She is not a kid, anymore. She'll be back any moment now." said Luella as she put a comforting hand on her daughter – in- law's shoulder.

"Oh , there she is !" Martha cried, relief written all over her face, as she pointed at Hazel, who was walking towards them. Harris went up to her.

" Hazel !Where the hell have you been ? Your mother has been worried sick. I can't believe that you were this irresponsible..." he snapped.

" Shut up, Harris." said Martha , "Look at her, she's sweating like crazy. Are you okay, Haze ?"

"I...I was taking a stroll and I lost my way. I am really sorry, dad."

Luella knew that Hazel was lying.

"It's alright. You look so tired, my dear." said Martha, putting a consoling hand on her shoulder, "Harris, we must go home, now."

"Yeah." Harris sighed.

In a few minutes , they were ready to leave. Just as she was about to enter the car, Luella felt hand on her shoulder.

"Hazel ."

"Gran , I need to talk to you ...as soon as we reach home." Hazel said, anxiously.

Luella smiled.

"Of course, my child."

****
Quarter to midnight.

 The ticking of the clock was in synchronisation with her heartbeat. Hazel's feet tapped  continuously on the floor ;  every second testing her patience.

"We will talk after everyone's off to bed." Gran had said.

She saw gran enter the hall. Hazel quickly rose up to her feet.

"Come ." said gran. Hazel followed.
She walked up the stairs to the study, as quiet as a ghost and stopped only when she had reached a small , dusty corner of it , which she was not very familiar with. It was cold, like it hadn't felt human presence in a long time.

"Ah ! A long time it has been, since I've last been here ." said Gran , as she settled comfortably on a green armchair.

She looked at Hazel for a minute or two, her eyes boring into her expectantly.

"As far as I remember, you had something that you wanted to talk about ."

"Er... yes , gran. I do.", Hazel said, trying her best to keep her voice steady. She recounted the happenings of the woods to her grandmother.

"Doesn't it all sound like ..."

"Cinderella." Gran said, staring deeply into Hazel's eyes.

All of a sudden, Hazel felt a pang of discomfort within herself. What was  Gran thinking ? Maybe, she thought that Hazel truly needed psychiatric help, after all.

"Gran, whatever you might think of this , I swear that I am not lying. She can't just be a part of my imagination. She has to be ...real ." she said and immediately sensed a conviction in her voice.

"That I believe, my child. You do not need to give me any clarification. Imagination is to look beyond the limited and to have a panoramic view of the world."

"She's so calling a psychiatrist." thought Hazel, as she bit her lip.

" So child , when I told you about 'the other world' , what did you think I meant ?"

Whatever it was, it definitely could not be what Hazel thought.

"It's okay, Gran. I get your point. It must have been one of my stupid hallucinations. Tell mum and dad that I am fine now." Hazel said, proceeding to leave.

"Wait, Hazel. I believe you. Look into my eyes."

Reluctantly, she turned to meet the misty irises that stared straight into her and something in them made her stay.

"Fine."

"Ours is a small world , child , a small world. We live on a small orb in the vast ocean of the universe; an ocean of endless possibilities that hosts multiple worlds, multiple dimensions and life forms. There is a world that runs parallel to ours. A world which perhaps, makes more sense to people like us, the wide-eyed daydreamers.

"Hazel, do you remember the fairy tales I narrated to you ? At first, you thought them strange and meaningless, but later, you realized how meaningful they were and how much their world resembled ours."

"So this other world is...the Fantasy world." Hazel said, not quite conscious of her own words.

" Or the Fantasy Realm."

"Like the one in Alice in Wonderland ?"

"Yes, but slightly different from Wonderland. Every member of the Smith family has tried to visit this other world, to find an answer to its various mysteries, to finally go where they really belong. But that is possible only if you have the magic touch."

"The magic touch ?"

Luella reached for a drawer in the desk and brought out a very old and fat book ; its pages were yellowing with eaten edges. It had a blue velvet jacket. From its spine, grew a mesh of silver vines, that cobwebbed half the front cover.

"This is one of the portals between our world and the Fantasy world."  said Luella.

"But how do you have it ?"

"You can think of it as an heirloom. The folks of the fantasy world gifted this 'book' to our ancestors ,who were one of the first humans to visit their realm."

"Hmm ..." said Hazel, never removing her gaze from the object.

"It's midnight. The time has come. Get ready for the greatest adventure of your life , my dear Hazel."

"What do you mean? Am I going there right now ?" She looked at her grandmother with pure disbelief , "How can I ? I mean, I am not even prepared. I don't know a thing about this place..."

"Oh , you've never been more ready." said Luella excitedly , "Now, my dear, if you could open the book for me."

Hazel hesitated. "Gran..."

"Don't worry, Hazel. Have faith in yourself, if not in me."

Hazel moved forward. She put her hand on the cover, stroking the soft velvet and finally opened it.

There was a blinding flash of light.