My mother always told me that my habit of spacing out in bursts of imagination was abnormal, and that I shouldn't tell the stories and adventures I had in my mind, because then the experience wouldn't be as dear. That's how she shut up me up from rambling on and on. It worked, and I kept a few special stories close to my heart and always in my mind.
Well, guess I'm breaking that promise, journal. But this time, the story's absolutely real! I bet if you were a real person, you'd doubt me or tell me to get the story on already, but you're my journal, and even if you were a real person, you'd be a good listener.
So it all started when I ran about the woods, completely absorbed in my imaginary quest to find a secret artifact, which I imagined would be in a cave. It seems like the most obvious place, and I knew where a cave was, on the other side of the river. The other kids, you remember them, always told the younger ones that there was a horrifying demon that haunted children who tried to run away from home. I don't see why I get scolded for having an imagination and they don't, but I guess my mom's just different.
Okay, sorry, got distracted. You might've already knew that anyway. I crossed the river, afraid that I would drown and the demon they talked about were real. Despite that, I kept my balance on the shaking boards that were passed off as a sturdy bridge. My arms were waving around, flapping almost like a bird. A clumsy and ditzy bird, for that matter.
After a hike through the forest, the cave appeared like an oasis in a desert. The cave used to boast gleaming gems, but now they have almost all been drilled out. It was where I needed to be, though. It still seemed to shine with drops of water on the dull sides of the cavern. I engulfed myself in the fantasy that I was an adventurer on a supposedly futile quest for the lost artifact of whatever. My eyes scanned the whole cave, while my legs sidestepped any bugs and sharp rocks. At the end of the cave I felt ready to take a break, leaning against the cold rock wall.
A while after I started searching again, I saw a glimmer of light. Embedded into the wall was a doorknob with a green gem attached to it. I twisted the knob, and the gem fell to the ground, which I promptly picked up. I know it was vain and selfish of me to keep it, but it was shiny and it could've been an actual artifact. My curiosity knew no bounds, so when the door opened, I peered at a room consisting of a mirror, four buttons, each indicating a different direction, and a piece of paper. If you're curious journal, let me get it out and write the message down.
"Hint for passcode: A person sky high, among low morals, can only assume the right of things and can only know what they had when it has left. -M.D."
Do you know how much I like riddles? They're something about them, not exactly misleading you, but it makes you look again. I glanced at the four buttons. If you were real, journal, I'd bet you'd be smart. Or wise. Maybe you're getting this riddle as I speak about it. I clicked the buttons in order, up, down, right, and left. The mirror's glass shatters and the pieces gather on the side, waiting for me to go in.
Could you believe it, if I said there was a whole different world? And it was freezing, and any warmth I felt in that cave was gone. I had looked around, it was a forest like the one I was in, but with snow. In the snow, there were small footprints leading from the door.
I followed them closely, as this could've been the artifact's holder. I noticed the more I walked, the steeply downward the ground was becoming. I kept trudging on, motivated by the mutters I heard.
The footprints stopped, but nobody was there. I saw lazy, small piles of snow, like it guarded something. I dug it up with my barely frostbitten hands. More snow. Hurray. Whoever the person was just wanted to hide their footprints.
A few minutes of walking led me to my destination of a lab. It had no visible windows, but I still felt like I was being watched. I knocked on the lab door.
"Oh, not this again..." The person inside whispered. "Sorry your majesty, it's-" She stopped when she peered down at me, a sort of disbelief in her eyes. "Who might you be?"
"Alex," I said, trying to be polite. The lady was wearing a patched up lab coat, with her glasses almost hanging off of her nose. She appeared to be visibly concentrated on her mug and various notebooks scattered midair. I guess I accepted it. Magical worlds tended to have magical people.
She spoke up again, "I'm M.D., scientist and advisor. Serve the queen, and serve the people. Pleased to meet you, but I'm awfully, and I mean awfully, busy. Can you come by, maybe... never? I'm working on this huge project, so... And it's important. Didn't you read the sign in town? Well, um, goodbye." The lab door slammed shut on its own, seeming to run on anger and not electricity.
Great, stuck in an unknown world and already someone seems to dislike me. I took her unintentional advice, and looked for a town. Small valley towns aren't hard to find, you get this warm feeling, like you're in a safe place. Perhaps it's just me who thinks that way.
The town looked bright against the cool colors of the snowed in world around it. Townspeople were chatting among the paths, and I found the courage to walk in. I found myself at a bulletin board, displaying notes and news about the town. I found the headlines interesting, but I ended up keeping them after the news was dated. I glued it into my scrapbook, don't get jealous journal, so I'll just write it in here.
"Lab boarded up, experiments hidden from public sight."
"Queen enacts new act, justice system improved."
"Scandal: Local theater star dates fan, other fans riot. 'We want justice!'"
The hustle and bustle of the town kept me unnoticed, and kept me part of the crowd. Nobody really questioned me, except a few stares. But overall, my adventure was growing on a higher scale.
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Story Comments: All right, let's get the applause started for the people who told me not to procrastinate. I never really thought that this main character wrote all of this in a journal, but once I got started, I just rolled with it. Also, fantasy's a bit of a shock for me. Didn't think I had enough imagination.
Chapter Comments: That last headline probably won't have any use...
So anyways, until next time. In like, a few days.
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YOU ARE READING
In the Valley
FantasyI knew somewhere out there, my parents were worried sick. Somewhere out there, my friends wondered about me. I knew that a world like this wouldn't last forever, and I had to make it last. But I could always retell it.
