There's a Castle Outside?!

Narrative - There's a Castle Outside?!

     A/N: Just a quick authors note to you, reader, before I start. I would like to thank you for reading this short little story. It literally means the world to me that you have chosen to read this. Ok, on with the short story! ^_^

     As the young girl took a bite of her favorite cereal Cinnamon Toast Crunch from her spoon, she glanced out the kitchen window to find a colossal castle standing out among the towering trees. She dropped the spoon and stared open-mouthed in awe of the castle. She quickly slid out of her chair and padded to the door that led to her backyard to get a better view of the oddly placed castle. The castle, at least four times the size of the young girl's own house, had many windows and stood proud against the trees that seemed as if they were trying to hide it but couldn't reach high enough. She felt a strange desire burning from within her, a pull to go to the castle and she took a step forward to start her journey.

     "Riana, are you finished with your breakfast?" Riana heard her mom call down to her, making the young girl snap out of her daze. She looked behind her at the stairs that led to the bedrooms then back towards the castle. She looked longingly at the castle then decided that it was better to be dressed than to go in her nighties then go to explore the castle.

     "Yes, mommy." Riana answered her mom. Riana, being the responsible nine year old her mom taught her to be, went back to her bowl that sat on the island to take it to the kitchen sink then she rinsed out her bowl. After she finished she rushed up the stairs and into her room, which happened to be the first door on the left, and felt as though she was flying to her small dresser so that she could explore the castle.

     She opened the second drawer from the top of the five drawer dresser to find her favorite explorers' shirt; a golden brown plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows so she could have more mobility in her arms. Although it was a boys' shirt, being slightly taller than most nine-year-old girls made it seem like a perfect fit. She closed the second drawer and opened the top to find a black lacy-leaf-edged cami already waiting for her and smiled at it as she removed it. She skipped over the middle drawer and quickly moved on to the second to last where her jeans and leggings were and picked out her favorite black leggings that looked as though the sides were ripped but there was fabric underneath them. She closed the drawer then moved on to her small walk-in closet where her mom had organized everything for her; dresses on her left, skirts in the middle, and nice shirts and pants. She dragged out her small step stool so she could reach her clothes and stood on the top step. She decided on a black A-Line skirt that went down about mid-thigh but figured that since she would be wearing leggings under them she would be fine. A shelf stood above Riana leaning on nails for support and all the while still held her clothes and accessories. Riana picked out a small black messenger bag and tossed it down to the hardwood floor then blew her chocolate mocha bangs out of her aquamarine eyes.

     "I need a hat." Riana thought to herself as she saw a black knit hat her Grammy made for her when she was five. It still fit her so she reached for it and quickly put it on her head, which pushed her bangs back enough so they wouldn't block her vision again. She stepped down until her bare feet touched the hardwood floor and she quickly put her step stool away then began her look for the perfect exploring shoes underneath all the dressy clothes. She found the perfect pair of black boots to go exploring in and smiled as she lay her outfit out on her floor. She closed her window curtain and scurried to dress herself. After she was dressed, Riana snatched up her messenger bag and headed to her dad's garage for some equipment. Riana found a flashlight, her dad's spare first-aid kit, and one of her dad's old Swiss Army Knives. She smiled to herself at the memory of her dad then went out to the front room where her khaki colored faux-fur hooded coat waited for her on a hook. She quickly went into the kitchen to grab a water bottle and a few snacks just in case if she would get hungry. She fills the water bottle and is about to leave when she realizes that she needs to tell her mom that she's going out. Not wanting to waste anymore time, she grabs an old envelope and a pen from the table and scribbles down a quick note in her semi-readable handwriting that she's going to the woods. She takes off as fast as she can.