The Tale of Amaretto

Eleventh Grain

Author's Note: This is where the fun starts! The first world! Please enjoy the landscape, and if you have any questions, please feel free to ask! Also, just for you, I have put up an image of the World's Flag on the right.

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Traveling or "Amaretto Enters a New Dimension..."

Amaretto's voice was engulfed just like the rest of the world around her. She tried to think, but her mind moved sluggishly as the world twisted and spun around her in a burst of colors, sounds and geometrical designs. The world that swallowed her was bright and filled with sound. One moment, the sound of music, the next, an zephyr blowing past, another moment a baby's cry, yet another moment, the crash of thunder. As she looked around Amaretto noticed that the tunnel seemed to fall downwards into an endless pit.

Lights in dots of all sizes whizzed past Amaretto's face and upwards, or perhaps they were moving downwards, or even they could be at a standstill and they appeared to be flying past in rapid succession. The sounds of a thousand voices and more filtered past her ears in such a rapid succession that they hardly registered. Most of it was a blur. She looked up, but could not see her aunt through the light. She looked down, but saw nothing except a small pinprick of black.

There and only there, was it darkness. The darkness of the pinprick seemed so far away until it began to widen into a hole. It began to get closer and as it did, it was rapidly expanding. Amaretto wanted to try to run away, but the world around her had no floor, no ceiling no walls. There was only the simple feeling of floating while falling into an endless depth. The dot expanded in an accelerated growth and Amaretto began to panic slightly. Her throat constricted and soon the darkness closed around her.

Amaretto felt like she was falling through the air and then she quite abruptly crashed to the floor. She lay there gasping and choking, starring at the air above her when a dark spot appeared before her eyes. She stared at the dot, watching it seem to get bigger and bigger. Was she still not through the tunnel? Amaretto heard a sound and she winced, shutting her eyes tight. Above her there was a yell and Amaretto opened her eyes. The sudden form of her aunt falling was the next thing that she saw. She tried to move out of the way by rolling, but it was in vain. Her muscles cried out in pain and Katherine fell directly on top of Amaretto.

"Please, get off of me."Amaretto sucked in breath as Katherine rolled off of her and then took in ragged breaths of her own.

"That was not a fun trip at all," muttered Katherine.

"Could have fooled me," Amaretto responded acidly.

Katherine sighed and then sat up, dusting herself off. She looked around for a moment and then said, "Wait, what happened to my purse?"

Amaretto tried to give her a look which she hoped was as scathing as possible. She was however very surprised by the look of understanding that crossed her aunt's face. Katherine stuck her arm out and from above them the purse fell. The straps whipped around her wrist perfectly and the bag slipped down, coming to rest and hang from the crook of her elbow.

Amaretto felt her jaw drop. Katherine simply reached into the bag and pulled out a compact. She flipped open the small mirror and began to check her makeup. "Well now," she said snapping it shut after a moment, "Let us see where we are."

Katherine gracefully stood up, or as graceful as one could on stone cobbles. Amaretto wondered at the cobbles underfoot. It was strange to her. At least she was not on another planet. Amaretto reached out a hand and Katherine helped her to stand up. It took a moment, but soon Amaretto was standing next to her aunt in what appeared to be a dingy alley way situated between two brick buildings. The space was small and compact and filthy as well. Water pooled viscously in a small corner where it appeared that the cobblestones had cracked and Amaretto was happy that she did not fall there.

As Amaretto brushed herself off, she reached up a hand to check and see if the necklace was still around her neck. The Hourglass was warm to the touch and Amaretto sighed for just a moment. She still had the stupid thing and it would more than likely be the death of her. What kind of stupid idea was a test run anyway? Amaretto was more than sure that she did not want to participate. However, considering that she was not at home doing her homework for the next day was a likely indicator that she didn't have as much choice as she had hoped she would.

She watched as Katherine walked over to the end of the small alleyway and then nodded her head. She turned around and at that moment, there appeared to be a popping sound. There was a rush of air and then the world seemed to tilt back into focus. A rush of air swished past Amaretto and she took a breath and she could taste the subtle tang of smog in the air. Rain started to fall from the sky and pierce the area in the small alleyway around her and her aunt. Katherine reached into her purse and pulled out a small parasol umbrella and opened it. Amaretto looked up at her aunt. "What just happened?"

"Oh, the bubble, that was just the adjustment happening. Whenever you travel through time and space, the world creates a small bubble that allows your whole being to adjust to the new world that it is on and also where you have been. You will get used to it soon."

"I don't want to get used to it! I want to go home!" Amaretto's voice was terse and she was beginning to get angry. "This whole test run thing was a trick wasn't it?"

Katherine walked over to where Amaretto was being rained on and then said in a soft voice, "I'm sorry Ama, but you're going to have to face it; we aren't on Earth Secundus anymore. People will want your Hourglass here too..."

Amaretto looked at her aunt with confusion playing through her features. "Earth Secundus? What's that?"

Katherine sighed in an exasperated tone. "My darling little Ama, that is where you are from. That is the reality where you grew up and where you are most comfortable. This place however, while it is close to your time is very different. It runs on a different time axis and has a whole different history."

Katherine looked out at the street and as she did so Amaretto frowned at her. "Reality and time axis," she mumbled to herself, "I don't understand what you are talking about."

Katherine seemed not to notice Amaretto mumbling and said, "What that history may have been, I am not sure. I will say this however: God save the Realm!" With that she pointed upwards. Amaretto walked to where her aunt was and allowed for her eyes to wander in the direction in which her aunt was pointing. A small gasp escaped from her lips. Fluttering and flying in the wind was the Union Jack of Great Britain, but it was slightly different. In the center, superimposed above the traditional colors, was a large bronze gear with a ring of gold in the center.

"What is that?" Amaretto pointed to the flag and looked at her aunt with surprise.

"That my dear," began Katherine, "Is the sign of the Empire and realm of New Machina, also known as the Second Great Empire of England, upon which the sun has never set." Amaretto blinked a few times at this answer. Katherine watched in amusement as Amaretto's mouth dropped open.

"New Machina; what happened to just normal England?" There was an amount of wonder in her voice. Amaretto turned back to look at the flag as her aunt shrugged.

"That's something that Tempus would be able to answer and explain easier than I. Speaking of which, since we wound up here, he must be somewhere nearby..." Katherine trailed off as Amaretto's head whirled. She had too many questions about what was going on. Wasn't this supposed to be a test run? First it was the glass, and then it was la sorcieire, now it was this. Amaretto felt like her head was going to explode. This whole thing felt like an inevitable trap deluxe!

Her aunt suddenly chimed happily. "There it is! Come on; let's go before we are noticed." Amaretto's hand was grabbed by her aunt and she felt herself being dragged across the street into a small building which turned out to be a watch shop. The rain that poured down from the sky caught Amaretto off guard, but when she got into the shop, she realized that she was soaked anyways, even for the short distance that they had covered from the alley mouth to the shop. It took but a moment more, but her musings about how wet she was were soon replaced with the silent ticking that seemed to fill all of the silence next.