Travel to Sockland

Chapter 44

They touched down very lightly right back where they started. Flimgog leapt lightly to the forest floor and Arnie stood up. He reached out a hand and helped Isabelle get to her feet. She moved close to him and they stood, hand in hand, side by side.

The moth that had been carrying Isabelle took off and disappeared into the night. The Queen faced them.

"And now for you to return home."

"Your majesty it's been an amazing experience here in Sockland. I always imagined such a place could exist, it is depicted constantly through my paintings." Isabelle said.

"I know, and in fact you are the architect of much of this place Isabelle."

"And Arnold, your belief in the existence of other worlds makes you an invoker of the deepest magic. It is you two who keep up as we are."

Arnie looked at Isabelle. If they had passed each other in the street they would have paid no attention to each other. You couldn't find two more different people. She with her multi-coloured hair and paint-spattered clothes. Her aesthetic eye and mischevious personality and he with his perfectly pressed shirts and logical thinking. His square-rimmed glasses and pompous demeanor. But, he thought, they were both eccentrics in a world of rules. Each in their own way saw beyond the mundane and strived for the impossible.

Isabelle smiled at him and his stomach gave a flutter. The Queen spoke again.

"Flimgog, what do you wish to do?"

"Your majesty I with to return with Arnold if I may."

"You may." She turned her attention to Arnie. "Pick him up."

Arnie did so.

The Queen looked at Isabelle and gave a graceful wave of her wing. There was a rustling from further in the woods and then a little shape appeared, darting towards Isabelle. As it got through the clearing it leapt into the air towards her. Isabelle caught it. It was a paintbrush. A thin bodied brush, with a very fine tip.

"My paintbrush!" Isabelle's delight was obvious. The paintbrush replied to her. It was clearly female, it's voice even higher-pitched than Flimgog.

"Yes Isabelle. It was I that you followed here."

The Queen glanced at them.

"Until we meet again." she said simply. Arnie felt a sadness as he realised they were leaving. He turned to Isabelle who looked into his eyes. It was a blazing look. He stared right back, realising they would be separating now. The Queen lifted her wings. Isabelle leaned forward and found his lips, it was a light kiss, and then he was swallowed by darkness. He felt Flimgog in his hand and air rushing past as though he was moving up quickly. He closed his eyes.

It didn't take long for it to stop and he was standing still. He felt Flimgog still in his hand. He opened his eyes and saw his bedside chest of drawers. Everything looked exactly as it was, the sock drawer was open and the individual green heeled sock sat innocently where it had been, missing it's partner.

"That's the sock that started it all." he said, looking down at Flimgog.

His stomach lurched as he saw that his friend the pencil was stock still. Etched onto the metal ring before the eraser he could just make out the markings of a face, but other than that it was just a pencil, robbed of the life it recently held.

Arnie sighed, put the pencil down onto the chest of drawers and sat down on his bed.

The End.

Thank you for making it to the end! I hope you enjoyed this story! It was fun to write! Please let me know by commenting!