Just an Ordinary Fairytale

The Crystal Kingdom

Alex sighed as he finished his story.

"So, how did you get this light thing?" Owen asked. He held Lamby as they sat next to the fire. It was nice that Alex was able to help that dragon, it made him feel silly that he had panicked. The light didn't seem so scary either.
"Actually, Sil had called it a fairy light. He gave it to me until he comes back in the morning to give us a ride." When addressed, the fairy light jumped to attention, spooking Owen. He wrapped a blanket around himself, wanting to go home.

The next day, Owen knew that he would never ride a dragon again. No, he would never leave home again. After Sil had returned that morning, Owen couldn't have been happier to touch the ground again.

It didn't help that he had woken that morning to the beast's snout in his face. He had screamed himself hoarse, and then promptly wet his pants. But then he had to get on Sil's back and fly thousands of feet in the air. Owen was certain that he had passed out many times during the ride.

Owen couldn't remember when they had landed, but he had emptied his stomach as soon as he saw the nearest tree. Alex was already at the gate of the crystal kingdom.

There was nothing special about the outside of the gates. Alex could see reflected light peaking over the stone walls. As he leaned against it, a loose piece of wood gave way. Alex held the broken piece, he hadn't meant to break the gate. The gate was so old it would have broken anyway. The hole gave Alex the perfect opportunity to peek inside.

Alex couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was normal, like any other kingdom. He could see children running in the streets, and mothers chasing after them. There was a merchant selling jewelry and cloth, but the cloth was no longer brightly colored and new... But in rags. The kingdom was frozen, like the legend had said, in a glass stone. Every living thing was a crystal statue. Another store owner was stuck in mid-shout at a dog with a chain of sausages in its mouth.

He had not noticed it before, but the day was eerily quiet. It seemed so wrong, it sent shivers down Alex's spine. He felt even sadder when he saw a pile of shattered remains of a bird next to a child drawing in the dirt. A fragile wing stood intact below his feet.

It shook Alex to his core when he realized that EVERYTHING inside the kingdom had fallen under the curse. The witch had not spared a single bird, nor creature otherwise. He was so wrapped up in the moment, that he had walked past the gates, and into the kingdom without noticing. He had even left his friend behind, who was still sick behind a tree.