Seeing Is Believing

Chapter 7

"This isn't grandpa's place." Peregrina looked down again at her feet to see the slippers vanishing into thin air to be replaced by her crocs. "Where am I now? How does Dorothy know Dad?"

It was so cold. Her fingers and toes were starting to freeze to death. In the distance she saw an old London lamppost which stood alone in a circle of trees and bushes. Strange. That someone would put such a thing in a place like this where absolutely no one lived. What a waste of electricity, Peregrina wondered. How did they even supply electricity to a thing so far away from civilization? Magic perhaps?

She turned towards the big thick bushes and saw a light shining through its branches. A half of her told her go and take the chance. Who knows, it might be the way that back home. The other half rebelled saying that it might be another portal leading her to another stranger and mystical land. She decided to take the risk and advanced forward to the light. What other choice was there?

Through the bushes she went. The ice that was on them hit and scratched her face but still she didn't care and pressed on through. Peregrina was only focused on getting to where the light source was coming from. It felt so warm and comfortable in the freezing temperature she was currently in. She pushed on the last branch and felt something soft and furry. Having no idea what it was, she freaked out and and ran through it, finding herself falling out of the ancient wardrobe she had come across yesterday morning in her grandpa's attic. "I'm back! Safe!" Peregrina yelled joyfully, "Thank god for leaving the wardrobe door open. The furry things... They were the winter coats!"

She looked at the clock next to the wardrobe. It was like she had never left and gone to all those different magical lands at all. The date was still May the 4th and it was just a few minutes past 11. She ran downstairs to her family who were all in the living room sorting out their things. "Mum! Mum! I love you! You were right!" Peregrina said excitedly as she saw her and ran up to hug her.

"Calm down Peregrina. Right about what sweetheart?" her mum replied.

"This house! It is really magical! Magic really does exists! I'm going to be in my starting on my homework so call me down when it's lunchtime." Peregrina rushed out of the living room and upstairs.

"What was all that about?" her dad asked her mum.

Peregrina's mum smiled, "She's just found inspiration for her story."

"Oh oh oh!" Peregrina came back before rushing upstairs again, "Dorothy told me to say hi to you dad. I don't know what relationship you two have but I would like a clear explanation later."

Her dad was speechless, "How did she..."

"This is quite an extraordinary house." Peregrina grandpa's said as he took a book entitled 'My Life in Oz' out of the living room bookshelf.

"You can't possibly think that was true?" Her dad asked.

"Like you don't. I've been through many things Jack. Seen crazy things and met crazy people. The world's actually hiding more than you think." Peregrina's grandpa said as he handed Peregrina's dad the book, "Written by your grandmother, Dorothy Gale. She gave it to my mother just before she passed away. Quite an interesting life she lived. You also have quite a family tree there haven't you? Descendent of Peter Pan... I never suspected that he would return to this world and fall in love. Now how did that happen?"

"He finally decided grow up." Jack smiled as he took the book, sat down on the sofa and began reading it, "To give your grandmother this book. What was she to mine?"

"To know that I guess you need to be briefed about our family tree and history as well. Our ancestors had quite a good past with each other." Peregrina's grandpa took another book out of the shelf this time a photo diary, "Come on over Jill. It's story time."

"Aren't we adults a bit too old for that?" Peregrina's mum said grinning as she walked over and sat next to her husband.

"Nobody is ever too old for a good story." Peregrina's grandpa said as looked at a photo of his father with 4 children. On the back a short note said, Professor Digory Kirke with the Pevensie children. He then flicked to another photo, this time of his mother and in the bottom right-hand corner, fancy written words saying Alice Kingsleigh 1887.

While all this was happening downstairs, upstairs Peregrina took out her pencil and some paper and started her story with the words, "Adults say that magic does not exist, that it is just something made up for the entertainment of little children. But is it really? If anyone were to go out and shout to the world that they believed in magic, everyone would probably call him or her an idiot. Sure, I can understand it is quite hard to imagine such a thing to be real as you do not see it everyday but I myself never used to believe in it... until now. One phrase describes it exactly, seeing is believing. You have to actually see it to believe it. And that is what my story is about. How I came to believe in magic..."

~ The End ~