Tall Tales

- 19 -

N I N E T E E N

..... ..... ..... ....

Snowglobe

________________________

"Hey! Stop!" I gulp in as much air as my lungs could take. Ah, I'm still not used to spaces this huge. In fact, there are so many things that I have yet to become accustomed to. The weather is warmer, the colors are more vibrant, and oh. Running. That's actually why I'm breathless as of the moment.

For someone who's used to small spaces, chasing someone down takes a lot of work. You see, he took my locket that I need to go home and now I'm trapped. I'm trapped outside unless I can get it back.

He is only a little boy, but with that hood to cover his head, there wasn't much that I could see except for his strands – dark as a raven's. He is a mess, to say the least. His clothes are all worn out and for a passing moment when our eyes briefly met, I could feel the panic rising in his brown irises. But then he pulled on my locket and fled with it. He fled and brought my key back home with him.

He bumps into a bulky man, and that successfully slows him down. I waste no time in making my move to grab him. From my peripheral view, I can see his hand bound into a fist – my locket must be in his hold. Just a touch – my skin on his, and I can use my magic to teleport us away.

———

The lady was so much like a doll. With ivory skin so perfect and blonde locks tied into an immaculate, tight bun, she looks so much like a ballerina figurine that my posh neighbor, Sophia would kill for.

Once. Once every month she would be here in this bustling marketplace. An odd figure – pastel and pale – amidst the vibrant, earthy colors. She looks like she is of a high class. That makes her stand out even more. I wonder if there are other eyes scrutinizing her as well, trying to make a move for her items as I am.

Today, I took her locket. It was not made of gold as what I had expected, but brass with intricate carvings and the initials of FJ. It could be the initials of her name, or perhaps it is an heirloom. Either way, this could sell on the market and I might finally be able to pay for the medications my mother is in dire need of.

I couldn't get away fast enough, though. The guy came out of nowhere, as if he just landed before me so that I'd fall. She caught up to me, even though her stance was all off and awkward in her run, she caught up to me.

Then, in a flurry of blurry scenes, I felt the whole world spun and shifted beneath my unsheathed feet. I don't know much of what had happened after that. Now, to my right is a lake so blue, calm and unmoving. And to my left stretch acres and acres of green grass, decorated with fresh sunflowers gazing upwards. A little further to the left stood a brown cottage, small yet homey.

I scramble to my feet and dash for the cottage. I fall back down no more than five feet from where I was.

"Don't bother," an unmistakably female voice spoke from behind me. I scold myself, of course, behind. "We're in my territory now, and around us is an invisible barrier separating the world outside and us."

"Why am I here? What is this place?" I fix my seating position and turn to face her. This view is so serene, so resplendent, yet so unreal. Why must the beautiful ones be counterfeits?

"Welcome to my humble abode. This is my home, my glass palace, my... beautiful prison, I guess," for a second there, she stares out longingly. "Enough about me, tell me about you – what's your name?"