Fantamasia

The Smokies had told me that Fantamasia would be a very hot climate and that I should wear the clothes for extreme hot habitats. I did as they said and quickly changed into a comfortable shirt made out of fire-proof and water proof material and shorts which had the design of the army with two pockets which were the perfect size to put small titbits in and sneakers which were easy slip-ons and could be easily gotten off the feet and didn’t need socks because those sneakers and socks were a fashion NO as well as a satchel in which I put a water bottle filled with ice cold water up till the rim.

As we made our way to Lost Treasure Island, the sky changed from a clear light blue to a purple misty sky. The sky was filled with chunks of land quite close to each other floating majestically in thin air. I was sure that we had to fly over the rocks because the gaps between each rock type boulder of earth were humanly impossible to jump from. I told Feathers to fly over them to make things easier. Once we had passed the pack of floating boulders of earth we saw another place which was lilac-ish with wines sprouting out from everywhere but not in the air. A small crow landed on the pink dirt and before it knew it exploded right in front of me. My throat became dry ‘Feathers did you just see that?’ I asked anxiously. He replied with a ‘yes’. ‘I think you should stay here, I don’t want you to explode ’.

The air in Lost Treasure Island was thick and heavy making it hard for me to breathe and everything was floating in the air; from teddy bears, blankets and pacifiers to text books, stationary, socks and quarters.  All the things infants, children and adults lost would end up here! I had always wondered where my textbook and stuffed animals had disappeared to. I bravely made my way to the maroon gate, the entrance to Fantasia.

Fantamasia was filled with our imagination, our thoughts, hopes and fears. Everything was water. I was walking on still water, there was a water coloured sky and every now and then rain would fall into the ocean underneath me. It suddenly dawned on me. This was my imagination of how the place actually looked! I could mould its appearance in any way I liked from a fiery melting acidic place to an ice blizzard. I closed my eyes. When I had opened them I saw the scenery of mountains in front of me and molten lava beside them. Okay that wouldn’t work. I tried remembering a peaceful scene, but only fear came in my mind.

 I was suddenly in front of a black sky, thick smoke everywhere and a scorching fire came towards me.  This place technically didn’t want me alive so that I could find my father. I was about to flee when I thought. That’s it! Fear came into my mind because of this place. I had to empty my mind and stay still. Besides the fire wouldn’t hurt me because it was a figment of my imagination. My legs and arms stiff, I waited for the fire to come to me. Suddenly the heat of the fire turned to the pleasant hush of wind blowing at my face and giving me chills. There was a stream in front of me, a clear sky; not any trace of a cloud and the wind flying in any way it pleased. This place would do, but as soon as I took my first step into this peaceful place the land cracked itself and went away from each other. Someone was really holding a grudge with me that they wouldn’t let me save my father. Thanking God that the space was enough to jump from one chunk of land to the other I made my way through the jigsaw land of a puzzle. So the way to get cross was to stay calm and only let peaceful thoughts come in your mind. I was sure that was a piece of cake. WRONG.

 Once I had pictured a scene with my father and I having a picnic with Professor Mufti and Jolene the ground restored itself back to one whole chunk of purple land. As I kept on going forward, my head ached, my limbs were numb and my throat was dry and my water was boiling hot which could burn my tongue and lips if I even tried to take a tiny sip. It was as if there was a force which wouldn’t let me go any further. I would have quit but then I remembered that I had to apologize to my father so without complaining I looked up at the sky, breathed the thick dusty air and kept on going straight with a smile pasted on my face.

 My head was still throbbing and I couldn’t find any trace of water. I was suddenly on my knees, the sun’s rays coming at me and only me. If I were a chocolate then I would have melt. My eyes were stinging with hot liquid streaming out. I tried remembering something pleasant but suddenly I could only see my worst nightmare. I was all alone. Even Feathers had left me and I was in my living room mat crying for all I was worth. I suddenly got up and wiped my tears with my free hand. That will never happen. This place was designed to induce fear, to enlarge it; to make our nightmares possible and our wishes to become figments of our imagination.

I started running from one place to another fire shooting from every direction burning my arms. I screamed in agony. I yelled for my father, for Feathers but I didn’t give up. Not today, not ever. I then thought about my dreams of becoming a, of being the first teenage in my country, of seeing my mother just for once. The fire was gone, and there was a golden gate in front of me and light streaming from every possible angle. ‘Lily?’

I saw him clearly through the light which was erupting from every place imaginable. ‘Dad- is that you?’ I cried while the light tried its best to blind me. I closed my eyes and thought of clouds. Swoosh. I looked up to see grey clouds in the magenta sky. ‘The light was blinding my eyes’ I started saying awkwardly when I realized that my father wasn’t under cover – at all! ‘Wha- why are you here? You’re supposed to be undercover. This seems too easy. I just survived through A-LOT and now I just see you standing here as though you were waiting for me this whole time?!’ I really wanted an answer and I was not going to play nice anymore. ‘..Don’t worry the people who are looking for your father would never make it seem that easy.’ I looked at my feet ‘of course they won’t’ I muttered ‘I am a hologram of your father. He sent me a message to tell you that he is proud of everything that you went through. Good day young girl’ and just like that, the hologram was gone and now I was standing in white space, and just a golden gate ushering me to come closer; to unravel its secrets and to find my father once and for all.

The air was suddenly light and I took the chance to catch my breath. Though I could walk my legs still ached and I thought I had sprained my ankle. So he sent a hologram. That was pretty mighty of him. I just wished that he wouldn’t need to hide and that he would show up instead of sending a HOLOGRAM! There were high peaks ahead of me and a little stream flowing beside it. This place could still be controlled by my imagination so, I turned it into the place that it really was. The sky had turned red. How many colours could this sky change to??

 I would have guessed but had no time when a meteor was aimed at meWhy did they have to be meteors on fire?? Why couldn’t flying bunnies fall from the sky? It would make life easier. Perhaps this was a test. Perhaps the people who were looking for my father WANTED me to suffer so that my father would suffer. This wasn’t his fault and I would prove it. The magnificent golden gate behind me turned to ash and the air become heavy while the ground was burning up .A volcano! That’s what this place would have to be in or on. I thought that I had reached the Earth’s core.

 Something hot hit me and burned my arm. I screamed in pain my eyes red from how intense the heat was. I tried to make my way through this mess only to land on my face my legs curled up in defence. My arms shaking, I got myself up and begged for the people of Fantamasia to just release my father (if they had him). I suddenly saw a drop of light but it soon disappeared which led to me thinking that my mind was playing tricks on me.

My legs were numb and I couldn’t get up. My legs numb, my shorts ripped, my hair tangled and my arms bruised with freshly made cuts, I just wished that my father would forgive me. That he would see that I was sorry for everything. I tried to get up but got no successful results. I sighed; maybe this was the end. I guess my father would never get to know how sorry I was. My head throbbed and I could see that my cheek was bleeding heavily. Not knowing when I had passed out for the second time. Just as the place was swirling round and round I heard someone run to my aid.