Memories (Of Dreams and Demons)

A Realm Abandoned

Initial rough draft to be revised over weekend, sorry for the delay! <3 Just finished settling back in.

This is the first rough draft for Chapter 32 - A Realm Abandoned - plot and action outline, needs polish and to paint the background scene.

Naoko and I take in the magic around us. Ancient books wait row after row in dimly lit corridors of high bookshelves, reading stands and comfortable lounges where one could sit and get lost in worlds apart for the rest of their lives, high-arched windows of double-glazed glazed decorated in surreal etchings of wind and water.

A building in which portals to unlimited possibilities await, doorways to other worlds unbound by rules and laws, forged in the awakened minds of a child's imagination. But we only care for one tonight: that little doorway that leads to the land for Naoko and I, the door to the Realm.

This time we don't need to imagine it, don't need to try and believe it's real. When we turn our last corner, the door stands out clear as day, tucked away beneath a row of books near the corner of the library, patiently awaiting our return.

Its presence is as natural as the books that are snugly tucked around it; a natural part of the library twinkled into existence alongside everything else when we believed it back into existence.

The door swings open as we approach it, small rays of golden-tinged light bouncing between the books, a whisper of the magic we once shone upon the Realm during our last adventure.

Naoko pauses to stare at the door, silent, her eyes wide and bright. It twinkles in response, the bursts of light little dancing sparks reflected in her mismatching eyes. A slight gust from within the door, a fresh breeze promising yet another adventure, swish loose wisps of hair up above her cheek.

Her smile is the golden light as I gaze upon this girl who dares to dream.

"We made it back," she says, almost too softly for me to hear, "..you still.. believed."

We follow it and enter our old Realm, the place is peaceful quiet and serene but destroyed. Heavy overgrowth closes the gap hole above. We leave through the old boulder we blocked the stairs with. Return to the cave. Its hollow but still beautiful, wild. Cubbyhouse, we fix it up. Plan our next move, we are seeking understanding. Knowledge, we need to defeat Moloch.

We both re-enter the Realm.

Moloch's scars still mar the beauty, but it is overgrown again still, peaceful, serene. Lost, beautiful, and scarred. Bones and skulls of fallen animals, long passed away in gentle solitude rather than violence, rest a testament to the life they once enjoyed in our little sanctuary.

Cale sits there waiting at the waterfall.

"It's been a long time, children," he says soothingly but concerned.

"I'm not sure. It's kind of nice just resting here for a bit, don't you think?"

Cale looks around.

"True. It is much safer down here. There is a lot of light." Cale agrees. "But where is the danger and adventure in that?"

She sits up and her eyes light up. "I agree!"

"Keep exploring, keep imagining." Cale says mischievously. "You are small and fast. The rabbits are just cautious, and overly protective of their forest."

"You may not be ready," Cale shakes his head, "to be true, you may never be ready."

"But dark times call for hard decisions to be made, and you must return to the Realm no matter the odds, no matter the darkness, lest it slip away forever."