Chaos Descending

Pure Imagination

—Chapter 12

The thick fog that had swallowed us whole only moments ago simply melted away like a curtain that covered a great tunnel. I had to pinch myself to realize I wasn't dreaming. Night turned into breaking dawn, and the temperature shifted from a near frigid 40 degrees to a balmy 90 degrees in the blink of an eye. But that's not what left me momentarily unable to speak with my mouth hanging wide open as I stared at the scene before me in astonishment. Floating like a mirage on the horizon stood a medieval stone structure built upon a 400 foot cliff that stood guard over the panoramic forest below. On second thought, scratch that. Forest wasn't even close to the right word.

Besides, forests are green.

No. This place simply defied logic. It was like a paradise of pure imagination. A magnificent creation where fantasy and dreams collided to defy explanation. If possible, a place that was even more wondrous than Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory where instead of making candy, this place was like candy for the eyes.  In fact, every plant, every flower, hell even the dark mass of trees turned purplish by the contrast of the rosy sky above looked good enough to eat. It was almost as if a rainbow made out of pastel colored Skittles had thrown up on...well, pretty much everything.

Forever sealed off and made invisible to the outside world, the idyllic, 19th-century style castle with its cream and gold color scheme, tall pointy turrets, fairy tale-esque architecture, and soaring spires that rose magnificently above the island was quite possibly the most breathtaking structure I'd ever seen. It looked like something straight out of a Disney movie. 

My breath held in a gasp. "Holy turrets, Batman. Now, that's a castle!"

The only access appeared to be via yet another bridge. Thankfully this one was much, much shorter and featured a working drawbridge that hung suspended over a purplish-pink moat, completely surrounding the castle walls on all four sides. Thomas, Vycandor and I waited in silence as some unforeseen force lowered the drawbridge, cranking it slowly open one gear turn at a time. We'd barley crossed the bridge, our footsteps echoing loudly on the worn wooden planks anchored together with thick iron bars, when the drawbridge slowly began to rise one ancient crank at a time, until it reached a perpendicular position and was latched back into place again, keeping it perfectly upright.

Once inside the picturesque grounds of the massive courtyard, hidden deep within the fortress walls like a delicate flower was the castle's magnificent gardens. Lush with many tropical trees and colorful vegetation, I watched as animals in every shape and size roamed freely about — some in their full animal form, some in half animal, half human form as if they couldn't make up their minds, and others in full human form — dressed in what appeared to be costumes from the early nineteenth century that incorporated a certain romantic sensibility with an ostentatious Victorian flair. The females wore colorful silk gowns with bustles and wide skirts, while the men wore wore tight-fitting waistcoats with vests and matching trousers. Everything about it was familiar, but then not at the same time. I had to rub my eyes just to make sure I wasn't seeing things. This place was like a Jane Austin novel and the Garden of Eden all rolled into one.