Ethan Windfall and the Keepers of the Lost Realm: The Calling

Chapter One: I Get Bullied by an Old Lady

/* Before we start, here's a little note. I'm planning on getting this published. (Not any time soon, of course. Publishing is /a lot/ of work, and I need to edit this story quite a bit before I try.) So, it would be awesome if I could have your advice on things to keep in the story and things that I should work on. Thanks, and enjoy 'The Calling'! :D */

You might be reading this book because you're bored, or maybe it's because you think you have magical powers or something. Maybe you found it in a bookstore, and since it looked interesting, you decided to read it. Whatever your reason is, I have a bit of advice for you young readers before you start skimming through my journal. Do. Not. Continue. Reading. This. Book. If you do, it's not gonna end well for you. There isn't anything interesting or exciting about this novel. It just contains uncharted worlds, fascinating creatures, interesting characters, and me dying at least a million times. Sounds boring, right? No? Well, there are three things are bound to happen to you if you continue reading:

Creepy half-man half-donkey creatures are going to start talking to you.

A pegasus will land on the hood of your (or your parents') car.

When you wake up tomorrow morning, an elf will be using your toothbrush.

Now, you might be thinking, "I don't care what the consequences are. In fact, my life is pretty boring. I want excitement." Well, listen. I was exactly like you before the incident. I wanted adventure. Trust me when I say this: if you're a normal mortal, be happy. But of course, if you feel like any of the things written in this cursed diary apply to you, then you're best locking yourself in an attic for the rest of your life.

Anyways, I should probably introduce myself. My name is Ethan Windfall, and I'm a fourteen-year-old guy with severe social anxiety. And by severe, I mean TERRIBLE social anxiety. It's so bad that I'm best friends with a guy who's favorite snack is gummy bears topped with mustard and sprinkles, watches baby shows like 'Dora the Explorer', and stands on the second floor of the mall during his free time dropping spitballs on unsuspecting victims below. If you think that's weird, you should see his picture in the 2016 yearbook. For the first fourteen years of my life, I was considered invisible. Most of the people who passed by me in the hallway every day at school didn't even know I existed. I would've never guessed that in one day-- a twenty-four hour period of time-- all this changed. I would've never suspected that all I knew and loved could vanish in just a few years. Well, enough of my rambling. Let's get started with the story, shall we?

Well, it all started on a warm November morning. It was a beautiful day. There was not a single cloud in the sky, and the weather was perfect for playing basketball in the streets with my friends. As the sun made its way over the mountains, light flooded in through the window next to my bookshelf in the back corner of my bedroom, lighting up the wood plank walls which reminded me of the cabin my family and I used to stay in during the summer.

My room was normally pretty organized with my art supplies on one side and my books and school-related belongings on the other, but today, it looked like a dump. Textbooks, pencils, and erasers covered the face of my desk, and test papers that I had been storing in my book bag were scattered over my bean bag along with a few sticky notes. As for me, I was lying face down, all tangled up in the sheets of my bed. I was only partially awake, but just enough to know what day it was: Saturday.

The birds outside my window were chirping their merry little tune in honor of the weekend. There would be no more quizzes, tests, or boring homework assignments. All I would have to do was--

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

I let out a groan and rolled onto my left side. There are times that I wish I woke up like they do in Disney films. In the movie 'Cinderella', Cinderella always wakes up perfectly happy (and with perfect hair) with the birds chirping outside her window. She stands up, stretches, and begins talking to the critters living inside her bedroom like any average Disney princess. Well, this is another bit of proof that shows how Disney movies are completely unrealistic: no one-- and I mean no one on this entire planet-- wakes up without either a screeching alarm clock, a crazy sibling banging his fist on the door of their bedroom, or an uncle playing bizarre wake up songs from YouTube on his laptop right outside their door. I reached over and ran my fingers over the top of the alarm clock until they found the off button. I was about to press it when...