Chapter 1

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In a world, quite different from this, there was a girl named Liliana Carter. Liliana lived alone, her mother and father had passed away many years before.

Not long after her parents passed she went out with her friends to a wood. While she was in the wood she discovered a cave. The cave seemed to go on forever.

When she finally got to the end of the other end of the cave she looked out. As she looked out it appeared as though she was looking from underwater. She continued through and found herself in a wood quite different than the one she had previously been in.

She appeared to be standing next to a pool. As she looked around she saw that the trees grew very close together that when she looked up all she could see was a leafy canopy.

This place was very calm so she lay down and went to sleep.

When she awoke she looked around her again and saw something she hadn't noticed last time. She saw that the pool she was near was not the only pool. As she wandered around looking at the different pools she saw a small animal with a ring tied to its back.

As she was inspecting the ring further another girl came up through the pool near her. Scared, Liliana hid behind a tree watching the new girl.

This girl was looking around trying to understand where she was. She then lay down as if to go to sleep.

A while later a boy came up through the pool. Liliana was surprised, she hadn't expected this many people to come to this place she had found.

The boy looked around just as the girl did. Then his gaze fell on the girl. He stared at her for a while before she said, "I think I've seen you before."

"I rather think so too," the boy said, "Have you been here long?"

"Oh, always," said the girl. "At least — I don't know a very long time."

At this Liliana stifled a laugh. She knew the girl had only come up through the pool just before the boy.

"So have I," the boy said.

Liliana could barely hold her laughter in any longer but managed not to be heard by the others.

"No you haven't," said she. "I've just seen you come up out of that pool."

Liliana was glad that at least one of the pair had some sense.

"Yes, I suppose I did," said the boy with a puzzled air, "I'd forgotten."

After that there was a silence in which Liliana moved around so she could get a better view of the other two who were in the strange wood.

"Look here," said the girl, "I wonder did we ever really meet before? I had a sort of idea — a sort of picture in my head — of a boy and a girl, like us — living somewhere quite different — and doing all sorts of things. Perhaps it was only a dream."

"I've had that same dream, I think," said the boy. "About a boy and a girl, living next door — and something about crawling among rafters. I remember the girl had a dirty face."

"Aren't you getting it mixed? In my dream it was the boy who had the dirty face."

"I can't remember the boy's face," said the boy: and then added, "Hullo! What's that?"

"Why! It's a guinea-pig," said the girl.

Liliana was confused. Although she had never seen that animal before she was confused as to where its name came from as it didn't look like a pig.

"Look! look," cried the boy, "The ring! And look! You've got one on your finger. And so have I."

The girl sat up and after a moment or two she shouted out "Mr Ketterley" at the same time as he shouted out "Uncle Andrew".

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