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| http://knittedbygodsplan.blogspot.com/2015/12/character-encounters-december-2015.html |
It’s not
every day that your basement door takes you to another world.
I awkwardly
turn the silver handle, struggling to keep my stack of books and notebooks in
one arm and my glass of water in the other from ending up on the floor, and
push the door open. I flip the light switch, but the only light comes from the
bulb at the top of the stairs- shadows await at the bottom. The light bulbs must’ve burned out again.
Didn’t we just replace those? I shake my head and head down the stairs.
Oddly, the
basement doesn’t come into view as I step below the level of the first floor
and the wall on my right gives way to open air- only more darkness greets me.
I’d guess that all the lights have somehow burned out at once, were it not for
the fact that I’ve been walking for nearly a minute and haven’t found the
ground yet. The air is also growing uncomfortably cold, and I can’t help but
wonder . . .
Eventually,
light diffuses through the shadows- but not the yellow brightness of
lightbulbs; it’s the pale, cold glow of sun on a winter morning. My next step
brings the sound of snow crunching beneath my slipper- Oh dear- and with that, the staircase disappears and my
surroundings come fully into focus.
Blue trees.
Pink snow. “Toto,” I mutter, to no one in particular, “I don’t think we’re in
Kansas anymore. Or New York, for that matter.” I shiver as a chilly breeze
blows past, and then I notice something lying in the snow: a pair of tall brown
boots and a matching leather bag. A scroll lies on top, and I bend to pick it
up, nearly spilling my water and dropping a book in the process. With some struggle,
I get the note open, and grin when I read it: “I thought you might need these. Enjoy Rizkaland (and keep an eye out
for a friend showing up soon)!- Laura”
Without
hesitation, I first stuff my notebooks and books into the bag, and then slip my
feet into the boots- which fit perfectly. I push my slippers into the bag as
well, shaking the snow off them first, and look around. Judging by the snow
color, I’m probably in Lower Klarand- though where exactly I haven’t the
foggiest idea.
“Hello?” An
oddly familiar voice comes from behind me and to my left. “Hello?”
I turn and
grin at the red-haired girl pushing her way through the trees. “Katelyn!” Will she recognize me? There’s a
fifty-fifty chance either way- even if she’s not a bard and not from Udarean,
she still comes close to seeing life in story-terms, and she’s not technically in her story anyway . . .
Sure
enough, she grins back. “Sarah!” She darts forward and hugs me. “What are you
doing here? What am I doing here? Where
is here anyway? I was looking in the
back of my wardrobe for something when it suddenly opened up and dumped me in
this place . . . at first I thought I’d finally managed to get into Narnia
after all, but everything’s the wrong color.”
“Well, the
sky’s still blue, at least.” I sip my water, amazed it hasn’t turned to ice
yet. “You’re in Rizkaland. Lower Klarand, to be exact. Why we’re both here . .
. must be a Character Encounter.”
Katelyn
wrinkles her nose. “Where’s Rizkaland? Another of the Seven Worlds?”
I shake my
head. “Rizkaland is from the Rizkaland
Legends . . . which you haven’t read because I’m pretty sure they came out
the summer after you left. I’ll try to get you a copy of Water Princess, Fire Prince once I get home, and maybe Lady Dragon, Tela Du, if it comes out before
I get around to getting you the books. You’ll enjoy them.”
“Thanks.”
Katelyn looks around. “So, where to now?”
“Um . . .”
I shrug and point in a random direction. “That way? I really have no idea.”
“Works for
me.” Katelyn sets off, apparently unconcerned by the fact that we’re both
directionless in a strange world. I decide to hope that it’s her
genre-savvyness at work; she knows as well as I do that no matter which way you
go in a fantasy world, you’re bound to encounter something or someone interesting.
Sure
enough, after some time, we hear footsteps up ahead, and a voice calls, “Hello?
Who’s there?” A moment later, a redheaded young man emerges from the trees,
with two older men behind him. The young man wears a circlet studded with
rubies on his brow, leaving me with no doubt to his identity.
“Katelyn
Stevens, formerly of Earth, now of Aralan,” Katelyn replies, her grin widening
at that last bit. “And this is Sarah . . . um, don’t know her last name . . .
of Earth.”
“And you’re
Andrew, the Fire Prince,” I offer. “Aren’t you?” The fact that I’m talking to
one of my favorite characters from the Rizkaland universe while wearing an
oversized sweatshirt and fleece pajama pants with owls on them suddenly hits
me, and I feel my cheeks go red. I mean, meeting Katelyn’s one thing- she’s
worn the same sort of thing on more than one occasion- but meeting Andrew is entirely another. At least Katelyn looks
more or less at home, in brown leggings, a long green tunic, and brown leather
vest.
“I am.”
Andrew, diplomatically, gives no sign that he’s surprised by Katelyn’s words-
or that he’s noticed my embarrassment. His next words explain the former, just
as his character does the latter: “The Doorkeeper stopped by yesterday, and
told Clara and I that we’d be having visitors from Earth soon. I didn’t expect
you this soon, but . . . there’s always rooms ready at the Kastle. Would you
care to come?”
“We’d love
to.” Excitement rises up over my embarrassment, pushing me forward. “Please,
Fire Prince, lead on.” Katelyn and I share another excited look. Her and I, on
an adventure-of-sorts in Rizkaland- what could be better?
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Thanks for reading!
-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)
Nice, I like it better than mine.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
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