Here is a Short story I wrote very recently for my Professional writing unit. It is the first in a series of short children tales about The Nowhere Lands. Hopefully after my exams and such, I will be able to focus on writing some more. Again comments and criticism will be much appreciated.
Lacey hopped across the stepping-stones, which carved a path through the slivering stream, as gracefully as a pixie may, or as Simon thought, a frog.
Simon loved frogs, but not so much toads. They were a bit too warty and slimy for his liking. He watched Lacey hop-hop-hop across the stones but was too scared to do it himself, not that he’d ever admit that. At ten years old Simon thought he had a pretty thorough understanding of the world. Unlike Lacey. Lacey was Simon’s twin, and seemed to have no concept of when something was a bad idea.
Lacey, sprinting up the hill on the other side of the stream suddenly disappeared. Confused Simon quickly scoured the hill and the large garden, but couldn’t see a sign of the graceful frog.
“Lacey!” he shouted, trying not to panic. “Lacey! Stop messing about and come back, before we get into trouble!”
The only response to his calls was a bird squawking in a nearby tree. Simon jumped and turned his back on the stream and looked across the picturesque garden towards the small cottage at the far end. His grandparents lived there; Simon and Lacey were visiting for a few weeks, as it was the summer holidays. They weren’t allowed to cross the stream; grandma had been explicit about that. Should he go and tell them? Or go across the stream and find Lacey himself? He didn’t want to get her into trouble, but he was afraid to cross the stream by himself. Hesitantly Simon bent down to examine the stones in the stream to see how safe they looked. They didn’t. They looked slippery and slimy.
Another bird chirped loudly startling Simon again. He looked up across the stream, when he saw something strange. The air seemed to be moving. Folding in and out in waves, almost how it looks on a hot, dry day, but more fluid. Entranced by the liquid air Simon hobbled across the stones, and was hurrying up the hill in a matter of seconds. He stopped abruptly, centimetres from the moving air, which seemed to be letting off a cool breeze. His nose wrinkled in confusion, he tentatively put a finger through the sea of air. He couldn’t see the finger anymore, but it was definitely still attached to him. The air felt icy but not cold, like silk and water at the same time. Then out of nowhere something starting sucking at Simon’s finger. Horrified he recoiled, but he couldn’t remove his finger from whatever it was that had trapped it. Then he was jerked forward and he fell through the liquid air.
At first he honestly thought he was dead. All he could see was a bright white light. Or was it a light? It was everywhere whatever it was. Didn’t everyone always say that when you’re dying you see a bright white light? Panicking he picked himself up off of what seemed to be the floor and spun round trying to find the spot he fell through, but there was just the Whiteness everywhere.
“Lacey! Lacey are you here?” he shouted, or tried to as his voice seemed to disappear as it left his mouth. “Lacey! Please, where are you?” he was sobbing now terrified, convinced he’d died.
Something tugging on his trouser leg, made him stop his sobbing and look down, where he saw a tiny man, no bigger than a large crow, who appeared to made out of crystal that shone a rainbow of colours as he moved. “Um…h-h-hello?” Simon stammered, mesmerised by the glistening man.
“Good day!” replied the man, seeming relieved “Thank The Waters the other one has turned up!” He continued to himself.
“Pardon?” stammered Simon, thoroughly perplexed, but hopeful at hearing what the man had said about “the other one”.
“Oh, I’m ever so sorry! So rude of me! I am Sebastian, and you are Simon! And this is your sister I believe!” holding up an even smaller crystal doll, that did look remarkably like Lacey.
“Um, I-I don’t know. Last time I saw her she was bigger….and not made from crystal…” replied Simon, even more baffled now. “How did you know my name, and what have you done with Lacey?”
“I young sir, have done nothing to dear Lacey. She did it to herself, but do not fret tis nothing that cannot be undone, my lad!” Sebastian reached up till Simon took the Lacey doll, grinning, which did not look pleasant on the hard, cold crystal face. “Well, I guess my dear Simon, you’ll be wanting to know how to turn the silly little girl back”.
“Well yes, that would be…very helpful of you…if you could…” Simon was now sure he was dead, or at the least having a very strange dream. Perhaps he had slipped on the stepping-stones and banged his head, very hard.
“Its quite simple really” Began Sebastian, speaking so fast it took Simon a few seconds to work out what had actually been said. “Your impulsive sister crossed the boundary just like you did, but unlike you she was unfortunate enough to land in the Iridescent Desert. And then covered in the sands of the desert, she happened across one of the dazzling Oasis’s there, and like many a lost wanderer she decided upon a swim in the alluring crystal waters. Well Crystal Water and Iridescent Sand, when mixed together and then left to dry, as everyone knows, results in whatever its drying on to turn into Crystal.” He finished matter-of-factly, slightly out of breathe.
“Oh” faltered Simon, “so why is she so small?”
Sebastian sighed, and then continued as if he was speaking to a toddler “Well, Crystal isn’t exactly lightweight is it? Plus the size and strength of a Crystal Person depends on how much Sand there was on them when they dried, and how quickly they dried. Obviously.”
“Why can’t she move? Or Speak” realised Simon panicking again.
“She’s probably in shock. Everyone becomes mobile in his or her own time. She is being particularly slow I must say. I’ve been carrying her weeks, looking for you to get her.”
“Weeks? She only fell through a few minutes before I did!”
“Time moves differently here, depending on where you land, and where you are going to.” Sebastian explained impatiently, checking what appeared to be a timepiece, but Simon couldn’t be sure as it appeared to have six faces, twenty plus hands and numerous pictures and symbols.
“Ok, so how do I change her back, and go home?”
“Well as soon as she enters your world again, she will become human, but every time she crosses the boundary she will turn into Crystal. But she may have some…residue-a glow really- after she transforms. Now it’s not your time to be here. You weren’t supposed to turn up for another two Earth years! What will Godric say when he finds out? Oooh there will be many questions to be asked and answered.” He looked up at Simon, surprised. “Will you go already? Before anything else goes wrong?” he said suddenly alert.
“How!?” Exclaimed Simon, worried by what the strange man had said. But before he had time to ask any more questions, he was shoved backwards, as he fell he passed through want seemed to be a warm bath.
Simon awoke on the grass hill. He looked to his side and saw Lacey lying next to him; she was awake but looked bewildered. She seemed to be covered in a pinky-purple haze. Simon looked behind him, but the air looked normal, the boundary had disappeared.
