by A. D. Duling
Luckily for her, being an honor student, paying attention wasn’t all that expected from her by her teachers, being that Anna always did well on her tests. But for her friends, those frequent stare offs were noticed and brought forth teasing from them. Theories of lover boys or devious plans for the weekend were their reasoning’s and Anna had to force herself to pay attention after that before they forced it out of her and then the teasing would get worse.
By that evening, Anna had almost convinced herself what she had seen up there in the attic and those so called journals really had been a figment of her imagination; she almost had. By Friday, her convictions had faltered. Curiosity had slyly taken over and muddled those rational thoughts. On Saturday, Anna found herself standing again before the attic door. She would be alone in the house for most of the day; her parents had already gone off to run errands and to go shopping.
Her mother had not been to happy about discovering Anna exploring around in the attic earlier that week, but her only reprimand had been to leave things alone until she was ready to go through them. Anna didn’t think to argue against it and wouldn’t have either even if she hadn’t agreed. Her mother did not mention the attic again, but for Anna, the torment had gotten the best of her. Anna stood before the attic door contemplating upon entering.
Sneaking behind her mother’s back did bring some guilt to her, but for Anna, the curiosity was doing most of the harm. Fear had suddenly taken a strong hold on her; Anna licked her lips and swallowed down the lump to her unsettled stomach. She wanted to proceed, yet couldn’t. The battle between that fear and her curiosity held her feet firmly planted a little while longer. Anna knew she would enter, she would have to. She could not possibly go on in life always wondering if the world on the other side of that door had been real or not.
Finally, what seemed like eternity, the seventeen year old did what any average teenager would do… she followed her curiosity. Anna became brave, at least for the moment and opened the attic door. With a light push, she sent it creeping open and hesitated in the doorway. Anna looked around the room finding everything looking the same as how she left it; the old steamer trunk still in its place and the lock sitting on top of it.
With a smidge more of that bravery, Anna stepped inside and walked over to the trunk. She lifted its heavy lid and picked up the top journal. Flipping through its pages, Anna found every entry still there. It really could have been just a story… she thought to herself, but with what she had seen on the other side of that door; proving that theory would be very difficult.
Anna knew the only way she could confirm this would be to replay the steps from the other day. Anna sat the journal back down in the trunk and picked up the wadded handkerchief holding her grandmother’s jewelry. She put them on and wished dearly her grandmother was here to explain all of this to her. It would have made things a lot simpler.
Anna reached up and touched the jeweled pendant, hoping to draw some strength from it as she took slow steps towards the open door. Her heart danced rapid inside her chest and her hand shook as she shut the door and tested the knob. The door had locked again and just like before, Anna pulled her key out and inserted it into the lock. She turned it until she heard the click and then pulled the key out. Anna stuffed her key down to the depths of her jeans pocket and reached her still trembling hand and turned the knob. She opened the door and found the same forest waiting for her on the other side.
Chapter Four
Cautious, Anna stepped to the edge and reached her arm out. Her arm passed through as if just reaching into another room. She reached over and pulled down on the nearby tree branch and let it slip out from under her fingers. The branch bobbed back up to its place; it was real. Anna looked about the magical forest on the other side of the door, looking as far as her eyes could see. No sign of life or threat of danger were apparent. The forest was brightly lit and gave off a pleasant feel about it, beckoning her to proceed. The same pine trees filled the forest matching the ones that stood outside her house. Even the same rocks and dirt lined the floor of this magical world. Chirping birds above her looked nothing different or sounded any different than the ones in her world.
Still feeling cautious, Anna returned to the steamer trunk and retrieved the dagger from it. She tucked it inside the waistband of her jeans and returned back to the doorway. Stepping through, was an intriguing and exciting transition for her; the simple task of stepping from wood floor to dirt ground was remarkable. Anna stepped through the portal a few times over for fun, enjoying the magic of it. It was almost unbelievable that this world was real, but yet here she was passing from one to the other and back again.
Standing in the forest and looking back at the door, it appeared as a trick of the eye. As if someone simply grabbed a door and stuck it in the middle of the forest. Anna walked around to the back of the door and found forest on the other side. When she came back around to the front, her attic was still there. Anna turned around and scanned the forest again. Deciding on which way to go was a difficult choice. In every direction, all she could see were trees. The fear of getting lost crept into her thoughts. Almost every tree looked like the other. Not knowing where she was or what was waiting for her, Anna was hesitant to trek off without peace of mind on finding her way back.
You can’t get lost if you mark your trail! She thought.
Anna returned to the attic and rummaged through the stack of boxes against the wall to the right of the door. In the last box, she found some loose ribbons and decided on them. Tying them to branches to mark her path as she went along guaranteed her an easy return, and with the ribbons being bright, spotting them would be much easier.
Anna stuffed a handful into her front pockets and returned to the portal door. She pulled a ribbon out and tied it to the branch just outside the door and then stepped through. Her parents leaped into her thoughts then and once again, Anna returned to the attic. The first box she had dug through had old papers with blank backs. To write with, Anna found a still working BIC pen at the bottom of it. Using the top of the trunk for a desk, Anna wrote a note:
Mom and Dad,
I know you won’t believe this, but you’re just going to have to. I found a portal by opening the door with an old skeleton key I found. Read Grandma’s journal, it will explain. I will be safe and will return. I know you will still be worried and I’m sorry.
Love,
Anna
Anna knew this was not the best letter she could have written, but also knew even if she had explained down to the tiniest of detail; it still would not have eased her mother’s worries. This brief note would have to do. Anna grabbed her grandmother’s journal from out of the steamer trunk and placed it over the note lying on the floor in front of the door. She then stepped back through the portal and pulled the door shut behind her.
The door disappeared.
Panicked, Anna reached out for it and her hands quickly found wood. Relieved, she ran her hands down until she felt the cold brass knob and turned it. As soon as she pushed the door open, the door reappeared. Anna smiled in relief and closed the door again. Once again the door disappeared.
With a new sense of confidence, Anna turned around and headed straight; tying ribbons on branches as she went along. Sure enough as she had hoped for, the forest led her out to a clearing where a captivating view awaited her. Vibrant green hillsides, lushly filled with various colors of wild flowers, spanned to the horizon. Anna wished she had thought to bring her camera as she took in the sight of it. A few yards down, leading off to her left, was a dirt road. Anna headed down it hoping it would lead to her grandmother’s Tatania.
Chapter Five
Nothing but continuous road and countryside lay ahead of her in this newly discovered world. After a little over a mile of walking, Anna spotted a wooden sign posted off to the side of the road. Tatania 12 miles were carved into it.
“Twelve miles…!” She complained aloud, looking to the vibrant blue sky above her, “Great, that’s just
great!”
Anna wished she had thought to bring her bike. The heat was scorching and the few clouds in the sky gave little shade from its penetrating rays. Her long sleeves may have protected her fair skin from the sun, but it wasn’t the best attire from the heat that was far from the fall weather she had left back at home. A breeze would blow here and there, but never strong enough to cool her completely. She was already thirsty and Anna kicked herself for not thinking to bring water as well.
It would be a few hours before the sun would set, making any desirable cooler temperature a distant hope. Anna had left home in the morning, but by her guess of the sun’s position, it seemed late afternoon here. Those few hours it would take her to reach Tatania, would be long ones. Two to three miles down, a soft breeze picked up and became a blessing to her. It picked up into frequent spurts, making the remainder of her travel more tolerable. The landscape never changed from the open fields of wild flowers. The only sign of life she had seen was a field mouse. It had streaked across the dirt road just a few feet in front of her, it’s four tiny legs moving quickly in its pace. The little guy had paid no mind to her; off on a mission as well.
By the time Anna spotted the tall outer stone wall surrounding the city she hoped was Tatania, night time had come. The lone moon sent a faint shine down on the world beneath it, lighting up the stone city ahead of her, playing a guiding beacon to her desired finish.
The outer wall surrounded the city in one solid length, no separations and no windows. When she had first spotted it, on higher ground, roof tops could be seen peeking out from the inside; roofs that looked no different from the ones back home. Behind them, she had seen a larger structure. Anna wondered if it was a castle, but couldn’t quite tell. The massive wooden doors that led into the city looked old and weathered. Anna could tell it was thick and a sense of powerful strength evoked from them. A warning to enemies they were still strong and enduring as the stone wall they connected to.
A man in medieval armor stood on the platform above it, when Anna was close enough, he yelled down to her. “State your business here girl!” His voice cracked; revealing his youth.
Anna looked up at him. “My name is Anna Kippling,” she announced herself, “I’m here looking for family!”
“Wait here,” He ordered down to her and then disappeared behind the wall.
It felt like forever before anything happened. One of the massive doors opened to her and then the armored man from above stepped out.
“You said you are a Kippling?” He asked her.
Anna nodded. He gave her a look up and down before he spoke again. “Your clothing is strange; you’re not from around here are you?” he asked her.
Anna shook her head.
“That will be all Private Donavan, thank you.” A voice interrupted him.
The man did an about face and saluted the figure behind him, “Yes sir, General!” He responded in respect to the distinguished uniformed man standing before him. The man gave a salute back and stepped aside for the obedient solider to depart them. He marched quickly back to the opening and darted inside.
The man the guard had acknowledged as “General” eyed Anna as he walked over to her. A bow was then given to her with perfect precision and a smile appeared on his face when he came back up. “Hello Anna Kippling, I welcome you to Tatania,” He greeted her.
Anna stood unsure on how to respond to him for a second and then quickly executed a curtsey in return; a poor and very awkward one.
“A good try!” he praised her in a teasing manner.
Anna felt a little offended but had no time to “stew” over it. His arm was quickly offered to her. “Please allow me to escort you inside my dear, so that you may meet your family,” He kindly invited her.
Anna stared at him cautiously and he gave her a reassuring nod. Anna took his arm, but still felt unsure of the overly pleasant General. He gave her another smile and patted her hand.
“There are actually two people who will most be pleased at you’re arrival; they have been anticipating this for a while now,” He said to her as he led her over towards the large wooden door.
Walking through was like stepping back in time, but with a mixture of the present still a part of the charm. Modernism was very present in this city, yet some things Anna spotted dated back to times far before her. The cobblestone road they walked down was lined with brick shops, all already closed. Smaller streets broke off from the main one, making up neighborhoods lined with cookie cutter townhomes. The General guided Anna down two of the side streets, before he finally stopped in front of the last townhome of the dead end street.
He gave her hand another pat and then unlinked her arm from his.
“Excuse me Anna, please wait here,” he instructed her and she watched him walk over to the house and knock on the little wooden front door of it. The door opened immediately after and a beautiful woman stepped out. Anna watched them exchange soft spoken words and then the woman glanced over at her. Anna averted her eyes down to her feet and waited a few seconds before looking back up at them again. She watched the woman step back inside and the General enter. Another glance from the woman came Anna’s way before the door closed after her and Anna was left standing alone outside. Minutes ticked slowly by before the door opened again and the General stepped back out. He beckoned to her to come in and Anna did so.
A man stood beside the woman just inside as Anna stepped through. . Her eyes observed the home and found it just as warm and welcoming as the faces that greeted her.
“It’s so wonderful to finally meet you Anna!” The woman exclaimed and then she pulled Anna into a hug.
Anna responded with smile and a nod and then stood in awkward silence as three pairs of eyes stared at her.
The man chuckled. “We’re making you uncomfortable, please allow me to at least ease your aching feet, come and rest yourself Anna, I know you must be very tired!” He invited her rushing over to the table beyond the cozy living room. He pulled a chair out and beckoned her over. Anna smiled at the woman as she passed by and went over to him. She gave him a smile of thanks and sat down. Anna was tired and hadn’t realized just how much until her bottom landed on the wooden chair and her poor feet were unburdened. The three joined her, with the couple sitting across from her and the General standing behind her, leaning against the wall behind her. Another long moment of uncomfortable silence stagnated the air as each awkward smiles were exchanged.
“Are we related?” Anna asked them, trying to break the ice. The pair nodded.
“Yes, we’re your great- grandparents Anna,” The man answered.
“But you seem too young to be my grandparents!” She told them, disbelieving. The couple looked only a few years older than her grandmother.
He laughed. “Yes it would seem like that to you Anna…but here in Tatania we age differently than where you come from. For every one year of your time, is only six months of ours,” He explained to her.
She frowned, “I don’t understand, that still doesn’t explain the age?”
He laughed and smiled at her. “No it doesn’t,” he agreed.
“Anna, our time passes slower than yours. Explaining it would only confuse you more. In cases like this, in magic, explanation sometimes doesn’t come. It is what it is,” the woman added.
“So there’s magic here?” Anna asked her.
The woman nodded. “You will find that magic comes in many ways and in many forms here in Tatania, Anna.”
Magic for Anna had always come in the form of illusions and Vegas dramatics. To see it first hand and in real form excited her. She couldn’t wait to get a demonstration of it.
“Will I be able to use magic?” she asked her.
The woman nodded. “Yes, I think you would.”
Anna smiled at her answer. She was starting to like this place more and the two people sitting before her; her great-grandparents.
“What should I call you?” she asked them, thinking it would feel strange ad
dressing them as great grandma and great grandpa.
“If it would make you feel more comfortable, you can address us as Nathan and Karina,” The man suggested to her and she smiled.
“Ok…Nathan,” She agreed.
Karina stood up. “You must be starving Anna…let me get you some stew.”
“Thank you. I did miss lunch, but I’m mostly thirsty.” Anna rubbed her throat.
“I’ll work on her thirst dear and you work on her hunger,” said Nathan as he stood to his feet and went to fetch Anna something to drink. He walked over to a sink behind him with a faucet and pulled the handle, running water poured out. He filled a glass for her and returned to the table.
“You have running water?” Anna asked him, surprised.
Nathan nodded. “Why wouldn’t we?” he asked her, setting the glass down in front of her. Anna pointed to a lamp on the side table in the living room, “Why is it you have plumbing, but no electricity?” she asked him.
