A Harrowing Ride

 

            Anna’s mind was on autopilot as she drove to the store. Mom wanted her to pick up a few things for dinner and Anna agreed. She had homework to do, but she needed a break and the store wasn’t far.

            It was as she came up to the stoplight that it happened. The grocery store was down the street to the right, but she couldn’t slow the car down to turn. Alarmed, she frantically pushed on the brake, but nothing happened. The steering wheel wasn’t responding either.

            Throwing herself onto the passenger seat, she grabbed her phone out of her purse. All of a sudden, the car swerved to the right, and she was pushed back into the driver’s seat. Looking around wildly, she realized that she had turned onto a different deserted street. Trying the steering wheel again, the car didn’t respond. Then, it turned left without slowing down. In shock, Anna realized that the car was driving itself.

            Finally reaching her phone, she couldn’t believe it when she saw that she didn’t have any service. How could this happen? She was on the best cell phone network, and she always had service. She tried to roll the windows down to shout for help, but they wouldn’t budge. As she racked her brain for anything else she could do, she realized that she had left the city and was now bumping along a dirt road. When had that happened?

            The road disappeared, and the car was swerving through a forest of trees. Anna held on for dear life, just praying that it would be over soon. She looked ahead, and her heart nearly stopped. The car was heading straight for a rock wall.

            Anna braced herself and shut her eyes, waiting for the crash. But it didn’t come. The car continued to hurtle along, and when she opened her eyes again, she was in some kind of tunnel. Had she gone through the rock wall? Glittering diamonds and gems winked at her as she sped past toward some unknown destination.

            It got brighter and brighter as the number of gems on either side of her increased. Something else changed, too. At last, she was slowing down as she left the confined tunnel and a huge cavern opened up in front of her. The car finally came to a stop at the edge of a vast, underground lake. While Anna sat, staring and terrified, the door opened on its own and she felt the seat tilt sideways as her seatbelt unbuckled.

            The next thing she knew, she was on the rocky ground outside the car. With her eyes as wide as saucers, she wasn’t sure if she should get up and run or not. The cavern was silent, but brightly lit by the priceless gems that glowed with some strange inner light. The lake water was still, but then it started to ripple.

            Small waves reached the shore where Anna sat as she watched something rise up out of the middle of the lake. Spires and turrets appeared first, bringing up a castle beneath them. It was immense, but it continued to get larger until it nearly filled the whole lake. Waterfalls rained down from roofs covered in moss and algae. A great gate stood facing the shore. There was the sound of wood scraping along stone, and the gate opened.

            Anna nearly cried with relief when she saw a figure walking toward her. She picked herself up and ran toward the boy with the smile she knew so well. “James!” She threw her arms around her best friend. “What happened? Where are we?”

            After returning Anna’s grateful hug, James pulled back and studied her with concern. “Are you all right? I know how terrifying the first trip here can be.”

            Anna launched into the story of her harrowing journey while James listened patiently. When she finished, she asked again, “What is this place?”

            James’s eyes twinkled with excitement as he said, “It’s a place of magic.”

            “What, you mean like Hogwarts, or something?” She looked curiously at James, waiting for a joke.

            James just shrugged. “If you want to think about it that way, sure. Only people with magic are brought here. Those who have true magic manifest it around the age of 16 or 17. They are then brought here to learn how to control it. For the next few years, you can expect to come here every day to hone your new skills.”

            Anna took this all in with wide eyes. “How long have you been coming here?”

            “Just a few months.”

            Anna was confused. “But, how? I see you at school every day. When do you have time?”

            His eyes continued to shine and sparkle. “You have all the time you need here to finish today’s lessons. When you go home, you’ll discover that no time at all has passed.”

            Anna’s brain felt like mush. “Are you serious?”

            James gave her his best smile as he put his arm around her. “Come on, I’ll show you around.” Together, they walked into the still dripping castle.

            That day marked the beginning of Anna’s education as a true magician.