The Invitation

 

            And with smaller letters at the bottom, it concluded, “We await your response. Please RSVP as soon as possible.”

            Nancy folded up the letter and put it back in the parchment envelope with shaking hands. She hoped with all of her might that this wasn’t some kind of trick. Had she really just been invited to participate in a fantasy convention? What did that even mean? Maybe someone at the library had seen how much fantasy fiction she read. The address in the letter was in town. She could ride there on her bike. The convention was taking place on Saturday, so there was no school. Mom would let her go… maybe.

            With the envelope clutched tightly in her hands, she went out to the garden where Mom was pulling weeds. After reading through it, Mom looked at Nancy with confusion. “What is this? Where did you get it?”

            “I found it in the mailbox with the rest of the mail. It looks fun and it’s not far. So, can I go, please?”

            Mom raised an eyebrow. “You want to go to a magic show?”

            “I think it’s more like Comic-Con or something. You know I’m always reading books about magic.”

            “Huh. Yeah, I guess you can go, but I don’t want you going alone. I’ll come with you. I’m a little curious myself.”

            Nancy let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. She took the envelope back and looked at it again. Even if this was some kind of smaller convention, their quality was top-notch. The picture of the dragon on the envelope really appeared to be breathing fire on the knight who was holding up his massive shield for protection. She hurried inside to call the number to RSVP, feeling like Saturday would never come.

            When Saturday did finally come, Nancy was excited. She carefully chose her clothes so she would look her best. Her favorite T-shirt featured a dragon in flight, and she made sure to wear the jeans without the hole in the knee.

            Since Mom was coming with her, she didn’t have to worry about riding her bike. The car ride took less than five minutes. Mom followed directions on her phone, which led them to the site. “Is this it?” Mom asked in shock.

            Nancy tried to push down the wave of disappointment that threatened to swallow her. She opened the car door and found herself in the middle of a cornfield. How was this even here? She didn’t remember there being any kind of farm in the city. Looking around, she didn’t recognize anything. When she pictured the convention, she assumed that there would at least be some kind of pavilion or something. But there was nothing here.

            Tears threatened to spill out of her eyes when she felt Mom’s arms wrap around her. “Sorry, sweetie.”

            Nancy couldn’t speak around the lump in her throat.

            After staring for a minute or two, Mom again broke the silence. “Let’s at least walk around for a minute before we head back.” She tugged on Nancy’s arms until she started moving.

            They walked right up to the tall rows of corn. Listlessly, Nancy stretched out her hand to feel the leaves.

            Before Nancy could understand what was happening, she suddenly found herself inside a large building that was packed with people. She almost jumped out of her skin when Mom whispered near her ear, “What is this place?”

            “I have no idea.”

            A woman who appeared to be in charge spotted them and walked over. “Welcome!” she exclaimed with a smile. She shook both of their hands. “Nancy, right?”

            “How did you know?” Mom was scrutinizing this woman who seemed to know exactly who they were.

            “I’m the one who sent out your letter.” The woman continued to smile. “Glad you could make it.”

            “What exactly is this place, and how did we get here?” Mom asked.

            The woman ignored her and spoke directly to Nancy. “I’m Mina and I’ll get you all set up. This is the prestigious magical school, Dragon Fire Academy. You’ve passed your first test.” Her eyes bore into Nancy’s. “Congratulations! Not everyone finds this place. It just shows that I was right about you.”

            “What?” Nancy couldn’t hide her confusion.

            “You have the gift, dear.”

            The rest of their visit passed by in a daze for Nancy. Mina sent them home with books and pamphlets about Dragon Fire Academy. Apparently, Nancy had enough magic to attend. She had come today to enjoy talking and learning about fictional fantasy, but now it looked like she had found a real fantasy world.

            When she went to bed that night, she had almost grown used to the idea of learning magic. Somehow, she’d pulled both her and her mother from the cornfield and into the building. That had to be magic, right? She started getting excited about what the next few days would bring. Today had turned out differently than she had planned, but she had known that it was going to be special.