Trapdoor

 

            Thunk!

            Lily sat bolt upright in bed as the unfamiliar sound reverberated in the darkness.

            Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!

            As she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, she realized the sound was coming from below. Was someone doing something downstairs? Maybe she should go and get Dad.

            Throwing her covers aside, her feet found the soft carpeted floor, and she walked slowly to the door. Her clock read 2:43 AM and she didn’t want to trip over anything in the blackness.

            Suddenly, the carpet under her feet disappeared and she found herself standing on something hard. Was it a piece of wood or something? She didn’t remember leaving anything like that on her floor. Crouching down, she felt the object she was standing on. She moved back to the carpet when she realized it was indeed wood. She tried to pick it up to move it out of the way, but it wouldn’t budge.

            The thumping sound had stopped, but now she had to figure out what this thing was in the middle of her floor. Her fingers moved around until she found something that felt like a handle. Grabbing it tightly, she pulled.

            Light streamed into her room from the hole that had appeared in her floor. The thing that she had pulled had been a trapdoor. The light was so bright, it was painful after the darkness.

            When she could open her eyes without squinting, she looked down into the hole. Was she dreaming? What was this? A rope ladder stretched down as far as she could see. Bright blue sky was now below her, without any sign of the ground. Feeling a little dizzy, she scooted away from the abyss, trying to figure out what on Earth was happening.

            After closing her eyes and taking several deep breaths, she opened her eyes again, hoping things would just disappear. To her disappointment, nothing had changed. Her room was still flooded with light that was pouring in from the hole in her floor. She stared at it, trying to make it make sense.

            But what was that on the inside of the trapdoor? She scooted a little closer until she saw the note attached to it. As she read the note, she knew she must be dreaming. If the trapdoor hadn’t been enough, this note certainly meant she must still be lying in bed with her eyes closed. It said: “Congratulations! You’ve been chosen to visit the World of Dreams. Climb down the ladder to experience anything your heart desires. Anything you can dream up can be a reality here. All you need to do is state the dream you want to experience, and then climb down the ladder.”

            After staring at the note for a full minute, Lily decided to try it out. If this was all a dream anyway, what would it hurt? Scooting forward until she was poised at the very edge of the hole, she leaned over the space and shouted, “I want to be able to fly around!”

            When she finished shouting, she leaned back and waited for something to happen. Nothing changed, and after a few minutes, she decided to go down and try the ladder. Telling herself that this was all just a dream, she lowered herself to get her feet on the ladder, which was swaying in the breeze. She nearly came right back up, but she kept going down.

            Her hands gripped the top rung of the ladder. She went down another rung, and the rope swung violently. Her body rocked backwards with the ladder, and she lost her footing. With a scream stuck in her throat, the rungs of the ladder slipped out of her grasp and she was falling. Air rushed past her as she reached out for anything to grab onto.

            With her arms flapping like a bird’s, she noticed something. She wasn’t falling anymore. The ladder was just out of her reach, but it wasn’t zooming past her. Hardly daring to believe it, she relaxed slightly and held her arms out like the wings of an airplane. She angled her body to the right, and she glided closer to the ladder. Grinning now, she tried moving in different ways, and was delighted when she was able to move how she wanted. Soon, she was spinning in the air, doing loop-de-loops and having a fantastic time.

            After soaring around for a while, she began to think again about her bed and headed back to the ladder and up through the trapdoor. Once she pulled herself up through the opening, she heaved the trapdoor closed and crawled into bed, smiling. Her last thought before she fell back asleep was, I hope I dream this again. Next time, I’m going to ask for cake and ice cream and eat as much as I want. Then she was lost to sleep.

An Unexpected Bird

 

            “Hey, Bill, wait up!” John ran to catch up to Bill, who was already speeding along the trail. “You’re going to miss things by going so fast. I saw a ring-necked pheasant near here the other day.”

            Bill smirked. “A ring-necked pheasant? That’s small potatoes compared to the birds that I want to see.”

            “What is it that you’re looking for?” John had caught up to his friend and was breathing heavily.

            “Oh, something much more interesting.” With no further explanation, Bill walked at a breakneck pace until they reached a small clearing surrounded by towering oak trees.

            John craned his neck to look up into the treetops with his binoculars. “Is this the place you were looking for?”

            Bill wasn’t listening. Counting trees under his breath, he stopped when he reached seven. “This way.” He strode in between two of the oak giants and John hurried to follow.

            Plunging into darkness, the two young men pushed aside branches as they followed a very faint trail. With all of his attention focused on keeping his face free of scratches, John didn’t notice when Bill stopped and he bumped right into him. Annoyed, he wanted to yell, but he saw the excitement on his friend’s face and he paused.

            In a hushed whisper, Bill said, “Okay, this is it. Got your binoculars ready? I don’t know how close we’ll be able to get.” He slowly moved forward to what John could now see was an opening through the trees to a large clearing.

            Binoculars in hand, John felt his excitement growing. This had to be a truly spectacular bird. What could it be? An owl perhaps? It was certainly dark enough in these woods. He strained his ears to hear the telltale hoot-hoot of an owl, but what he heard instead made him stop dead in his tracks.

            A screeching roar rang out of the stillness ahead. Feeling the blood drain out of his face, John’s voice came out as little more than a whisper. “W-what was that?”

To his surprise, Bill had a triumphant smile on his face. “It’s what we’ve been looking for. Come on! There’s a great spot to watch just up here.”

            With more than a little trepidation, John followed his friend to a small rise which had an unobstructed view of the entire clearing in front of them. He had to rub his eyes several times before he realized what he was seeing. “Are those… dragons?”

            Three giant, lizard-like beasts were lounging in the clearing. All of them were different colors, but they still seemed to manage to match their surroundings. Blue, green, and yellow shades ran together over diamond-hard scales and were only detectable once they moved. The massive creatures seemed to be slowly rousing from a nap. Translucent wings spread out as the dragons stretched, each one of them as big as a house.

            Words left John as his throat grew too dry to swallow.

            Bill, however, was beaming. “Told you this was better than spotting pheasants!” He pulled his own binoculars up to his face. “When they’re on the ground like this, it’s much easier to get a good look at them.”

            A yellow-green dragon displayed all of its lethal-looking teeth as it yawned. Images of getting caught and trapped with those teeth flashed through John’s mind. With effort, he whispered, “Are we safe up here?”

            “Oh, sure. I’ve been here lots of times. Just don’t make any sudden moves.”

            John didn’t think he could move if he tried. He could only stare as fear paralyzed him. After a few minutes, one of the dragons, a blue-green one, gave a few experimental flaps of its wings. The entire clearing was blasted with a wind that nearly knocked the two friends over. Suddenly, the dragon crouched and sprang directly up into the air and started to fly away. More wingbeats followed as the other two dragons took off and flew away as well.

            The sudden stillness in the clearing was deafening. Finally convincing himself to move, John sat down in the dirt with his head in his hands. “How?” was all he said.

            Sitting at ease beside him, Bill answered. “You know we’ve been friends for a long time, right? Well, I thought it was finally time to show you where I came from.”

            John stared hard at his friend. “What are you talking about?”

            With a smile, Bill wrapped his arm around John. “I’ve just brought you to a magical land where legendary creatures from your world actually exist. My family and I were sent to live in your world to see how you live without magic.” Sadness spread across his face for a moment. “It’s like living without color. I wanted to show you how things can really be.”

            John looked into Bill’s face and saw that he was more animated than he’d ever seen him. As his fear started to dissipate, he began to understand what Bill meant. After seeing dragons, he couldn’t imagine anything else looking as majestic and full of life as they had been. He gave a small smile. “You know, you’re right. But maybe you could warn me next time you show me something like that. Those were definitely not birds.”

The New Year

 

            Today is the best day. People in suits and beautiful dresses gather down below while they whisper and talk excitedly. Shining my brightest, I look down and cover everyone with my best light. Each one of my 450 individually crafted crystals sparkles as the light hits it and refracts it around the enormous hall. It is my proudest moment as the hotel’s grandest chandelier.

            The orchestra has already started playing, but few people are dancing at the moment. It’s still early. Men and women with trays of hors d’oeuvres file in and disperse among the guests. Champagne sparkles in glasses almost as bright as me. By the time midnight rolls around, everyone will be feeling its effects at the countdown of the New Year.

            The ballroom at the hotel always looks grand, but extra effort is made for the holiday. It’s my favorite time to see new hope on everyone’s faces. Talking and laughter grow louder as more and more people arrive. The dance floor is starting to fill up now as well as the small tables scattered around the edges. Couples lean in close to each other as they discuss their plans for the new year, each one hoping for a kiss at midnight.

            By the time eleven o’clock arrives, the noise level has risen considerably. The flow of champagne has done its work, and the party buzzes with excitement. The orchestra takes a break, and music blasts through speakers placed throughout the hall.

            Finally, at ten minutes to midnight, the excitement has built up into an audible hum, even though the music has paused. Various people take the stage to talk about how this next year will be so much better than the last. Seconds before midnight, the entire hall counts down to the new year. When they reach zero, confetti and streamers are released from the ceiling and fall down onto the upturned faces below.

            The party continues for another hour as people start to trickle out. Pretty soon, all that’s left are the tired staff as they clean up the considerable mess that’s left. It’s nearing four in the morning when the lights are at last turned off and my brilliance falls into darkness.

            If I could sigh right now, I would. Another New Year’s party is over. There are many other events throughout the year, of course, but none of them ever feel like this one. What’s my wish for the New Year? For this year to pass swiftly until the next New Year’s Eve.

 

Escape

 

            The beating of drums woke Jonah up. He groaned as he reached for his head, which was pounding right along with the drums. What had happened? The last thing he remembered was walking home with Jake and Seth after unloading the ship at the docks. It had been a dark night, and then there were those thugs.

            His head gave another pound as he thought of the four guys that had shown up with bats in their hands and steel in their eyes. Jonah wasn’t small in size, and working on the ship had left his muscles taut and hard, but he and his friends had been no match for the thugs. Ready for a fight, he hadn’t even gotten in one swing before something hit him in the back of the head, and everything went dark.

            Slowly, he sat up and gingerly touched the goose egg on the back of his head. Wincing, he stopped and left it alone. The drums continued as he slowly stood up. Where was he? It was almost completely dark, except for a light at the end of a hallway. He walked toward the light and up some stairs as the pounding drums grew louder and a new noise could be heard. An enormous audience was cheering along with the drums. What was happening?

            Climbing up several flights of stairs, Jonah finally reached a small door as sound thundered around him. Pushing open the door, he gasped in surprise when he found himself on the backstage of a concert. He could only stare as he watched a band playing to a crowd of 10,000 fans. The screaming was loud, but the drums that had woken him up now beat so loudly that he felt like the drums were inside his chest, fighting to get out.

            He stood there for several minutes, trying to figure out where he was or what he should do next. He noticed one of the thugs from last night, watching him from the other side of the stage. Without pausing to think, Jonah took off running around the stage toward the one place he knew he could escape—the screaming crowd.

            Plunging into the mass of bodies, he expertly wove in and around people as they cheered for the band. When he finally dared to look back, there was no sign of the thug anywhere. Allowing himself a smile of relief, he continued to run toward the nearest green exit sign. Once he made it outside to the hallway, the amount of noise lessened enough that he could hear other things. One of those things was running footsteps that were growing louder.

            With a yelp of surprise, Jonah ran for the door to the outside as another of the thugs started speeding toward him. He hit the door so hard, he knew it would leave a mark, but he pushed through it and went into the sunshine. He ran as he’d never run in his life. Once he figured out where he was in the city, he ran to the only place where he felt truly safe—Dad’s house.

            It was at least two miles away, but he didn’t stop running. Afraid that he was still being followed, he took as many shortcuts as he could. Sprinting through backyards and over fences, he finally made it to the house. Looking up at the imposing edifice, he hesitated for half a second before running up to the front door.

            As soon as he reached the porch, he felt familiar eyes on him. He waved and called out, “Hey, Jeff.”

            A hulking man dressed in a suit seemed to appear out of nowhere. “Hey, Jonah, long time, no see.” He slapped a great hand down on Jonah’s shoulder.

            “I know.” Jonah tried not to fall over at the force of Jeff’s slap. “I just need a place to lie low for a while. Someone’s been chasing me.”

            “I guess you know you’ll be safe here.” Jeff led the tired Jonah inside. “It’s funny that you should show up today, though. Your dad’s looking for you.”

            Jonah only had time to lift his eyebrows before he was forcefully steered into his father’s office. “Hi, Dad,” he said in a low voice, his eyes downcast. He might feel safe here, but there was a reason he didn’t live here. He and his dad didn’t always see eye to eye.

            “Ah, son, just the man I’ve been looking for. Avery here says you’re in trouble and he thinks you might be open to his proposal.” His father pointed to another man whom Jonah hadn’t noticed before.

            The strange man shook Jonah’s hand with a smile and what looked like relief. “Sorry that I didn’t reach you sooner, Jonah. I meant to meet you at the docks last night, but I must have just missed you. There are others looking for you right now that I don’t think you want to meet.”

            Jonah almost laughed. “I think I met them last night.” He rubbed the back of his still tender head. “They took me to a concert that I didn’t want to see.” He nodded to his dad. “It’s why I came here, actually. I’d rather not meet up with them again.”

            Concern flitted across his father’s face. “Are you all right?”

            Avery heaved a sigh. “Well, now that you’ve reached the age of 21, more people will be coming to look for you.”

            “Why?” Jonah was totally confused. Why would anyone come looking for him? He was nobody.

            The sadness in Dad’s eyes shone through the unshed tears as he said, “It’s because you’re my son.” He sat down heavily in his chair. “I was hoping that you wouldn’t have the gift, but now it’s obvious that you do.”

            “What gift?” Jonah was getting more and more confused.

            Dad stared at his son for a long moment before saying, “You and I both have the genetic gift to communicate with anyone and anything. That’s something that some people would pay lots of money for or even acquire through other, illegal means.”

            Jonah’s eyes widened. “What are you talking about?”

            In answer, Dad whistled for old Bruno, his beloved hound dog. As soon as the dog came in, he looked right at Jonah and said, “It’s nice to see you, sir. Your father’s been really worried about you.”     

            Jonah’s jaw dropped.

            Dad smiled and said, “You hear him now, right?”

            Jonah nodded mutely.

            Avery cleared his throat. “So now that we know for sure that you have the gift, our facility is willing to train you to use it properly and to defend yourself.”

            Jonah glanced at Dad. “Did you do this?”

            Dad nodded. “They’re the best in the business, and I trust them completely.” He then proceeded to tell Jonah about how he had learned extreme self-defense when he turned 21. “I can handle myself in a fight, but it’s always good to have backup too.” He gestured over to Jeff. “That’s why this house is such a safe place for someone like you, son. Go with Avery. It won’t be an easy road, but I know that you’ll make me proud.”

            So, Jonah left with Avery a little while later. He hoped that they were going to teach him to be like Jason Bourne or something. Wouldn’t that be awesome? But he couldn’t believe that he’d never known that about Dad before. He shrugged as he thought, Dad always had a bunch of secrets. I guess I get to join in on them now, too. He whistled as he waved goodbye to Dad and Jeff. “See you soon!”

            And then he was gone, off to start a new adventure.