"Can you PLEASE tell me what the heck is going on here?" I ask, on my hands and knees crawling through a small, dark and slightly cramped tunnel.
"Well it's quite complicated and a long story dear," says Ash, my supposed fairy godmother, from in front of me.
I'm thinking I should believe her.
"I've got time," I say. "Obviously."
After she told me she ws my fairy godmother, and stopped floating, she showed me the fireplace, which it turns out is actually the entrance to a secret passage leading… well, I'm not exactly sure. Something she keeps calling "Sennin."
"Well, I've already told you about your mother and father," she says. "Next I suppose I should tell about your home land."
"Sennin?" I guess.
"Why yes! That is just where we're heading. It's rather secret."
"No, really?" I exclaim, brushing a cobweb off my face. "I wouldn't expect that a dark, small, hidden tunnel in the middle of nowhere would lead to a SECRET place."
"Yes it would," she replies, ignoring my sarcasm. "Now, Sennin is kind of invisible to mortals, as well as all their technology. So far no mortals have ever discovered it by themselves. Only—"
"Then why…" I start.
"I SAID…" She takes a deep breath. "I said, stop interrupting dear," she says kindly.
"Sorr—"
"Stop saying sorry as well, we both know you aren't."
"Okay."
"Now as I was saying. Only immortals can see it by themselves. For a mortal to see it they'd have to be given a gift by an immortal and brought to Sennin."
"WAIT just a minute!" I blurt out, forgetting not to interrupt. "Did you say… immortals?"
"Why yes! I'm an immortal. Your parents are immortals. The land of Sennin is populated only by immortals. And you…"
"I'M IMMORTAL?!" I almost jump for joy. Except I can't because I'm crouching down, crawling through a dark and dirty stone tunnel.
"Now wait just a minute!" she exclaims, using my words from before. "I didn't say you're immortal, I said you're AN immortal."
"What's the difference?" I ask, confused and slightly disappointed.
"One is an adjective and one is a noun. If you're immortal, it means you can't die. That's the adjective. But if you are an immortal, it means you're a certain type of creature. It doesn't necessarily mean that you are immortal."
"Well that's retarted," I said after a pause. "Do you know why they call oranges oranges? It's because they're ORANGE."
"What about orange juice?" she offers. "It's more like yellow juice."
"That's just because it's made of ORANGES. Not everything is named after the color you know."
"Exactly," she says.
I realize I just proved her point. "But still," I persist. "If someone's not immortal, you shouldn't call them immortal."
"But you're not mortal either."
"…I'm not?"
"No. Mortal is a word used to describe humans and earthly animals. Immortals are creatures like you and your parents, vampires, fairies, among others. Goblins, demons. Most can be killed, but not easily. Not NEARLY as easily as mortals can."
"What do you mean, 'most' can be killed?" I ask.
"There are three types of immortals that can't be killed. But that's not important right now. I still need to tell you all about Sennin!"
I sigh. "Okay, tell."
"Remember that goblin that attacked you?"
"Yeah…" It's still weird to think of him as a goblin. Although he was definitely ugly enough to be one.
"There are more. Lots more," she says.
"Why?!"
"They want you for the throne."
"Oh yeah. My mom is the queen…" I say. It's also still weird to think of my biological parents being royalty. It's also still weird to think of my biological mother and father being immortals in an invisible world called Sennin.
Who knew.
"If they can succeed in kidnapping you they can hold you for ransom in exchange for the kingdom, since you haven't fuly developed your powers yet."
"Powers? Like what?" I say eagerly.
"Well, some immortals use powers. Fairies are some that do. Since you're only half fairy, you only have half the powers, but that's still quite a bit. Now all immortals use a different kind of powers. The kind that fairies use is elements. There are six different elements."
"So, I only get three?"
"No it doesn't work like that. Each fairy gets one element. Some have fire, some get water, others have air. There's also earth, light, and darkness."
"Do… do I get one?" I ask.
"Of course. It's only half as strong, but you do have an element to use. From the incident with Jeremy, I would guess that yours is fire."
"This is SO weird," I moan. "I can't believe this is actually happening!"
"Don't worry, we're almost there," she assures me, floating several feet ahead.
This is crazy.
…..
Fifteen minutes later, the endless tunnel actually ends.
"So, the entrance to this amazing secret world full of immortals and magic is… right through this old rusty door?" I ask skeptically.
"That's right!" she replies, heading toward it.
"Whatever," I mutter, following her. I don't think she understands sarcasm.
Normally I would think that this is some kind of evil trick, but, come on, she's floating. There's a point where you have to accept the truth.
"Hurry!" she says excitedly. She opens the door and steps inside. I follow, wondering what could possibly be waiting on the other side…
"A room," I say.
It looked just like the rest of the hallway. Dark, musty, old, and made of stone. And rather cramped.
I whirl around to the supposed fairy godmother. "What is this?!" I yell. "It sure isn't fairyland!"
"Calm down," she says calmly. She points to the wall behind me. I turn around and there is a full length mirror on the wall.
I frown."Let me guess." I use a fake enthusiastic voice, "It's all me! I have to look inside myself to find the magic!"
Ash laughs. "Not quite. Actually it's quite the opposite. Look outside of yourself. Look past the reflection on the mirror. See what it's hiding."
"Huh?"
"Just look in the mirror."
I turn and stare at it.
"No, you're looking AT the mirror. I said look IN it."
"But you can't look in a mirror!" I complain.
"You'd be surprised."
"Yes, I would," I say. But I try.
All I can see the in mirror is myself, standing in a dark gray room next to Ash. Her bright, glistening blue eyes stared back at me expectantly from underneath her dark blue hood.
I take a deep breath. Okay. There must be something behind that mirror. No wait, not behind it, inside it.
My sight is drawn to my own deep, jade-green eyes. I stare into them.
Well, if I can stare into eyes, I can stare into a mirror. Now I concentrate not on my eyes, but on the mirror that reflects my eyes.
Then I concentrate not on staring at the mirror, but into it. Like eyes.
"WHOA!" I yell, jumping back and nearly running over Ash.
"I knew you could do it!" she says, smiling. "Okay, now we have no time to lose. Let's go!"
I don't hear what she says. What had I just SEEN?! The mirror looked just like a mirror right now, but a few seconds ago… I SWEAR… it was like a doorway.
A doorway into Sennin.
I stood in front of the mirror once again and looked at my eyes, at the mirror, into the mirror.
Into Sennin.
"Holy CRAP!" I yell again, this time keeping my gaze on the mirror. I mean, in the mirror.
There was a waterfall, surrounded by trees and plants. The sun was setting behind the cliff, casting the whole scene into shadow. It was incredible.
"How can this be in a MIRROR?" I wonder out loud.
"Just go! It's kind of complicated to explain now. Just step inside."
"But you can't step inside a mirror!" I complain.
"You'd be surprised."
I open my mouth to say something, but then change my mind. I shrug.
"Okay here goes," I say, walking forward. I naturally cringe as my fingers touch the glass surface. But to my relief, it ripples like water. When I take my hand back out, it's dry.
I move forward, taking in the strange, wet yet dry feeling on my face, my shoulders, my whole body.
Wow. I just walked thorugh a mirror.
And hey, look at me. I'm in fairyland.
