The Forgotten Friends

The Forgotten Friends

One autumn evening, last year, as I walked back home from school by myself, I saw something glinting in the fading evening sunlight, by the side of the road. Walking closer to it, I realised it was a piece of blue glass, lodged under a rock hidden behind a brown, sparse wormwood. The glint felt strange yet it had a mystical feel to it. And, I couldn’t help myself from picking it up. It was strangely heavy and the centre of the glass seemed to ripple. It was the size of a playing card and I pocketed it, feeling excited about my find. I had a hunch that I had stumbled into something special and wanted to examine it closely.

          Reaching home I announced my arrival to my mom, made sure that she didn’t disturb my research, carried my evening snacks to my room and told her not to disturb me as I had an assignment to finish. Hurriedly, I stacked my bag away, gobbled down my milk and upma and locked my door. With trepidation, I gently pulled out my precious find from my pocket. Oddly, it had taken a deep purple hue and the entire surface was now quivering. I held it in both my hands, worried that I might break it, sat on my study table and switched on my reading light. I expected something magical to happen, but for a long time nothing else seemed to happen. I had examined the piece of glass from every side. Eventually, I grew tired but I did not want to sleep, lest I might miss something magical. All of a sudden, there was a blinding flash of light and for a few seconds I couldn’t see anything!

Moments later I blinked my eyes expecting to see my blue and red closet door, my rose coloured curtains and my huge mahogany shelf of books. Instead, I saw a quaint little kitchen top, a tiny wardrobe, slightly ajar and a couple of plush armchairs by the window. Suddenly, it clicked!! Last night I had seen the same room but it was not for real. The room was in the story ‘The Wolf and the Seven Kids.’ Thrilled, I peeped out of the window to find the seven kids prancing around and playing with the mother Goat. Overwhelmed, I jumped high, banged my head on the old grandfather clock and passed out!!

Someone was shaking me. I saw a pretty face come into focus. She looked rather familiar to my neighbour, Jenny. But, then I noticed that the girl had tiny, bejewelled wings! That was unnerving and I backed away from her. She simply smiled and waved her wand…Wait! What?? Wand!! I tried to escape, but the strange looking girl bolted all the doors and windows with a flick of her wand, a crinkle of her nose and two winks of her left eye; in that order. I panicked and cried out, “Where am I?! Send me back home! Why are you crinkling your nose?!

“I want you to sit and listen to what I am trying to say,” said the girl in a solemn, raspy voice. I, who by that time was trying to break the window pane with a wooden clog, sat down on the edge of the bed, staring at the winged-Jenny with a half- curious, half-petrified look.

She spoke gently, “You must have a million questions in your head right now. I will answer them all, one at a time, but first allow me to introduce myself. I am Daffodil, the garden fairy. You must be wondering where you are right now. Well, my friend, this is the Story Book Land, where reality and imagination meet! Sit still and I won’t use my wand or crinkle my nose at you aga…STOP! QUIT JUMPING AROUND!! I know you are excited and I will let you prance like a pansy, if you open your ears and listen to me for five minutes. Okay? Are we ready?” With large, doe eyes and a fluttering heart, I cowered into the corner, ready to do as I was told.

Daffodil continued, “In Story Book Land, there are no boundaries. So, you mustn’t be surprised if Little Red Riding Hood asked Simba why he had such big teeth. You must remember this, listen carefully: Whenever a library in any part of the world is shut down, all the characters of the Story Book Land are hunt down and thrown into the ‘Pit of Non-Existence’!”

I raised a finger, and pat came the reply, “Don’t interrupt! When you are thrown into ‘the Pit’, you gradually fade away and are ultimately gone forever, so no one remembers you.  There are thorns on the walls of ‘the Pit’ in case the ‘doomed’ try to escape. Usually, no library is shut down but if it is and you find yourself trapped, just pull out this watch and wind it to ‘3’. It ought to be 3:00 pm not 3:00 am, else nothing will happen.” She produced a worn-out, brown watch and gave it to me.

“There! You have been briefed about Story Book Land. Enjoy your time here. We are loving-beings and very warm with newbies.” With that, Daffodil waved her wand and the door flung open. I looked at the pretty face curiously. She nodded and I darted out of the door into the welcoming meadows outside. A few minutes later, I stopped running and gasped for air. All around me gnomes, elves, pixies, bears, and even giants stared at me. They had never seen a human run as fast. Humans usually lazed around in Story Book Land and watched the stories unfold in front of them. They never interacted with the creatures. They came and went without a farewell. But, this little girl was a curious one! She sprinted up and down the streets dazzled by all the lovely story book creatures coming alive.

All these emotions made me very hungry. Just that moment, Goldilocks and the Three Bears invited me to have some porridge. I was taken aback by their insight into my feelings but gracefully accepted their invitation. After a bowl full of Baby Bears famous ‘Just Right’ Porridge, I thanked them and went my way.

Soon, all the exploring made me thirsty. Lo and behold! As I thought of water, I saw the ‘Thirsty Crow’ with his pot of little water perched on a rock. I walked up to the Crow and asked for some water. The Crow did not respond but flew away at once. I was shocked. How rude! Just as I turned away to go, the Crow cawed and came back with a long drinking straw. I was amazed to see how the characters have become smarter and smarter year after year. I thanked the crow and took a long, satisfying sip from the pot. I waved him goodbye and he gave me a ‘pebble’ for remembering him by.

I spent my whole afternoon in the lush green forest, peeping at the shimmering pixies, watching the grumpy dwarves at work, diving out of the giant’s paths so as not to be squished and smiled at the busy elves trying to explain themselves to the loud gnomes. Finally, dusk fell and I wanted to return to the cottage. I looked around for the path to return but everything looked new. Feeling frightened, I frantically looked around for help. Somewhere I heard the rustling of the leaves and saw two shadowy figures inch towards me. Without a warning, a bright light fell on my face and I shrieked in horror only to find two laughing faces come into focus- Hansel and Gretel. I was overjoyed and relieved. Tears ran down my face as I ran and hugged my saviours, Hansel and Gretel.

Once we stopped chortling, I asked, “ But…But... how did you find me out?”

“Don’t you know yet?!” cried Gretel incredulously.

“What?”

It was Hansel who answered, “ All creatures of Story Book Land can read the minds of Human Beings that are close by. We always know when you need help.”

“That is so cool! I wonder what you are doing here, in the heart of the forest.”

“Oh! We often come to the forest but forget our way. So, we leave a trail of pebbles to lead us back home. Sometimes, like yesterday, a giant accidentally scatters all the pebbles. And so we borrow a lamp from Little Red’s grandma who lives close by. We have come back to return it. Would you like to come with us and meet her? She is nice and always has fresh cookies for us.”

Thinking of fresh, warm cookies made my stomach grumble again. So I took up the offer greedily and off we went, marching arm in arm, to Little Red’s grandma’s house. She lived in a fancy little chalet with green ivy growing on the walls outside. She had a tiny kitchen garden and two patches of tulips. Grandma was much like her house; old but warm and loving. We all had a lovely time eating cookies and guzzling fresh orange juice. Before long, it was time for us to say goodbye. But, not before I received a jar of home-made peach jelly. Yum!

I followed the pebbles back to the edge of the forest where my cottage was. Exhausted, I fell asleep as soon as my head touched the pillow alongside the seven kids and their mother.

I loved Story Book Land and soon knew my way around it. For the next few weeks my life was incredible and I lived without a care in the world. Alas! As it is said ‘All good things must come to an end.’ One lovely morning all the world seemed to be at peace when DISASTER STRUCK! I was whiling away my time, playing with Alice and the White Rabbit, when a bunch of pixies emerged from the forest wailing �" “Run away! Run Away! A library has shut down. They are coming!!” Panic spread everywhere. Even the wise old owls were losing it. Soon the sky grew ominous and dark. SNATCHERS!! They appeared out of thin air and snatched the 3 Blind Mice, Pinocchio, the Tortoise, Bambi and Aurora. The rest barely managed to shake the Snatchers off. Alice and I crawled into the White Rabbit’s burrow that was the closest.

Once safe inside, the White Rabbit flipped a switch labelled �" ‘For Emergencies’ and took a deep breath of relief. Noticing my confused look, Alice explained, “Once upon a time, there was a kind old man who came from your land. He saw all the trouble we went through when the Snatchers came. So, he invented this fantastic switch for all the houses in Story Book Land. It shields the house away from the Snatchers. The houses and all of the creatures become invisible to the Snatchers.”

“What happened to the kind old man?”

“All the Snatchers were furious at the fact that they were unable to snatch anyone. So one day, the Snatchers followed the old man to the forest, snatched him and threw him into the Pit of Non- Existence. Amazingly, he hasn’t faded away yet as the whole of Story Book Land still remembers him for his kindness and good deed,” finished the Rabbit.

I took all of this in spellbound and finally asked, “Mr. Rabbit, can I stay here for the time being, please?”

“My dear, there is absolutely no problem. You can stay here for as long as you want. But, remember one thing, never exit the house without asking someone from the inside to flip the switch back on once you are gone.”

“Yes, Mr. Rabbit. Thank you so much.”

The next evening White Rabbit and I went to drop Alice at her home, since going alone could invite danger. Once she was settled, White Rabbit and I returned to the burrow. There he announced, “I am going out for a while. Don’t forget to flip the switch back on once I leave.” Giving me a hug, he left.

I had been helping the creatures get back home safely all day long. My eyes were drooping with exhaustion. I flipped a switch the second the doors closed and plonked on the couch and was soon snoring away.

I woke up to the feeling of being carried away. Groggy from sleep and exhaustion, I felt helpless and unable to resist. Few blinks of consciousness made me realise that I was no more in White Rabbit’s house. Far away I saw a huge hole in the ground and could hear cries of desperation coming from the depths of it. The sky looked inky and sinister. I had no idea what was happening. I was tossed high into the air and fell deep into a pit crashing hard onto the surface. Thankfully I landed on a soft pile of feathers. I looked around and saw all kinds of eyes, beady black ones, slit green ones and huge Anime eyes, staring at me from the shadows. I called out to the hidden creatures, “Who are you? Can you come out into the open? Don’t worry I won’t hurt you.” The eyes stared, stone-like. If I hadn’t seen a beady black eye blink, I would not have noticed one of the Blind Mice come out of the shadows. Following his suit, appeared the two other Blind Mice, Bambi, the Tortoise, Pinocchio, one Little Pig and Aurora. Strangely there were other half faded characters whom I did not recognise. “Who are you people? I have never read about you before,” I asked confused.

A Red Indian Chief stepped up, “We belong to the folk tales. We were the first ones to be thrown in. Every time someone remembers us, we gain a little colour. But, that is not enough; thousands of our brothers have faded away as kids around the world do not read folk tales any longer.”

I was filled with sympathy, “That is so sad. Can’t you get out of here…wait!? Is this the Pit of Non-Existence?! How will we get out of here? We are stuck here for ever.” I turned to the others, “ Why are you here?”

The Little Pig oinked, “We forgot our watches and were wandering around. The Snatchers trapped us and threw us in here.”

I was puzzled, “What watches?”

“The same one which I invented to keep the characters safe outside their homes said a grave voice. An old man stepped out of the shadows, “ I am Mr. Andersen. You can also call me Hans.”

“Hans Christian Andersen?!! The great author, the legend!?”

“The very same,” Mr. Andersen chuckled seeing my astonishment.

“Sir, it is an honour to finally meet you in person. I am your biggest fan. I have read all your books. They are amazing,” I rattled in one breath.

“Calm yourself, girl! Now, where is your watch?” I dug deep into my pocket and retrieved the almost forgotten watch that Daffodil had given me. “Ah! Yes! Everyone line up, each holding on to a buddy next to you. Small creatures at the front. Jump onto the girl.” Everyone did as they were told; the folk tale creatures held on to each other, the Chief at the start, the Chief caught hold of Aurora’s hand, Aurora touched Bambi, Bambi nuzzled Pinocchio, Pinocchio picked up the Tortoise, the Tortoise stretched to reach the Little Pig, the Pig grasped Mr. Andersen’s left hand, Mr. Andersen joined me with his right hand and the three Blind Mice jumped onto me. After everyone was holding onto somebody, Mr. Andersen called out to me, “Now dear! Think of a place outside the Pit and focus all your energy into imagining it. Then turn the clock’s hand to three. Ready?” Everyone nodded. I could only think of one place; the White Rabbit’s cosy burrow. I turned the dial of the hour hand to three and the instant the hour hand struck three, I felt my stomach squeeze and I shut my eyes tightly.

A moment later I was standing in front of a sobbing White Rabbit. Walking up to him, I gently tapped him on his shoulder. The White Rabbit jumped up at the sight of me and hugged me. He stuttered, “I..I..I..am so sorry.” I said, “Don’t be. It is I who should be sorry. I must have flipped a different switch.”

“You did! You flipped the water sprinkler switch instead. When I returned, the door was wide open and you were gone! I thought that I had lost you forever!”

A few minutes later, Mr.Andersen and I were watching the characters of Story Book Land rejoice for the return of their dear friends. I asked something I had wanted to ask since a long time, “Mr. Andersen…this place really understands who I am. Can I stay here forever?”

Although I had braced myself for the answer, it came as a big blow to me. “No, dear. I am so sorry but someone from the outside can only stay here for a month. You will have to return soon.”

The Red Indian Chief broke away from the crowd. He handed me a beautiful, leather-bound book with an ancient lock and said, “This is a gift of honour from our side for saving our lives.” “A book!” I exclaimed.

“This book is magical and Sabrina, the witch herself has made it. It will be your ticket to reach back to Story Book Land whenever you wish to visit us. Just say ‘Open Sesame’ thrice and turn this key in the lock,” he said, producing a shiny, golden key, “This book will open and you must dip a finger into the page and voila..!! You will be standing in the heart of Story Book Land.”

The whole of Story Book Land was standing outside Rabbit’s burrow now. I waved at them and said, “I will be back soon!” I hugged the White Rabbit and thanked him with all my heart. With that I picked up the magical book, asked it to take me home and turned the key. Poof!! I disappeared in a cloud of rainbow smoke.

As the smoke cleared I was standing right in the middle of my room, the book in hand and a happy smile on my face. The only sounds were Mr. Ron’s dog barking next door and mummy cooking downstairs.

“Siya! It is half past eleven, wake up!” cried my mom.

“I am up, mummy. Coming down!” I called back, tucking away my precious leather bound book and its key in my secret drawer.