Creating Worlds Writing Camp - The Final Project

Hi everyone!:)
My final project for CWWC is here!:) I used 26 prompts, I am going to put them throughout the story as I write it so you know where they come into play.;) I changed the gender of the pictures a lot, so  keep that in mind.;)

 

I stood in front of my wall of jars, each one a whole entire different world inside. I tapped my chin thoughtfully and grabbed the one on the bottom, the one that looked like an island. I laid it in front of the large mirror and opened the cap. Taking a couple of steps back I examined my work.

"It'll work. I know it will. I am a Ferryman after all," I said, turning to face my customer.

Ferrymen were magical creatures who guarded the portals in the mirrors, I was gifted as a young child with the gift. My customer glanced at me.

I didn't know who it was, but they wore a huge cloak that encased them. A quiver and bow decorated their back.

"With this portal and mirror combination, you can just go missing. As you want," I told him. I squirmed. "If you don't mind me asking, why do you want to leave?"

His head moved toward me. "If I tell you, can this be my fee for the transportation?"

I nodded. Their story was a common fee I asked of them.

He unearthed a box from his cloak and handed it to me. On its side read, Bad Memories. Do not open.

"This will tell you everything. I will be leaving now." He jumped into the mirror and I watched as he disappeared. I cracked open the box and saw a ton of papers. Sighing, I picked up the one on the top and started reading. This was going to take a while.

They're all gone now. It's just me now. Kasey, Penelope, Gracie, they're gone.

I remember how they would look up at me from the stairs as I would leave for warrior training.

 I failed them. I was supposed to defeat the Clynths, the massive lizard like monsters that terrorized our city.

I wanted to tell them, the world's not safe anymore, but I thought about how they needed a hero. I thought I would be that hero for them. I was wrong. I underestimated the Clynths.

They were cunning, brave, relentless, but worst of all they were hunting us all, destroying each person they found. I remember when I came home from warrior training and found our house in shambles.

I screamed out for my sisters, like they would hear. I scrambled through the debris, searching for them. My hand brushed up against someone's arm and I tore away the rubble. There was Gracie.

I hugged her to my chest and I felt like the world vanished.

"I can't help you," I whispered to her. I cried in anger at the Clynths as I remembered my sisters, so happy and full of life.

When they would play in the ocean, acting as if there was nothing wrong. Overwhelming emotions pushed at me and I screamed.

As I took another look at the debris, I knew it would haunt me forever.

It seems that not all haunted places are houses, but memories. 

I pulled Gracie out of the rubble and buried her, placing a stone over the make shift grave. I grabbed a nearby stick and wrote in the dirt.

Here lies a girl who was not of this world. 

It was true. All of my sisters were not of this world, they were kinder, sweeter than this cruel world should have ever known.

A tear slipped down my face.

And I had failed them.

Passing the grave, I grabbed a torch and set out for the border, knowing that what I had wanted to do was over, pointless without my sisters.

Nobody crossed the border, not if they wanted to live. What was outside the border was uncharted territory. No one knew what was out there.

I didn't care. I had to get away, start fresh if that was possible. I had to find a Ferryman. The Ferrymen were legends, they would help me. I crossed the border and tore through the forest encompassing the town.

I slipped on the wet ground and fell into the river, my lantern breaking and the pieces were carried away by the current. I wanted to stay there, but I was on a mission. I rose, dusting myself off and kept walking in my wet cloak. As night fell, my eyes spot a sign.

"Here be Faeries," I read out loud. Faeries. Another legend. I passed the sign, my eyes peeled for a Faery. The moon rose and a fire caught my attention.

A Faery girl danced in a bare area of the forest and I walked up to her.

"Are you a Faery?" I asked her.

She gasped, whizzing to face me.

"You know who I am?" she said and I nodded.

"I saw the sign. Do you know where I can find a Ferrymen?"

She shook her head, then nodded.

"I don't, but I know who does. Ferrymen are our close friends and Marissa will know where a Ferryman is."

I followed her as she led me to Marissa.

We came to a waterfall and I looked up, seeing a Faery reading to a dragon.

"Marissa!" The Faery called to her. Marissa floated down to the ground and smiled at me.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"I want a Ferryman. I want to disappear to another world," I answered. 

"I know where you can find a Ferryman."

I skimmed the next few pages, they were all explaining how the man got here. I read the first page again, where he lost his sisters and my heart went out to him. He had gone through a huge loss.

I went up to my roof and gazed at the stars, inhaling deeply. The air was more fresh up here, the moon shone brighter and I felt free from whatever ailed me. This time it was one of my clients. Never had I felt worse for one of them.

Bright blue butterflies flew around me, and I laughed. The butterflies were beautiful, the finest pets I could have. I wished I could change the man's past, but that wasn't his fate. It wasn't meant to be. I continued to stare into the night sky, trusting in the fact that life was going somewhere with him and it would make him better than before. Sighing, I fell onto the roof and closed my eyes. Everything was going to be okay.

***

I hope you liked the story! Wow, that was a lot of prompts!XD I wish I could have used them all, but I really don't think that shoving prompts into my story that can't work would be the best.;D

-Emma-

P.S. Everyone, you can not make me join the Light Side. I AM LOYAL TO THE DARK SIDE!!!XD I AM A SITH, FEAR ME!!!!XD

DO YOU GUYS KNOW WHAT TODAY IS??? + Clara's Request

TODAY IS MY ONE YEAR BLOGIVERSARY!!!O0O

You read that right, I have had this blog up for one whole year! I can't even believe it! SO much has changed within one year with my drawing and writing, it's insane!:)

Over the span of one year, I have gotten 17,145 page views and 21 amazing followers!

Specific thank you's to---

Clara, for always being one of the very first people to comment on my blog and posting the nicest comments on here.:) Plus, all of her awesome Keeper news that she shares with me!:)

Addy, for being another awesome commenter and blogger friend.:) I love her own drawings and love talking to her about Star Wars.:)

American Girl Doll Artist, another epic Star Wars fan and blogger, even though she's stuck on the Light Side....*sigh* Maybe someday...XD LOL!

 Grace, she is one of the nicest girls in the entire blogosphere! Her comments are always so sweet and I love seeing them in my feed.:) She also has a great blog of her own!:)

Kathryn, she's an awesome blogger and I have always looked up to her ever since the beginning.:)

Anika, for being a super sweet blogger. Her comments are so nice.:)

Anonymous A, her fan girling comments always bring a smile to my face.:)

Lizzy has always been so nice and super talented with her drawings.:) (Also, another Star Wars fan, so that makes her one thousand times better.;D)

I wish I could name every single person that has ever visited my blog and thank them, but that would take so long!XD But THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!:D This blog wouldn't be half as fun without you all!:)

And now, Clara's drawing requests!
She requested a dragon, Silveny and Linh from Keeper!:)

I hope you liked these, Clara!:D

-Emma-

Creating Worlds Writing Camp - Project Eight

Hi everyone!:)

Here are the prompts I used-

 

 

Our world's not safe anymore, but I longed for the times when I could leave the house without worrying, without drawing my coat closer to my chest as I passed a stranger. At night, I'd go to the roof of my house and lean over the edge and inhale deeply. The air was more fresh up there, the moon and stars seemed to shine brighter than before, and I felt free. I thought about the past, when I was truly free, the days where I would go down to the ocean with Krista and play in the water. The air seemed to hold a glittery quality there. But now things were different. Krista had disappeared and just the memory of her made me want to cry. I knew I wanted to make a difference, to change the situation. I wanted to change from the hunted, to the hunters. Before the Nameless appeared, we were happy and free to go wherever we wanted. Then the Nameless, the white ghostly monsters, showed up on the hunt for fairies, for us. They were cunning, brave, brutal, relentless, merciless... That's why we were hiding.

I stared out at the stars, the way the light just ended. The night sky reminded me of my aunt's collection of jars on her living room wall. I never knew what they were for, but they held what looked like little galaxies inside. If only those little galaxies could help our situation, if only I could find my aunt again. I took another glance at the sky and I felt a swelling in my chest, a subconscious decision I had just made.

I wasn't going to sit around anymore. I needed a hero. We all did. Someone needed to step up and become that hero, and that person was me. I climbed down the roof and to the streets, lighting a torch from my hand, one of the many powers I had as a fairy, and walked to the border of our haven. No one strayed past it. The Nameless were out there. If they did, they never came back.

Be a hero, be a hero, be a hero, I repeated to myself. I had to defeat the Nameless, I had to free my friends. I had to find Krista.

Mustering my courage, I stepped across the border.

***

I know it's kind of short, but isn't that a nice change?;) Thanks for reading, I hope you liked the story!:)

-Emma-



The Final Challenge for AAWC

Hi everyone!:)

This is the final AAWC challenge! *sigh* That's so sad...:(

I used the prompt word "Invisible", our team mascot, and a plot twist!:D

I always felt invisible in my family. In my home. In my world. This was the story of how I thought I was going to become visible for the first time in my life.

I stared down at my dinner plate, my fork brushing away my vegetables. My sister, Amanda, chattered on to our parents about what happened at school today, but I wasn't listening. Her life was so full of the spotlight; lights, camera, action. My life paled in comparison. She even got all of the attention from our parents. I tried not to think about it, but the fact that she was adopted and I was actually born into the family felt strange to me. As if the roles should switch.

Not that I would ever want her not to get any attention! I loved Amanda. I just wanted attention, too. Dinner ended and I sighed, standing up.

“Hey, Lizzie! I am going to Jane's sleepover tomorrow, wanna come?” Amanda asked me before I could slip away. I shook my head.

“Not really.”

It was only a pity invite, I wouldn't want to go anyway.

I dashed to my room, eagerly seeking solitude. I opened my window and the dry breeze swept through the room, casting the curtains into chaos. I breathed in until my lungs burned. My mind cleared and my sight was sharpened as I stared out at the yard. A sharp wind stung at my face, an oddly bitter wind. A large white form fell from the dark sky and I gasped, backing away from my window. The form was a horse, a Pegasus to be exact. Its white wings spread out as it trotted toward my window. I stared out at it, my mind in shock and my eyes bugging out.

“What are you?” I whispered, but my voice had gone.

“Are you the daughter of the Formen's?” the Pegasus asked and I stared blankly at it. I nodded my head.

“You must come with me!” the Pegasus demanded.

“Why?” I finally croaked. My mind was in denial. This couldn't be happening to me.

“Our world...it's in mortal peril! The prophecy said that you, Daughter of Formen's, would save us, and that day is now. I'm here to take you to our world,” she said.

“Save you?” I laughed. This was crazy. “I couldn't save you if I wanted! I don't even know you-” I paused, my mind hurting, “what?” I whispered to myself, bewildered. This was the weirdest thing in my life. How was a Pegasus here in my backyard?
“You're the savior! It's in the prophecy! You must live out your destiny! If you must know me to feel comfortable, then my name is Athena. I was sent here by the Queen of Pegasi to take you away from here and save us all! Don't you want to help?”

“Hold your horses! This is happening way too fast! I can't believe you, whoever you are, would come into my backyard and tell me to come with you! What about my family? What about my life? I couldn't care less about your world!” I shouted. I opened my mouth to call for my parents when Athena neighed.

“Wait! No! Please don't call for your parents. I'm sorry for springing this onto you...I'm new. Let me rephrase. If you don't help us, then it could destroy your world, too,” she explained, her voice strained as she pronounced every word slowly.

“How?”

“We do not have our rightful ruler on the throne. We were biding our time to come retrieve you from this world we had to station you in, but now that a new ruler has seized the throne, he will come after you and try to kill you. You need to come with me and get to the magical scepter to reclaim your throne! If he comes to kill you, he will wipe out this world with you!”

“I don't believe you!” I yelled. There was no way my world was in danger. Her words sunk in deeper. “Station me in?”

“Yes. We had to keep you here for reasons I can't tell you about yet. But believe me when I say that you are capable. You are our savior! You were born to be the ruler of our world, not just another peasant of this one. Haven't you felt your true calling pulling at you all of this time?” Athena said. I nodded. I had felt that pull to a more important life.

“If I really am your savior, then I will come and I will help you. I have felt the calling all of this time to find my real place.”
“You were never born for this world. Ever.”
I knew she was right. I had never felt that this place was home ever since Amanda got here all of those years ago. I climbed onto Athena's back and she tore through the sky, until my vision turned black from such fast speeds and my body felt like it was being ripped through the fabric of time and space.

I woke up to soft licking against my cheek. I jumped up to see Athena and a dozen other Pegasi around me.

“What just happened?” I asked, breathless.

“We traveled, um, unlike you've experienced before. We go so fast we go to another world. It's hard to explain,” Athena answered. I rubbed my head as the fog cleared.

“Where are we?”

“In my, I mean, our, world. Your true world,” she said and I gazed at the castle courtyard around me. Tall crystal and sapphire spires twisted up to the castle roof, which was slick with diamonds. The walls and floors held intricate crests and etchings that added to the detail and splendor. I was shocked.

“This is my home?”

Athena nickered, laughing. “No! This is the Castle of the Pegasi! Your castle is much more immaculate than this.”
I gawked. How could something be better than this? Yet I somehow felt like this was a place for me.

“What are we doing?”

“We are going in to see the Queen of Pegasi where she will run a DNA scan and make sure that I didn't get the wrong girl.” Athena laughed. “But I know we didn't. You're our savior, I can tell.”
I beamed. She was right. This was my world. It all made sense, my constant struggle to fit in on Earth. It was because I never belonged there. We entered the throne room and a lavender Pegasus with white luscious curls stood in front of me. A crown of sapphires and diamonds ordained her head. She was beautiful.

I bowed at the sight of her.

“Rise, savior,” she told me and I rose, hesitant to meet her amber eyes. The word savior still sent happy shivers up my spine.
“You are Formen's daughter, yes?” she said. I nodded.

“I am Elizabeth, Lizzie for short.”
“Elizabeth, we are going to run some very short tests on you to make positive we have the right girl. It's only a formality though, so don't be worried. You are the savior, we Pegasi can sense these things. You smell like her.”

I grinned. Athena took me into a back room and a Pegasus scanned my arm with a sensor. I was expecting needles and a blood draw, but these Pegasi had different methods. The chip flashed green and the doctor Pegasi took the sensor out of the room. I followed.

“Your Majesty.” The Pegasus laid the instrument in front of the queen and she stared at it.

“But-I see...” The queen faced me, her eyes worried. “Elizabeth, unfortunately, we have brought you here in error. This is not your world and has never been. The girl who is our savior is under the name Amanda Formen, I am sorry. Your presence is no longer needed.”

My body felt like lead. There was no way she was saying what she was saying.

“NO!” I shrieked. “She can't have this, too! This was mine! This should have all been mine! She always gets whatever she wants!” My knees buckled and I crumbled to the stained glass floor, sobbing. I thought I was important. I thought I was visible for the first time. The queen brought out a purple vial and Athena poured the liquid into my mouth. I gagged as I choked on it, but it went down my throat and my mind fuzzed over immediately. Sharp, electric zaps punctured my mind as I felt this world being ripped away from me. They were taking my memories.

“No!” I screamed, jumping up. I panted as I stared at my room around me. Everything was normal. “Just a bad dream,” I murmured to myself and got out of my bed. It was time to continue my invisible life.

***

I hope you enjoyed the story!:) GO TEAM PEGASUS!

-Emma-



Why Your Characters Are So Important

Hi everyone!:)
As I was watching a few of The Clone Wars episodes with my brother and sister, I was trying to figure out why I was so not interested in this certain story that they were telling. The plot was pretty good, it was about these droids and a frog-like guy that were trying to find an encryption module on a Separatist ship and everything that transpired because of that mission.

Yet I was not liking it one bit.

I was dying to skip the next few episodes where it was over, and so were my brother and sister. When we sat down to watch Clone Wars, we felt like we were wasting our time on the most boring story ever.

I don't usually touch my phone when I'm watching Clone Wars, but I couldn't put it down when I was watching these episodes. I had to consciously tell myself to focus.XD

You get the gravity of the situation now.

But as I watched it, I asked myself why I wasn't liking it. If Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka, for example, were the ones on the mission, then I would have loved it.
Then it hit me.

I didn't like the characters at all.

The frog guy was annoying, the droids had no personality (except R2-D2), and that was what was making me, if not my brother and sister, so bored. The plot was decent, but the characters were boring. I didn't connect.

That got me thinking about just how important characters are to your story, maybe even more so than the plot, dare I say it. The plot obviously needs to be good, too, but your characters are what really make or break the story. If your character is bland, who in the world would want to read your story? If your story is lacking, maybe it's time to reevaluate your characters and make some hard choices.:)

That's just something to think about when you're writing.:)

 

I'm an amateur writer and I don't know that much about character creating and stuff, but I've been learning and thinking and I believe that the bulk of your character comes from their past, their back story. So, if you want your character to be better, coming up with a back story for them (if you don't have one already) could be the next step.

People's pasts are truly what makes them who they are. How they were treated as kids can make them react in certain ways as teenagers or adults. Pick up a pen and paper and figure out your character's back story. I think it will be worth your while.:)

 

If you're looking for an awesome blog with writing advice that is clean and will help and inspire you to write and become an author, I would highly recommend this site- Go Teen Writers

It's amazing and has inspired me to write SO much!

***

I hope you liked this post and thought it was helpful.:)

-Emma-

Do you like writing advice/tips? Would you want more posts like these?



Creating Worlds Writing Camp - Project Seven

Hi everyone!:)
Sorry that this is so late! I used the following prompts-

(Nine in total)

I changed this one a tiny bit.;)

 

I didn't like the stares coming from the villagers. Not one bit. Anger rose to my cheeks at the glances Blake and I got for just walking down the street. So what that Blake was stranger than everyone else? So what that he wore a huge hooded cloak and hid behind houses? He was my friend and I hated how he was treated just because he acted differently. We strode past the town and into the forest, our favorite place to be. No one was there except us, which meant no one gave us weird looks. I let go of a big sigh.

“Blake? Why does everyone freak out because you act different from everyone else?” I asked.

Blake stared down at the ground. “I don't know. Sometimes people are just strange.”
“Yeah, the villagers are strange,” I agreed. Shaking his head, he looked at me.

“No, not the villagers. Me. I'm strange. I just don't like it here. I feel something calling me away. I can't explain it.”
My eyes widened and I felt my heart pick up pace. Suddenly my neck felt itchy, the sign my body gave me when I felt uncomfortable with the topic. He couldn't mean away away, Could he? Like, past the border? I itched my neck with my pointer finger.

No one ever strayed past the border, if they did, no one ever saw them again. What was on the other side, no one knew. If he left, I didn't know what I would do. The villagers correlated passing the border as dying, it was that unknown out there.

“When can we go to your tree house again?” I asked him, trying to change my focus. Blake looked at me sideways from underneath his hood. I searched his eyes, my heart hesitant to ask the question. For some reason, he never liked taking me to his tree house, but I thought it was the coolest fort.

“Fine,” he gave in. I laughed, but I couldn't shake his earlier words out of my heart. It felt like smoke, sticking to my mind. We went to the secret trail that led to his tree house and we climbed up the slats of wood nailed into the tree. I smiled when I reached the inside. Vines and branches grew through the house. Leaves covered the floor like a carpet. Blake threw back his hood and we mulled around.

What kind of adventures could he imagine up here? I almost wished I could live here, make the wild branches into seats and lay a mat in that corner-

I twirled to face the corner I would put the imaginary mat in when I noticed, for the first time, the actual mat there, the pile of books at the foot of the mat. I glanced at the tree house more thoroughly, noticing the appliances that made this fort into an actual home. Out of nowhere, I realized that the dream to live here was an actual reality for Blake. I froze to the ground, my hand rising to my neck.

A crash sounded from outside the forest and Blake perked up, throwing his hood back up.

“I'll go see what that is,” he volunteered and flew down the ladder. I became very interested in the fact that this was his home when he left. The mysterious person that was Blake made me imagine just what kind of secrets he might have. I began to go through the tree house when my foot snagged on an uplifted board in the corner of the room. Intrigued, I went to the ground and pulled up the board, brushed away the leaves, and saw a box nestled in the ground. Ants crawled over it and ancient dirt covered the box, but I made out the words “Bad Memories, Do Not Open” on the side. Of course, I opened. A leather bound diary was in the box. I tore it open and read it.

My world's not safe anymore. Or at least that's how I feel. Dad still hasn't come back after...everything. I went to the forest last night, calling out his name, like he would actually hear. Like he would actually care. I've been looking for him everywhere, but I don't see him.

I'm scared. Mom has been acting like everything is okay, but I can see that she's afraid, too. When will he be back? Will he be back? I have to be honest and say that I don't think he's coming back.

After this experience, I've learned something. Not all haunted places are houses. Sometimes, the place that is haunted is the past.

I want Dad back.

Blake

I flipped through the rest of the pages, coming to a stop in the middle of the diary where another entry was made.

The world is cruel. After I lost my dad, I've lost my mother, but I know what happened to her. She died. I need a hero now and right now I am the only one who is available for the job. I'm leaving the town of Tertrum. I don't have a life here anymore. It's time to move on, see what's out there.

Blake

“Tertrum?”

“What?”

I turned around, squeaking in alarm.

“What are you doing?” Blake shouted, lunging for me and the diary.

“I'm sorry, I just found it!”

“You shouldn't be snooping through my personal things,” he said, his voice ringing through the tree house.

“You aren't from this town?” I asked him. He gave me a surprised look.

“No, I am.”

“This says that you're from the town of Tertrum. Where's that?”

Blake's eyes lit up at the name. “Tertrum?” he whispered, his voice barely audible. “My home...”

He raced through the tree house, collecting up his things.

“Blake?” I asked, my heart race picking up.

“I'm going back to my home!”
“You said that it wasn't your home, in the diary! You said that there was nothing left for you there!”

“Nothing is left here for me either,” he said, his mind far away. I gasped, taken aback.
“How could you say that?” I shouted. “I'm here for you, I'm your best friend! You said that your parents are dead!”

Blake froze. “You don't understand.”

He jumped down from the tree house and sprinted through the forest, me chasing him. He couldn't be heading towards the border, but as he turned right at the trail head, I knew that that was exactly what he was doing. I begged my legs to go faster, but I couldn't keep up with him. My feet stumbled on a root and I fell into the stream.

“No, Blake!” I screamed. I staggered up, limping toward where he went, but I knew I wouldn't see him again. Whatever had possessed him, it had taken him away from me.

He was right. I didn't understand. I wanted to help him. I wanted him not to cross the border, but as I reached the it, all I saw was his footprints in the marshy ground, disappearing right at the edge.

I knew what this meant.

I walked back to the village to the morgue. A funeral was in order for Blake, my best friend.

“Too bad,” the man in the morgue said. “What will the gravestone say? You were the only one who knew him.”

I paused, thinking on what he would want it to say.

“Blake. Here lies a friend who was not of this town.”

***

I didn't edit this story at all, I didn't have any time, so I'm sorry if it's not the best. I hope you liked it regardless.:)

-Emma-





Creating Worlds Writing Camp - Project Six + #7 Story for AAWC + Lilah's Drawing Request

Hi everyone!:)

First up in this post is my sixth CWWC project/seventh project for AAWC. I included the prompt "silence", but I didn't use the mascot. Sorry.:(
I used fifteen prompts for CWWC!:)
 

I changed this to Here Be Ferrymen. If this doesn't count, that's fine.;) 

 

 

Alyssa sat in her hut, reading a book about the Ferrymen. The Ferrymen were the guardians of the other world's portals, mirrors. Only specific mirrors would take you to other worlds, and Alyssa had been searching for either a Ferryman or a portal mirror to take her away from the world that despised her for forever. For some unknown reason, everyone in the town hated her, which forced her into solitude. She didn't have any passion, friends, or spark to her dismal life. She was desperate to leave. She knew she had to find a Ferryman. They were her only hope of a happy life. She grabbed her bow, pulling it over her head. She draped her quiver of arrows onto her back and took a step toward the door. She needed a hero, to save her from this terrible life. She had had enough of waiting. She was going to be that hero. She threw open her door and slipped through the shady parts of the village, closing in on the border of the town. No one ever crossed the border and came back. She kept telling herself that she had nothing to lose, but she stalled as she waited behind a hut. All Alyssa had to do was cross the graveyard and past the border. Then she would search for the Ferrymen that she KNEW were out there. All of the books said that there was at least one Ferryman in the forest, past the border. That's why no one ever found a Ferryman. They didn't want to cross the border. They had lives in the village. But not Alyssa. She gripped the lantern in her hand. It was the middle of the day, but that didn't mean that it wouldn't get dark in the forest. She pressed herself up against the wall of the hut, squeezing her eyes shut. Taking a deep breath, she slipped out from behind the hut and raced across the cemetery, not daring to look back until she reached the border. She screeched to a halt at the edge of the forest, the edge of the border, the edge of a new world. She strained her eyes to stay focused on the border ahead, even though they begged to look back. She reached out her foot and leaped across the border. She couldn't tell that she dissolved from the sight of any villagers in the town. Alyssa felt a new emotion wash over her in the forest. Triumph. Happiness. She sprinted through the woods, on her hunt for a Ferryman. After the daylight faded, she started to feel hopeless. Her new found joy was rapidly being squashed by the fact that she hadn't seen any glimpse or hint that the Ferrymen were near. She felt her breath being squeezed out of her as the hope left her completely. Suddenly, she began to fall onto her lantern as a root caught at her foot. The lantern shattered and her dark cloak put out the small flame. The clumsy fall brought her over the edge with her feelings. She sobbed into the forest ground, not caring to get off of the glass. Alyssa craned her neck upwards and called out for the Ferrymen in the silence, like they would hear, like they would care about the black sheep of a whole village. 

She slowly staggered back onto her feet, dusting away the broken glass on her cape. She had been plunged into utter darkness, into utter silence. She stumbled farther into the forest, her senses being completely confused. Giving up for the night, Alyssa fell onto the ground and crawled to a tree. She stared out into the depths of the darkness. A tiny orange flame appeared from behind a far away tree and she gasped as a silhouette of a girl appeared.

"Ferryman..." Alyssa whispered, pushing her hands into the ground. She felt the grainy texture of wood in the ground and tore her gaze away from the flame to unearth whatever she had felt. She squinted her eyes at the board of wood and slowly read the white, painted words.

"Here be the Ferryman."

Alyssa jumped up and sprinted after the Ferryman, her legs pumping so quickly that she soon caught up to her. She slipped behind a tree as the Ferryman entered a small and empty flat of land untouched by trees or bushes. Alyssa watched her for a second then came out from her hiding place and up to the girl. The Ferryman looked at her.

"Who are you?" Alyssa asked her.

"You know who I am," the Ferryman replied. 

"A Ferryman," she guessed.

The girl nodded. "You come to ask me to take you away from this world. Don't you?"

This time it was Alyssa who nodded. "Yes."

"I'm sorry. But I can't take you to another world."

"Why not?" Alyssa asked, her voice breaking. She couldn't have come here for nothing. 

"For us Ferrymen, the world's not safe anymore. We are being hunted by The Olyprates. Tall, white creatures that are out for revenge against the Ferrymen, ever since we let an army go into their world. We were oblivious. The army destroyed almost all of the Olyprates, except for three, and those three are cunning, brave, brutal, relentless, and now they're hunting each Ferryman down to destroy us and get their revenge. I can not help you if I can not even help my fellow Ferrymen."

Alyssa stared in shock. "Please, Ferryman. I need to leave this world. I'm sorry for you, but you might be my only chance to leave this cruel world!"

The girl shook her head.

"I don't even have a mirror to take you somewhere."

"We do."

Alyssa and the Ferryman turned to face three little girls coming out from the forest. They were plain and ordinary, but in their eyes held confidence.

"Fellow Ferrymen!" the Ferryman cried. "You have a mirror?"

"Yes," the girls responded at the same time. "We heard everything. Just because we are being hunted by the Olyprates does not mean that we don't want to help others who wish to escape to other worlds. We will let you use our mirror."

Alyssa gasped as a smile broke out on her face. "Really?"

They nodded, bringing out a mirror from one of their backpacks. It was small but soon began to grow into a full length mirror.

"Wait, but will you Ferrymen be okay?" Alyssa questioned. The Ferrymen exchanged glances.

"That will be up to fate," the first Ferryman decided. The others nodded. "Go now."

The mirror began to glow blue around us and small blue butterflies burst out from the world in the mirror. They flew around them, and Alyssa cupped her hands together as one butterfly flew onto them. Such beautiful butterflies could only come from a beautiful world. A world where all of her bad memories here would disappear.

"Thank you so much," Alyssa told the Ferrymen and jumped into the mirror. She was ready for a new life. If only she knew that this wasn't the last time she would meet a Ferryman.

***

I hope you liked the story!
Now for Lilah's drawing request!  She asked for Harry Potter characters.:)

 

 

Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. (I have absolutely no idea how to pronounce Hermione.XD) I made them cartoon-y instead of realistic, I think they're cute.;)

Lilah, I hope you like the drawings.:)

-Emma-