Chapter 25: Emily and the Netherworld

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Chapter 25: Emily and the Netherworld

 As I entered the portal, I expected to be in a wormhole kind of thing like I’d seen in movies. I anticipated being sucked into a colorful vortex of swirling light. I imagined that I’d feel as if I was being pulled apart or maybe I’d disintegrate and then come back together (hopefully) when I got there.

But it wasn’t like that at all. The truth is, I was disappointed in the journey. I simply walked from one world to another. I knew that I’d left our world only because I was surrounded by the same silvery mist and fog that we’d seen come out of the hole. The fog and mist was so thick, I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face. I had walked into a dimension of fog.

I didn’t know what to do so I walked. At least I think I walked. It’s hard to describe, but when you can’t see anything in any direction, when you’re totally surrounded by mist and fog, you can’t tell if you’re moving or not. I moved my legs, but I can’t say for sure that I went anywhere.

And there didn’t appear to be any ‘where’ to go. It felt like hours that I walked through the endless fog and mist. I was on the verge of some serious tears. What have I gotten myself into? I was stuck in a place of nothing, and I had no idea how to get out.

Through my tears I cursed Hindergog, the only one I could think of to blame for my misery. “Darn you Hindergog, you evil troll!”

No sooner had a yelled those words into the mist, I saw a dark shape materialize in front of me. My heart began to pick up speed as the shape came closer and grew larger. But when the shape was a few feet from me, I relaxed as I recognized the familiar outline of pointy ears.

“I am no troll, my young mistress.”

“Hindergog, oh thank God you’re here,” I said. I hugged him to me and found that he was as solid as any person in my world. “I’ve never been gladder to see anyone in my life.”

Hindergog almost looked happy. He looked exactly the same in person as he did in the holographic projection. He had the same sad, droopy eyes. Same tweed vest and rolled up sleeves of his linen shirt. Same dog muzzle but with a pig snout on the end and same odd pig-like ears. I can’t say that Hindergog was cute because he was a bit ugly. But just then, he was the best-looking thing I’d ever seen.

“Hindergog, you’ve come to rescue me from this place, haven’t you?” I asked.

“Rescue you? From what?”

“This horrible nothing land that I’m stuck in. I was supposed to go to the Netherworld, but I don’t know how to get there.”

“You are in the Netherworld,” Hindergog said. He began to walk.

I ran after him because I didn’t want to lose him in the fog.

“This doesn’t seem like a world at all. Where are these great teachers I’m supposed to ‘train’ with? I swear I’ve walked for hours and I haven’t seen anyone or anything.”

“This is a decidedly different kind of world than you are used to, young Emily. Your teachers are here, as are other entities, but not nearly so many beings as in your world. Here, you will not have the interference of the creations of so many others.”

“Yeah, I don’t think interference of others is anything I’ve got to worry about here.”

“My young mistress, so human. You still see only with your eyes.”

“Well, I am accustomed to seeing with my eyes, yes. What other organ should I use to see? My spleen?”

“I can see that you are getting frustrated ... ”

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