A Trio of Anomalies - The Quest for Paradise

CHAPTER 11 - SIGHTSEEING

He only had to count to three before he stepped out onto a white sandy path, as the refreshing scent of roses and faint tinkling of a few fairies' wings filled the air, prompting him to take a few deep breaths. His face of wonder and relief hardened as he realised that it was nearing dusk in the kingdom, although the bioluminescent flowers and insects around him glowed like a thousand colourful lights, giving the place a magical and dream-like look. He couldn't help but grin at the result of Queen Blossom's efforts to rid the kingdom of the gloomy dark green mist, as now he could see clearly every leaf on every twig on every branch on every bough on every trunk. In fact, he realised that the leaves and grass were not always green, but they came in blues, purples and pinks as well, unusual on their own yet somehow blending perfectly into their surroundings. He found that while a particular rose-and-tulip bush had bright emerald leaves growing off dark pink branches, the flowers themselves were completely white, pure and refreshing as they glowed in the sunset.

He walked for a little bit more to hear the murmur of a calm lake, hidden behind a huge hedge of vegetation which he pried through. Just like its name it glittered like a mirror, casting a wonderful reflection of the slate coloured sky ornamented with pink and orange clouds.He wished terribly that he could just sightsee, and perhaps make a home among the indigo boughs, yet he stepped onto the main path and pulled out his phone, scrolling past the screenshots to stop on a map of the Kingdom of the Fairies.

He traced the winding roads, growing more dejected as he realised how far he had to walk just to get to Enchanted City alone. Perhaps he could stop at the Valley of the Blue Unicorns for a quick ride and a break from walking, although he didn't want to harm the unicorns for his lack of horse-riding skills. With a sigh he began setting footprints on the pale yellow sand.

***

"Pink Forest ..." he thought, skipping past the amalgamation of tentacle-like plants coiling around one another to form a hemisphere. Peering into the entrance he saw a few bell-shaped flowers hanging from the huge pink dome like ceiling lamps, with various pink insects dwelling in them. He noticed a few caves and holes on the ground, home to yet more creatures including what he thought was a three-ear-rabbit with the wings of a fly. Occasionally the furry animals would creep out of their dome, only to scamper back in a high pitched squeal upon seeing a lanky figure gazing back at them curiously. He giggled, wanting to check out the inside of the huge dome even more for peculiar creatures, yet not wanting to disturb the endemic animals any longer he turned a sharp right and headed south, still refusing to walk properly.

***

Unlike the blue and purple trees at the portal the Pretty-shade Plain looked more like the trees he was used to back home, olive green leaves on top of dark brown trunks. The creatures looked a lot more similar to the ones he recognised, as his ears were filled with the high twittering of birds and the low scrapes and scratches of rodents trying to dig underground. Most of the creatures were scared away by his skipping, and halfway through the plain he slowed into a walk, fighting the urge to start singing spontaneously. Then again, even if he were to start singing he would be no better off than if he stayed silent, and therefore saving his much needed energy he walked out of the plain and followed the white sandy path past a rushing waterfall, recognising it as the infamous Fountain of Youth. Trembling a little he picked up speed, seeing his shadow grow longer as everything was tinted in dark purple and blue, making it harder for him to spot the sandy road.

"Oh shleazles ... forgot about that ..." he mumbled, suddenly realising how much his phone's battery had been depleted. He brought along a charging bank, of course, but even then he began memorising short distances and only looking at his phone as a last resort. The darkness didn't terrify him, rather it brought along a sense of excitement, a tingling sensation in his heart that often occurred whenever he parkoured through stuff or pretended he was in his own action movie either duelling with or running away from random people with his powers. The sun was completely down by then, and he only had the blinding flashlight of his phone to guide his way.